Oh my gosh I did it. Enjoy. WOOO!
-Sinistrocity
IF SOUL EATER BELONGED TO ME I WOULD KISS MYSELF. But It doesn't.
*throws Soul Eater at Atsushi Okubo* TAKE IT, IT'S YOURS.
Soul Eater belongs to = Atsushi Okubo
Chapter 5 – Cele-Cele-Cele- ZZZ~?
The Spartoi are late!
Kim Diehl checked her watch for the fiftieth time this evening. It was 6:45 and she was 15 minutes late to Shinigami-sama's meeting. No, Death the Kid's meeting. Well, he was the Shinigami now, so she might as well just call him that.
Shinigami-sama it is then.
She stood patiently outside her weapon's room, waiting for Jacqueline to finish dressing.
"Jackie," Kim said. "We're late~"
"Just- just wait, I can't find my skirt!" Jacqueline's muffled voice sounded from the locked door, and Kim rolled her eyes, picking at her own trousers.
"Hurry up, or Shinigami is going to kill us!" She said not so politely. Another muffled response came from the locked door but Kim chose to ignore it, and instead stared at her own reflection in the mirror across from her. She stepped forward, twirling a lock of her pinkish hair and frowning slightly. Oh, how she missed her long locks of swishy pink and her pretty little headbands… No, actually, she didn't care about them at all. The tanuki witch grinned, pulling at her sleeves and gazing into the mirror as she waited, and waited, and-
The door behind her burst open, revealing a messy Jacqueline with the strangest pair of pants Kim had ever seen. Frills lined the bottom and the top of the hot-pink trousers and there were patched green pockets at the kneecaps.
"What…" Kim raised an eyebrow, looking at her weapon in disgust. "What is that?"
"Let's go." Jackie flushed, and Kim nodded slowly in assent. She held out her hand and Jackie transformed into the well-known lantern, and then leapt out of a nearby window, hooting in delight as the lantern transformed into a broomstick figure and brought her meister up into the clouds.
Kilik Rung smoothed out his shirt, put on a belt, and redid his hair as he went out the door. He hummed to himself as he wore his socks and shoes, and then waited patiently for the Pots to finish changing.
"They seem to be taking longer than usual," he murmured. "I wonder what they're up to." He sighed and leaned against the doorframe, tapping a tune with his fingers. A few minutes later, Pot of Thunder came running to Kilik. She jumped up and down, waving her little hands to and fro, trying to get his attention.
"Hey Thunder." he smiled. "What's the problem?" She motioned to the bathroom, and her hands making funny little movements. Kilik's eyebrows furrowed and he took off his shoes. Upon nearing the bathroom he heard a very strange noise; it was a noise that sounded like the mixture of an 'Urk' and an 'Agh', and it didn't sound very good. His worried frown deepened as he knocked on the door.
"Hey Fire!" he called to the Pot. "You okay in there?" Pot of Fire squeaked in reply, and another strange sound could be heard.
"You uh…" Kilik winced as he said the sentence. "Are you feeling… constipated?" there was a sudden tug at his shirt and he looked down to see Thunder, who was shaking her head and frowning. He breathed out in relief, glad that he wouldn't have to deal with such an awkward situation.
"Is he vomiting?" he whispered to Thunder. She frowned, nodding her head slightly. So he's vomiting, but not because of the food? Kilik thought in his head. Suddenly it hit him.
"Earth doesn't feel good today?" he whispered. She nodded frantically and smiled, happy that he finally understood what the problem was.
"Then… why aren't you affected?" he asked her. She shrugged, and tilted her head sideways, looking at her meister with round, questioning eyes. He sighed, took a deep breath, and then opened the door. Pot of Fire was on the ground with his hands to the ground, and beside him was a pool of what looked like his breakfast. Ham, cheese, sausages, bread, and orange juice were all mixed in a sticky melted yellowish-greenish pile of ick.
Pot of Fire looked up to see his meister then frowned slightly, turning his back. Thunder ran over to him and sat in the same position, patting his back and tilting her head back, motioning to the vomit. Fire shook his head and whined, then curled up into a ball.
"Oh dear…" Kilik mumbled. "I guess I won't be on time after all."
Harvar D. Eclaire grumbled and looked at the grandfather clock again.
"Ox!" he shouted. "We're 15 minutes late!"
"I don't care!" Oxford shouted back. He had hogged the bathroom for the last ten minutes and still hadn't managed to get his 'hair horns' (as Harvar called them) in perfect shape. Once again, he dabbed his finger in gel cream and covered his hair in the stuff, making it even straighter than it was before.
"We don't have time for this!" Harvar yelled to him.
"We always have time for this!" Ox replied. Once again, he reached into the cream, this time absentmindedly putting his whole hand into the jar and started smoothing out both sides of his head.
"Okay, I think I'm almost done!" He shouted to Harvar in glee.
"About time." the weapon mumbled. He went to the front door, hurriedly put on his shoes and raced out the door.
"Wait for me!" Oxford screamed, but today, Harvar D. Éclair didn't care. He had a meeting to go to and he didn't want to be late. Harvar was one of the fastest in his class – Black*Star didn't count, he wasn't even human – and he would put that speed to some good use.
Just as he was about to raced out the door, Oxford launched himself at his weapon, grabbing a fistful of jet-black hair. For some strange reason, the other hand was still desperately trying to put the finishing touches on to his shiny hair horns.
"Let's go!" Harvar ran, fast as fast as he could, unaware of the screaming meister behind him and the unknown thing that was tugging onto his hair. Soon the noise of the street ways and roads faded away, the scenery became nothing but blurred black and light blue, and all Harvar could see was his destination. He quickly climbed up one of his neighbors' houses and leapt from roof to roof.
Huh. It's a lot easier this way. No traffic whatsoever. He thought to himself.
It was only when they had reached Shibusen that Harvar realized his meister had actually managed to catch up to him. He wasn't really considered athletic – well, sporty enough to land a spot on the EAT curriculum – and compared to Harvar, Ox was as slow as a slug.
So… how?
"Don't run so fast." Oxford wheezed. "I almost died there."
"How did you get here so quickly?" He said curiously. Oxford, still half dressed in his pajamas, had a hand stuck to his hair and another clinging on to Harvard's.
"I don't know…" Ox groaned, then released his grip on Harvar's head, as well as removing a few strands of hair. Only then did Harvar feel the throbbing pain on his forehead. He lifted a hand to touch the area and felt deep marks embedded there.
"Ow." Harvar winced, and rubbed the miniature bald spots on his cranium.
"About time you said that!" his meister growled. "And did you mess with my hair cream yesterday?"
Harvar paused before answering the question. Yes, he did mess with Oxford's hair gel and cream, partly because he thought that it was annoying – after all, Oxford spent more time with a jar of cream than his best friend and weapon – and partly because it was a just huge waste of time.
Then, just yesterday the bathroom mirror had fell out of place, and almost shattered if not for Harvar's quick reflexes. Then he had gone out to buy some super strong superglue, came back to fix the mirror, and set down the glue next to the cream.
Of course he didn't care about the jar of superglue that looked exactly like the jar of hair gel/cream – save the small label at the bottom of the jar.
