These characters are under copyright by Atsushi Ōkubo, Squar Enix, Yen Press, Shōnen,
Akatsuki Yamatoya. Madman Entertainment, Manga Entertainment, Funimation, and/or others. This is a work of fanfiction, for no monetary gain.
Chapter 17 – Divination: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall?
It wasn't easy leaving Spirit, even for a short while, but Lord Death had responsibilities to the other Weapons and Meisters around the world, not only the two he loved. The fate of one in particular was weighing heavily upon his mind and soul: there had still been no trace of Justin, no word, no sign of what had happened to him, beyond the obvious fact that he'd been abducted.
To his surprise, Mifune had offered to help find the missing Weapon Meister. He claimed he knew a Witch who might be able to help them, that it was her Divination spell that had led him and Angela to Kid, in spite of the powerful Soul Protect wards concealing his prison.
Since this Witch had no personal ties to Justin or his captors or any of them, the way the Witch had ties to Mifune, Mifune told them that Crona would be needed for the spell or incantation or whatever it was to work, or someone else who was close to Justin, and that it would help to have something that belonged to him, particularly an object of some importance to him. Mifune offered to get in contact with her, if the DWMA would guarantee her safety, in spite of her being a Witch.
Death had agreed, of course. He no longer held enmity for all Witches.
"Lord Death? You wanted to see me?" Crona asked hesitantly, from the archway leading to the Death Room.
"Ah yes. Please come in, Crona. I wanted to talk to you about something important. We think we might have a way to locate Justin," Death told them.
"Really? Thank goodness! I've been so worried about him!" Crona cried, entering the Death Room without hesitation, their former reticence vanished.
"Mifune, the bodyguard of the Witch Angela, knows another Witch who he says can help us. But that Witch needs a friend of Justin's, and something belonging to him, to cast her spell," Death explained.
"A… a Witch?" Crona asked fearfully, stiffening and clamping their fingers tightly on their bicep.
"A good Witch, Crona, not one like your mother. She's not going to hurt you or do anything bad. You have my word I would never let a Witch harm you," Death reassured them. "If there's another person who is close to Justin, we can use them as the focus instead, but I thought, since you were already here, and well, Justin really hasn't ever been close to anyone before. He's a loner. That's both the weakness and the strength of an Autonomous Weapon."
"No, it's fine. Of course I'll help. What do you need me to do?" Crona asked, fear in their voice, but a steel band of determination as well.
"I'm not exactly sure. First we needed to know you were willing. As for the object, we have Justin's motorcycle. So I'll let Mifune know we're ready. Come with me," Death instructed.
Crona trailed after Death, to the Infirmary. Death could hear raised voices as he approached the open door.
"And I'm telling you, this is stupid! There's no reason I shouldn't be able to leave," Soul snapped.
"Soul, stop giving Dr. Bryant a hard time. He isn't saying anything Stein didn't already tell you," Kid ordered.
"I'd think you'd be the last person to argue against leaving. Don't you want to be back in your own house, in your own room?" Soul challenged.
"No, I'd rather be here. I thought that would be obvious. You and Patty and Liz are here," Kid replied, causing Death to form a mouth under his mask and smile.
"Did you hear that, Tsubaki? A God like me, and he doesn't even mention me. I told you he's got it bad," Black*Star teased.
"At least he mentioned Liz and Patty. It would have been really cold if he didn't say their names too," Maka joined in.
Death entered the room in time to see his son looking extremely flustered, his face flushing a deep red.
"Father!" Kid said, attempting to get out of bed, but he was quickly stopped by Dr. Bryant.
"Hello, Kid. Dr. Bryant is right. You shouldn't be getting out of bed," Death agreed, verbally supporting the young doctor.
He looked around the room at all Kid's friends, the recovering Weapons and Meisters, and Mifune and Angela. "I'm actually here to speak with Mifune," he said, as he approached the swordmaster's bed. "Crona has agreed to assist us, and we have Justin's motorcycle. Thank you again for offering your assistance. We'd like you to contact that other Witch, as soon as possible."
