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Chapter Text

Maka fell to the ground, with Soul not far behind her.

'How the hell is this a remedial lesson?' Maka thought, feeling the pain from Stein's wavelength attack.

Her, Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki were given this because of their latest failed mission and were losing like never before!

"You are putting up a bigger fight then I expected." Stein said, "Expected from someone such as you... I'm sure your parents would be proud... well... maybe not your mother."

This got Maka's blood boiling.

"Don't you talk about my mother!" she shouted.

"Why not? You aren't even using the greatest power you have, the power she gave you." Stein said, wheeling over and whispering, "Come on, let go of your Soul Protect. Give me a real challenge."

Maka's eyes widened.

"Y-y-you know-"

"Indeed." Stein said, turning his screw, "I also know that's the reason you fail at doing Soul Resonance, because you know your partner would find out the truth if you did."

"Get away from her." Soul said, struggling to get up from the ground. "Get your hands off my meister."

"Why don't you make me?" Stein asked Soul.

Soul ran at Stein, but was quickly and easily flipped to the ground.

"Soul!" Maka screamed.

Stein watched with a smirk, grabbing his cigarette out of his mouth. Maka ran over to Soul.

"Soul, are you okay!?" She asked.

"Ugh, damn bastard." Soul muttered, "We need to beat him... I just don't know how."

"I... I do." Maka said, "I need you to turn into a scythe... and please... trust me."

Soul gave Maka a strange look, but listened. He turned into his weapon form and Maka grabbed him. She looked at Stein with an angry look.

"You wanted a fight? Fine." Maka said, "Soul Protect... Release!"

A white glow surrounded Maka before it broke like glass, sending a rush of wind throughout the area as Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, and Stein sensed something CHANGE with Maka.

"Maka?" Soul said.

"Soul... please... trust me." Maka said.

Maka looked at Soul's reflection and saw him smile and give her a nod.

"Let's go, Soul Resonance!" They said.

With her soul no longer being protected, there was nothing stopping them from being able to do it.

Soul felt their souls connect, feeling a rush of energy like never before while feeling something new! Something that wasn't there when they tried Soul Resonance before.

Stein watched, seeing Maka's true soul for once. Large, powerful... intimidating.

'Wonderful, I expected nothing less given her bloodline.' Stein thought.

Maka held Soul up.

"The legendary skill of the Scythe Miester!" Maka said as Soul changed, forming a much larger blade, "Witch Hunter!"

Maka swung Soul, but Stein put up his hands and blocked it with his own soul wavelength.

"Putting all your power into one strike?" Stein asked, "Even for a powerful witch such as you, that is a risqué move!"

"A powerful witch?" Tsubaki and Black Star asked.

"Maka?" Soul said, looking to his partner before focusing more on the attack.

Stein smirked and pushed back, breaking the soul resonance and sending Maka and Soul to the ground. Stein walked over and looked at Maka.

"You're still awake I see." Stein said, "Strong... just like your mother."

Soul turned back to his human form and put his body over Maka's.

"Stay away from my Meister." He said with a glare.

"Hmm, you'll protect her? Even though she's a witch?" Stein asked.

"I don't give a damn, she could be a Kishin for all I care, but I will protect her... because I won't let anything happen to my Meister." Soul stated.

"Fine, I'll start with you then." Stein said.

Soul closed his eyes, ready for a knife to end up in him, instead... he got a hand on the head.

"You earned a passing grade." Stein said.

"Huh?" Soul let out.

"Passed?" Maka asked.

"Indeed. All four of you have passed the extra credit assignment." Stein said with a friendly smile.

"You mean this was all a test!?" Soul shouted.

"Indeed. Lord Death wanted to see how good you four are at working together." Stein said before looking at Maka. "He also wanted to see just what Maka was capable of without her soul protect."

Maka, who looked traumatized, hugged herself on the ground.

"Seriously?" She asked softly.

"Oh, yes, he's known you were a witch for a while." Stein said.

Maka let out a small strained noise.

"Soul Protect, on." She said, putting the spell back.

"Wait, so Maka has been a witch this whole time? Fighting against kishins and other witches?" Black Star asked as Tsubaki helped him up! "Maka, how could you be this awesome and outshine me?!"

Soul helped Maka up and she dusted herself off.

"I... I'm only half witch." Maka said, glancing away. "And right now, I want to go home."

"It's been a long night, why don't you stay here for the night?" Stein suggested with a creepy grin.

"That's a big fat no!" Three of the four students yelled.

"I released my soul protect, I want to get out of here before any other Meister comes and tries to kill me." Maka said.

"Hmmm, I suppose that's a good reason but I wouldn't worry. My home is pretty secluded, nobody is around for miles." Stein said to her.

'Except Sid.' Stein thought.

"Well for me, it's better to be safe than sorry." Maka said. "Come on, Soul, let's go."

"Can't you just magic us away?" Soul asked, his hands in his pockets.

"Yes, but I won't." Maka said, "Besides, I put my soul protect back on, can't use magic with that on."

"Really? That's kind of lame, isn't it?" Soul asked as Maka began walking away. "What if you need to use your magic for something?"

"I don't like to rely on it." Maka said to him.

"That's pretty uncool." Soul said, walking up to her. "We could do so much better at fighting Kishins if you used your-"

"MAKA CHOP!" Maka shouted as she slammed a book right down on Soul's head.

Maka liked to consider this her most powerful "Spell".

"Ugh!" Soul groaned before he collapsed in the ground, nearly unconscious.

"I think my fighting is good enough." Maka said as she put her book away.

"Where did you even get that?!" Soul screamed.

"That's my little secret." Maka said, "I have to keep at least ONE secret. My biggest one is out."

"I guess that's fair." Tsubaki said as Stein re-entered his home.

"No it's not! I, the Great Black Star, want to know more about this! If we're going to fight against witches, you need to show us more of your powers! Screw whoever might come after you, I'll just kick their ass for you!" Black Star shouted with pride before Maka threw her book in his face!

"Shut up! Stop screaming it!" Maka shouted at him.

"Now now, settle down." Sid the zombie said, reminding everyone that he was here, "There's a reason Lord Death wanted you to do this, he wanted to see just how strong you are."

That made Maka stop in her tracks.

"W... what if he wanted to know if I was a threat?" She asked, turning to Sid. "What if he thinks I'm dangerous enough to be hunted down like other witches?! What if-"

"Maka, calm down!" Soul said, getting up. "Lord Death wouldn't do that. Stein said that Lord Death has known for a long time and if he wanted you dead, he would've done it before now."

"Plus, even if he did, we're not going to let that happen. You're our friend, Maka. We'd never kill you just because you're half witch." Tsubaki said.

"Yeah, we'll talk to him tomorrow, figure this whole thing out." Soul said, rubbing his gut. "Now let's go, I'm starving. I haven't eaten all day."

"I agree." Black Star said with a groan, still in pain from the "Maka Flying Chop."

Chapter Text

As the four kids left his home, Stein returned to his home and went to the mirror to call Lord Death.

'42-42-564, whenever you want to knock on Death's door. Still catchy after all these years.' Stein thought.

"Hiya! How's it going?" Lord Death said, appearing in the mirror.

"Fine, Lord Death. The two teams passed with flying colors, especially Ms. Albarn when she used Soul Resonance with her Soul Protect off." Stein said to him.

"Wonderful." Lord Death said, "I know she was probably very nervous about that."

"She was, she put Soul Protect back on almost immediately, and wanted to leave the area quickly." Stein said, pulling out a cigarette and lighter. "I heard the end of their conversation, she's very nervous now that she's aware you know about her witch heritage."

"As long as she doesn't turn into an evil witch like her aunts, she'll have nothing to worry about." Lord Death said, waving his comedic large hand.

"You may want to tell her that." Stein said, smoking a lit cigarette.

"I will tomorrow. They went through a lot tonight." Lord Death said, "Have you thought anymore about my offer?"

"I have… I accept. I'll take over Sid's old position." Stein said.

"Great! I'll have the paperwork done by tomorrow!" Death said as he held up his large hand, giving a two finger peace sign to Stein.

-Death City-

Maka opened the door to her and Soul's apartment.

"I think I've reached my limit for today." Maka said.

"Whatever you say, Witchy." Soul said, before getting 'greeted' by Blair the magic cat.

"Soul! You're back!" Blair screamed as she jumped it them, transforming into a human mid jump and hugged Soul's face into her chest!

Resulting in a large bloody nose.

"Guh!" Soul let out in shock, almost passing out from the breasts!

Which resulted in Maka hitting him in the head with her book again!

"Ugh!" Soul shouted as he turned to her! "Hey!"

"Stop copping a feel and get into the kitchen!" Maka shouted at him. "It's your turn to make dinner!"

'What did I do in a past life to deal with not one, but TWO magic girls?' Soul thought.

After a nice dinner made by Maka, the trio went to bed in their own rooms.

Maka decided to read, and wipe some of the blood off, one of her books.

'I have a feeling I'll be doing this often.' Maka thought as she opened her book.

From the sky above Death City, Maka was being watched.

"Wow, you really are just like your mother." A which in a black outfit said, grinning a bit. "Always in a book. I wonder if you have any other of her skills as well as any of you own. See you soon, my precious little niece."

She gave a small chuckle before flying off into the night, leaving a VERY promising piece in the game to herself.

For now at least.

Chapter Text

The next day, Maka, Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki stood in front of the DWMA.

"Okay... Nope, not doing it." Maka said, turning around and beginning to walk away.

Soul reached out and grabbed her shirt collar.

"Not so fast, Witchy, we're talking to Lord Death." Soul said

"Don't call me witchy out loud!" Maka whispered to him!

"She right, Soul. You know that it's supposed to be a secret." Tsubaki said to him as they walked into the school.

"No one's around to hear." Soul said, gesturing to the completely empty area, "Now let's go."

They went to the Death Room, with Maka being dragged the entire way, letting out nervous mumbling.

"Relax Maka, no one will mess with you as long as I, the Great Black Star, is here! YAAHOO!" Black Star said.

'My hero...' Maka thought in dread.

The group made it to the Death Room and knocked on the door. It opened and they headed inside, where they found Lord Death with Spirit Albarn, his Death Scythe, next to him.

"Hiya! I figured you'd come around sooner or later." Lord Death said.

"Yeah, we need to talk." Soul said, "Go on Maka, talk to him."

Maka slowly tried to backpedal, but the three of them grabbed her and dragged her back.

"You aren't avoiding this Maka." Tsubaki said, "We're right here in case you need us."

Maka fumbled with her collar for a bit.

"Okay, um... Lord Death... I... I-" She quickly lost her composure and fell to her knees and bowed to the ground, "Please don't kill me because I'm half witch! I would never use my magic for evil! Please don't hurt me!"

A small silence filled the room as Death looked down at Maka, confused on why she could even think that if she's still alive before him.

"Um…..what made you think I would want you dead?" Lord Death asked her with a head tilt.

"Because that's what the academy does to witches." Maka said, too scared to even look up, "Everyone knows that witches are humanity's enemies and need to killed to protect the world."

'He'll probably give my soul to Soul to make him a Desth Scythe in the future.' Maka thought.

Lord Death let out a sigh before lightly patted Maka's head with his left hand.

"Maka, you aren't like other witches. You are good, and as long as you don't use your magic for evil purposes or against the school, you will never be hunted down by any Meister." Death said as he picked Maka up and placed her on her feet.

"R-r-really?" Maka asked, looking up.

"As long as you don't become like your aunts, and remain more like your mother, then yes. You will never be harmed by anyone at the DWMA." Death said, shaking his head.

"And I'll kill anyone who tries to hurt my little girl!" Spirit said with his arms crossed. "I didn't care if your mom was a witch and I don't care if you are, Maka. You're my daughter and nothing will ever change that."

"R-Really?" Maka asked as her shoulders relaxed.

"Really, kiddo." Spirit said with a soft smile.

Maka looked back to her friends as they smiled at her, nodding in agreement that she was no threat.

She was their friend and nothing would change that, which or not.

"Okay." She said, finally smiling.

"Great! Now that we got that out of the way, head to class kids, I found the perfect replacement for Sid." Death said.

"Wait, so what's going on with Sid now?" Soul asked, "He's a zombie now… which I still don't understand."

"It's quite simple, he's still going to be involved with the academy, but he will now spend more of his time in the field." Death explained before shooing them away. "Now run along, the bell will ring any minute."

They accepted that as an answer and headed to class. When they left, Lord Death turned to Spirit.

"Now that she's open about it, tell me. How powerful is Maka?" He asked.

"At age six she could use her aunt's Vector Arrows." Spirit said, simple yet very heavy.

"I see. So, she did inherit her mother's ability to copy other spells with a simple look." Death said, turning back to the door. "She will still need someone to teach her though… and I have the perfect person in mind."

"What? Do you know a witch that will help?" Spirit asked.

"Do you think Maka oz the only witch in the DWMA?" Death asked, much to Spirit's shock, "But right now, she's the only witch here that's aware I know of her heritage."

In the class, Maka, Soul, Tsubaki, and Black Star took their seats and waited for the teacher.

"So who do you think this replacement is?" Soul asked.

"Maybe it will be another death scythe or a strong meister?" Maka suggested.

"As long as it isn't your old man again, whatever. That guy was trying too hard to be cool." Black Star said with his feet on the desk row.

The door opened and Stein rolled in on a chair, getting the wheels stuck on door lip, and spinning on the ground and coming to a stop in front of the teacher's desk.

"Okay class, we're going to start by dissecting some frogs, should be pretty exciting." Stein said, spinning his screw.

"I take it back!" Soul said.

"This may be the first time... I've actually wanted to see my father!" Maka said, slowly crying.

"Before I forget, Jacqueline Dupre and Kimial Diehl, Lord Death wants to see you in the Death Room." Stein said, looking to the crowd.

The secret couple looked at each other with confusion before heading out.

Chapter Text

"What do you think Lord Death wants?" Jacqueline asked her meister.

"Not sure but I'm sure it's nothing bad. We haven't done anything to warrant trouble." Kim replied.

The two entered the Death Room.

"Wazzup! Wazzup! WAZZUP!" Death said, "So glad you could come so soon! I have a special task for you Kim, and as her weapon you as well Jacqueline."

"What is it, Lord Death?" Kim asked.

"You see, I need a tutor for another student." Death said.

"Tutoring?" Kim asked, "Sorry, but I'm not exactly the type of person you need. Why not get Maka, she's pretty book smart."

"Actually, it's Maka that needs the Tutor." Death said, "I figured you could help her since you are the more experienced witch."