Harvar put his hands in his pockets, crossing his fingers and hoping that Ox didn't notice what he was doing.
"I don't recall messing around with your hair cream." he replied coolly.
Upon entering the school, a familiar face appeared – pinkish-grey short hair, narrowed eyes.
"Kim?" Harvard questioned. Said girl turned around, a grin on her face. "So I'm not the only one who's late!" she was still twirling Jacqueline in her hand.
"Why isn't Jackie in her human form?" Harvar asked.
"Don't bother." Jackie's voice sounded from the lamp. "I just don't want to." Harvar tilted his head, confused, then shrugged.
"Okay then." and with that said, he walked off to Shinigami's room.
"Hey, wait up!" Harvar grumbled. What now? He thought.
"Hey buddy!" A firm hand clamped onto his shoulder and the lightning weapon turned around startled, to see Kilik Rung with the Pots on each shoulder.
"Hey… You're late too? What a coincidence."
"Earth – well, half of Earth - doesn't feel good today." Kilik said.
Harvar turned to look at the rest of his friends. "You guys coming or not?" They ignored him.
"Whatever. Let's go." the two friends continued down the hall.
"Fools!" Excalibur bellowed, and leapt on top of a stone chair to point his marbled white stick at the late group.
"Wait a minute…" Kilik narrowed his eyes, peering at Excalibur. "Isn't this Hiro's…"
"FOOLS!" He bellowed once again and pointed his cane at Kilik. "My legend dates back to the twelfth century, you know…" and thus began Excalibur's story. The two friends tuned him out absentmindedly.
"Ignore him." Harvar said. "I have a feeling he's that annoying guy that sent Death the Kid and Black*Star those cheesy pink flowers and messages that day." Kilik nodded. "Speak of the devil its…"
"Kilik! Harvar! You're 15 minutes late, but no matter." the said Shinigami smiled, and brought them in. Spirit glared at them from afar and the rest of the group waved at him.
"Where are the rest of the Spartoi?" Kid asked. Kilik pointed back to the entrance, where Kim and Ox were chatting away. Jacqueline hid behind Kim, face red and hair frizzy and messed up.
"Kim! Ox! Hurry, we've wasted 15 minutes!" Kid shouted to the rest of the group. They hurriedly went over, immediately sitting themselves down and apologizing for their extreme lateness.
"So, Shinigami." Kim grinned. "Why did you make us skip class?"
"The twilight ball." Kid said. "You remember that, don't you?" the group nodded their heads, mentally reminding themselves to buy tickets. None of them had really bothered, seeing as most of them mainly went there to eat the delicious food that DWMA served, not to sing or dance or anything like that.
"Our receptionist has sighted a mysterious man lurking around the DWMA."
"Never met him before?" Tsubaki asked. Kid nodded his head and turned to the enormous glass mirror behind him. It glowed to life and brought up the picture of the strange gentleman.
"I want you to look out for the following." Kid said, and then zoomed in on the image.
"His eyes are… very unique."
"Those eyes look like Blair's eyes." Soul muttered. Maka nodded. "Cat eyes."
"His jacket, if he happens to wear it this twilight." it was a navy blue jacket with arrows lining the shoulders and sides, as well as the torso.
Maka stared at the jacket. There was something funny about it, something she just couldn't grasp. Was it the arrows or the navy blue color, or maybe both? Could it be the shape of the arrows? They reminded her of…
"Medusa?" she whispered. Soul whipped his head around to face her, his mouth set into a shocked grimace.
"Don't." he whispered sharply to her.
"His eyes look familiar, and the jacket even more so. I don't know why but…" Black*Star stared at the picture, trying to understand why he was experiencing some sort of déjà vu.
"One more thing to notice." Kid said, and the picture enlarged, zooming into the hair. Light blonde hair, covering the ears and the neck, just above the shoulders.
"Okay, so the guy is a blonde." Spirit said. "We need to look for a blond guy out of hundreds of other blond guys."
"No quite." Kid said. "Look closely, behind his ears." the picture enlarged even more, become slightly blurred and pixelated. But it showed enough, and the students stared in horror.
"Are those… mini braids!?" Liz shrieked. "This guy has no fashion sense at all!"
"Stop caring about fashion sense for once." Kid snapped. "What does it look like? Braids. So look for a blonde guy with braids behind his ears, cat-like eyes and a jacket with arrow patterns. Now think."
"Okay, I'm sure everyone is probably thinking the same thing as me. Doesn't this guy look like Medusa?" Ox said. "I mean, look at him! Medusa has blond hair and used to wear a big braid around her neck – this man has the weirdest little braids behind his ears. I doubt it has something to do with fashion. Her witch magic is snake magic using vector arrows – this guy has a jacket lined full of them, and has cat like, or possibly snake like eyes." The rest of the group nodded."It's too obvious, it has to be." They had all thought of the same thing, the man who looked like Medusa was starting to get even more suspicious. But if they were wrong and arrested him simply because he looked like the snake witch, then the Spartoi would get in huge trouble. What if the (supposedly) innocent man was extremely wealthy and wanted to sue them? Surely he would win; Death City had put almost all of its money into rebuilding their hometown, so how could they possibly invest in a lawyer?
"We won't catch him then." Kim's sharp voice woke the group from their cloudy thoughts, and they looked at her curiously.
"Yeah. Just like that; we won't arrest him. We'll just keep an eye on him. If he's Medusa, don't bother." she said simply.
"But what if she tries to kill us again?" Maka said. "If she was able to come back to life – after Crona killed her, then I don't see how it's possible for her to regenerate with a snap of her fingers and then stab us through the chest."
"His fingers." Soul corrected. "And he won't kill us with so many people around him."
"He, she, it doesn't matter as long as we track this man down." Kid glared at the two.
"HER." Maka shot back at Soul. "We can't just assume that the blond guy is Medusa you know."
"And we can't risk DWMA's safety." Soul replied.
"Medusa's not an idiot." Maka snapped. "She wouldn't turn into a man just because she felt like it."
"But what if she had no choice?"
"She a murderer, she does what she wants and always chooses options that don't exist. Like somehow evading her death-"
"FOR GOODNESS SAKE!" Kim roared. "SHE SAID SHE NEEDED YOU!" She stood immediately, fist poised over Maka and Soul as if she were about to slug them both. Her eyes were dark and murderous; Kim wasn't a patient woman, not at all.
The sooner this stupid conversation ends, the better. Dammit I'm hungry.
Silence.
"What?" Ox said. "Medusa needs Maka?" Harvar and Kilik frowned, then turned to stare at the twin-tailed meister. She in turn stared at Kim Diehl. "How did you-" she stuttered. "How did you know about-"
"I told her," Liz interrupted. "I have Kim's number on my phone."
"Why did you tell her?" Maka screeched. "It was supposed to be secret!"
"Secret from what? These guys are Spartoi too, they deserve to know." The two girls looked at each other in the eye, Maka struggling to find a proper retort and Liz daring her to. Finally Kim came between the two girls, cutting off their eye contact.
