1793 words. Goodness, it's been a while, but I finally had some ideas for this chapter! Warning you now guys, this is a pretty dark chapter at the end. I don't want to spoil anything, but you have been warned. All rights go to their respective owners.
"What's with all this 'chi chi chi' crap?" Karma spat at the man. She grabbed her meister's wrist and pulled her up, whispering, "Be ready for a fight. Gonna set the torch down, so get ready for Soul Perception."
"But you know my Soul Perception isn't that good!" Sayuri whispered frantically.
"Then you better get good at it quick!" Karma shouted, throwing the torch down and transforming into a scythe as the light extinguished itself. She felt Sayuri's hands around her and their odd souls resonate. She watched the beady red eyes of the rats as they scurried around on the floor. The man's own red eyes glowed in the dark.
"Chi chi chi... A weapon-meister pair, huh? I heard your school destroyed one of my sisters. Familiar with the Mizune family?" he asked. The glowing eyes disappeared.
Sayuri closed her eyes and focused on her Soul Perception, searching for the man. Both weapon and meister heard her mantra across the link of their souls: "Assassin's Rule Number One: Silence. Dissolve in the darkness and erase your breath. Wait for an opening to attack your target." The soft glow of a soul appeared, not very clear to the meister, but still there. "Assassins Rule Number Two - Transpositional Thinking: Analyze the target in order to predict his thoughts and movements." Carefully, she lined up her attack, waiting for the perfect moment. "Assassins Rule Number Three - Speed: Take out the target before the target notices your presence." The meister leapt forward, swinging Karma through the air. She heard the cries of a few rats as the blade sliced through them. "But I swear it was him!" she cried.
The man's unique laugh echoed all around them. "I am the rat, Nezumi," he chuckled. "I am far more powerful than those runts. I don't think you understand what you are up against."
Karma growled, eager to find the man and end his constant 'chi chi chi'. "What are you waiting for? He's right there! Go after him!"
Once again, Sayuri lined up her attack with Karma's guidance and swung down the scythe only to find she had sliced through more of the vermin. "This isn't working! We need a new approach!" she cried.
"There can only be so many rats down here! Wipe 'em all out if you need to! You can't just do this little 'sit around in silence and analyze your target' crap all the time! This guy's obviously dangerous and needs to be taken out!"
"Slashing blindly isn't going to help us! We need a new plan!" Sayuri stood still, focusing on her surroundings. "Think, Sayuri, think! What can we do?" Unfortunately, slashing blindly seemed like their only option. Her Soul Perception was not nearly as strong as Michael's or her other fellow meisters. But something seemed off. Now she could not sense the man's soul at all. He had to still be there since his laugh continued to echo. So why could she not sense his soul...?
Suddenly it all made sense. She knew she'd heard about the Mizune sisters somewhere. They were witches. Karma and Sayuri were up against a witch and were definitely not prepared. "We gotta run," the meister whispered to herself frantically.
"Wait, what? What did you say?" Karma asked.
"No time to explain right now, we gotta go!" Sayuri shouted, swinging Karma around her and taking out a few of the rats closing in.
"Whadya mean?! We can take him!"
"He's a witch, Karma! A witch!"
"Well shit..." was all the weapon could say. "Alright, you're the meister. Get us outta here."
"Right!" Sayuri fumbled in the dark, trying to remember the way they had come down into the passage from the surface.
Occasionally she swung the scythe at the rats, Nezumi's voice fading into the distance, "Run away, little girls! I am one of many in Zoida!"
Finally out of the passage, Karma quickly transformed back into her human form, and the two made quick work of blocking the entrance with rubble before the rats caught up to them. "Phew..." Karma breathed, "now I get why people hate rats! Nasty little bastards!"
"He said he was in Zoida," Sayuri thought aloud. "And there were more. Maybe they're all witches?"
"maybe this guy was just a messenger," the scythe pondered. "Never heard of this 'Zoida' before, so they must be new and looking to pick a fight with weapons and meisters."
The meister nodded her head in agreement. "We need to talk to Death about this. None of this sounds good..."
…
"So, that place is sposed to be all clear, huh?" Karma asked sarcastically. "You realize how much danger we were in? Not that we couldn't take this Nezumi guy down, but he had the element of surprise. Way to just throw us in without a warning."
"I was unaware that there was anything but vermin down there," Death replied, shocked at Karma's words.