Hearing this Jacqueline and Kim gasped, the former stepping in front of Kim to protect her as she turned her right hand into a fire lamp head! Before she could attack, Lord Death waved his large white hands around.

"Whoa whoa whoa! No need for that, I'm not going to hurt Ms. Kimial!" Death said to them.

"You're not?" Jacqueline asked, still aiming her lantern at Lord Death.

"I am not. It's clear she doesn't wish harm on the academy, so I have no reason to see her as a threat." Death said, putting his hands away.

"Wait... you want me to train Maka... she's a witch as well?" Kim asked, coming from behind her partner.

"Indeed, her mom was a powerful witch, before leaving that life behind and becoming a Meister at the academy." Death said, "It would also seem Maka inherited her mother's special ability to copy other witch's spells."

"Copy spells? Who was her mom?" Kim asked, putting a hand to her chin. "Wouldn't everyone know that Maka is a witch if her mom was that powerful?"

"Her mom changed her name when she left her old life. She is known as Kami Albarn, but she was once known as the witch, Hira Gorgon." Death explained.

"Gorgon!?" Kim asked in shock. "She's part of the Gorgon family!?"

"Yes, Kami is the forgotten sister, born after the witch, Medusa, but before Shaula." Death said.

"Gorgon? Is that a powerful family?" Jacqueline asked, turning her hand back and looking to Kim.

"The Gorgons are one of the most powerful and feared Witch bloodlines in the Witch World." Kim said to her. "Most of the Gorgons use their magic for evil but Kami and Maka may be the only ones with good hearts in that family and want to use their powers to help the world."

"Exactly. And in case we need her help, I need you can train Maka with her magic." Death said, holding up two fingers. "Having two powerful witches on our side could be very useful in a dire situation."

"Hmm, I suppose you're right. But what if Maka doesn't want to be trained?" Kim asked.

"While I don't like it, she will HAVE to do it. You nor Maka have a choice in declining this I'm afraid." Death said as he looked out his window, "I feel something very bad is coming and I need all my allies at full strength."

"Well, in that case, I may have a way to do this then." Kim said, looking at Jacqueline.

Later, Soul and Maka were walking in the desert, almost three miles from Death City.

"So Lord Death really sense a Kishin this far out in the day?" Soul asked.

"Yes and I won't question it, you never know how kishin souls will act. Plus, we have a lot of souls to make up after that mishap with Blair and we need to start somewhere." Maka said to him.

"Yeah, I guess we do. Still can't believe we messed up and got a magic cat confused with a witch." Soul said with a groan.

That was not their best moment as a weapon and meister but the duo couldn't think more about it as they heard something roaring in the sky.

"Uh, do you hear that?" Soul asked.

"I can... sense it." Maka said, being able to use Soul Perception, "It's... It's a witch!"

Right behind them, a blast hit the ground, knocking them down. They heard a cackle and saw a witch in a long, hooded cloak on a broom.

"Wow, I didn't think anyone would fall for my trap!" The witch said, sitting confidently on her broom. "Fake a kishin being lost and suddenly, a couple students come out! It's amazing!"

The witch stood on her broom and charged up a magic blast.

"Soul, run! I'll distract her!" Maka said.

"No! I won't leave you!" Soul said.

"I'll be right behind you!" Maka said, "Soul Protect, release!"

Maka's spell fell and she dodged the witch's attack.

'Kim, you're getting a little close here.' Jackie said quietly.

"Don't worry, it's all just an act, this can't actually hurt them, it just looks that way." Kim whispered, being the witch in disguise, before shouting. "Keep dodging little students! I can do this all day!"

"So can I. Vector Arrows!" Maka shouted.

From her back, multiple white arrows with black outlines spray out and aimed at the enemy witch!

Kim dodged the arrows and flew into the air, only for the arrows to follow her.

'Great, the witch is distracted.' Maka thought.

"Soul, Scythe form!" Maka said, knowing Soul refused to leave her.

"Yeah!" Soul shouted, transforming into a scythe and launching into Maka's hand. 'What's the plan?'

"This." Maka said, taking a step! "Vector Plate!"

A large white arrow appeared under Maka and speed her off, dodging enemy fire!

'Uh, Maka, you know we're heading towards the person trying to kill us, right!?' Soul said.

"I know what I'm doing." Maka said.

Another Vector Plate arrived right as she stepped, launching her towards the witch. She raised Soul and intended to end this fight. Kim just raised her hand and knocked her back to the ground with a magic shield. Maka let go of Soul when she crashed to the ground. Maka groaned and began to drag herself to Soul, but was stopped when her hair was grabbed.

"You know, if this was a real witch attack, you'd be dead." Kim said, taking off her disguise and letting go of Maka, "Which is why Lord Death has asked me to train you in the ways of witchcraft."

She also let go of Jacqueline and let her turn back to normal.

"Huh?/What?" Maka and Soul said in confusion, looking to Kim and Jacqueline in surprise.

"You didn't think you were the only witch that wanted to do good in DWMA did you?" Kim asked Maka. "And to be honest, I thought I was the only one as well."

"I am so confused right now." Soul said, turning back to human form.

"You'll get past it. But first." Kim said before looking at Maka, picking her up by the shoulders! "You are part of the Gorgon family!? How in Death's name were you able to hide that!?"

"Soul Protect. 24/7 Soul Protect." Maka said as Soul walked up to her. "I also never knew much about my extended family since mom didn't talk much about them."

"Plus her dad is a death scythe, so that's probably a factor." Soul said, scratching his head. "What about you? If you're a witch, how'd you hide for so long?"

"Soul Protect, plus, my soul is pretty small and weak in comparison to Maka's." Kim said before letting her go. "Now come on, we have a lot of work to do."

Seeing that this was important, Maka nodded to Kim and followed her a small distance as Soul looked at Jacqueline.

"So, from personal experience, what can I expect from a witch meister?" Soul asked.

"Well... it can be a bit messy at first." Jackie said.

"Well, I didn't ask what you two did in bed." Soul said.

Jackie began blushing like a fire hydrant.

"That's not what I meant!" Jackie shouted at him.

"Sure." Soul said, walking to catch up with Maka.

"Soul! It's not what I meant!" Jackie shouted, rushing after him!

"Please, everyone can see you two like each other." Soul said, putting his hands behind his head. "Why not just hook up already?"

"Why would I need to 'Hook Up' with my GIRLFRIEND!?" Jackie asked him.

"Ah, so I was right!" Soul said, looking smug. "You know, you really shouldn't say that out-"

"MAKA CHOP!"

And just like that, a book slammed onto Soul's head. The book floated back to Maka, a couple feet away.

"Ooh, I levitation spell." Kim said, impressed.

"Yeah, I saw Blair use that spell before and was able to copy it." Maka said, walking to grabbing the book from the air.

"Great... now she can hit me without even being in the same room." Soul said, rubbing his head.

"Maybe you shouldn't say things that shouldn't be said." Maka scolded him before turning back to Kim.

'I'm going to burn that damn book.' Soul thought with a small glare.

No more books, no more Maka Chops.

Chapter Text

For the next few hours, the two witches trained outside of Death City in private while Soul and Jacqueline gave support to them from a distance.

"You're very good with you magic, despite not using it very often." Kim said.

"I guess I have a latent ability for it. Plus, copying magic can be easier than learning it, right?" Mama asked, wiping some sweat away.

"Maybe but still, you're getting these lessons down pretty fast." Kim said with a smile.

'Guess it makes sense since she's one of the top students in class along side Ox.' Kim thought.

"By the way, have you heard the rumors going around today?" Kim asked.

"No, what?" Maka asked.

"Apparently, there's words we're going to get a new student for our class." Kim said.

"New student? In the middle of the year?" Soul asked, confused.

"It was a surprise to us too. We don't know anything about them, just that Lord Death gave them his seal of approval. So they must be pretty good." Jacqueline said.

"I heard he was two weapons." Kim said, holding up two fingers. "Two girls that can become pistols."

"Two weapons? Like Kilik and his Pots of Thunder and Fire?" Maka asked, imagining someone with two pistols.

"The very same. That must mean they have a strong soul wavelength and able to sync souls easily." Kim said.

"I can already tell Black Star will try and fight them when he hears this." Maka said with a blank expression.

"Yeah, that sounds like him, but still. You gotta wonder exactly how strong a guy is if he can wield two weapons." Soul said.

"If we have Kilik to go off of, then ver strong." Maka said, "It takes a lot of power to line up the souls of two weapons."

"If that's so, you think it could be someone like Lord Death or maybe you guys?" Soul asked.

"I doubt it's another witch, the odds of THREE witches in the academy are very slim." Kim said as she rubbed her chin, "But... I have heard rumors that Lord Death has a son."

"He does?!" Maka and Soul asked before they both imagined what Lord Death's son would look like.

They imagined a miniature version of Lord Death with a different "hairstyle."

"Yeah but I heard he's been homeschooled and trained by his father in secret. No doubt he's probably three star Meister already." Jacqueline said.

"Why would he want to enroll in school then? Sounds like he already has access to the best teachers possible." Soul said, scratching his head.

"Who knows? We can worry about that later." Kim said, turning back to Maka. "Anyway, I think we should get back to training."

Maka nodded as she got into a stance, simply holding her hands up.

"Since you haven't learn any normal spells without copying them, I'm going to teach you one myself. It's a simple attack spell but very powerful if used right." Kim said to Maka.

"What is it?" Maka asked.

"It's called the Impact Strike." Kim said, holding up her fist.

"Wait... the impact strike?" Maka asked, surprised. "... That was the first spell my mother taught me."

"Really?" Kim said in surprise.

"Yeah, she taught it to me in case I needed to protect myself." Maka said.

"Well then, can you show me? I want to see if you can use the spell right." Kim said as she waved her hand, creating a stone pillar to act as a target. "Use Impact Strike on this."

"Okay." Maka said as Kim moved away from the target.

Maka pulled back her fist and it began glowing white before she rushed at the target!

"Impact strike!" She shouted as she punched the stone, destroying it with ease.

"Whoa! That's crazy!" Soul shouted in awe.

'I knew Maka was strong but not that strong!' Soul thought.

"It's not just the spell, it's Maka too." Kim said to Soul, explaining the spell. "Impact Strike is a spell that can pull all of your combined body weight and the strength of your soul wavelength into a powerful attack. It can also be delayed if you put a timer on it, so the impact can hit someone or something later."

"Wow, that sounds like some wicked strong spell." Soul said.

'Glad Maka never used that in me.' Soul thought.

"You keep practicing and you may be able to rival the witch queen." Kim said.

"The witch queen? Mom told me about her and from what she said, I don't think I'd be able to catch up to her." Maka said, assuming the witch queen was as powerful as Lord Death.

"Uh... I doubt that." Kim said, kind of blunt. "She's ancient, she rarely uses magic anymore, and you can copy any spell, you'd easily beat her."

"Really?" Maka asked.

"Really. Now let's try again, only this time you throw the spell." Kim explained as she created multiple stone targets a distance away.

Maka nodded as repeated the process, only this time she threw the spell.

Each "Impact Blast" as Soul called it, took the shape of a baseball, destroying each and every stone target Kimehl created.

"She's got good aim." Jacqueline comments as she and Soul watch.

"She has to, using a scythe means you have to have good aim and precision... otherwise she would've messed up, swing me the wrong way, and stab herself on multiple different occasions." Soul said.

"I think that's the closest thing to a compliment he's ever given me." Maka said, hearing Soul.

"Keep telling yourself that, punchy." Soul said with a grin.

"... Can't tell if that's better or worse than witchy." Maka muttered blankly.

Chapter Text

Around 7pm that evening, the group of witches and weapons headed back to Death City to have dinner together. Kim's treat since Maka happened to be a good student in magic, just like in school work.

"I feel so proud of my little student." Kim said, patting Maka on the head, "Maybe I'm good enough to be a teacher one day."

Jackie shook her head.

"And now I'm going to have to listen to this for the next month." She said.

They heard a noise nearby.

"... Anyone else hear that?" Soul asked.

"Maybe it's Blair digging through the trash again." Maka suggested.

The gunfire said otherwise. The group ran and saw a group of Kishin's around a person with two pistols. Upside down, if one was observant.

This person wore an impressive black suit with certain white parts, as well as a rather unique hair style of a black bowl cut with white lines.

All of them on one side of his head, perfectly straight.

"It's him." Kim whispered, "That's Lord Death's son... Death the Kid."

Kid twirled his pistols in his hands before pointing them at the Kishin and firing rapidly!

"GUH!" One screamed!

"UGH!" Another screamed.

One kishin dodged the bullets before rushing at Kid, throwing a punch but Kid ducked and kicked his feet out before punching him in the chin with his left gun and firing!

Blowing his head off!

'He's taken them down like their nothing.' Maka thought in awe. 'And those gunshots, they're compressed soul wavelength attacks.'

He turned and kicked another one before shooting it in the face, and then punching another and jumping into the air!

"Rain of Death." He said, turning to the ground and spinning while firing a storm of bullets.

This ended the fight as Death the Kid landed perfectly in a T-shape pose.

"Another easy night." He said, tossing his pistols into the air behind him, "Liz, Patty, come along, we have to collect the souls."

The two guns glowed as they transformed and landed behind Kid, becoming two teenage girls that dressed very similar but with key differences.

One girl was taller with dirty blonde hair that reached her shoulders while the short girl had normal blonde hair that barely reached her neck. Both wore cowboy hats, red sweater vest, and boots but the taller girl had full jeans while the short girl had puffy jean shorts.

"Sure. How many we got?" Liz, the taller girl, asked.

"I think 14." Patty, the shorter girl, said.

"Which can be perfectly split between the two of you." Kid said, with a firm nod. "I believe it's a good place to stop for the night, we are busy tomorrow after all."

"Yeah, first day at the academy." Liz said, "You excited, Kid?"

"Indeed, a chance to further my skills and get me ready to take over for my father upon his retirement." Death the Kid said.

"I can imagine he is ready for that soon, after more than 800 years, I'd be ready to sit back and do nothing for a while." Liz said, putting her hands behind her head.

"Indeed, however that is still a ways away." Kid said, "Let's gather the souls and head home."

"Me first!" patty said before turning back into a gun, landing in Liz's hand.

'What's she doing?' Soul and Jackie thought.

Like a normal gun, Liz pulled out the bullet sleeve and somehow drew seven kishin souls inside of gun/Patty.

"There, a nice helping of souls, sis." Liz said, putting the bullet sleeve back in. "Now for me."

"Okkie dokkie!" Patty said as she and Liz transformed, switching spots.

"They look like older and younger sisters, yet their weapon forms are the same. That's rare." Jackie whispers.