"I don't understand how it was so private, just because it has Maka's name on it." Kim said crossly. "We know who Medusa is. So maybe I don't know as much as you guys do, but Ox, Harvard, Kilik and Pots – they've been with the witch and fought for her, so I don't see why they aren't allowed to find out." Maka bit her lip, desperate to yell back a reply but she couldn't, and hung her head.
"Well then?" Kim said. "She said she needed you. She told you there was a witch watching you but she doesn't tell you. Medusa's a confusing woman I give you that, but I think she's also a little afraid as well."
"What else could Medusa be afraid of?" Maka rolled her eyes. "She's practically invincible."
"Perhaps another witch as strong as her?" Ox said. "Or maybe even stronger?"
"After all," Harvar added. "Why else would she warn you of the witch that was stalking you? You guys wouldn't have needed a warning if the witch was just a minor one like the Mizunes or Eruka Frog."
"You've got a point there." Maka said dryly. "But what if the witch isn't real? What if she doesn't need our help and she's lying to us. That's a very likely possibility too."
"Nope, it's not." A high pitched voice came from the back of the room, and Maka turned to see Patty, her legs dangling on Liz's shoulders and waving the diary jauntily in the air.
"What do you mean by that?" Maka spat. "Medusa's a wicked liar." Patty dismissed the statement and jumped off Liz's shoulders, then hurriedly went over to where the group was.
"So I was like, reading this at dinner time, and I found out that there were a lot of pages. Like, a lot." She held out the book for the others to see, and to their surprise the book had grown. At first there were only a few pages, but now it had enough pages to make a thin looking novel.
"Magic?" Kilik wondered. Patty nodded. Suddenly, without warning she started to speak. Her voice went an octave lower, and she held the black-blood diary up to her eyes.
"Now." She said in Medusa's voice. "How about we start?"
Well, well, well. Has my diary shocked you? Are you crying because of my ridiculous statement that Crona is alive?
I guessed so.
As Patty (Yes, I know the girl's name I'm not stupid) reads this, you'll be wondering why I can speak to you like this, knowing that the Spartoi is here and that Spirit is standing in the corner desperately trying to get Maka's attention. Oh, and didn't you try to invite Professor Stein as well? But wait, he was busy doing experiments with Marie's stomach. Last I recall he was dreaming of cutting her stomach open~
"WHY YOU-" Maka raised a fist over Patty, teeth clenched and eyes flashing angrily. Liz extended a hand and pushed her, sending her tumbling backwards.
"Maka, this is just Patty." Liz pleaded. "She's just reading off the diary." Maka stared at the ground in disgust. The mere thought of Stein having sadistic dreams like that – especially concerning Mrs. Marie – made her want to crush his skull to pieces. It's a good thing he didn't come today.
A slight nod of her head allowed the younger Thompson to continue reading from the magical diary.
For some strange reason, you aren't fazed by this peculiar magic at all. Perhaps you've already gotten used to my magic and you are no longer surprised by anything different I'm doing. And just for your information, this diary is directly connected to my brain. Every time one of you read from it I will be alerted, giving me full access to my surroundings. I can see, hear, and smell my surroundings; sort of like a third head.
I'm not getting to the point, am I?
I've already told you that a witch was stalking you. Luckily for you Maka, this witch doesn't want you.
She wants Soul.
The group gasped and eyes wandered over to the said weapon. He himself was staring at Patty in surprise, instinctively raising his arms in a defensive position. Beads of sweat continuously rolled down his face, and his steady breathing turned into panicked panting.
"Why would they want me?" Soul whispered to himself. Maka looked at him concerned, then gave Patty another nod to continue.
Yes, unlike the many people who want to go after Maka, this woman wants Soul instead. She thinks he's an interesting specimen and wants him for something very, very special.
Unfortunately I can't tell you, because that would ruin all the fun.
["What does she look like?" Kid said. "You could at least give us that much information."]
I'll be coming to your party so don't bother. I have a feeling you've set up a trap for me, possibly looking for me using the Spartoi as your eyes – not literally of course, only Lady Azusa can do that.
I… I want you to meet me. Not just you, Maka, but the whole of the Spartoi. They need to hear this too, because… Because I sense something coming.
["Sense?" Maka scoffed. "Don't give me that. We know you're lying to us."]
I sense something coming, Maka Albarn, and it no longer just about you. You aren't the main focus anymore, and this witch, this manipulative woman isn't just after Soul, but all the other-
Oh whoops! I've said too much.
"Say what now?" Kim said, raising her head to peer curiously at Patty. "Weapons?" She threw her arms around Jackie's waist, making the girl squeak.
"There's no way I'd let that happen." she growled.
Oxford looked at his weapon, eyes shining hopefully.
This is my chance to look brave Harvar! His eyes said. Act scared!
"I can take care of myself just fine." Harvar replied out loud.
"Ha! Ox just wants it to be the other way around, so the meisters are in trouble. Then Harvar can save him, is that right?" Black*Star chortled, hand on stomach. Tsubaki gave a sigh and looked at the Liz, and gave her a polite smile.
"Please continue." she told Liz. The Thompson sister nodded, tapped Patty on the shoulder and the writing continued.
Oh well, the information's already out so I might as well tell you what I want.
I want to meet the Spartoi, all of them. However, in order for you guys to meet me in private I do not want any adults accompanying you. You're teens for goodness sake, and you can take care of yourselves.
[At the mention of this, Spirit who had long been ignored from the start of the conversation, looked up. No one noticed. He craned his head closer to the group and held a hand to his ear.]
Adults, especially male death scythes, will attract her attention and she will be attracted to their souls. This woman is… different. I strongly suggest that Spirit not come to the party at all.
[Spirit glared at the book, then suddenly his eyes widened, staring straight at Maka.
"Maka…" he whispered. "Maka's going to get hurt."
And so, he left as quickly and quietly as he could.]
Oh dear! Time flies, doesn't it?
The party ends at 2, is that right?
Have fun, and meet me in the jail where Crona slept at 12:30. It should be completely sound proof, so do not worry about any intruders or spies. I might have seemed rather cruel to her, but I assure you I did what I had to do. After the party is over, I will ask you all to meet me again for another little discussion. My darling girl needs to be saved and the stalker witch needs to be stopped, so your participation would help.
"You hurt her." Maka snarled. "That's all you ever did to your daughter." And with that she stood, her tall figure shadowing Patty's. With a swoop of her hands Maka snatched the book from the weapon and tucked it in her jacket.
"I would like to keep this for now." she said. The Thompson sisters obliged.
"Dammit it's already 7…" Kilik said as he checked his watch. "And I still haven't bought a tuxedo for the party." he nodded to Pots, and they crawled up his shoulders.
"We need to leave to." Ox said to Harvar. Kim and Jackie said the same, and the four of them left in a hurry, anxious to buy their dresses and bowties before all the shops in town closed.
"We need to leave to." Soul turned Maka. "Did you buy your things?"
"I have the dress from the last party." Maka said. "I don't need to buy anything, and neither do you."
"You shouldn't have become a girl." Soul sighed, mumbling under his breath. "Come on." he reached out and grabbed hold of her cloak, dragging her out the store despite her shouts of protest.
"It's only us now." Liz said, looking around. "Come on Kid, we need to-" he wasn't there. Patty was there, her shoulder length blond hair brushing against Liz – but where was Kid?