"Of course. Angela will need to be the one to do it. Does she have your permission to use magic in here again? This is Communication magic, not Healing magic, like before, with Marmalade. She's already drawn the Contact ward, in anticipation of your request, but she hasn't charged it yet," Mifune explained.
"Yes, she can use her magic. In fact, Angela, I meant to tell you before that you're free to use your magic any time you have a need for it while you are here, as long as it's Protection or Healing or other helpful or benign spells and wards. I only ask that you refrain from using any sort of Combat magic, without my permission, though I know that's not one of your specialties," Death instructed the young Witch.
He was rewarded with a sunny smile, as Angela sat up in her bed, her cat in her lap. "I promise I won't use any Combat or other magic like that," she swore solemnly.
Mifune got out of his bed and walked over to hers and climbed onto it, crossing his legs and sitting beside her, as Angela laid her hand on the ward she'd drawn on the ornate hand mirror decorated in skulls.
Death recognized it as one from their home. Kid must have provided it to her.
The ward glowed orange. "Michiko, are you there? It's Mifune," the swordmaster said, in a regular speaking voice.
The surface of the mirror shimmered and waivered. "Mifune! Thank Hecate! Are you alright? I was casting a scry for someone else and saw you in a pitched battle with a powerful Witch, before the mirror shattered. I couldn't detect who it was, but I knew who it must be. I won't say her name and risk drawing her to you. I've been trying to locate you ever since, but wherever you are has been resisting my magic. Were you captured? I recognize this magic as Angela's, so you must be free now," a young woman's voice stated breathlessly.
"Breathe, Michiko. Angela and I are both fine. Well, injured, but recovering, and safe. We've found some very powerful allies who have been helping us. And you're right, that Witch you saw was Esmeralda, but we defeated her and she's dead now. And the DWMA is no longer after us. They realize we weren't the ones who killed those people.
"Lord Death has actually halted all hostilities against the rest of the Witches. The DWMA Meisters and Weapons will no longer be hunting any of you, unless you do something evil, like human sacrifices or other major crimes. Lord Death is going to send a peace envoy to the next Convocation, to begin the first steps of creating a treaty," Mifune explained, outlining what Death had discussed with him and Angela.
"Are you serious? A peace treaty? After all these centuries of persecution? Why would he suddenly stop hunting us?" Michiko asked incredulously.
Mifune looked a little sheepish, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, Angela and I managed to rescue Lord Death's son, Death the Kid, who'd been captured by the Witch Esmeralda and the Autonomous Weapon Giriko. We were both instrumental in defeating Esmeralda. And, um, we're actually in Death City right now – that's where we're calling you from."
"What?" the young Witch yelled. "Are you insane? What if Lord Death traces this back to me? Are you trying to get me killed?"
"Michiko, you weren't listening. He's not about to hurt you. In fact, he needs your help, which is why we called you. Well, in addition to wanting to let you know we were alright, and to tell you about the peace delegation, so you could start relaying word to all the Covens about the pending treaty.
"The head of the European branch of the DWMA, the Autonomous Weapon Justin Law, has been abducted by the Autonomous Weapon Giriko. We haven't been able to find him and don't know what's happened to him so far, though we know Giriko was planning on torturing him, both physically and in other ways that I won't say in front of Angela. We were hoping you'd be willing to do a Divination to find him. It would go a long way in helping strengthen the bonds of goodwill between you Witches and the DWMA," Mifune urged.
"And I repeat, are you insane? You know what happens to Witches who aid the enemy! If they're lucky they only get ostracized from their Coven and have their grimoires taken. You know others have been killed for infractions way more minor than helping the Reaper who's spent the last eight hundred years persecuting us!" Michiko shrilled.