"Yeah, just shows they're in another league." Soul whispered.

"I think we should get moving, it's rude to spy." Maka whispered.

"Agreed." Kim said.

The four of them quickly slipped away without Death the Kid or his weapon partners knowing.

The next time they would see him, it would be at the DWMA.

Chapter Text

The next day, Maka and Black Star were testing something, with Professor Stein watching over then of course.

"Okay, Maka, I am using my Soul Wavelength to block yours, you may remove your soul protect now." Professor Stein said.

Maka nodded.

"Soul Protect, release!" She said as her body glowed.

'Please work, please work, please work.' Maka thought, knowing that if this doesn't work... she is going to be surrounded by meisters and weapons... and that would end very badly.

A few seconds passed and nothing bad happened, showing that Stein was right and his wavelength was working.

"Good, now... you two may begin the test." He said.

"Ha! If she thinks some spell will stop me she has another thing coming!" Black Star said, jumping down the steps and into the courtyard.

"Why don't you come over here and say that to my face?" Maka said, walking down the steps.

Once they were both at different ends of the courtyard, both of them started running at each other. Black Star got his hands in position, while Maka's fist started glowing.

"IMPACT STRIKE!"

"BLACK STAR BIG WAVE!"

Maka's fist and Black Star's palm and elbow collided, creating a massive burst of pure energy. The ground shook, and they both were knocked back on their backs. Soul and Tsubaki ran to help their meisters up.

"Well, that was interesting." Dr. Stein said.

"Lucky nothing was broken." Maka said, getting up with Soul's help.

Right after she said that, one of the candles on the school collapsed.

'EXCEPT THAT!' The students thought in shock, looking up to the falling piece of the academy!

'That might be coming out my paycheck.' Stein thought with a calm expression.

"Well, luckily no one was hurt." Stein said.

"Ahh!" Someone screamed.

They all turned and saw Death the Kid and the Thompson Sisters standing there.

"Oh no." Stein muttered.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY FATHER'S SCHOOL?!" Kid shouted in a panic. "YOU'VE DESTROYED ITS PERFECT SYMMETRY!"

"Great." Liz said, putting her hand over her face, "Now look what you've done."

Black Star looked at Kid and smiled.

"So, you're the new kid, huh?" He asked, "You think you can just show up and steal my moment?"

A few feet away, Maka realized what was going to happen.

"Come on, Soul, let's go before Black Star does something-"

Maka turned to look at Soul... only to see that was not there. He was walking towards Black Star!

"Soul, what are you doing?!" Maka yelled.

Soul smirked. He saw what this guy can do against Kishins, but he wants to see what he can do against other people.

"I wanna see just how strong this new guy is. I mean, you gotta have some pretty big balls to arrive at school at 8 instead of 7." Soul said with a grin.

"SINCE WHEN DID YOU CARE ABOUT BEING ON TIME?!" Maka shouted at him.

Maka was ignored by Soul as Death the Kid jolted a bit, donning a serious look before looking at Soul.

"What did you just say?" He asked calmly.

"Oh please no." Liz said.

"Say 8 damn you!" Kid said, becoming crazed and erratic. "Seven cannot be split and match the other side no matter how you cut it, eight can be cut vertically and horizontally and still be symmetrical!"

"Uh... are you okay?" Soul asked.

"No, he's completely insane." Liz said with a sigh.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It's funny!" Patty said.

"Um, Mr. Stein?" Tsubaki asked him.

"We don't know for certain but Kid is obsessed with symmetry and tries to make everything in his life and everything he does symmetrical." Stein said as he turned his head screw. "It's the reason why his weapon partners, Liz and Patty Thompson, are almost dressed the same."

Maka sighed as she turned to the school.

"I'm going to the bathroom, if they're not dead by the time I get back, I might be not cave Soul's head in." Maka said.

'And put my soul protect up while I'm there.' She thought, rushing to the bathroom.

Tsubaki nodded to her as she stayed to watch what was going to happen between her Meister, Maka's weapon partner, and the son of Lord Death.

Stein took the cigarette out of his mouth.

"Well this should be interesting." He said, blowing out smoke.

Soul and Black Star got ready for a fight, while Kid held his hands up.

"Liz, Patty." He said.

"Fine." Liz said with a groan.

"Aye aye!" Patty said with a salute.

Both of them glowed before flying into the air and transforming into twin pistols, falling down to land perfectly in Kid's hands.

"Prepare to die." Death the Kid said, aim at Soul and Black Star.

Unafraid, Black Star and Soul ran at him.

"Let's see how you like this!" Black Star said, preparing his soul wavelength in his hand!

With a straightforward attack, Kid was easily able to dodge it and flip Black Star over his shoulder.

Seeing this, Soul rushed at him and transformed his left arm into his scythe blade!

"Gotcha!" Soul shouted as he slashed at Death the Kid.

But Kid blocked it without looking and spun around, punching Soul in the chest and pulling the trigger!

BANG!

That was one perfect time for Maka to come back, seeing Soul being "shot" in the chest.

"SOUL!?" She shouted.

Soul landed on the ground, not moving for a few seconds, before holding his stomach.

"Ow that really really hurt!" He complained.

"Did you think a pair of normal pistols were enough for a Grim Reaper? We aren't like real guns, we shoot compressed wavelengths of our meisters soul." Liz said.

This confirmed her theory as Maka ran over to see if Soul was okay.

"That's it... it isn't fair if a sole meister and weapon are fighting without their partners." Maka said, grabbing Soul's hand, "Soul, transform."

"Ugh, you sure?" Soul asked with a groan. "Those shots pack a ton."

"I'm sure, let's go." Maka said as Soul nodded and transformed into a scythe, allowing her to stand up.

"Hey! No fair! I was challenging him first!" Black Star shouted before looking over to Tsubaki. "Come on, Tsubaki! Let's show 'em how it's done!"

"O-okay." Tsubaki said.

'Why me?' Tsubaki thought before glowing and whisking into the air.

"Shuriken mode!" Black Star said as Tsubaki transformed and landed in his hand.

Now she was a large five-point throwing star, light grey in colour with three dark grooves along one side of each point, the other sides having a dark grey edge, and two yellow dots in the center of the shuriken, resembling a face.

"Alright, take this!" Black Star shouted as he jumped in the air and threw her at Kid, but he dodged her and she got lodged into the wall of the school.

"HAHAHAHAHA! He missed!" Patty said as Kid looked at Tsubaki.

"But she won't! Look out!" Liz shouted.

Quickly ducking, Kid dodged Maka's slash and moved back as she kept skillfully attacking.

'Hm... she is clearly a most skilled opponent.' Kid thought, grinning a bit. 'Finally, a challenge.'

Kid blocked the blade and then blocked a kick from Maka, aiming his other gun at her head but she ducked back from the shot!

She then jabbed the end of Soul's handle into Kid's stomach.

"UGH!" Kid grunts, stumbling back.

Meanwhile Black Star rushed to Tsubaki and pulled her out of the wall.

Once he did, he ran over to stand next to Maka.

"He won't be able to dodge this time! Tsubaki, Ninja Sword mode!" Black Stair said!

"Right!" Tsubaki said as she transformed, this time turning into a small blade with a blue and golden hit with diamond pattern running down the hilt.

The three had a stand off, waiting to see who would make the first move. Over by Stein, a voice spoke.

"Well, this isn't how I wanted them to meet, but I suppose it is better than nothing." Lord Death said, "How long has this been going on, Stein?"

"Only a few minutes, but I think it's going to come to an end soon." Stein said with a blow of smoke.

Maka ran and swung Soul at Kid, but he moved back and started firing at her. She spun Soul and blocked the attacks. This gave Black Star the chance to attack.

"Let's see how you handle this!" Black Star shouted as he attacking, throwing punches, kicks, and knife attacks at Kid.

'So he actually had some skill, he's not a buffoon after all!' Kid thought, dodging kicks and punches while deflecting knife attacks!

Maka ran up behind and swung at Kid. He jumped above the strike and flipped off Soul's blade. He landed on his feet and stood up.

"I clearly underestimated you." Kid said before donning a serious expression. "But now it's time to show you the true power of a Grim Reaper."

The air around Kid began to swirl as he floated in the air and his soul began to form around him.

Which also had three white lines on one side like his hair.

"Let's go, Soul Resonance!" Kid, Patty, and Liz shouted.

Black electricity began to spark around Kid's soul, taking the form of skulls as they flew around him and three thin, black needles grew on each arm.

'That looks intense. Looks like he wants to finish this!' Soul said.

"Then let's give him a taste of his own medicine." Maka said, "Ready Soul?"

"Ready." Soul said.

Maka and Soul began to bond souls.

"Let's go, Soul Resonance!" They shouted.

Maka's soul expanded around her, becoming just as big as Kid's as Black Star covered his eyes from the light!

'Oh man! It's time like this I wish Tsubaki and me had an epic attack like this!' Black Star thought before begrudgingly moving back to not get caught in the explosion.

Soul's blade started glowing and changed. Meanwhile, Liz and Patty became canons on Kid's arms as his soul vanished and he landed in a crouch.

"Resonance stable." Liz said as soul energy charged up in the canons. "Noise at 0.3 percent."

"Black needle soul wavelength, fully charged!" Patty said as the energy flowed brightly.

Maka raised Soul as Kid looked up to her.

"The legendary super skill of the scythe meister!" Maka said, beginning to move, "Witch Hunter!"

Maka spun Soul and slashed the ground, sending a flying wave of soul energy, as Kid put his arms together and aimed Liz and Patty at her.

"Death Cannon." He said, firing two blasts of energy that fused into one.

The two moves rushed to each other and collided...but it did nothing as Lord Death appeared and got between them, blocking both blasts with his large hands.

"Now, now, I think that's enough." He said, crushing both attacks as they exploded in his fists. "I'm very glad you've all gotten a chance to meet each other... though I do wish it was under different circumstances."

"Meet? What do you mean by that, father?" Kid asked, standing up.

"Are you saying you didn't want us to kick the crap out of each other?" Black Star asked as Tsubaki turned human to stand next to him.

"Well, not exactly. I always wanted to see how you do against each other... but this was a bit much." Lord Death said, putting his hands away. "As for why I wanted you to meet each other... I sense some bad things coming, which is why I want to see you all work together. I have a mission for you."

"For me, father?" Kid asked as Liz and Patty turned back into guns before becoming human.

"Not just you, son. All seven of you." Lord Death said as he turned to Maka and Soul. "As of this day, you all shall officially be a three-Meister, four-Weapon team."

"WHAT?!" Maka and Soul, who turned back to human, shouted in surprise.

"HUH?!/What?" Black Star and Tsubaki said in shock/surprise.

"A TEAM?!" Kid, Patty, and Liz said as the Thompson sisters returned to human.

'B-B-But that would make us a team of seven?! And seven isn't symmetrical!' Kid thought with an unseen panic attack.

"I'll explain more, if you'll all follow me to the Death Room." Lord Death said.

Chapter Text

After assembling in the Death Room, Lord Death and his death scythe, Spirit, stoodcbefore the new team as he explained the mission to them.

"We're heading to Egypt?" Tsubaki asked in surprise.

"Indeed." Lord Death said, nodding. "There's something going on at the pyramid of Anubis. A Necromancer."

Maka went pale. Necromancers are hated, even by normal witches and they are dangerous.

"What's a necromancer? Are they like a witch?" Black Star asked.

"They are very dangerous spell casters, tampering with the dead and manipulating them for their own desires. Something against the laws of nature, even witches don't cross that line unless they are desperate." Lord Death said, shaking his head. "Our information gathering has told us that the nercomancer is creating an undead army using the mummies in Egypt. If she is successful, then the world will soon be overrun by said army."

"That's why we need you all to go together as a team. Aside from the pharaoh, we don't know how many mummies lie in wait in that tomb. Better to have backup close by in case something happens." Spirit said with a nod.

"Then I suppose we best be off before it gets worse." Death the Kid said.

"Not yet, kid. Unlike you, your teammates can't fly." Lord Death said, gazing at Maka, Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki.

"Wait, he can fly?" Soul asked, gazing at Death the Kid.

"Nope, it's a magic skateboard he summons that can fly. He carries us as guns, so it's easier." Patty said.

"Then we'll bring the limo around and travel in that." Kid said.

"Limo?" Everyone but Kid, Death, and Spirit said in surprise.

"Yes, limo." Kid said.

"You all didn't think I just fly everywhere, did you? I like a nice car ride when I'm able to be in one." Lord Death said before waving them off. "Now, run along kids."

They left and followed Kid to the limo.

'Good luck, Maka.' Spirit thought as he watched his daughter leave.

This will be the first time she would be facing another magic user, one that WASN'T a teacher or friend.

This magic user would be fighting to kill her.

-Outside of the DWMA-

The group made it to the waiting limousine outside and got in one at a time.

"So this is what a limo looks like inside." Soul said as he saw deluxe seat, a mini bar of drinks and snacks, and other things.

"This will be the first taste of my future! Better to get used to it now!" Black Star shouted as he jumped onto a long seat and laid back.

"Better remember your friends when you're all high and mighty." Soul said, grinning.

"Of course I won't! A star can never forget the people he's suppose to shine over!" Black Star said with a wide grin.

"Is he always like this?" Liz asked Tsubaki.

"He has his good moments." Tsubaki said as she sighed.

Liz just patted her shoulder to show she understood her pain of having a "unique" meister.

After everyone got in and he closed the door, Kid turned his attention to Maka.

"Maka, was it? I noticed your demeanor once Father brought up the fact that we'd be facing a Necromancer." Kid said, "Do you know something about this?"

"... My mother fought a Necromancer once... nearly kill her and my dad." Maka said sadly.

It wasn't a lie... technically... her mom did fight a necromancer, but it was pretty easy to beat them. The stories she was told about the fight though did scare her.

"Hm, interesting." Kid said, rubbing his chin. "And did she say anything on how she did defeat it?"

"No... it was completely by accident." Maka said.

"Mmm, drat. Still though, from what I saw in our fight, we should be able to defeat them." Kid said, crossing his arms as he sat in the center seat in the back.

"Yeah... hopefully." Maka said.

'I hope I don't have to use magic while facing them.' Maka thought.

"Another thing, Maka. I must say, I'm a very big fan of your mother, Maka." Kid said.

"R-r-really?" Maka stuttered in surprise.

"Indeed, she has made one of the most powerful death scythes in my father's arsonals." Kid said, "I remember hearing about what had happened, and I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for your loss."

Maka gave a small smile. She knew Kid was trying to be nice, but at the same time... she REALLY didn't like thinking of it... still, Maka wasn't going to hold it against him.