"Kid?" Liz said, raising her voice. "We need to go!"
"He's probably already home, getting ready for the party!" Patty smiled. "We need to get some stuff too."
"Oh yeah." she reached into her pocket, pulling out an emergency credit card given to her from her meister. "Let's go buy some pretty stuff, Patty."
"Pretty, symmetrical stuff!"
Behind the school, Spirit questions his sanity. No, of course not.
"Maka… MakamakamakaMAKA…" The elder death scythe shuddered in his thin jacket and pants. The wind was blowing hard tonight, and he had forgotten to bring any extra sweaters to keep himself warm.
"Maka… Maka… Makamakamaka!" He screeched, and then bowed before the blazing fire in front of him. He bowed one, twice and once again, three black round pieces of charcoal clutched in his hands.
"Maka cannot die..." He breathed. "Maka is invincible…MAKA-"
"The thoughts of a death scythe can be rather interesting." a silky smooth voice interrupted his 'Maka ritual' and he jumped, twirled around as his hand quickly transformed into the famous black blade.
"Who's there?" He feigned an intimidating voice, but the boy before him was not so easily tricked. Golden yellow eyes flashed in the firelight, and a worn black cloak hid the Shinigami's uniform.
"Oh, it's just you." Spirit smiled weakly. "You scared me there."
"You seem to be extremely worried about Maka's safety." Kid mused.
"Of course I am." Spirit said. "She's my daughter."
"How far would you go to protect her?" Kid said.
"As far as possible." Spirit said determinedly. "More than my limit if I can."
"Good." the Shinigami nodded, then took a piece of round charcoal from Spirit's hand, dragging it against the ground.
"I don't like Medusa," Kid said as he drew. "So I have a task for you."
"Oh wow." Spirit raised his eyebrows. "A little kid is giving me orders now."
Kid ignored him and continued to draw. "Stein already knows what's happening. He has discovered some interesting facts about a witch with a type of magic that was used to hurt Maka the other day."
"The confusion?"
Kid nodded. "She's a Sloth Bear witch, a very rare 'specific familiar'. As we already know, familiar witches usually have the basics- mouse, snake, frog, spider, etc. However, a witch with a specific type of familiar will have reached powers that are far beyond those of a regular witch."
"So this one is more powerful than Medusa?" Spirit asked. Kid hesitated before answering him.
"I'm not so sure about that. Because Medusa is already a very intelligent and manipulative individual, you understand that she is no ordinary familiar witch, in fact she has exceeded beyond ordinary, with her will to live and her sly mind she uses her powers to her limit."
"Okay, so they're on the same level?"
"I think so." Kid nods. "I have a hunch that Medusa and the witch she was talking about are working together. I also believe that the Sloth witch is the stalker."
"So Medusa hurt Maka." Spirit said. His fingers formed a fist and the two remaining charcoal balls were reduced to ashes.
"Indirectly." Kid corrected. "But yes, in a way she did. If not for Black*Star's immense wavelength she may have been stuck in that position for more than a month."
"Oh good. Remind me to thank the kid later."
"We're getting off topic."
"Whoops." Spirit looked down to see a small sketchy drawing of Stein and Spirit holding hands, Spirit partially in weapon form. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Kid curiously.
"Just take a quick look at it." Kid said crossly. "I want to wipe this off as quickly as possible." Spirit shrugged, then looked at it again. There was a woman near them as well, with the witch's soul drawn inside her stomach.
"I want you and Stein to work together. Spend a few days hunting the Sloth Bear witch." Spirit cringed at the mention of professor Stein. Sudden memories began flooding into his brain; crazed eyes boring holes into his skull, bloody scalpels beside his bed, the eerie jokes he made at night- it was too much. He closed his eyes, thinking of Maka and her pretty little pigtails.
"Do I have to work with him?"
"Yes. I have him strict orders not to hurt you in any way."
"Oh good." Spirit breathed out in relief. "In that case, I can help."
"After the twilight ball, I will contact you immediately. You will not be invited to the party. I'm sorry, but I must abide to Medusa's conditions."
"Fine." Spirit huffed. "Whatever."
"Since she never told us about sharing information after we receive it, I will give you whatever information I have that is useful to you. Use this to your advantage."
"Sure."
"I have to go." Kid stood silently, and suddenly he was gone. Spirit stared at him, mouth agape.
"What do I do now?" he mumbled.
"…"
"Makamakamaka… makamaka… MAKAAKAKAKA…"
Party time.
"Welcome everyone!" Kid's voice boomed across the DWMA's entrance as people entered the school. "Please enjoy yourselves, eat food, drink, and dance to your heart content!" the school was buzzing with life, people chatting and dancing. Maka looked around wildly, searching for her friends. Just a minute ago she was clutching Soul's hand and suddenly he was gone, pushing his way to the food and drinks corner.
She sighed, placing her hands over her eyes. The light made her feel dizzy, and she wasn't very keen on fainting in the middle of a crowd. She tried to push her way through as well, and ended up being pushed backwards by some enormous man with gold chains strung around his neck.
"Excuse me," she said.
"Watch your step brat." the man gave her a dirty look, and then went off. She glared daggers at him until he disappeared into the crowd. How rude.
Oh yeah, we're supposed to mingle and look for the Medusa.
She checked her watch. It was still 12, giving her a lot of time to meet up with Tsubaki and the rest of her friends.
A sudden tug at her red dress made her turn around, almost bumping into-
"Oh, it's you Tsubaki!" Maka said delightedly. "I was looking for you. Where's Black*Star?"
"He didn't to come to the party. I have to leave soon as well – he wanted to take on a night mission to take care of a Kishin egg."
"Oh my…" Tsubaki trailed off, eyes glued to Maka's dress. "That looks beautiful."
"Thanks." she blushed. "Wasn't my pick though."
"Who's then? Don't tell me it was your father…?" At the mention of Spirit Maka's face went sour and she scoffed.
"He would never had been able to choose something like this for me. He'd probably be too focused on women's underwear." Tsubaki sighed, placing a hand on Maka's shoulder. "Don't think of him like that Maka, he's still your dad."
"He's still my pervert dad." Maka muttered. She gently lifted Tsubaki's hand off her shoulder then went to the balcony, blocking out the party's blaring music and guests. Just the mention of her father made the party seem a little gloomier.
The minute she stepped outside, the heavy weight in her chest was lifted off her. Shinigami-sama had lots of parties, but none of them were this huge and they had an abnormal amount of guests coming to the party. She sighed, leaning on the balcony and staring off into the stars. It was such a pretty night, and the moon was as round as ever, its black shape offering almost no light to the earth.
Black shapes, black blood, black things-
She clutched the pillars of the balcony, face contorted with anger. Black things annoyed her even more so, especially black blood.
"Hey Maka!" some called out. She turned around and saw Kid and the Thompson sisters waving her over. She shook her head. "I think I need some air!"
"If you say so." Liz shrugged. Suddenly her eyes went wide and she ran over to where Maka was.
"Where did you get this?" Liz squealed, touching the dress' soft material. "This is gorgeous!"
