The first thing Maka noticed when she entered the room was the stench. It smelled like rotting flesh.
Then she saw Soul, sprawled on the floor, covered by a toxic green haze.
"Soul!" Maka gasped and was about to jump at her ex-partner, weren't it for Black*Star. The ninja grabbed his fellow meister by the arm, pulling her back. "Black*Star what the -?"
"In case you've missed the curse that covers Soul, there's a curse that covers Soul." Black*Star deadpanned.
Maka scowled but stepped back. "Do you have a different plan?"
"Soul's under some kind of possession, in order to break it, we must sever the connection between him and Meredith."
"Finding Meredith it is."
"Looking for someone?" The voice of witch Meredith made the team turn around.
Maka gripped Spirit tighter. "Finally!"
Meredith's eyes met the meister's. Immediately there fell a frown on the woman's voice. "Sou you survived after all?"
"I wouldn't be able to do my handy trick if I wasn't." Maka sneered, though she didn't feel brave at all. Only her insides twist and turn. After ten months she finally met face to face with the person that destroyed her peaceful life. Would she be able to kill her? Even if the witch was weakened, she had lost some of her own powers too. Besides, could she resonate with her father if it was necessary?
"You little bitch!" Meredith raised her hand, a green ball of electricity formed from her palm, and aimed at Maka.
Maka froze in fear but she got pulled out of it when Black*Star kicked her out of the daze, literally. She fell on the ground disorientated, while Black*Star pounced on the witch.
"Maka get up!" Kid shouted while he started firing bullets at Meredith.
Maka climbed back on her feet, eyes focused on the witch. The woman – despite her decaying form – dodged away from Black*Star's attacks.
There must be a way to get a hit on her! She thought to herself. Concentrate damn it!
And then she noticed. Her back. It was open, ready for Maka to attack. She jumped at her, swinging Spirit at her open back but just when she was about to hit her, the witch turned and thrusted her fist in the meister's stomach.
Maka fell back, gasping for breath. "Fuck," she grunted out.
"Maka!" Spirit shouted.
"I'm fine." Maka stumbled on her feet, leaning heavily on her father. "Just - !" Maka's words got cut off by a sharp pain running through her body. She fell back on the ground, limbs spasming and twitching.
"Maka!" Kid shouted.
Then her world turned black.
Soul had been alone for ten minutes now. He could hear a fight going on from a distance. People shouting, metal meeting metal and then an all too familiar scream. Maka?
Footsteps approached him and Soul immediately tensed up in his restraints. But to his surprise, the Black Room started changing. Its walls started to shine a bright blue light before they completely became white. His handcuffs melted away, making him drop like dead weight on the ground.
Soul grunted. "Son of a-"
"Soul?" Maka called. No! Please not again!
And there she was, long black dress, black ribbons, disorientated green emeralds. She looked like the original Maka, the one he loved, but that couldn't be.
The woman in Maka's form ran up to Soul, trying to let him sit against the wall. "Soul? Soul can you hear me?"
Soul – though feeling weak because of his injuries – managed to bear his teeth at the intruder. "Get the fuck away."
Maka staggered back from him. "Soul, what happened to you?" she asked. "What did she do to you?"
"Stop fucking around. I know it's you."
Maka's eyes dropped. "I'm so sorry Soul. For all what happened." she whispered. She reached her hand out to his face but Soul flinched away. Still, Maka continued as if she didn't notice. "I'll fix it Soul. I'll make sure everything will be okay."
Soul's heart ached at her words. Oh how he wished she was real. That her words could be true. But this was all in his head.
"I'm getting us out of here." But before Maka could do anything, she got thrown away from Soul.
"Maka!" He couldn't help but shout.
Maka groaned and rubbed the back of her head. "I'm okay. Don't worry... about me."
Soul wanted to go after her, to make sure she was okay – after all, the instinct of protecting his meister never faded, even if she was just a projection of his subconscious – but was stopped by a force pressing him against the wall.
"Well isn't this touching?" Meredith's voice called from the dark. "A little reunion."
"You son of a-!" Soul groaned.
Meredith walked up to Maka, poking her in the ribs with the tip of her shoe. Maka flinched. "So you decided to pay your weapon a little visit?"
"You won't get away with this. I'll make you pay for what you've done to Soul."
Meredith broke out in laughter. Uncontrollable, hysterical laughter. "And how? You've lost a lot of power when you decided to pull that stunt off."
Maka got up on her hands and knees, wiping blood from her lips. "You don't know I'm capable of." she whispered before she pounced at the witch.
*sweats nervously while posting this chapter* for two reasons:
1: I've appearently posted chapter ten again as chapter 11... which is really dumb of me for not checking... (thanks vXxBlackRabbitXv and ashleyslife for letting me know)
And 2 for not updating any sooner because hot damn, it has been long. There has been some shit going on... But thank you for sticking around and I hope you liked this chapter.
I'm just busy writing the next one ^_^
Let me know what you think about it and I hope to see you soon!