"Thank you." Maka said, nodding to him.

Kid gave her a nod as Patty shut the door behind them.

"Okay! We're ready to go!" She said with a salute.

"By the way, who's driving this thing?" Soul asked Death the Kid.

"Nobody, it's powered by magic so it's automatic. It just needs a destination." Death the Kid said before clearing his throat. "Limousine, to the pyramid of Anubis In Egypt."

The engine started and the limousine started moving.

"A magic automatic limousine? Now I REALLY want one in the future! This is even more awesome!" Black Star shouted with a wide grin.

'Maybe Maka could make on for me! Yeah!' Black Star thought.

"So, how long until we get there?" Soul asked.

"With how fast a magic limousine is compared to normal vehicle and its ability to fly, we should be there within 1-2 hours at least." Kid said, doing the calculations in his mind.

"That fast?!" Everyone but Kid, Liz, and Patty shouted in surprise.

"Indeed, this limo is designed for fast and comfortable travel." Death the Kid said.

"It's also got magazines in case you want to read." Liz said, already reading a magazine. "Along with other things."

"Hehehehehehe." Patty said, looking at a picture book.

"Now just sit back and rest, we'll need it for what we're going to fight against." Kid said.

With no other choice, the remaining four began to enjoy the silence of the Limousine.

It didn't take long for them to reach the pyramid. True to Kid's words, the limousine was able to fly with magic rockets coming from the wheels as it landed in front of the pyramid.

"So this is it." Soul said as he opened the door, stepping out before the pyramid first.

Everyone else followed as Kid was last, gasping at the sight of the Pyramid of Anubis.

'What symmetry!' He thought in awe.

The pyramid is a greatly symmetrical building, a rare step-pyramid with a giant statue of a white jackal patterned with red and blue perched on one of the steps, with its tail pointing straight at the sky. Various pillars fashioned to look like hawks stand before the steps leading to the pyramid's entrance, located directly beneath the jackal statue's nose.

"We should get inside." Maka said, not entranced by its symmetry. "If we wait any longer than we might not be able to stop the necromancer."

"Totally! The sooner we kick his ass, the sooner we can go home and celebrate." Black Star said, stretching.

"Ahem, agreed but let's be careful. This is a piece of history we're stepping into and it would be a crime against society to rob the world of it." Death the Kid said as he straightens his coat.

'You just want to keep it perfectly symmetrical.' Liz thought, knowing the look in Kid's eyes.

The group went into the pyramid, finding it to be dark and dusty.

"It's too dark to see." Soul said, squinting his eyes. "Anybody bring a flashlight?"

"I think I have one." Tsubaki said, reaching into her scarf.

"Good. Might be useful." Maka said with a nod.

Tsubaki pulled out a small black flashlight and used it to light the way as they began walking through the pyramid.

"Everybody stay close. We don't want to be taken by surprise." Kid said as he looked around.

"Don't remind me." Liz said, looking very scared and sticking very close to her braver younger sister.

Suddenly, they heard a noise.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Liz shouted in fear, jumping into her sister's arms.

"I think it came from that way." Maka said, pointing deeper into the pyramid.

That's when Liz noticed Kid's mannerisms.

"Oh no, what's the matter, Kid?" Liz said blankly.

"N-N-No! Nothing is alright!" Kid said, slowly grabbing his face and sweating nervously.

"What's so wrong that it's got you so worked up, death boy?" Black Star asked him.

"I-It's terrible! Just terrible! I can't remember if I folded the paper towel roll into a triangle at the end!" Kid said, falling to his knees in despair.

"...Huh?" Everyone but Liz and Patty said.

"Oh for the love of death, we're NOT doing this right now!" Liz shouted at him.

"This has happened before?" Soul asked.

"I can't stop thinking about it! I also can't help but wonder if the picture frame in the dining room is crooked by a few inches!" Death the Kid said, holding his face in a panic.

He got up and turned around, needing to head home to check!

"Oh no you don't! You're not leaving!" Liz shouted as she grabbed Kid by the shoulder and dragged him down the pyramid hallway. "There is a limit to what I'll put up with!"

'If this is what she puts up with, I kind of feel back for her.' Everyone but Patty thought with a small twinge of guilt.

"Come on! Let's go find us some mummies to kill!" Patty said to everyone, still smiling in excitement.

'If this is what she puts up with, I kind of feel back for her.' Everyone but Patty thought with a small twinge of guilt.

"Come on! Let's go find us some mummies to kill!" Patty said to everyone, still smiling in excitement.

The group went deeper into the pyramid. All the while, Kid was blubbering in worry about what he was worried about back home.

"Dude, will you just shut up? It's not important." Black Star said with his hands behind his head.

"He's always like this." Liz said.

"It is important and if I don't go check it now, I'm going to die from worry!" Kid shouted as Liz kept dragging him.

"You can check it after the mission." Maka said to him, looking around for the neceomancer.

They went deeper… until they were in front of a wall of mummies, all revived by the nercomancer.

"WAAAAAAAH!" Liz screamed in horror.

"Finally some action!" Black Star shouted with a grin.

"Soul." Maka said, holding her hand out.

"On it." Soul said, transforming into a scythe and going into her hand.

"Tsubaki, shuriken mode!" Black Stair said, holding his hand out.

"Right!" Tsubaki said, transforming into a large shuriken.

Liz and Patty waited for Death the Kid to give his order for them to transform, but they were only met with silence.

They turned... and he was gone.

"Seriously?!" Liz asked in shock.

"Hey look, a note." Patty said, pointing to a note on the floor.

'Dear Liz and Patty,

I'm sorry but I'm still worrying about the toilet paper and the picture frame. Son I'm going to rush home to check both before coming back. Watch yourselves and trust your new teammates.

- Death the Kid.'

"ARE YOU SHITTING ME?!" Liz screamed in dread.

"Wow. Is he just up and left, huh?" Patty asked.

"yeah, seems like he did. I don't care if he is the son of death, I'm killing him when he comes back!" Liz shouted.

It was then the mummies roared and charged at the group, ready to kill.

'Shit!' Maka thought before glancing back at Liz and Patty with a quick idea.

"Liz, Patty! Team up with either me or Black Star, now!" Maka shouted at them.

"Huh?!/What?!/Come again?!" Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki said in surprise.

"We need more than just us to take them out, and without their meister, they need someone to use them!" Maka said, slashing a mummy in half.

"But we could-"

"Fine by me! Let's go!" Liz interrupted Patty, too scared of the mummies to care about logic. "Transform, sis!"

Liz jumped into the air and turned into a gun, landing in Maka's open right hand.

"Alright, I've used a gun before, no too different." Maka said.

"When was that?" Soul asked.

"I'll tell you later!" Maka said, aiming for the mummies.

Shrugging, Patty jumped and transformed into a gun before landing in Black Star's left hand.

"Not very ninja like but I'm no ordinary ninja! Let's do this!" He shouted as he pointed Patty at the mummies.

"Yeah, let's." Maka said, pulling the trigger.

BANG!

A mummy had its head blown off as Maka charged at another, slashing through it as she spun and shot another!

'Wow! You really can use a gun!' Liz said, impressed by this.

'Yeah, I'm shocked too!' Soul said, finding Maka a lot cooler now.

"Yeah, I was trained with a real gun when I was young." Maka said to them.

'Before my magic came in.' Maka thought.

As Maka left Soul and Liz to wonder, Black Star was rushing ahead with reckless abandonment as he jumped high in the air and threw the shuriken/Tsubaki while firing the gun/Patty widely!

"Haha! Eat these, you dumb zombies!" He shouted as he landed on one mummy with a stomp.

He worked surprisingly well with Patty. Most likely because they were both loud and a little crazy.

'Hehehehehe! This is fun! Your soul wavelength kind of tickles!' Patty said with a giggle.

'... I'm scared.' Tsubaki thought, realizing how she may have to put up with two of them now.

Chapter Text

As the six of them were tearing through the zombies, Death the Kid was arriving back at his home and opened the front door.

"I made it in record time. Now to check the toilet paper and the picture frame." He said to himself.

It was the most important thing possible right now and nothing could be more important to Death the Kid!

'Liz and Patty will be fine, I'm certain of it.' Kid thought as he headed to the bathroom first.

Perfectly clean and perfectly scented, everything in its proper place. Even the toilet paper was properly folded in a perfect triangle at the end.

"Ah, it must of been my imagination after all." Kid said, sighing in relief.

Death the Kid then went off to check on the portrait, grabbing a roll of measuring tape along the way, and using it against the frame to make sure it's perfectly level and a perfect distance from the ground.

"Perfectly Symmetrical. As always." Kid said with a smile.

'I guess I was worrying myself for nothing. I really can be so silly sometimes.' He thought as he let out of the tape and rolled it up. 'Better head back to the pyramid then, I did leave Liz and Patty in a sticky situation. But I'm sure they're fine.'

Meanwhile back at the pyramid, Maka had shot the head off the last mummy and ended the somewhat long fight.

'Longest 10 minutes of my life' Maka thought as Liz and Soul turned back to humans.

"That was so cool! Maybe you should develop a gun transformation, Tsubaki." Black Star said as Tsubaki and Patty turned human.

"That's not how it works, Black Star. And no ninja uses a gun, they're too loud and lack grace." Tsubaki said before looking to Patty. "No offense, sorry."

Patty didn't care, she was just happy about how fun that fight was!

"It's cool!" Patty said with a thumbs up.

"Okay, now that all the mummies are dead again, how do we divide up the loot?" Soul asked, gesturing to all the kishen souls around them.

"I say we divide by kills. Who ever killed it, gets it." Black Star said.

"No, we need to divide them equally because if Kid finds out we didn't, he'll have another mental meltdown." Liz said, crossing her arms.

The looks she got from Maka, Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki made her continue.

"Yes, he is THAT hard to handle." Liz said.

"Okay…..then how many did we kill exactly? I wasn't keeping count." Soul said.

"I was, we killed 48." Patty said while raising her hand.

"You huh?" Black Star asked, turning to her.

"It's a talent of hers, Patty's always been good with keeping count." Liz said with a small grin.

"Yeah! Someone has to do it for Kid!" Patty said with a dumb grin.

"Okay. So that means each of us gets 12 kishin souls each." Tsubaki said as she reached out and grabbed one.

"Sounds fair to me." Soul said as he also grabbed one.

"Let's gather then quickly before the necromancer makes more of them." Maka said.

Soul and Tsubaki nodded to Maka as they began eating the souls one at a time, with Soul eating them with his wide mouth while Tsubaki sort of ate them like you were deflating a balloon.

"So that's how other weapons eat them." Patty said, watching them eat.

"Yeah, don't try that, Patty." Liz said.

"But why?" Patty asked.

"You don't know what could happen if you eat them that way. Besides, our way is quicker." Liz said, holding her hand out.

"I guess that makes sense." Patty said as she turned into a gun, landing in Liz's hand.

She pulled out Patty's mag and sucked the souls in.

'So that's how they eat them.' Maka thought, watching them.

'Weird but they must've gotten a lot of kills to be able to do that.' Black Star thought.

Once the souls were gathered and the weapon partners turned back into weapons, the group began to head deeper into the pyramid.

The torches on the wall began to lit up, lightning the way for all of them but it made them worried about the necromancer. They might know the meisters and weapons are already there.

They followed the torches and found themselves in front of the pharaoh's sarcophagus at the center of the pyramid.

"Well that's the mummy, but where's the Necromancer?" Soul asked.

Looking around, Maka wasn't looking where she was going before she stepped into a puddle of blood.

"... I think I found her." She said grimly.

Everyone turns to Maka and gasped at the puddle of blood at her foot.

"AAAAAH! Blood!" Liz screamed as she hugged herself in the weapon void.

"Did the necormancer offer herself as a sacrifice?" Tsubaki asked as she looked worried at the sarcophagus.

"No, Necromancers don't do things like that." Maka said before gazing at the sarcophagus with a mix of fear and rage. "The Pharaoh regained his mind and did it."

Right as Maka said that, the eyes of the ancient coffin started glowing. Making the weapon partners quickly turn into weapons for their partners' hands.

"Uuuuuuh." The mummy let out, shocking everyone as bandage wraps slowly came from his coffin. "More souls to consume."

The wraps launched at them as Maka was quickly and swung Soul to cut them.

"So you still hungry, huh?! How about a taste of Black Star?!" Black Star shouted as he slashed Tsubaki at the bandages and fires Patty at the sarcophagus.

The energy bullets didn't do much.

"Black Star, we need a new strategy!" Tsubaki said to her partner.

"Alright, let's switch it up! Tsubaki, Chain Scythe mode!" Black Star shouted.

"Right!"Tsubaki said as she changed and Black Star threw one part of her.

That half of the chain scythe ricocheted all around the room, slicing up the mummy wraps that tried to attack them.

"We need to get the mummy out of his coffin!" Maka shouted.

"How?" Liz asked.

"Maka, what if you hit it with an Impact Strike?" Soul suggested.

"But that... you know what would happen if I did that." Maka said.

Soul grit his teeth as he glanced at Liz, who was in Maka's other hand. Using Impact Strike would mean she lowers her soul protect and reveal to the Thompson sisters that she was a witch.

"... It may be the only option since we can't charge up for Witch Hunter." Soul said, before noticing something, "Maka, watch out!"

Maka looked to the left and saw multiple wraps heading towards her! She tried to slash and fire at them, but was too slow and they slammed into her.

"GUH!" Maka grunts.

"MAKA!" Soul and Liz shouted as they flew out of her hands!

The mummy then wrapped Maka in the bandages, trapping her.

"Black Star, Maka needs help!" Tsubaki shouted.

"Quick! Back to Shuriken mode!" Black Star said.

Tsubaki became a large shuriken and Black Star threw her at the bandages.

SLASH!

Maka's wrapped body was dropped to the floor, making her grunt in pain as she found her air cut off while Soul became human.

"I'm coming, Maka!" Soul said, grabbing gun/Liz to use.

He dodged random wraps and shot at the bandages, hoping that it would release Maka.

"I've toned down the bullets so they only sting Maka!" Liz said to Soul.

"Thanks!" Soul said as Black Star backed him up to make sure no bandages wrapped him up.

A "bullet" grazed her mouth as the bandages tore off, letting her breathe again.

"Thanks!" She said as Soul came to a stop before her.

"Don't thank me yet!" Soul said as he turned his arm into his scythe blade and slashed at the rest of the wrappings.

"Leave the mummy to me, Soul! Get Maka!" Black Stair said as he ran faster, blitzing around the room to slash through and shot more bandages!

'YEAH! We got this!' Patty screamed.