"I um…" Maka murmured. "I bought it."
"I have to say it's very well made." Kid said, admiring the dress. "Even if it's not symmetrical it still has so much style."
"You bought this by yourself? Where?" Liz pestered her with questions, each question made her head throb and she pushed herself away from Liz.
"I bought it with-"
"Me." Liz turned around to see Soul, in a tuxedo and a red bowtie. "I got it for her. Now scram before Maka dies of embarrassment!"
"I am not-" Maka turned to him red faced.
"Fine, whatever." Liz sighed. She pulled Kid along as she went back to the ballroom. "C'mon Kid, we shouldn't interrupt these two."
"Guys!" Kid called out before he was dragged into the crowd. "Don't forget, 12:30 in the dungeons!" And he was gone.
Meister and weapon stared off into the distance, blurred vision scanning the crowd for nothing at all. Finally after a few minutes of quiet, Soul spoke.
"You like the dress?" he asked. Maka nodded. "It's lovely."
"Told you the guy was good." he smirked. Maka crossed her arms and looked away.
"I never said he was a bad shopkeeper or anything."
"Well you sure looked like it."
"The moon looks dull today." Maka said sullenly. Soul sighed, looking up at the sky as well. Ever since the Kishin was destroyed the moon had been covered in black. The black blood that Crona used to seal the Kishin away couldn't be removed form the moon, since there was a great risk that the Kishin would be sent free if that happened. Clouds circled the moon and the sky was so dark. Faint light glowed from the moon. Dying light.
"We should go." Soul looked up. Maka seemed so distant, staring into the darkness. She slowly lifted her wrist to show Soul the time.
"It's 7:25." she said wearily. "Let's go."
"We have five minutes." Soul said reassuringly. "We can stay a little longer." she seemed to ignore him and instead she lifted her other hand and reached out for the stars as if she was in a trance. She lifted her other foot and suddenly jumped on top of the balcony's rails, shocking Soul into falling backwards.
"Maka, what the hell-" he stopped as he saw her close her eyes and lean in. The balcony's railing wasn't very thin so she could still balance on it, but any farther would-
Fall.
"MAKA!" he screamed and lunged out to grab her wrist as she fell. A crack sounded and Soul winced as the hand he clutched went limp.
"AHHH!" she screamed in agony, clutching the broken arm. The trance like state she was in was gone, but now she was handing on to Soul's hand for dear life.
"I GOT YOU!" Soul grasped his hand pulling her up slowly. His legs were wrapped around the balcony's lower railing like an anchor.
"It hurts-" Maka gasped. "It hurts, it hurts-"
"SHUT UP!" Soul howled, and with a final pull he flung her back onto the balcony platform.
"AH!" She screamed as she rolled around on the floor. "IT HURTS, IT HURTS!" The guests at the party still didn't notice, and they were still dancing and singing.
"It's okay!" Soul panted, and kneeled next to her. "But what the hell was that?"
"I- I don't know…" she whimpered, pressing her hands hard against her head.
"No don't!" Soul snapped. "You'll only hurt your hand even more!" but she didn't listen, and kept her hands pressed to her head.
"It hurts," she moaned.
"Somebody, help!" Soul shouted to the crowd. "My meister broke her arm!" They didn't listen.
"HELLO?" Soul shouted. They seemed to completely ignore him, as if both him and Maka didn't even exist. Huh, that was strange.
"Where the hell is Kid?" Then it hit him. They're at the meeting.
He checked his watch. 7:35.
"Maka…" Soul gritted his teeth, gently lifting her off the ground. "Maka you've suffered worse-"
"LET GO!" She screamed and twisted, her right arm hitting him on the jaw. He dropped her in shock, and she hit her head and went limp.
"I guess… I guess I can pick her up now." he gathered her up in his arms, pushing through the crowd to the dungeons.
Why are the guests ignoring me? I'm sure I just screamed at them but…
Maka, what the hell was that?
What were you thinking? He thought despairingly. Why did you do that?
Was it Medusa? Magic?
Or- he froze.
"Oh dear, the poor girl is hurt!" someone called from behind. "Somebody help her!"
And suddenly the talking stopped. The clink of glasses and the tapping of feet went still. Slowly, heads turned. Dull, blank eyes stared at Soul.
"I need to get to the-" There was a shuffle of feet and suddenly he was surrounded. Women, men, children, Shibusen students surrounded him. Their dull black eyes bore holes into his skull. He tried to look away but only ended up staring into someone else's eyes. A chill went up his spine and he turned around slowly, facing the women who spoke.
"Who are you?" he whispered. "Were you invited?"
"Of course I was!" The woman smiled, holding up a ticket. Bloodstains covered one side and she looked at them in surprise. Soul instinctively held Maka closer to his chest, and-
"I'm Lady Siesta." the woman winked at him. "If you would oh so carefully drop that beautiful girl that would be nice."
Who's late to the meeting?
"Where is Soul?" Medusa growled under his hood. They were 20 minutes into the conversation and the meister and weapon still hadn't arrived. "And where is Maka?"
"Oxford and Harvar went to check on them." Kim said. "So they should bring them back."
"We cannot start without them!" Medusa threw his hands up in the air, exasperated and annoyed. Kid did the same, annoyed at the fact that they were late.
"If they arrive, they better arrive at 8:00." he muttered. "I'll forgive them if that happens."
Kilik poked his head out of the doorway and stared at the winding stairs that led to the doorway. "They can't have been so late… Maka wouldn't miss anything as important as this!" He looked back at the remaining Spartoi; Kid and the Thompson sisters pacing about and raging, Medusa doing the same.
"C'mon Pots." he whispered. They crawled up his back and onto his shoulders, and then he raced up the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Kilik turned around at the foot of stairs. Kim and Jackie stood there, Kim tapping her foot impatiently.
"I just want to see what's going on." Kilik replied, scratching his head. "It seems unnaturally quiet so…"
"Let's go too, Kim." Jackie said. "It won't take too long."
"Whatever." Kim shrugged, and the two joined Kilik on the search for Maka and Soul.
"I'm Lady Siesta. If you would oh so carefully drop that beautiful girl, that would be nice."
"What do we do?" Harvar whispered. "She'll notice if we charge right now." The two inched a little closer to the funny looking woman, pretending to look just as dazed and confused as the rest of the guests.
"She's the witch Medusa was talking about." Oxford said. Harvar nodded.
Ox looked over an old man's shoulder just in time to see Soul drop Maka onto the floor. His eyes rolled up to his head and he slumped forward, unconscious. High pitched laughter rang out and echoed around the room as the mysterious lady in the fur coat stepped forward, hands reaching out to-
"Now!" Oxford whispered, and the two boys ran towards 'Lady Siesta', Ox's hands outstretched. Just as they neared her Harvar transformed and Ox clutched the spear's handle, swinging it against the woman's waist with tremendous force. The spear's blade clashed against her and she was thrown across the room, shrieking as she went. She slammed into the wall, leaving a large dent and a few cracks. The duo wasted no time and they ran to Maka and Soul's side; both were unconscious.
"It's okay Ox, I got this. Step aside." Harvar said. The tips of his fingers sparked with electricity, and he used his other hand to push away the frills at Maka's dress.