"Yeah, a hella lot of rats and the Pied Piper."
"What Karma's trying to say is that we found a witch down there," Sayuri stepped in. "He said he was a part of this group called 'Zoida'. We found a book that looked kinda like a roster, but it looks like they're missing some members."
"Hmm... I see..." Death paced around the room, mulling over the girls' report. "For now, let's keep everything you know about Zoida between you two and I. We don't know enough to start worrying the school. We know one witch is part of the group, but we don't know what else is in the group or what this group plans. I am very sorry you two ran into unexpected trouble on your mission, but thank you for the information you gathered." He placed a hand on either girl's shoulder. "It's been a long day. You girls should go home and relax, alright?"
Both weapon and meister gave a concerned look to each other, but answered "Yes, sir" nonetheless.
As the two walked down the guillotine hallway, Sayuri spoke up. "Sorry I kinda pulled the meister card on you."
Karma shrugged. "Woulda had our asses kicked if you hadn't gotten us out of there. Who am I kidding, we aren't ready to face a witch yet."
"Someday we'll be strong enough to beat one!" Sayuri said, suddenly upbeat. "I'll make you a Death Scythe in no time, Karma!"
"Heh, I look forward to it!" the scythe replied with a grin. "So this where we part ways? Gonna have Tsubaki make anything special for dinner?"
"I could have died! Mom will make me anything I bet!" the meister giggled. A serious look crossed her face. "I... hope things are better when you get home..."
"Yeah... if he's gone, my night will be made. See ya, Sayuri."
"Night."
Karma gave a slight wave as she watched her meister walk away. "Please just let him be a dream," she whispered. "Dunno what I'll do if he's not..."
She made her way home, only stopping once she stood in front of her front door. Fumbling with her house keys, she readied herself, hoping to see that everything was as it should be. Slowly she opened the door and walked into her home. She walked into the scene of a happy family, Maka and Michael laughing at something Soul had said. It was just too much for the girl.
"Why the hell is he still here?!" Karma shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at Soul.
"Karma, that is enough!" he shouted back at her. "Did I screw up? Yes. But I'm trying! You won't let me try! Let me be a father again! Let us be a family again!"
"you will never be my father! You never were and you never will be!"
Maka stepped between her husband and daughter and glared at her. "Enough," she said sternly. "We are a family, and I expect you to act as such."
"If being a family means letting him back into our lives, then maybe I don't want to be a family!"
"Then leave!" Maka shrieked.
The scythe couldn't believe her ears. Her loving mother... wanted her to leave...?
"If you hate being here so much, then get out. Be part of our family or leave. Your choice," Maka said sternly.
Tears threatened to spill over, but he girl wouldn't allow herself to cry in front of him. Without another word, she ran. It was obvious no one wanted her there. No one tried to stop her. No one asked her mother to take back what she'd said. No one loved her...
She found herself at the wall on the edge of the forest overlooking Death City. Aside from Stein's laboratory, it was her favorite place to get away and collect her thoughts. Climbing up on the wall to take a seat, Karma felt how heavy and numb her heart was. She'd never experienced such a feeling before. Tears continued to stream down her face, but her sadness was replaced with emptiness and numbness. She stared down at her arms. She wanted to feel human again.
The scythe rolled up her left sleeve and stared at the skin on her arm. She brushed her skin lightly with the fingers on her right hand and though "Could it make me feel again...?" Transforming her right arm into the blade of her scythe form, she stared at her reflection and watched the tears staining her face. Carefully, she glided the sharp blade across her wrist, wincing at the pain. Little, warm beads of blood appeared. She could feel again. The pain was, in a weird way, almost comforting. She felt human again...
"Karma!" a familiar voice called out to her. "Karma, please, I'm sorry! Come home!"
"Mom?" Karma whispered, turning around to find her mother searching the forest for her.
"Karma!" Maka ran towards Karma and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean a word of what I said! I can't take this family falling apart anymore!" she sobbed. "Please, all I ask is that you give him a chance, however small a chance it is. I can't sit back and watch my family tear itself apart... please..."
Karma slowly wrapped her arms around her mother, pulling on her sleeve to cover the wound she had just inflicted on herself. "Okay, mom..." she whispered. "I'm no better than he is... making her cry like this..." she thought. The small trickle of blood from her wound turned black, hardened, and closed up the wound without the scythe knowing.