'Ugh, when is Kid getting back?!' Liz yelled, 'We could really use him.'

Meanwhile, back at the front of the pyramid, Kid was returning from his small moment of panic.

"Alright, time to rejoin the mission." He said to himself.

He rode his skateboard through the entrance. He glanced around for any signs of them, not seeing much destruction to the temple.

'Good, they're making sure the temple remains intact.' Kid thought before he heard what sounded like a battle.

"There they are! I better hurry!" Kid shouted as he kicked off, skating dashed than before to reach them.

Back in the Pharaoh's center room, Maka and Blackstar were getting tired.

No matter how many bandage wraps they destroy, more just seem to appear. And the main body was still inside of the sarcophagus, safe and unharmed.

'If only we could use a resonance attack or my magic.' Maka thought as she glanced at the Thompson sisters again.

She had no clue of what to do, and it frustrated her.

"Maka, cover me! I'm going to try my Big Wave!" Black Star said as he clenched his hand.

'But you can't get close enough!' Tsubaki said to him.

"It might be our only option." Maka said.

'And if that fails, I'll have no choice but to use my magic.' Maka thought.

"TSUBAKI! PATTY!" Black Star said, throwing them both back. "Cover me!"

Tsubaki turned back it human as she caught Patty, firing to give Black Star cover as the loud ninja ran at the sarcophagus.

'Alright you ugly mummy, let's see what you really look like!' Black Star thought as he dashed in a burst of speed.

Before the mummy knew it, Black Star was in front of it with his arms ready to attacking!

"BIG WAVE!" Black Star shouted as he slammed his fist and elbow into the sarcophagus!

The sarcophagus cracked all over from the attack.

"UGH!" The mummy groaned, feeling the shock of the wavelength attack!

"Oh yeah! Just one more should do it!" Black Star shouted.

That's when all the bandages went towards Black Star, sending him flying back!

"BLACK STAR!" Tsubaki shouted in shock.

Tsubaki rushed to help before bandages attacked her, wrapping her up and dropping Patty.

"No!" Maka said, seeing them in trouble, "Damn it! Soul Protect, release!"

'Soul protect?' Liz and Patty thought.

Maka's body gave off a white glow before it faded, making her glare at the mummy!

"Impact Strike!" Maka shouted, charging magic into her fist.

She ran towards it, but it knocked her back as well.

'Maka!' Soul shouted at her.

"I'm fine! Vector Plate!" Maka shouted as a white arrow appeared behind her.

She stepped on it and was sent at the mummy at high speed!

'HOLY SHIT!' Liz shouted as Maka sliced through several bandages with Soul!

'One more!' Maka thought as she charged up her attack again!

"Impact Stirke!" Maka shouted as she punched the sarcophagus, cracking it even more!

'What is this thing made of!?' Maka thought, wincing from the punch she used.

It couldn't be stone or metal, but something of a mix as Maka jumped back from more bandages!

'The necormancer either enhanced the coffin or that thing was made to keep the mummy INSIDE!' Maka thought as she landed.

"ENOUGH!" The mummy shouted as the room shook from his voice.

His sarcophagus began to shake, cracking and crumbling before them as the wrapping wee all pulled back and Tsubaki was dropped to the floor.

The Pharoah came out into the light, his eyes glowing with magic and bloodlust.

"I will crush you all with my own hands!" He said as everyone gazed at his true form.

The pharaoh didn't have a human shape, he had more like a half-human and half worm body while one of his hands was shaped like a hammer. He sported a golden lower garment with black stripes. He seemed to have a separate model head attached to one side, sporting black hair and red eyes. His face was oval-shaped and has three golden spikes coming off of it with a striped cane-like object in his mouth. He also possesses only one eye and on his forehead is a small disc with a smiling face design.

'What the hell kind of mummy is this?!' Liz shouted in shock.

'Wow! He's so ugly!' Patty said with a giggle.

"What the hell is this?"

Everyone but the mummy jolted as they turned around to see Kid standing in his skateboard with a look of shock and horror on his face.

'Nice of you to join the mission!' Liz shouted.

'It's no fun without you, Kid!' Patty shouted.

Death the Kid didn't seem to hear them as he was focused on the mummy, staring at his true form compared to his sarcophagus a moment ago.

"What a disgusting creation." The Pharaoh said, looking down at the son of death.

"Me….you call me disgusting?" Kid asked before looking infuriated. "But you are HORRENDOUS!"

Maka, Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki were surprised from this whole Liz and Patty smirked.

'It's all over now.' Liz said.

'Kid's angry now!' Patty said.

"What kind of being are you!? It's as if symmetry has never even crossed your mind! Whatever deity designed you deserves to be dug up from his grave, shot, and reburied!" Kid said, ranting and becoming angrier by the second.

Kid disappeared in a burst of speed, taking Liz and Patty from Maka and Black Star, before appearing in front of the pharaoh again!

"The only thing about you that doesn't make me sick is that jewel in your forehead! Something you don't deserve along with your life!" Kid shouted before unleashing a barrage of soul bullets at the pharaoh!

'Woah, he's insanely powerful.' Everyone but Liz and Patty thought.

"Die! Die! Die! Die! DIE! DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE! DIE!" Kid shouted as he somehow unleashed a giant energy beam and blew a whole through the pyramid!

Smoke filled the room before it slowly cleared, revealing the single kishin soul egg floating before Kid as the symmetrical gem rolled to his feet.

"... I feel much better now." Kid said with a smile.

'…He destroys a temple just to feel better?' Soul said with wide eyes.

"Yeah…I guess so." Maka said as she was still shocked by how much power Kid was hiding.

'Damn. That's impressive.' Maka thought.

'No wonder he's a grim reaper, HE WICKED POWERFUL!' Black Star thought as his new goal was to surpass Kid before surpassing Lord Death.

"Well, I believe this mission is over." Kid said.

"Yep, with one last kishin soul to claim." Soul said as he turned human next to Maka. "So, who gets it?"

"Probably the person that destroyed the thing." Maka said.

Kid paused for a moment as he gazed at the destruction he caused and looked at the SINGLE kishen soul egg floating where the pharaoh used to be.

"…We'll take it back to the DWMA and let my father keep it until we get another mission." He said as the Thompson sisters became human.

"If only you didn't have to worry about some dumb painting, this could've been a lot easier." Liz said.

"Yeah. You would've been fine." Patty said, slapping Kid's shoulder!

Suddenly, the pyramid started shaking.

"Oh great, what now?!" Soul shouted at the shaking.

"The pyramid is falling apart! Kid's rampage must've done it!" Tsubaki said as Black Star helped her up.

"It will take too long to get back to the entrance!" Liz said.

"Then I'll make one!" Maka said, running towards a wall, "Impact strike!"

Maka's magic punish smashed through wall, making an exit for them to slide/run down the pyramid!

'Did she just use magic?!' Kid thought as he could sense it.

"Come on!" Maka shouted as she jumped out.

Black Star and Tsubaki wasted little time following.

"Move it, Mr. Symmetry!" Soul said as he ran.

"Come on before we're crushed!" Liz said, pulling Kid and her sister to the new exit.

"Not without this!" Kid said as he grabbed the kishin soul.

Outside of the pyramid, everyone slid down the wall at high speed.

"YAHOOOOO! Now this is an exit fit for Black Star!" Black Star shouted in glee.

"Ahahahahahahaha! This is really fun!" Patty shouted with her hands up.

They made it to the sand below right as the pyramid collapsed.

Everyone but Kid let out a sigh of relief, glancing at the reaper as he stared at the destruction HE caused.

"…I have robbed the world of a sacred treasure." He said, falling to his hands.

"Yeah, well, at least we're alive." Soul said, dusting off some sand.

"And we got a good amount of kishin souls. I'd say that's a good mission." Black Star said.

"Um, but won't those souls be taken from us since the pyramid is destroyed?" Tsubaki asked.

"Those are the rules. But maybe his dad will just take ours since Kid was the one who destroyed the pyramid." Liz said.

"Possibly and I will gladly accept that punishment. Now, I believe we should get back." Kid said, before looking at Maka, "We have a lot to talk about."

Maka let out a sigh as she dreaded this would happen.

Death the Kid now knew Maka was a witch, and he possibly might not be as lenient as his father.

"Yeah, there is a lot to talk about. And you'll get a full explanation on the way back." Maka said.

"Yeah, but first let's get back to that limo. I could use a new nap on the drive back." Soul said as he looked around for the grim reaper's limo.

Though they were all exhausted and in need of relaxation from this mission, they all couldn't help but wonder how Lord Death would punish them for destroying the pyramid.

Chapter Text

"For punishment for destroying the Pyramid of Anubis, all of the souls you've collected will be confiscated." Lord Death said.

Everyone flinched at this, looking down with frowns.

"Even if it was just kid that destroyed the pyramid, the damage is something you must all share the blame as a team." Lord Death explained. "But, you still managed to stop a great evil from awakening, so you do deserve some credit."

"Thank you, father, but I wish I didn't destroy the pyramid." Kid said, still feeling shame for what he did.

"Well, I supposed that is just a family trait." Lord Death said, "When I was younger I destroyed my fair share of buildings."

"Really? How many?" Black Star asked.

"I'd rather not say." Death said, waving his hand. "Now, those kishin souls you all ate."

"Yeah, yeah, just give us a sec." Soul said as he turned around and stuck his finger in his mouth.

"Ugh, I can't watch." Maka said, turning away.

Maka didn't think that losing kishin souls like this would be like throwing up your lunch.

'At least there's no smell.' Maka thought before hearing Soul throwing up 12 kishin soul eggs from the mission.

"There. Your turn, Tsubaki." Soul said, wiping his lips.

Tsubaki nodded.

"Please everyone look away." She said, turning around.

They didn't need to be told twice as everyone looked away from Tsubaki.

Just like when she ate them, Tsubaki silently began blowing out the kishin soul eggs like they were bubbles to the floor. It wasn't THAT embarrassing but it was still something she didn't want people to see. It was kind of cute honestly.

A full minute passed before Tsubaki finished and wiped her lips clean.

"Alright, I'm done." Tsubaki said, moving away from the 12 kishin souls she earned/lost.

"Now all that's left are the Thompson sisters." Lord Death said turning to his son's weapon partners.

"Ugh, I hate doing this." Liz said with a groan.

"Yeah, it feels too weird even for me." Patty said with a whine.

They removed the Kishin souls the same way they consumed them but in reverse, turning into guns and constantly pulling back the chamber to "pop out bullet shells" aka kishin eggs.

It was an annoying thing to do.

"There you got, 48 kishin souls." Liz said as Patty turned back to normal.

"49 counting this." Kid said, dropping the pharaoh's kishin soul.

'He must've kept it because it wouldn't have been symmetrical.' Lord Death thought.

"Thank you." Lord Deaths said, nodding. "Other than that, how well did you all fare working together?"

Death the Kid flinched a bit with a straight face, knowing he "kind of" abandoned the mission for a personal matter before returning to finish off the pharaoh.

"If I can say something, I think it went well." Liz said, gaining Death's attention. "Maka and Black Star were able to use my sister and I rather well. Not just because we can match their soul wavelengths easily but they do know how to shoot."

"Interesting, I had no idea that they were able to use guns efficiently." Lord Death said.

"Maka, yes, but Black Star just seemed to be firing randomly." Liz said, pointing to the ninja.

"I was not!" Black Star shouted.

"He was." Liz said blankly.

"But it was really fun!" Patty said with a smile.

"Well, I'm glad you had fun." Lord Death said, "Maybe you'll work together again soon."

'I'll make sure of it.' Lord Death thought since this team would be good for his son.

"Now, I think you all deserve some rest, you look like you need it." Lord Death said.

"I thought you'd never say it." Soul said with a grin.

"I think he was referring to the meisters." Maka said blankly.

"He's referring to you all. Though I will admit, that meisters do most of the heavy lifting." Spirit said as he came back from "urgent business."

"Ah, Death Scythe, so glad you're back." Lord Death said, "I have much to discuss with you... privately."

"Of course." Spirit said with a nod. "Everyone, you're dismissed."

The group walked out of the Death room, leaving Spirit and Lord Death to talk.

"So, where do you all want to go to continue our conversation?" Kid asked, mainly focusing on Maka.

The half witch who wants to fight other witches, as Death the Kid surmised her to be.

"Our house. Follow me and Soul, and don't speak about it too loud, please." Maka said to him.

Kid gave a short nod.

'I still can't believe Maka's mother, one of the best the DWMA trained, was secretly a witch all along.' Kid thought, never having heard of such a thing. 'And if Maka and her mother wanted to use their powers for good, does that mean there are other witches that are good?'

This entire thing was crazy and threw out everything Kid ever believed about witches.

The Thompson sisters were the same, somewhat.

Liz was slowly gains fear of Maka and all the potential "scary" spells she might know.

Patty just thought she was "super cooler" than she already thought she was.

Soon they arrived at Maka and Soul's home in Death City.

"Please wipe your feet before you come in. I already have to mop enough with just this one." Maka said, gesturing to Soul.

"Hey, you don't get on Blair for tracking in mud." Soul comments.

"Because she is never dirty... physically at least." Maka said with grimace.

On instinct, Tsubaki covered Black Star's eyes.

"Hey!" He shouted.

'She's the damn mom of the group.' Soul thought.

Opening the door, Maka leads everyone inside and calls out.

"Blair! We're home and we have guests!" Maka called out. "Please have clothes on!"

"Clothes?" Everyone but Soul asked.

"Do you live with a nudist?" Patty asked with a head tilt.

"…Not exactly." Maka muttered softly.

Blair, a small purple cat with a black witch hat, walked up to them.

"Oh cute! You have a little purple kitty." Patty said with a small coo.

"Oh, so that "clothes" thing was a joke." Liz said. "A little weird if you ask me."

The cat gave a grin before exploding in smoke, turning into a woman with purple hair.

"Welcome back guys! And hello new friends!" Blair said with a smile, standing fully naked.

Everyone gasped in shock/awe, with Black Star and Soul getting giant nosebleeds while Kid slowly looked at Maka.

"W-W-Who is she?" He stuttered.

"A magic wielding cat that the DWMA confused for a witch, and that lead to Soul losing the 99 kishin souls we collected before meeting you." Maka said blankly.

... No one knew how to respond to that.

'So that clothes thing wasn't a joke.' Liz thought before looking sad. 'And even a magic cat has bigger boobs than me? Why?!'

"Blair, these are our friends." Maka said, gesturing to the other five.

"Hi! Nice to meet you all!" Blair said with a wave as her cat ears twitched on her head.