"Are you performing CPR?"
"Let's just say I'm testing my weapon powers." Harvar slammed his palm down on Maka's chest and she jolted awake.
"YOUCH!" she shrieked.
"Next." Harvar grabbed Soul's pant-cuffs and pulled him closer. Another jab woke Soul with a scream and he jumped up, hands to his chest. His hair was a shocking mess – every single strand seemed to be stuck together in an upright position.
"Are you guys okay?" Oxford asked.
"Do we look okay?" Soul glared at Harvar. "And what was that for?"
"I woke you up for a fight." Harvar said coldly. "You should be grateful."
"Guys!" Maka hissed, clutching her arm. "Someone's getting up." the four watched as the woman writhed on the ground, taking her time to get back on her feet. She seemed to be almost unscathed, and there seemed to be only minor injuries and a few tears in her clothes.
"She's no ordinary lady." Soul grinned and jumped, transforming in air and spinning dramatically as Maka caught him. "She's a witch, right?"
A sudden blast of energy pushed them backwards as the witch's Soul Protect was released. The calm and collected soul that Maka saw only a few seconds ago was now a fully-fledged witch soul. It was massive, flowing with energy as it expanded and contracted every few seconds, just like a beating heart. There was something unnatural crawling around the soul; it's sharp claws piercing it. In the center of the soul stood the witch.
"I've never seen a witch soul like this one." Maka said. "It's calm but it's not at the same time."
The witch stumbled forward, hands outstretched and a face full of anger.
"That hurt." she said loudly. Her voice bounced off the walls, hollow and painful. "I don't like getting hurt. It makes everything so, so annoying."
"Then don't hit people." Maka replied. She held the death scythe in one hand while the other hung at her side. "Best way to not get hurt."
"Maka, is it…?" Soul asked. She nodded and bit her lip. The pain wasn't as bad as before, but the throbbing in her left arm made her distracted. She tried to move her fingers, but every twitch sent a throbbing pain up her arm.
"I don't need you, you little brat!" the witch cackled, pointing at Maka. "I only need the cute little boy you're holding. Oh, and that handsome one that the swirly glasses boy is holding too!" Ox squeezed the spear's hilt, determined not to let go of Harvar. Whatever she wanted with him, he did not want to know.
"You boys are going to be perfect for my collection!" she cooed, wobbling forward.
"You're not taking him!" Maka ran towards the witch, readying Soul for the first blow-
The witch raised a hand just as Maka started to run, and suddenly the meister stopped in mid-air, and dropped to the ground. She sighed, and her eyes started to close. Her fighting stance was dropped and she fell to the floor.
"Maka!" Soul said from his scythe form. "I'm gonna-"
"NO!" Maka bellowed. Her eyes opened and she gritted her teeth, slamming her fist into the ground. More pain shot up both her arms and she bit her tongue as she sat up shakily. "Don't! She's the one Medusa was talking about!"
"I was always going to win," the witch whistled. She raised a leg over Maka's helpless body.
"No you don't!" electricity shot up the witch's spine and she howled in pain, leaping away from Maka and snarling at Oxford. He gripped Harvar once more and plunged the spearhead into her stomach, but he was too slow. She grasped the spear's long hilt with both her hands and squeezed, one hand pushing up and another pushing down.
"What the-AGH!" Harvar immediately reverted back to human form, dropping to the ground. Blood dripped from his left calf and grunted in pain.
"Harvar!" Ox cried out. He dropped to his knees and stared at the broken weapon in despair as the witch advanced towards him.
"Ha! This is a piece of cake!" the witch hooted with laughter, arms at her sides. "You meisters are so puny, you don't even know how to hold your own friends properly!"
"And who the hell are you?" the witch turned around to face Kim Diehl, with Jackie high above her head. "WOOLANTERN!" the metal lamp crashed against the witch's skull and flames engulfed her as she howled in anguish, hands shielding her face. A silhouette of the witch dancing around madly in the fire was not a very pretty sight.
"Kim!" Ox cried out. "My angel!" Kim ignored him, watching the fire burn. Suddenly she gasped, and held Jackie in front of her in another fighting stance.
"You mean she's not dead?" Maka said incredulously. "What kind of witch is she?"
The flames weren't enough. The witch emerged with a few patches of burnt skin, throwing away her coat of fur that was almost burnt to ashes.
"I can't do this alone!" she grumbled as she removed another layer of burnt clothing. "Don't even think about hurting my friends." she whipped her head around to see Kilik Rung smash Pot of Fire into her face. She spun wildly across the room, tumbling as she hit the ground. "Another one!?" she yelled as she fell.
"Where is everyone else?" Kilik shouted at Maka. "Where are all the guests?"
"Forget about the guests!" Soul called out from his scythe form. "They were never real!"
"WHAT?" Kid burst into the room, pistols in hand. "WHAT'S NOT REAL?"
"Kid!" Kilik said. "About time! Hurry up and finish off this lady!"
"What woman?" he glanced at the very angry looking stranger and narrowed his eyes. "You weren't invited."
"Of course I wasn't." the witch giggled. "But as long as I have a ticket, I can enter!" she waved the bloody ticket in the air jauntily.
"Where did you get that from?" Kid demanded. The witch shrugged. "Pulled it off some hag selling tickets the other day."
"What?" Kid blinked. His confused, startled manner was replaced by a cold hostile look and he stared at her. "What did you just say?"
"I said," the witch smirked. "I pulled this off a hag the other day. She was about to close down the ticket sale and I decided to buy a ticket! Of course, I never carry any money on me so it took a while. She was strong – but Lady Siesta is stronger."
"Did you kill her?" Kid asked. The witch shrugged. "Why should I tell you-"
"Then again, it doesn't matter now, does it?" a voice whispered in her ears. Before Siesta could react two blasts of soul energy threw her off balance. She shrieked, stumbled and shakily stood up – only to meet even more blasts of the same energy, fired off at an alarming rate. More flames burnt her hat to ashes as both pistol and lantern collided with her head.
"Stop it!" she cried out as they hit her. "I didn't even tell you-!"
"Death Cannon."
"What are you doing?" Siesta winced as she looked up to see Death the Kid stand above her, with two huge hand cannons attached to his arms. They were pressed hard against her stomach and she gulped, bracing herself for the impact. His honey colored eyes were cold and narrowed, and his mouth was set in a grimace.
"3, 2…"
"Stop." she gasped. Kid's eyes widened and suddenly he wasn't staring daggers at her but he was shell-shocked, and he glanced down-
"1-AEh!?" Patty squeaked in shock as the cannons fired, sounds filled the room and wind roared in her ears. Smoke erupted from the cannons but-
"You didn't hit me." Siesta whispered, and her desperate cries faded away. She grasped the Shinigami's legs and threw him off her.
"You have bad aim." she smirked at the Shinigami as he hit the wall.
"Kid!" Suddenly the two pistols transformed, turning into two beautiful girls. They ran to his side, pushing and poking him, slapping him too. One the of the girls stood and turned around to glare at the witch, with short blonde hair and round blue eyes.
"Oh my," Siesta murmured. "She's gorgeous."