Death hadn't known that, though he also wasn't aware of any Witches helping the DWMA in the past. He walked to the head of the bed, into view. "Excuse me for interrupting your conversation Mifune, Witch Michiko, but it was never my intention to put you in danger from your own Covens, though I admit, in the past that thought wouldn't have bothered me at all. Still, I wasn't aware that your Covens had been taking steps like those against any of you who aided us. I wasn't aware of any Witches ever aiding us, in the past. But I owe the Witch Angela for the life of my son, and I owe the rest of you for the crimes I've committed against the entirety of your people.
"I never should have targeted you all for the actions of a single Witch, for the death of my father, but at the time I made the mandate against you, I was newly formed and made certain assumptions that I now see proved to be false. I cannot make amends for eight hundred years of war and all the resulting Witch deaths, but it is within my power to end that war, if you and your fellow Witches are willing. I'll have the rest of my life to do all I can in the form of reparations, but right now, the life of a young man hangs in the balance. He shouldn't be punished for my errors, though that is exactly what's happened to him. He's suffering right now, because of my many mistakes."
"Death. You're… Lord Death. Mifune, you…. you didn't tell me he was standing right there! That he was listening!" Michiko shrieked.
"Michiko, you need to calm down. I told you, Death isn't a threat to you. You know my code of honor. You know I'd never betray you," Mifune assured her.
The look of panic fled her face, and she blushed, looking both flustered and sheepish. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just, I was so worried about you, and that's Lord Death and… What do you need me to do?"
"We'd like you to come here and perform a Divination. The DWMA has been unable to locate Justin using Soul Detect, because of Esmeralda's magic. She apparently charged some Soul Protection wards before she was killed, and until the power drains from them, we can't locate him directly. We're hoping a Divination can provide the clues we need, and also, that we'll be able to see his physical state, how badly injured he might be. He's only 17, Michiko. He's just a kid."
Michiko sighed. "Then I can't say no, can I? You'd never forgive yourself or me. Alright, I'll come. Just let me gather a few things I'll need, and contact me again using a full length mirror so I can step through on your end. You're sure I'll be allowed to leave again? That you're not trapping me there?"
"Michiko," Mifune chided.
"I know, I know. Fine. But you're going to owe me for this, big time. Give Angela a hug for me, and tell her I'll see her soon, OK?" Michiko said with a put upon sigh.
"Hi Michiko! I'm here too, I just didn't want to interrupt. Look! I have a familiar! His name's Marmalade, and he's orange, just like my magic!" Angela said eagerly, holding her cat up to the mirror.
"Oh Angela, he's so pretty! Just like you, cutie. You're alright? They're really treating you OK?" Michiko asked skeptically.
"Of course! Mifune told you they were, and he never lies about anything. And they're really nice, all my new friends: Death the Kid and Soul and Maka and Black*Star and Tsubaki and Patty and Liz, and Dr. Stein and Nygus, and Dr. Bryant and Spirit and Lord Death and everybody!" Angela claimed enthusiastically.
Michiko couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "That's wonderful, sweetie. I guess I'm going to get a chance to see how nice they are in person, huh?" she said.
Lord Death could hear the challenge in her voice.
"You won't regret coming, Michiko. You have my word," Mifune promised.
"Then I guess I have to believe you. Alright. Give me twenty minutes to pack. I'll come as quickly as I can, but locating him may take a while, and I don't want to forget anything important that might delay finding him," she bargained.
"That's fine. Thanks, Michiko. That's another one I owe you," Mifune said.
"That's what best friends are for, silly," Michiko scolded. Then she broke the connection.
"She sounded pretty cool, after she got done screeching," Soul commented.
"She sounded really brave," Maka chimed in.
"How did you meet her?" Tsubaki asked.
Mifune looked sheepish again. "She was being chased by a Meister and Weapon. I helped her get away."
"Ah. Her reluctance to come here is certainly understandable, then. It appears I have a lot to make amends for," Death said, uncharacteristically solemn.