She still had them out along with her tail.

"N-Nice to meet you, too." Tsubaki said with a nervous grin.

"Yeah, she's a lot to deal with at times." Maka muttered, just knowing what Tsubaki was thinking.

"And she does this for fun." Soul said, lying on the floor with a bloody nose.

"Can she put some clothes on please?" Kid asked.

"Anybody want to take the sexy kitty home?" Soul asked.

"NO!" Tsubaki and Liz quickly shouted before Black Star or Patty could answer.

For obvious reasons, of course.

"Blair, clothes! Or else I won't buy any fish for the next month." Maka said.

"Okay, fine! Geez, you're just no fun." Blair said before snapping her fingers, making a biker girl-esk outfit appear on her body. "Better."

"Replace the booty shorts." Maka said blankly.

"Don't be jealous just because I have the legs to pull them off." Blair said as she walked away.

"She really does." Patty comments before Liz covered her eyes.

"Let's just get to the den already." Liz said.

"Agreed." Maka said.

After the boys (minus Kid) recovered from their nosebleeds, the group now sat in Maka's and Soul's spacious den.

"So, now that we're behind closed doors, we can continue where we left off." Kid stated.

"Sure." Maka said.

"So, in the limo, you told us all about your mom and how she died, but you didn't tell us much about you." Liz said.

"Yeah, like how did you discover your magic?" Patty asked.

"Well... that was an... interesting day to say the least." Maka said, rubbing the back of her head, "It was kind of... on accident."

"What kind of accident? Traumatic or just a slip up?" Kid asked, stroking his chin.

"I woke up one day and my bed was floating a good three feet above the floor." Maka said.

"Oh! So like a nighttime accident! Hahahahahaha!" Patty said with a laugh.

"…Don't ever call it that again." Maka said blankly. "So, after she made my bed float back to the floor, I started to learn magic from my mom."

"And it's pretty easy for Maka since she has this cool ability to copy any spells she sees." Soul said.

"Which didn't awaken until about two years later." Maka stated. "After that, I trained to become a meister and joined the DWMA when I was old enough. So now you know."

"Just one more question. Do you have any other family members that are witches?" Kid asked.

"…Just my aunts. I have a cousin, but they aren't a witch." Maka said, shaking her head. "I also had a friend that used to be my babysitter when I was younger but... we've had a... falling out."

The way her face scrunched up when she said "Falling Out" was enough to tell everyone... don't ask.

"Let's change the subject. I've always wanted to know, whats it like using magic?" Tsubaki asked.

"It's... hard to explain honestly." Maka said, looking at her hands. "It feels wrong to use it, but at the same time, it feels very exhilarating to have that power rushing through me."

"Like when you're riding a Roller Coaster and about to spew chunks." Black Star said.

"Gross but not inaccurate." Maka said with a sheepish grin. "Still, if I didn't have to hide my magic out of fear of being killed for a death scythe, I would use more to protect the world."

Maka thought about that kind of world. Where witches could be peaceful, good beings and use their magic for good, helping the DWMA to fight kishens.

It seemed like a fever dream, something that could never happen thought but a person can always dream.

"Hey, Maka." Black Star said, making everyone turn to her. "What would you say if I told you I meet a little witch girl that's being protected by a samurai I see as a rival?"

"…" everyone but Tsubaki was left speechless once again.

"When did that happen!?" Maka shouted as she stood up!

"Before we became a team." Tsubaki said with a groan. "And you're not supposed to say something like that so casually, Black Star."

"I need some details, because this could be a bigger problem later." Maka said.

'If she's young enough, she can be raised to be a good person before it's too late.' Maka thought.

'I wonder if Father already knew about this other child?' Kid thought.

Chapter Text

A few days later, the group was on another mission. Rumors of a church killing its followers or random thugs had been spreading and the DWMA fears its a potential kishin or kishins responsible.

"Well, seems like we're going to Italy." Death the Kid said.

"And that means we're having spaghetti for dinner!" Patty said, mainly thinking of the food they could eat after the mission.

"There's more to Italy than food, sis. Like the stores." Liz said, thinking about shopping after the mission.

"We can worry about that stuff later, let's go meet up with Maka and Black Star so we can get this Kishin as soon as possible." Kid said, adjusting his tie. "The longer we wait, the more dangerous it becomes."

"But that all depends on if everything is "perfectly symmetrical" at home." Liz said, rolling her eyes.

"I know, that why I triple checked everything already. So I'll be fine." Kid said as he gave an "okay" hand sign.

"…Right. Let's go already." Liz said.

And the trio made their way to meet up with their friends/teammates.

"About time you three for here." Soul said as he, Maka, Black Star, and Tsubaki were waiting at the edge of Death City. "Though the son of death would be more punctual for a mission."

"Well, I spoke with Father. He said that there's something... different about this mission, though he doesn't know what. He wants us to be extra careful." Kid said, feeling suspicious about this mission.

"Sounds good to me. So, are we taking your limo to the church?" Maka asked.

"I would prefer my cycle, she could use the fresh air." Soul said, referring to his motorcycle.

"It's very disturbing that you call your motorcycle a she." Maka said to him.

"All guys call vehicles "she." It's what we do." Soul said.

"I don't." Kid said, summoning the limo.

"Then you're not a true guy." Soul said to him.

"Oh please. I am far more of a guy and manly than you." Kid said, crossing his arms.

"Sure, because real men worry themselves to death about dumb symmetry." Soul comments.

"TAKE THAT BACK!" Kid shouted before he was pulled back by Patty.

"Boys, boys, you're both pretty." Liz said, getting between them, "Let's just get in the limo and head off."

"Yeah! Everyone inside!" Patty said, opening the limo door.

"I still want to bring my chopper." Soul said.

'Hmmm, maybe I should get a vehicle too.' Black Star thought.

'I need to make sure Black Star never gets a vehicle.' Tsubaki thought.

Everyone got in the limo and took off for their next mission as a team, this time in the country of Italy in Europe.

"I always wondered what Italy is like." Soul said, looking at Maka. "Didn't you say your mom used to come here all the time when she was your age?"

"Really? Did she bring you back any souvenirs?" Black Star asked.

"Mostly postcards or photos." Maka said with a smile. "She always said it was one of her favorite places in the world."

"It must be a magical place then…and no I'm not making a joke or assuming Italy is actually magic." Kid said quickly before anyone could laugh at his mistake.

"Well, it is a romantic place so it could be magic." Liz assumed.

"I think it's because of all the food." Patty said, looking in an Italian food magazine.

Not reading it, just looking at the pictures.

From that point, the ride there was quiet and peaceful. There were even games this time as everyone played go fish or poker.

It was a fun time... shame the mission wouldn't be.

Especially since the one responsible for the murders was inside of the church right now, sitting on a row in the chapel.

"Someone like me doesn't deserve forgiveness but I hope someone will listen." They said, looking at the ground. "She says I have to kill others, but I don't think I can handle it."

They were seemingly talking to nobody, just jabbing to themselves in the dark as they waited for their next victims.

"Crona." A female voice called out, making the person jolt in their seat.

"Y-Yes, mom?" Crona asked nervously.

"It's time to make mama proud." The voice said again.

"Proud?" Crona asked, confused.

"Yes. Your cousin is coming to see you, Crona." she said.

"Maka?" Crona said, sitting up a bit straighter.

"Show her what you've learned." The woman said, revealing herself to be Maka's aunt.

"…Okay, mother." Crona said, suddenly calm and worry free.

As if all of their jittering and nervousness had vanished in a flash. He always enjoyed seeing Maka.

She was the only true friend he ever had, but now, they would be enemies.

'I'm sorry, Maka, but I don't have a choice.' Crona thought, getting up and preparing himself.

Tonight would be a showdown to remember.

Chapter Text

Within a few hours, the group had arrived at the church as the limo parks itself in the street. Nightfall had arrived and the people had long since cleared the streets.

"We should split up, cover more ground." Maka said.

"Sounds good to me. But we should signal the others if we run into the culprit." Death the Kid said, opening the limo door. "We don't know how dangerous they are, so it's better to face them as a group than individually."

"Agreed." Tsubaki said.

"I can take whoever is doing this on my own." Black Star said with confidence.

"Black Star." Tsubaki said with a sigh.

"Fine, I'll go along with it." Black Star said.

With all in agreement, the weapons transformed as their meisters exited the limo.

Kid would summon his skateboard and patrol from the skies.

Black Star with use his ninja stealth skills to patrol around the church from the shadows.

And Maka would search inside of the church, right in the belly of the beast.

Butcas she did, Maka felt that something in the church was off. Something that just felt so... familiar.

'Something wrong, Maka?' Soul asked, feeling Maka's palms sweat.

"... I have a feeling... and I'm hoping it's not what I think it is." Maka said.

What do you mean?' Soul asked.

"I'll explain later." Maka said as she pushed the doors open, stepping into the church.

Inside, there was one lone figure standing with their back towards Maka.

No. Please. Don't let it be you.' Maka thought, tightening her grip on Soul's scythe handle.

"So you've finally arrived, Maka." Crona said, calm and collected, as he turned to face her. "It's been a while since we last saw each other, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, it has." Maka said.

'Maka, is you know this guy…or girl?' Soul asked, a bit confused on Crona's gender.

"This is Crona, Soul. The cousin I told everyone about a few days ago." Maka said, glancing around. "Which means my aunt is here too."

"She's not going to interrupt us. Only watch." Crona said before holding his right hand out. "Ragnarok, it's time to fight."

'What's Ragnarök?' Soul asked.

"... Someone I hate." Maka said, glaring harder.

"The feeling's mutual, bitch!" A gruff voice shouted.

'Huh?! Where did that came from?!' Soul asked, looking around the church.

"From INSIDE of Crona." Maka answered.

A large black creature burst out of Crona. A man by his shape with giant muscular arms, white cartoonish eyes with Xs for pupils, and strange metal wraps on his wrists and chest.

"Ugh, you look even uglier than I remember." Maka said with a grimace.

"Keep talking shit, girly! I'm gonna enjoy ripping you to pieces!" Ragnarok shouted.

"I'd like to see you try." Maka said.

"Sword mode, now." Crona said, holding up his right hand.

"Ugh! I hate it when you're confident around Maka, you're always barking orders!" Ragnarok said before turning gelatinous and shifting into a black broadsword.

'Damn... now I've seen everything.' Soul said.

"That's not all he can do." Maka said, holding Soul at the ready. "Get ready."

"Believe her, weapon." Crona said before charging at Maka.

Crona swung at Maka, but she stepped back and slammed Soul's handle into his back.

Crona stumbled ahead before stopping, swinging widely with a turn as Maka blocked it as she did back.

'Crona has no set fighting style, mainly swinging and jabbing widely while Ragnarok gives him defense and offense.' Maka thought as Crona got ready for another attack.

"Scream Resonance, now." Crona ordered as a mouth appeared in the sword.

"Stop telling me what to do!" Ragnarok before he screamed in a high pitch. "BYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Maka held her head with one hand as the screaming caused her excruciating pain.

'GRRRRRR! What the hell kind of resonance is that?!' Soul shouted as he covered his ears in his weapon void.

"Scream Resonance is our unstoppable and unblockable wavelength. You might be able to dodge my attacks but nobody can dodge the sound behind it." Crona explained, walking towards Maka. "And this isn't even our strongest attack."

"That's what you think." Maka said, pulling her hand back. "Sorry Crona... Impact Strike!"

She burst forth and threw a punch, hitting Crona right in the chest and knocking them back!

"GUH!" Crona grunts, slamming into the preacher's podium!

'Nice job, Maka!' Soul shouted as the screaming stopped.

"Thanks." Maka said, shaking her hand as it felt like punching a brick wall.

Just as she thought, Crona could harden the blood inside of Crona's body for a constant armor to protect his internal organs and bones to a certain degree.

'My magic is the best chance at beating him.' Maka thought.

But first, she had to alert the others she found Crona. The one behind the church killings.

"Impact Blast!" Maka said as she held her hand up, firing an orb of magic through the ceiling!

Hitting the bell on top as it rang loudly.

From an alley, Black Star turned to the church as Tsubaki was in chain scythe mode.

"The signal!" He said before running for the church!

From the sky a block away, Kid gasped as he did a u-turn back to the church!

'Maka found the culprit!' Kid thought.

"They're on their way, we have to stall until then." Maka whispered.

'Yeah, I know!' Soul said to Maka.

Crona charged again, holding up Ragnarok.

"Scream Beta!" Crona shouted, charging up an attack!

'Maka!' Soul said, seeing the attack coming.

Maka tried to block. But she didn't take into account that Ragnarok's screaming would make his blade form vibrate at high speeds like a chainsaw!

'AAAAAH!' Soul screamed in pain, feeling himself bleed from the chest in his weapon void as he blocked the attack.

"Soul!" Maka shouted.

"I'm sorry, Maka. But your defense is useless against me." Crona said before he kicked Maka away.

"Maybe... but I know my magic can harm you." Maka said, stumbling.

Maka decided to use a spell she copied from Kim and used healing magic on Soul, fixing his injuries a bit.

'Thanks.' Soul said, feeling his injuries close up.

"No problem, but get ready!" Maka said as Crona charged again.

This time with a barrage of wild slashes and stabs. Maka dodged each one, batting away only every fourth or fifth one to avoid Soul getting injured around.

"Ragnarok, thin out!" Crona ordered his weapon mid attack.

"Shut up, you ass! God, why does your cousin bring out the bravery in you?!" Ragnarok complained before thinning himself slowly, changing from a broadsword into a saber.

"Soul, get ready." Maka said.

Crona pulled back for his fastest stab yet, going for a VERY lethal blow to his cousin.

'Mom still needs her, so I won't kill her.' Crona thought.

Thankfully Maka was prepared for this.

"Vector Shield!" Maka shouted, creating a large white arrow as a shield!

'Vector what?!' Crona and Ragnarok thought in surprise as Ragnarok hit it, bouncing right off!

"Didn't think I wouldn't improve on auntie's magic, did you?" Maka asked before the doors were smashed open!

"Never fear cuz Black Star is here!" He shouted as he and Kid jumped into the church.

"I was just buying fime for backup." Maka said as Kid and Black Star landed by her sides.

"Inviting your friends to help? That's not fair, Maka." Crona said with a frown.

"And killing all of those innocent people was? Your sense of morality is askew." Death the Kid said, pointing his guns/Liz and Patty at Crona.

"That won't work. His blood can harden to protect him." Maka said.

'His blood?' Liz asked, confused.

"Black blood to be exact." Maka said as Crona pulled his sword up. "It's also his weapon."