She looked around at her surroundings. The scythe woman was on the ground, clutching her scythe tightly as more pain ran up her arm. The scythe refused to transform. Perfect.
The boy with swirly glasses was dragging his weapon to a corner, blood dripping out of his wounds. The recreation witch was holding her lamp weapon tightly and guiding the bloody weapon to the corner as well. The demon pistols and the Shinigami were stuck to the wall, but there seemed to be one more-
"Don't get distracted." she turned around and Pot of Lightning pounded her in the face. Kilik Rung stood in front of her, confused and angry. "Why didn't Kid finish you off?"
"How am I supposed to know?" she shrugged. "Probably not a good shot."
"That's not possible." Kilik shifted his stance, body moving back and forwards. "He's an amazing shot. He could shoot birds out of the sky with one eye. Is it-" The Pot meister started. He stared at her face, and brought his hands up to make a square.
"Don't let your guard down!" Siesta rammed herself against him, sending them skidding across the ballroom floor. "You've got good shoes."
"Best pair in the house. Triple T!" His fists collided with her chin and she flew backwards, head crashing into the floor.
"I got it!" He said triumphantly. "Kid, you and your little disorders are going t " o be the end of you someday!"
I know." A pistol rammed into her skull and a wave of energy shot through her head, blinding her eyes. She writhed in agony and Kid stepped over to finish her off-
"You can't do it." Siesta smiled. The Shinigami froze, his eyes glued to the spot. Once again this gave her time to move out of the way, and she slid on the floor between the Shinigami's legs, pulled herself up and grabbed his shoulders, pushing him to the floor with as much force as she could muster. He crumpled face first into the marble, blood seeping through the cracks.
"What now?" Kilik muttered. He looked up and saw Siesta striding towards Ox and Kim. "Oh no you don't!" He launched himself towards her, both fists aiming for the sides of her head when-
"Coma." she said simply and held a hand up. With a sigh, Kilik dropped to the ground face first into the cement.
"Kilik!" Ox cried out, but he didn't respond. His chest did not rise.
"What the-" Ox started-
The witch raised a fist and smashed it against his skull. A bruise formed and Ox winced in pain.
"Ox!" Kim looked back at the witch, Jackie in her hand. "You little-"
The witch once again raised her fists and they came crashing down on Jacqueline.
"Ooh, this one is cute too." Siesta sighed. "But I can't fight them all!"
She stepped back and opened her mouth-
"WITCH HUNTER!" The scythe slammed against the witch and she growled, barely dodging the death scythe's deadly blow. She twisted her body out of the way as Maka swung it ferociously.
"Too much anger makes for a weak attacker!" The witch laughed and dodged yet another blow. Maka screamed once more, swinging the blade and leaving a cut on the witch's skin.
"HEY!" The witch screamed.
"IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK ON ME!" Maka took one more step raising Soul above her head. "GENIE HUNTER!" she roared, and swung the death scythe at the witch with all her might-
And wobbled, her high-heels slipping on Harvar's trail of slippery blood. Genie hunter missed Siesta by a hair and sliced through the broken chandelier, sending glass flying everywhere.
A chunk of glass flew right at Maka-
She closed her eyes it was too fast to dodge-
There was a yell-
A sickening crunch startled her and she opened her eyes. She looked down to inspect the blood that… wasn't there.
"Don't touch my meister." a voice said weakly. Her head snapped up and she looked to see Soul standing in front of her. A jagged chunk of the glass poked out from his side and she screamed as he fell forward, catching him just as he hit the ground.
"Soul…?" she whimpered.
"Just…" he gritted his teeth in pain. "Just take me somewhere safe for now."
"Ouch!" Siesta batted away the glass shards, unaware of the little cuts they made on her arms and legs. She turned around quickly to face the tanuki witch and Jacqueline, and smiled. They were so tired but so willing to fight that she might as well kill them off silently, just how she liked it. She grimaced as her eyes hovered over the lightning weapon's broken leg. Blood disgusted her, but it was one of the only ways to get things done.
"Ox!" Kim called out. "Take Jackie for me and I'll go get Kilik."
"WHAT!?" Oxford screeched. "Take her yourself!"
"HARVAR IS GOING TO DIE!" Kim roared, unconsciously flinging Jackie to the side. Flames shot out of the lantern's mouth and engulfed Siesta in more flames and the witch stumbled backwards, clawing at her burning hair.
"Harvar?" Ox looked back at Harvar. He was abnormally pale, and the small streams of blood that ran down his calf had turned into a pool of blood.
"I'm fine." Harvar said weakly. "I just need some rest."
"He's not fine." Kim snapped. "Let me save him." Ox looked up at Kim, her figure glowing and beautiful. Her short pink hair flowed in the wind and her determined smile enhanced her features even more.
"Okay." Ox breathed, staring dreamily at her face.
"Wait!" Jackie called out. "Then who will wield me?" Kim tossed Jackie over to Oxford.
"No, no, no!" Ox squeaked and caught the lantern. The weight of it almost seemed to crushed his own soul as he held the heavy lantern.
"See? Your soul wavelengths are already adjusting to each other." Kim smiled. "The blow I landed on the witch should give you more time to adjust. I'll head over to Kilik and drag him over here while you protect me."
"This isn't possible." Jackie murmured from her lamp form. "This shouldn't happen. Why is this working?"
It's my willpower, my constant need to impress Kim. Ox thought happily. Oh yeah, and Jackie's obedience towards her meister. That must be it.
"You brats!" The witch batted the flames away and emerged, escaping the flames with nothing but a burnt patch of skin on the side of her cheeks. "You are going to pay for this!"
"I'm sorry, but I don't have any spare change!" Ox swung Jackie over his shoulder, and the tremendous weight of the lamp almost pulled him backwards.
"Can you use Woolantern?" Jackie said.
"I can try." was his reply. As the witch approached, he raised his arm and flung Jacqueline at Siesta. Flames shot out of her lamp mouth but this time the witch knew better. She did a neat flip, jumping over flames.
"You're even worse than that pretty witch over there." she smirked. "Pity that I have to kill her later and not now."
"I'm afraid you won't be able to kill her anytime soon," Ox said, catching Jackie in midair. "Because you see, you'll have to kill me first."
"Let's do this." Jackie nodded. Ox went still, focusing all his energy into their wavelengths.
"Dodging her while doing this is so frustrating!" Ox yelled as the sloth witch threw punches at them-
"Kilik." Kim slapped him with the back of her hand. "Kilik, wake up." he didn't respond. She cursed, half dragging him and half carrying him over to where Harvar lay.
"You first." she closed her eyes, stretching her hands and placing them gently across his leg. Harvar groaned as the magic slowly began to heal him, blood seeping back into his wounds, bones cracking as they repaired themselves.
"Ugh." Kim paused, looking away. Beads of sweat rolled down her face as she tried to catch her breath. "Sorry, just give me a minute." she wiped the sweat off her brow and turned around to face the lightning weapon. There were still bones that needed fixing, bruises that needed to be wiped out, cuts and-
"Don't think too much." Harvar said. "Just mend the bones and I'll be good as new."
"Thanks." she put her hands on his leg once more.