"I only hope we can find Justin quickly," Kid said, anxiously.
0 0 0
Spirit, Crona, Maka, Soul, Mifune, and Angela were in Spirit's office, ready to greet the Witch Michiko when she stepped through the mirror. They were using Spirit's office because it was far less intimidating in décor than much of the Academy, and it had a full length mirror, because Spirit was a man who was proud of his appearance and more than a little vain.
Spirit was there as Death's representative, because having Death himself there would likely have been too overwhelming for the rightfully hesitant and suspicious Witch. Mifune and Angela were there to reassure Michiko that she was safe, that this wasn't some sort of elaborate trap and to assist however they could with the scry. Crona was needed for the spell, to locate Justin. Maka was there to support Crona, because she was afraid what the scry would reveal. Soul was there to protect Maka, because there was no way he was letting a Witch anywhere near his Meister, without being there to protect her.
Soul immediately tensed as an image appeared in the mirror of a young Asian woman. Instead of traditional Witch's robes, she was wearing a blood red kimono, an intricate pattern of complex and now familiar looking circles woven into the fabric with what appeared to be thread made of actual spun silver. Soul's tension skyrocketed. "Wards. She's covered in wards," Soul warned the others suspiciously, as he stepped protectively in front of Maka, ready to defend her and kill the Witch.
"Well of course! You don't honestly expect her to enter Death City unprotected, do you?" Angela chided. "But she's not only wearing those clothes for protection. She's also wearing them to honor Lord Death. Those are her formal Witch's robes. That's what she wears to the Convocation," Angela explained.
"She wears a kimono covered in wards? Don't the other Witch's feel threatened by that?" Maka asked curiously.
"Of course not, silly! Their robes are all covered in wards too, though sometimes on the inside, where the others can't see. The Witches who hide their wards are usually the bad ones, the dangerous ones, though sometimes they're either the weak ones, or the careful ones. You don't want the other Witches to know that you only know a few Combat wards, or to know which Protection wards you have. Witches are very mistrusting, and our society is very complex," Angela explained.
Angela turned back to the mirror, where Michiko was patiently and silently waiting, assessing them as cautiously as they'd been viewing her. "Witch Michiko, please enter the DWMA as our honored guest. I, Witch Angela, swear upon my soul to Blessed Hecate, Mother of All Witches, that these Weapons and Meisters will do you no harm," Angela intoned, in what was apparently some sort of ritual greeting.
The tension didn't leave the Witch Michiko at Angela's words, but her face softened for a brief moment with a fond smile at the younger Witch. "Thank you. In turn, I, Witch Michiko swear upon my soul to Blessed Hecate, Mother of All Witches that I will do no harm to these Weapons and Meisters, unless I am attacked first and need to defend myself." She looked pointedly at Angela.
"Oh! You're right! I should have qualified my vow, that they would only harm you if you attacked first. Now, even if they protect themselves, if they harm you, I've forfeited my life," Angela said, more exasperation than dismay in her voice. "I'm lucky it's you. I'll have to be more careful next time."
"That's why formulaic vows are the safest, Angela. If you try to adapt them, or add extra words, you're more likely to misspeak, or omit something important. But still, for someone so young, that was very well spoken. You do Hecate great honor by your service to her. It is no wonder you are Of the Blessed," Michiko stated.
"Oh! That's right! I need to tell you it happened again, when we were battling the Witch Esmeralda!" Angela said excitedly.
Michiko's eyes widened. "The Sisterhood spoke through you again?" she asked, sounding stunned.
"Yes!" Angela said excitedly.
"Excuse me. I don't mean to be rude, and I hate interrupting, but could you please step through the mirror and do the scry to find Justin now? We know he's been captured and we're sure he's being tortured, so we don't have time for stories. We need to hurry," Crona spoke up, to Soul's surprise.