"A black blood sword wielder? Now that sounds like a challenge!" Black Star said with a grin, holding Tsubaki tighter in ninja sword/tanto mode.

'Maybe Black Star's soul wavelength could do some damage.' Soul said.

"Maybe but we'll need to get close to Crona to do it." Maka said.

"Then let's make sure he gets close." Kid said, ready to shot.

"Enough planning. Time to die. SCREAM RESONANCE!" Crona shouted as Ragnarok's mouth came out again!

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed as the church began to shake from his voice!

They all felt pain from the scream, covering their ears as best as they could.

'What the hell kind of attack is this?!' Patty shouted.

'If this keeps up, we might end up knocked out!' Tsubaki said.

'Not on my watch!' Kid thought, fighting through the pain as he aimed Liz and Patty!

Firing multiple shots, the soul bullets hit the black blood sword. It didn't do anything until one shot hit right in the mouth, making Ragnarok gag!

"UGH! What KUH! The fuck?!" The sword shouted with a painful cough.

"Good, it stopped. Let's get to work." Kid said, standing up straight.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Black Star shouted as he rushed forward to attack first.

Maka and Kid also rushed in, making sure to distract Crona.

"Ugh, fine! I'll deal with you first!" Crona said before slashing at Black Star, who blocked with his blade/Tsubaki!

"Too slow! Show me what you got!" He shouted before they engaged in a sword fight!

That's when Kid ran to Crona's back and started shooting, hitting him!

"Aaaaah!" Crona said in pain!

"Good, don't let up!" Maka said, running towards him from the right.

She swung and hit Crona's side as he grunts, attacking Maka but getting punched in the face by Black Star!

"Black Star, remember what happened when we used the Impact Strike and the big wave at the same time?" Maka asked, dodging a swing.

"Yeah! It was awesome!" Black Star shouts, blocking a sword attack.

"Why don't we show Crona?" Maka suggested.

Black Star smiled widely at this, nodding rapidly like a bobble head!

"Hell yeah! Let's do it!" He shouted before blocking an attack from Crona.

"STOP TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE I'M NOT EVEN HERE!" Crona shouted, slashing at them as they dodged!

"I'll distract him!" Kid shouted, rushing at Crona! "Time to show him what a reaper can do!"

'Finally, a little fun.' Liz said, grinning.

'Yeah! Let's fuck his dress wearing ass up!' Patty shouted.

'It always concerns me when Patty goes from innocent child to murdering psychopath.' Kid thought.

But Kid focused on Crona as Maka and Black Star jumped away from him, allowing Kid to land a drop kick!

"Ugh! I am getting tired of you people!" Crona said as he stumbled back!

"Then you're gonna hate me for this!" Kid shouted before punched Crona in the chest and pulling the trigger!

The impact knocked Crona back.

"Ugh!" Crona groaned in pain.

Kid didn't stop as he rained more soul bullets at Crona, blasting him back to hit the church wall!

This gave Maka and Black Star enough room to run up to Crona.

"On three!" Maka shouted, charging up magic in her fist! "One!"

"Two!" Black Star shouted, charging his hand with his wavelength.

"Three!" Kid shouted as he stopped shooting Crona.

"IMPACT STRIKE!/BIG WAVE!" Maka and Black Star shouted, throwing their attacks together.

Crona gasped as he quickly raised his sword to try and block!

BOOM!

The combined attack was so strong it shattered the windows. She shockwaves and booming noise could be heard from miles away as Crona's screams seemed to barely be heard.

'The wavelength! It hurts!' Crona thought as he could feel Black Star's wavelength shocking his body from the inside.

He felt Ragnarok waver in his hands before exploding, scattering into black blood drops in the air around them!

"Ha! Take that!" Black Star said with a grin.

"It's over, Crona!" Maka said.

"N-N-Not yet." Crona said before clenching his fist, making the blood freeze in the air.

'Oh no.' Maka thought in worry.

'Maka, look out!/Black Star, dodge!' Soul and Tsubaki shouted.

The two jumped out of the way as needles and blades of black blood popped out, trying to impale the two of them as they destroyed the inside of the church around them!

"Fall back!" Kid shouted as he used his skateboard as a shield.

Maka quickly used multipel Impact Blasts around her to act as a barrier!

Black Star used his ninja speed to dodged them all, leaving an after image to take the hits.

'What the hell is this thing!?' He thought about Ragnarok.

Before long, all three of them were outside of the church as it was full of holes and slash marks.

'Dang, what kind of blood is he packing?' Liz asked.

'I don't know but it's kind of cool.' Patty said.

"This is what I was scared of." Maka said.

"Do you know what this is?" Kid asked, aiming for the door for when Crona walked out.

"It's something my aunt had been working in for years, since we were kids." Maka said as the black blood was moving back into Crona. "She said it was the perfect weapon."

The sound of good steps was heard as Crona slowly walked out, the blood returning to his body as Ragnarok reformed on his back.

"Damn, that was fucking terrible. I feel like I'm gonna throw up." The blood being said.

'Good.' Maka thought, truly hating Ragnorok.

"Do you have enough in your for one more attack?" Crona asked.

"Maybe, I don't know. Fuck, my head feels like a barrel of monkeys." Ragnarok said before becoming a sword again.

"Ready guys?" Maka asked.

"Hm!" Black Star and Death the Kid let out, readying their weapons for this last attack.

"Then let's give it everything we've got." Maka said.

'You think what I'm thinking?' Soul asked Maka.

'Yeah, let's do it.' Maka thought, firming her grip.

The one thing they think could finish this fight... Soul Resonance.

"Let's go! Soul/Scream Resonance!" Maka and Crona shouted as they both expanded their souls.

From above, a certain witch was watching the fight with glee.

"Yes, Crona. Yes. You're growing so much stronger now that you're facing Maka. I can feel your connect with Ragnarok growing from here." She said before gazing at Maka, seeing the ghost of her sister in her place. "And you, my dear Niece, it's a pleasure to see you've grown stronger over the years and emrbackng your magic."

'Everything is going perfectly to plan. Just a little more time and you'll be ready to join us, Maka.' She thought with a demented grin.

Back below, Maka and Crona charged at each other with their final attacks.

"WITCH HUNTER!" Maka shouted!

"SCREAM ALPHA!" Crona shouted!

Their attacks clashed as a shockwave and flash of light blinded Black Star and Kid, slowly pushing tnem back.

'Come on, Maka! You can do this!' Kid thought.

'Damn! That's one hell of an attack!' Black Star thought, impressed.

Locked in a battle of strength, both still trying to overpower the other, as Maka and Soul were almost consumed by a giant dark energy mouth that was created by Crona's Scream Alpha attack.

Maka even started to funnel magic through Soul in order to hold him off and heal him from any damage.

'Damn, Maka. You should've told me sooner how tough your cousin is!' Soul said as he felt a headache from maintain Witch Hunter against such an attack.

"Had I known we'd be fighting him on this mission, I would've!" Maka said through clenched teeth.

'I get that but I wish we had some way to overpower them if your magic isn't enough!' Soul said as he could feel the vibrations from the attack almost breaking his "skin."

"Don't worry... I have an idea." Maka said.

She looked back at her teammates, sending them a nod as of to do something they had planned before hand...which they didnt, so they were just winging it.

'I'll get him from above with a Death Cannon!' Kid thought as he performed soul resonance with Liz and Patth

'I'll try to hold him down by having Tsubaki change back to chain-scythe mode.' Black Star thought.

Kid moved back and charged up his cannons as Black Star jumped above Crona.

"Chain scythe mode!" He said as Tsubaki changed.

Once she changed, he threw her at him.

'Again?!' Crona thought, seeing the attack in the corner of his eye.

Only for it to miss and ricochet off the ground, bouncing off and looping around Crona to trap him!

"Got him!" Black Star shouted, landing on top of the church.

"Now Kid!" Maka shouted, using this to dodge Scream Alpha and move back!

"Right!" Kid shouted before running and jumping over Maka, aiming down at Crona. "Death Cannon!"

He fired his cannons at Crona, who was quickly freed of Tsubaki's chains as Black Star jumped off the church, and blasted into the church!

BOOM!

And destroying what was left of the church as it collapsed with a skull shaped mushroom cloud coming out.

'And that's another act of destruction….to a church no less.' Liz said with a groan.

'Does it count as a sin if a God's son destroyed it?' Patty asked.

"We can worry about that later." Kid said as he stood up as Liz and Patty became human at his sides.

"I feel like we should worry now." Liz comments.

"Is he dead?" Black Star said, landing next to Maka and Death the Kid.

'Black Star, that's still her cousin.' Tsubaki said to him as she turned human.

"Crona's survived worse." Maka said.

'And you know that how?' Soul asked.

"…" Maka just gave Soul a blank look and a quirked eyebrow.

Her witch side of the family was fucked up and he should know this by now.

'Right, my bad.' Soul said before turning back into a human.

Above Medusa watched with interest.

"Hm, she's showing promise." She said, rubbing her chin. "I suppose I should let her enjoy this victory... Soul Protect, release."

Chapter Text

Suddenly, an enormous pressure washed off the group and making them shake in great fear. A fear that Maka was all too familiar with.

"She's here." Maka said.

"W-Who?" Black Star said with a surprising stutter.

"My aunt." Mama said, slowly turning around and gazing to the sky.

Everyone followed her gaze, gasping as they saw a hooded witch in a flying broomstick. Her soul, enormous, with repitle like eyes and multiple translucent arrows moving around it like a horde of snakes.

"Hello, Maka, it sure has been some time since we've last seen each other." Medusa said, smiling at her niece. "My, how you've grown."

"Medusa." Maka said with a growl, trying to calm her shaking hands.

"AUNT Medusa, deary. Don't be disrespectful." Medusa said as she wagged a her pointer finger. "Anyway, I don't want to cut the family reunion short, but I think Crona has had enough fun for tonight. I'll be taking him home but I'm sure he'll look forward to the next playdate."

Medusa held her hand out, creating multiple black arrows from her body and stretching them a high speed into the church rubble to retrieve her son.

"I do look forward to seeing how strong you become." Medusa said, placing Crona on the front of her broomstick.

"Wait! What are you planning and what does it have to do with me?!" Maka shouted at her.

"I could tell you, but that would destroy the fun." Medusa said.

"And what makes you think we'll just let you leave, witch?!" Death the Kid shouted, taking a step forward.

"Yeah! You're not going anywhere!" Black Star added, assuming a fighting stance.

"Hehehe... because you won't be able to stop me." Medusa said with a wide, snakelike grin.

With the snap of her fingers, Medusa created a giant black arrow from her borrow and sent it straight to the ground! Crashing in a smoke cloud before becoming a giant king cobra snake!

It was the size of a bus and as fast as a train, taking off and rampaging through Italy as the group watched in shock.

"Ta-Ta, Maka. Tell your father I said hi then kick him in the stomach." Medusa said as she flew away.

With the decision of chasing Medusa or stopping the giant snake rampaging through Italy, the group had to make the obivous choice.

"We have to stop that thing." Kid said, gazing at rhe giant cobra.

"But how? Only you're fast enough to possibly catch that thing. Black Star and I are too slow." Maka said to him.

"Speak for yourself." Black Star comments, stretching. "I can catch it in less than a minute, flat."

"Then that meamns we'll have to lead it back hwre and you finish it off with a bit of magic, Maka." Kid said with a quick plan.

"You better have something HUGE to destroy that big old snake!" Patty said in excitement to Maka.

"No pressure bit I really hope you do." Liz said quickly.

"I'll think of something." Maka said with a nod.

With their plan made, the weapons transformed and went into their meisters' hands before Kid and Black Star took off after the giant cobra!

"Black Star, you take the right side, I'll take the left!" Kid shouted, summoning his skateboard.

"Yeah yeah, whatever!" Black Star said before blitzing off! "Let's do this already!"

"So impatient!" Kid muttered, flying off on his skateboard.

The two followed the beast as fast as they could, which had awoken the city as citizens started screaming. Running away from the rampaging servant as it destroyed their buildings and homes.

Getting high enough above the cobra, Kid fired at it but the wavelength bullets were too small. Not even making the giant snake flinch as it continued rampaging!

"Damn it! It's not working!" Kid shouted.

"How about this?!" Black Star shouted, throwing Tsubaki in Giant Shuriken mode at the snake.

Which also did nothing as she just bounced off the scales.

'Damn! The scales on it are too tough!' Tsubaki said ws Black Star caught her.

"Maka's magic is likely the only thing that can damage it!" Kid said, flying close to Black Star. "We need to hurry and lead it back to her!"

"Then you better have an idea to get this thing's attention!' Liz shouted.

'Oh! I know! Hit it with a few Death Cannons!' Patty said in glee. 'All that boom should get it to chase us!'

'It's risky, but possible.' Kid thought as he perfomed Soul Resonance.

"Tsubaki, go smoke bomb mode! Let's blind it!" Black Star shouted as he rushed ahead, jumping across several roofs.

'It's worth a try!' she said as she transformed into a paper smoke bomb with a fuse.

Once caught up with the snake, Black Star jumped and threw her at the snakes eyes.

BOOM!

"HIIIIIIIAAAAH!" The giant snake hissed in pain, it's eyes stinging from the soul smoke.

Seeing it in pain, Tsubaki quickly reformed as a human on its head and skid to a halt while holding onto its back.

'So it's eyes are it's weak spots!' She thought.

Even with her being a weapon, Tsubkai was still a ninja. So she had plenty of kunai, shuriken, various other ninja weapons/tools hidden in her clothes.

"Let's see if I can do more damage to the eyes." Tsubaki said, running back to the snake's eyes to attack them.

As the giant cobra recovered its vision, Tsubaki jumped in the air above its head with a flip before pulling over several shuriken!

"HAH!" She shouted before throwing 10 shuriken at its eyes!

This caught the snakes attention as it blinked fast, blocking most of the throwing stars but a few managed to slip and jab its eyes.

'Well, that's one way to get it to focus on you.' Kid thought, seeing the snake hissing in pain again.

'At least now we know it's not totally indestructible.' Liz comments.

'Yeah! Let's gouge out its eyes like in Street Fighter!' Patty shouted with a sharp grin.

"I knew it was a bad idea to show you that game." Kid said with a sweat drop.

Kid flew off on his skateboard, quickly getting in front of the snake and firing a Death Cannon at its eyes.

"HIIIIIISSSSSS!" The snake hissed in pain.

'Yes! We're finally doing some damage.' Liz said happily.

But that made the snake rise up from the ground, showing its full height as it towered over Kid.

'Oh fuck…..' Liz said with a gulp.