"I should thank you." The bloody cut in his leg disappeared and the pain slowly started to disappear. Harvar wiggles his toes. He couldn't see them through his shoes but it didn't hurt to move anymore. Suddenly he stood up. "I think I'm okay now."
"Get your butt back on the floor." Kim scowled, and pushed him back down. "You need to help me with him." she gestured to Kilik.
"Right." the two crawled over to him.
"Whatever that lady did to him, she did it well." Harvar frowned. "I think I can-" He held up his fingers, concentrating hard. Small sparks of electricity crackles around his fingertips. "There we go. I can't keep it up for long though."
"CPR?" Kim asked.
"Testing my powers." And he pushed his palm into Kilik's chest. A thump sounded and Kilik's chest heaved. A minute later his breathing was back to normal – but he was still unconscious.
"Well this sucks." Kim said crossly.
"That's all I can do." Harvar sighed, and leaned back. "Sorry, but I'm too exhausted to continue."
"It's fine." Kim looked up, watching as Ox and Jacqueline fought off the witch. "We'll just have to sit back and watch them roll."
"SOUL RESONANCE!" Ox and Jackie yelled. Something shifted in their wavelengths and both their souls expanded.
"It's working!" Jackie cried out. Ox grinned. With a cry he ran towards the witch as she extended another hand.
"It's not going to work! I won't allow it!" Siesta shouted. Her clenched fist met the lantern's fiery flame and a wave of energy sent both of them tumbling backwards.
"What did she do?" Ox said, stumbling backwards. The lantern's weight was pulling him down and draining his energy. He wouldn't be able to keep it up for any longer.
"Nothing." Jackie answered. "The impact blasted us apart, I think." Ox nodded. Anything to distract me, I guess. With another war cry he ran towards Siesta.
"Stupid brats never know when to stop." she muttered, and held out her hands.
"WOOLANTERN!" Ox jumped, aiming the lantern for the witch's skull-
"Stop!" Jackie suddenly cried out-
A sharp pain shot up his spine and he jerked backwards in the air-
Another blast of energy, stronger than the last threw him against a wall, burying him deep into the rubble.
"We're not connected enough…" Ox craned his neck, his blurred vision just making out the silhouette of the witch. He covered his face with his hands, trying to rub away the dust in his eyes. He looked up again. The scene before him was just as confusing. Rubble floated, double vision sunk in and suddenly there were three witches before him.
We're being ambushed…
"This is cute." Siesta smirked, and the words echoed around his head. Her foot crunched against his stomach and he was pushed further into rubble. The pain came later, slowly and hurting. Where's Jackie?
"Ox!" He tried to move his head to the right but it hurt to even twitch a finger. The metallic ring in her voice was there though, and that meant she was okay.
She safe. That's good.
He closed his eyes just as the witch raised a foot to finish him off.
"Somebody help me!" Maka's cry faded away as the battle cries ensued, and there was no one there to-
"We gotcha." she looked up. The Thompson sisters waved at her.
"Where were you?" Maka laughed. "You're a little late here." tears slid down her face as she watched them carry Soul to Kim.
"Maka." Kid called.
"What?" she snapped.
"Can you walk?" he asked. She nodded and rolled her eyes. I'm not weak.
"Good. I need you to help out Kilik and the others. I'm sorry, but you're no good here without Soul." she nodded, too upset to argue, and ran off the find the others.
"Now where was I?" Kid crept up to the witch. A drop of sweat rolled down his face and once again he reminded himself to look at her clothes and not her face.
"This is cute." he heard the witch say.
"Ox!" Another voice, a student's voice alerted him and he saw bright light. Jackie transformed, standing above Ox protectively.
"I'm on strict orders to protect him." she said.
"Oh?" the witch replied, swinging a fist. It clanged against Jackie's half transformed lamp arm and the girl glared at witch, fire in her eyes.
"You're weak." the witch spat out. "You're original meister has others to take care of and you're forced to adjust wavelengths with this fool." she gestured to Ox.
"Why are you doing this anyway?" Jackie asked. "What is your motive?"
"My motive?" Siesta shrugged. "I've been asleep for a while, and I just want to have some fun. These guys don't have a lifetime of energy after all." she casually held up a bracelet for Jackie to see.
"We're batteries?" Jackie said.
"No, you're better than that. You're a weapon, isn't that right? Only trash like them," she gestured to Ox. "Only they get used for-"
"Thanks for the info!" Siesta cried out in shock as Kid ran up to the witch and rammed into her.
"Kid?" Jackie stared dumbfounded.
"Get Ox to the recovery team!" he yelled and she nodded, dragging him away from the witch. Siesta stood, clumsily waving a hand above her head as if she was dizzy. She stumbled and dropped to the ground.
"Com-" Kid rammed his foot into her brain, and blood sprayed onto his shirt as her head hit the ground.
"Don't try it." he said. She snarled, thrashing wildly. Her hand grabbed onto his feet and she pulled, bringing him onto the ground. Another strong kick threw him off the floor as he tumbled away. Kid stood up, limping slightly as he charged at her again. She didn't even turn her back, but merely lifted a hand and grasped his arm before slamming him onto the ground.
"Why aren't you using your magic?" Kid said; his voice muffled amidst the rubble. "Aren't you the Sloth Bear witch?"
"I'm surprised you caught on that quickly." Siesta smiled. "But yes, I am that witch." she jumped, launching herself at Kid and he barely had enough time to dodge before she hit the wall.
"Your attacks." Kid said. "They're all just wild punches and kicks." he dodged another fist and flipped her over, tossing her into the air. He waited while she recovered.
"You're a smart boy." a wicked smile formed on her lips. "And I'm going to take your smart little words and crush you to a pulp before you speak another word-"
"Symmetry." Kid said, staring at the ground.
"What?" she paused, her fist poised in midair.
"You said that I would be crushed to a pulp before I spoke another word. Symmetry."
"I was exaggerating."
"Your words are not valid." he shrugged. "You're not very smart."
"You little punk." She came at him with her arms raised, and brought her elbows down to his face. He stepped back and watched as her hit the ground, creating two massive craters.
"You have no technique." he stomped on her back, pushing her deeper into the broken marble tiles.
"Shut up!" a dirt covered hand shot out, grabbing Kid's leg. With a tremendous amount of force she threw him with only one arm, and he sailed over the wreckage, crashing into another pile of rocks.
She's too strong.
I don't see any technique, but she doesn't even need one when she has that strength and endurance.
A sudden crash caused both him and Siesta to look up, and suddenly a flurry of blue hair collided with the sloth witch. She squeaked in surprise as they tumbled across the room, her and this unknown stranger.
The flash of an enchanted blade and the famous tattoo on blue haired boy's shoulder only meant one thing.
"YOUR HERO HAS ARRIVED!"
Sorry I haven't updated in a while! This took me forever, but I've finally finished my exams! Hooray! I gave you guys an extra 3k because uh... I don't know.
I'm sorry if some of the writing is a little different, I was experimenting. I've never written about a fighting scene, and it was really hard trying to fit every character I wanted in the scene as well. I left Black*Star out because he'll be on the next chapter :P
R&R? If you could help with the fight scene that would be really nice. :)