They must really care about Justin, to have been that bold to not only a stranger, but a Witch.
"Crona is right. You two can talk later, Angela. We need to find Justin," Mifune agreed.
"Of course! Forgive me," Angela apologized.
Michiko took a deep, bracing breath, and then stepped through the mirror, exhaling in the room they were in.
"Welcome to the DWMA," Spirit said formally.
Michiko eyed her surroundings warily, as if expected Lord Death to leap out at her.
Which he actually might do, if he were here, Soul conceded.
"Well then. Let's get started," Michiko stated bravely.
Soul watched as Michiko prepared the mirror she had stepped through for the scry, using runes, and what looked like herbs and dried animals. She worked with grim efficiency, as tension and hopes built in the room.
"The mirror is prepared. Now I need the abducted person's possession, you said it was this motorcycle, correct?" she asked, as if there might be another reason it was in the room with them.
"Yes, this is Justin's. And I'm his student… disciple… friend," Crona squeaked nervously. "You need my blood, right?" they asked, holding their right arm across their stomach, gripping their left forearm anxiously.
"Yes, but only a little. I just need to make a small prick in your finger with my Athame, my Witch's dagger, and allow three drops to touch the surface of the mirror, equidistant from one another. Three is a very powerful number in magic, and triangles are an important symbol," Michiko explained.
"Yes, I know. We already explained to Angela and showed her that my blood is different from normal blood, it's black blood, but she said it should actually work better than red blood, because it's already laced with magic from that, but also, I know because I'm a Witch's child," Crona said in a rush.
Michiko's eyes widened. "Your mother is a Witch? But they let you be here at the DWMA?" she asked in shock.
"Yes. They let me be here in spite of my Witch's blood, and my mother, and what she did, and what I did – all the bad things," Crona explained.
"None of that was your fault, Crona," Maka defended immediately.
"There's probably nothing to apologize for. The DWMA thinks all Witches are bad," Michiko replied.
"I know. At least, they used to. But my mother really was bad. She was the most evil Witch ever," Crona claimed.
"I doubt that. Unless your mother was Esmeralda," Michiko scoffed.
"No. But she was just as bad. She killed lots of innocent people too. And made me kill them. My mother was Medusa," Crona whispered.
Michiko gasped and snatched her hand away from Crona's, the Athame suddenly held aggressively, up in the air, point down, like a weapon.
Soul immediately transformed as Maka leapt protectively in front of Crona before the dagger was finished raising.
Mifune leapt just as protectively in front of Michiko, his hand on the hilt of his sword, but he didn't draw his blade. "I can't let you harm Michiko, not just because she's my friend, and she didn't mean to look dangerous, but because Angela's soul would be in danger if you fight. Michiko, put the Athame away. There's no need to protect yourself from them. Crona isn't at all like their mother. They're a valued student. I've seen how protective everyone here is of them. They wouldn't be, if Crona was like Medusa, or Arachne, or Esmeralda. You're so eager for the DWMA not to wrongly judge you, because of your blood, your lineage, yet you're doing exactly the same thing to Crona," he scolded.
"Damn it! I hate when you do that, when you get all pedantic like that. I'm not a child, Mifune. I'm older than you are, by at least two centuries. I remember when samurai thrived, when they were still powerful, still valued, still respected, instead of ridiculed. I know I acted rashly. I realized it the second I moved, but it was too late. Or would have been. Thank you for protecting me. I apologize, Crona, for my reaction, for acting so precipitously. It's just… we were all terrified of Medusa. And we were so reliev… Forgive me again. You must still be in mourning," she apologized eyes downcast, looking distressed.
"It's alright. She was my mother, but she was evil. She needed to be stopped, and the only way to do that was to kill her. She needed to die, to protect everyone. Maka, please don't attack Michiko. She won't hurt me. Soul, please change back. I don't know how to deal with people when they want to fight, how to keep them from fighting, but I know I don't want anyone hurt," Crona urged.
"You deal with them just fine, Crona. That was the perfect thing to say," Maka told them.
Crona blushed happily, and Soul reluctantly shifted back to human form.
"It was. But I'm sorry. I can't do the scry," Michiko apologized.
"What in Death's name do you mean, you can't do the scry," Soul snapped. "What game are you playing?"
Michiko glared at him. "I'm not playing a game. I'm stating a fact. In order for the magic to work, I need to draw the blood with an Athame, or another magical blade. But Crona is a Witch's child. The only Athame that can draw their blood is their own, or their mother's. The magic won't work if it's mine. The two will cancel each other out, and the blood will be inert. Since Crona isn't a practicing Witch, I doubt they have an Athame, and Medusa's would have been destroyed when she died. Do you have an Athame we can use?" Michiko challenged.
"No. But I have Ragnarok, and he's a Demon Weapon. He's a magical blade. We could use him, couldn't we? I'm not drawing him to attack you, just to show you, alright?" Crona asked cautiously, their hand hovering over their shoulder.
"Alright. Show me," Michiko challenged bravely.
"Ragnarok, I need you to be short this time, like a dagger, OK?" Crona urged, as they reached for their shoulder.
Ragnarok popped up out of their shoulder. "I'm not stupid you know! I know what to do," he griped, as he formed into a blade identical in shape to the Athame.
"I know you're not. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you," Crona apologized sheepishly.
Ragnarok pinched them. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop looking weak in front of the enemy?" he demanded, more exasperation than anger in his voice.
"I know, I won't, but Michiko's not an enemy. She here to help," Crona argued.
"That's what they all say, until they stab you in the back. You can't trust Witches, Crona. You of all people should know that," Ragnarok chastised.
Michiko looked insulted and imperious. "Not all Witches are like Medusa. Most aren't. But even if you can't trust my word, you can trust my vow. As a Demon Weapon, you must know what would happen to me if I were to break a vow to Blessed Hecate," Michiko chided.
"Yeah. Yeah I saw, more than once, when Medusa tricked other Witches into breaking their vows, when she was forming me. It wasn't pretty. You don't want to do that, break that kind of vow," Ragnarok agreed, with a shudder, looking more than cowed by the memory.
"OK, prick yourself. Let's get this over with," Ragnarok demanded, but not as aggressively as usual.
Crona pricked themself, and dripped the three drops as instructed, like wet tar on the mirror's frame.
"We're ready," Michiko stated.
"OK Angela, it's time for you to leave. You need to wait outside the room, alright? And no listening in at the door," Mifune instructed.
"Alright," Angela reluctantly agreed.
Soul was glad they were making her leave, but he didn't think that was enough. "Hey, Crona, why don't you go with her, and Maka, you should go with Crona to keep them company and protect Angela while Mifune's in here with the other Witch," Soul proposed. He didn't want Crona or Maka seeing what was happening to Justin, not after what that sick bastard Giriko had done to Kid, and the things he'd said about what else he would do to him.
"No way. I'm staying. But Crona, Soul's right that you should go," Maka urged.
"No. Justin is my friend. I need to be here. What kind of friend would I be if I ran and hid from this? How could I help him when we rescue him, if I can't even bear to see what's happened to him in a mirror?" Crona argued, with the fierce intensity Soul had only ever seen before when they were defending Maka.
"Damn it. Alright then. Maka, you should stay too. Because Crona might need you," Soul reluctantly said, knowing she'd insist on it anyway, but letting Maka know he wouldn't fight it anymore.
"It will be alright, Angela. Kid will wait with you," Mifune assured the little Witch.
"I know. And I'll do a good job of distracting him, so he doesn't realize what we're doing and try to come in and see," Angela agreed seriously, without her usual sunny innocence.
Mifune opened the door and walked her out, and in a few moments was back. "It's time," he said simply, and Michiko began incanting.