"Liz, language, we have to keep a cool head if we want to win this fight." Kid said, though he was a bit rattled.

'Yeah! Let's skin this bitch!' Patty shouted.

More Death Cannon shots hit the underbelly of the snake, which also seemed to be tough as it hissed loudly! It's firm tongue lashing out, making Kid dodge as it sliced through the air like a whip!

That's when Blackstar, with Tsubaki back in his hands, threw the chain scythe at the tongue.

"Gotcha!" He shouted as the blade sliced through the tongue, making the snake hiss in pain!

"Nice job, Black Star! I think we have it's attention, we need to get it back to Maka!" Kid said.

"Sure! Come get me, you dumbass lizard!" Black Star mocked the giant snake.

Feeling anger, the king cobra started rushing towards Black Star.

'Of course being annoying and loud would work for once.' Tsubaki muttered.

Kid had followed to make sure the snake didn't stray from Black Star.

With the half-witch herself, she had remained at the wreckage of the church. Focusing both her magic and her soul resonance with Soul for the strongest attack possible.

"Soul, I don't know if this will work." Maka said witj closed eyes to help her focus. "Do you trust me?"

'I've been with you this long, it would be strange if I didn't.' Soul said.

Maka smiled as she prepares for the giant snake.

"Thank you. Now, we hit it on three." Maka said.

'Alright, cool.' Soul said.

"One." Maka said, seeing the giant snake getting closer.

'Two.' Soul said, feeling Maka's magic and soul wavelength coursing through him.

"Three!" They both shouted as Black Star jumped over Maka.

Combining all of their power into a single attack, making Soul change and expand into a giant, pure white, arrow shaped blade that was as big as Witch Hunter.

"MAGIC HUNTER!" They screamed!

"HISSSSSSSS!" The giant king cobra came at them with a bite, only for to be sliced right down the middle.

Through the entire body as it crashed around Maka before slowly crumbled away into nothing.

"... Didn't think that was actually going to work." Maka said, out of breath from such an attack.

'Me either.' Soul said, out of breath and nearly out of energy as his scythe form returned to normal.

He then returned to his human form, holding his knees to stay standing.

"But hey, we did it though." Soul said, grinning a bit.

"Yeah... but Medusa got away." Maka said

"But we'll get her again." Death the Kid said as he landed before the two, making his skateboard vanish. "Someday."

Gazing back at the church and remebering all of the people killed on such holy ground, Maka could only pray for their souls to rest in peace but she could only assume Ragnarok and Crona already consumed them.

"Um, not to put a damper on our victory but we should probably leave." Liz said.

"Especially if the police arrive. I don't think our leister cards will matter with this much property's damage." Tsubaki said as she and Black Star landed next to the group.

"Agreed, let's get out of here." Kid said with a nod.

Using his magic, Kid summoned the limo to their location and the group quickly entered before it flew off from Italy. They had been victorious but it didnt feel like a victory.

A church was destroyed, Italy was wrecked, and Crona got away thank to his mother, Medusa.

Safe to say, they weren't happy, especially Maka.

'Auntie, whatever you're after, I will stop you. No matter what it takes.' Maka thought as she clenched her fists.

That was a promise.

Chapter Text

In a secret lair in an unknown location, Crona was inside of a tube of liquid as Medusa stood before him. Watching him recover from his battle with Maka some time ago.

"She grows stronger every day." Medusa said.

"Yeah, we know. We felt every damn attack of it!" Ragnarok said, forming a bubble mouth to speak while in the tube.

Medusa just smiled all the while.

"Tell me how it felt exactly." She said.

"Seriously?!" Ragnarok replied, annoyed.

"Yes. Now talk or else." Medusa said.

"Painful!" Ragnarok said.

"Keep talking." Medusa said firmly.

"Ugh, fine! It was like she'd be practicing or something. Hitting us with this new "Impact Strike or Blast" crap! Plus it seemed like she could heal herself and her weapon after we slashed him!" Ragnarok said angrily.

"You cut her weapon partner?" Medusa asked with interest.

"Yeah, little punk couldn't handle it." Ragnarok said with pride.

"Hehehehehe, no. I don't think he couldn't." Medusa said with a chuckle before rubbing her chin. "Especially since some of you must've gotten inside of him."

"Some of me what?" Ragnarok asked, confused.

"Some of you, or more specifically, the black blood. The chance is slim but after cutting Soul Evans and before Maka healed him, some of the black blood must've stuck around inside of his wounds." Medusa said as she gained an evil grin. "And if some DID, then it will spread and turn all of his red blood into black blood. Infecting him with madness. What an excellent stroke of luck."

"And why is that?" Ragnarok asked.

"Because through Soul Resonance, Maka's blood will become black too. Thus bringing her one step closer to joining us." Medusa said as she turned to leave. "All I have to do is wait."

'I've waited over a decade for this, I can wait a few more weeks.' Medusa thought with a smile.

Meanwhile in Death City, a few days after the "disaster" in Italy, Maka's group was relaxing in class as Stein was giving a lecture on the human body.

Thankfully there wasn't a dissection... this time.

"And as you can see, the soul and the body are connected deeper than anyone thought several years ago." Stein said, pointing to a human body diagram poster on the board.

Soul watched with a bored expression.

"This bites." Soul muttered.

"Pay attention. Your grades need improvement, so take notes." Maka whispered as she was taking notes during the lecture.

Sol just rolled his eyes.

"And so, as you can see, the soul can reside within the heart of the body. Helping to regulate the soul wavelength within the body as well as the blood." Stein added in his lecture.

The word blood was the last thing the group wanted to hear about. Especially since the memories of the black blood and Crona were still inside of their heads.

'That stuff was something I have never seen before.' Kid thought, glancing at Soul and Maka. 'They experienced it up close, I wonder how it felt taking such attacks head on?'

It was a scary thought.

'Ugh, that black blood hurt like a bitch.' Soul thought, feeling phantom pain from being cut by Ragnarok.

He was lucky he wasn't severely hurt. At least, not in a way that he knew of yet.

Suddenly, there was an announcement over the loud speakers.

"Attention students, I interrupt your school work for a special announcement. The DWMA will be having a visit from a special guest, a legendary weapon." Lord Death announced.

A legendary weapon?' The school thought.

Many wondered if it could be a death scythe or maybe a weapon person that was a famous trainer? Nobody knew and hoped Lord Death would reveal it.

"Who do you think it could be?" Soul asked.

"Maybe it's one of the death scythes that's not a scythe?" Liz suggested.

"Or perhaps one of the weapons of past legends." Kid said.

"Like who?" Black Star asked with his feet on his desk.

"I bet you're all wondering who it is? Well, since I'm a fair man, I'll tell you." Lord Death said, feeling excited. "I've asked the one and only... Excalibur to come."

"Excalibur!" Everyone shouted in shock, knowing the legend of one of the strongest weapons in the world!

Stein walked out of the room upon hearing the name.

"I'm going for a smoke break. Enjoy the rest of your now free period." Stein said to the class.

'This is going it be a disaster.' Stein thought.

He wanted to get as far away from... THAT... as possible.

"For anyone that wishes to meet Excalibur, he shall arrive in the courtyard during lunch. That iscall, have a lovely day!" Lord Death said before cutting off the intercom.

"So, are you guys interested?" Soul asked hiw friend group.

"Meeting the weapon that made King Arthur a legend? Yes!" Tsubaki said with a smile.

"Hell yeah! A legend meets a new legend? That's historical!" Black Star said with a thumbs up.

"I have read the legend of King Arthur and would like to see this legendary weapon for myself." Kid said.

"Me too! I wanna see if he can slash and create storms!" Patty said, imaging herself swinging Excalibur.

"That's probably not true but I wanna see the legendary sword too." Liz said to her sister.

"So, I guess we're all in agreement then." Maka said.

"Seems like it. Let's go see a legendary weapon." Soul said with a grin.

'I wonder if Excalibur is a death scythe? That'd be wicked cool.' Soul thought.

They had arrived at the courtyard at lunch with several students being there as well, before he appeared in a flash of light, and when it died down…..Excalibur's human form was nothing remotely human.

"What the fuck?" The seven of them said at once.

'I didn't think this is what he would look like.' Maka thought.

Excalibur was a simplistic anthropomorphiccreature, barely as tall as a small child. His misshapen facial features comprise of bulbous eyes. He also has a prominent upturned snout, a physical representation alluding to its reserved and pretentious attitude, while the remainder of its small white body displays slender limbs and feet strangely akin to those of a rabbit. The only slight indication of Excalibur's prestige is his high quality attire, consisting from a white top hat that nearly equals him in height and a similarly coloured shirt with a frilled ruff, worn under a white jacket.

"That's Excalibur?" Death the Kid asked slowly.

"He looks like a reject plushie." Liz said blankly.

"I was kind of thinking a goose and rabbit baby." Patty said, tilting her head.

"This is the legendary sword that Lord Death wanted us to meet?" Black Star asked.

Hearing this, Excalibur looked at them.

"FOOLS! Though it appears I do not have ears, my hearing is exceptional!" He said in a boastful male voice, pointing at them with a cane.

"It speaks?!" Liz said in shock.

"Correction! HE speaks!" Excalibur said, pointing at Liz. "Proper grammar is one of the key elements of a stable and functioning society. Without it, we are nothing but animals."

"… I'm going home." Soul said.

"Now hold on, looks can be deceiving. I'm sure that despite his unique appearance, he has a wealth of knowledge." Kid said, keeping Soul from leaving.

"Indeed I do! Allow me to titillate you all with a tale of my past." Excalibur said, holding up his cane.

-6 hours later-

The group had walked out of the school with an expression that explained all.

"I take it back…that was complete and utter nonsense." Kid said with a groan.

"His story, there was no point. He just rambled on and on and on and on and on." Tsubaki said with her ponytail coming loose from mental exhaustion.

"I want to go home." Liz said, whining with tears in her eyes.

"I need an ice pack." Patty said with a smoking head, overloaded from trying to keep up with Excalibur's nonsense story.

"I need three." Black Star said, his head also smoking.

"I think I need Blair to either use a memory spell or flash me just to get the memory of Excalibur out of my head." Maka said blankly as Soul looked shocked at her.

"It was that bad for you?!" Soul asked.

"He completely ruined the legend of King Arthur for me. Of course it's that bad." Maka said to him.

She planned on burning that book to ash when she got home.

"Let's just go home before that monster finds us and tries to tell another story." Soul said.

"Great idea." Everyone said.

They walked all the way to Maka's and Soul's house, passing by Stein as he exits a drug store for more cigarettes.

"So, I take Excalibur wasn't what you all expected?" He asked them.

"Suddenly, I don't mind if you're our teacher anymore." Maka said to him, showing how HORRIBLE Excalibur was in comparison.

"I expected such a response." Stein said.

"You mean you KNEW that freak was the legendary sword and didn't tell us?!" Patty and Black Star shouted at him.

"Yes, I did. Many people have sought out Excalibur in the dream of him becoming their partner to make them the ultimate meister." Stein said, cranking his head screw. "It's not exactly foolhardy since Excalibur can match anybody's soul wavelength, but his personality and "story telling." That's what drives everyone away from him. Even I tried and failed to endure him."

"Really? Even you couldn't endure Excalibur?" Tsubaki asked their crazy teacher.

"Even I have limits to bull crap." Stein said, pulling out new cigarette.

"Good to know." Soul said.

"Get some rest, kids. As much as you need after meeting Excalibur." Stein said, waving them goodbye. "I'll also tell Spirit you said "hi,"Maka. It'll make him happy."

"…That's fine by me." Maka said, continuing to lead her friends to her home.

The walk home was uncomfortable, for everyone.

'I will never be able to look at a sword type weapon person ever again.' They all thought, even Tsubaki since she was part ninja sword/tanto.

She didn't want to ever go into sword mode again. At least not for a LONG while to forget about Excalibur's asinine story.

Chapter Text

Finally, the group was about to receive a new mission again.

"What do you think the mission will be about?" Soul asked.

"Whatever it is, I hope it's something challenging. I need to show my stuff so my adoring public knows how strong I am." Black Star said with a grin.

'Does his ego ever deflate?' Maka thought blankly.

"I'm sure it will." Maka said.

Arriving in Death's room, the team was meet with Lord Death himself along with Sid the zombie man and Spirit Albarn. Deciding to be nice and remembering what Stein said he would do the other day, Maka raised her hand to give a short but courteous wave to her father.

"Oh." Spirit let out, surprised but he smiled as he nodded back.

'She waved at me! Maka waved at me!' Spirit thought in pure joy. 'She still loves her papa!'

"You asked for us, Lord Death?" Maka asked.

"Indeed. An urgent matter has come up in the country and I need you all to handle it with swift haste." Lord Death said before glancing at Tsubaki. "And I'm afraid it concerns you the most, Ms. Tsubaki."

"Me? Why-" Tsubaki jolted as a thought came to her mind. "…It's him, isn't it?"

"Who?" Patty asked.

"Her brother." Lord Death said, shocking everyone. "The Enchanted Sword."

"Your brother? You never told me you have a brother." Black Star said to Tsubaki, who went pale as she closed her eyes.

"And is for good reason too." Spirit said.

"He's dangerous." Tsubaki said.

"Her brother, Masaumone, has two unique soul abilities thanks to his Enchanted Sword transformation. He can possess anyone that wields him, whether they be compatible with his soul wavelength or not." Lord Death explained. "Along with that and his ability of shadow manipulation, he's is a very dangerous person and a candidate for becoming a Kishin. It is imperative that you stop him before that can happen."

"Agreed and with the possessive wavelength of his, it'll be hard to subdue him if he possess an innocent victim." Death the Kid sad, rubbing his chin. "We'll need to think of ways to counter that."

"I already have an idea." Tsubaki said to them, looking serious. "I've had a plan for this even for years."

"Then I know I can trust you all with this assignment. Now off you go." Lord Death said.

Tsubaki was the first to leave, surprising Black Star as he rushed to catch up with everyone else.

"You think this is a good idea? She seems too close to this one already." Spirit said to Lord Death, referring to Tsubaki.

"I am confident she can pull this off. After all, she is a weapon with multiple transformations. And if all is as I theorized, she'll gain a new one and become even stronger to help protect the world." Lord Death said.

"I hope you're right, boss." Spirit said.

After loading up into the limo for another drive/flight, Tsubaki had explained to everyone the history of her ninja clan and their weapon philosophy.

How she was considered a prodigy because if her multiple transformations while her brother was jealous and cast aside for her.

It brought back some memories she hadn't thought of in a long time. Memories of the day the village's families would see what weapon form their children could transform into, a sort of rite of passage in their tribe.

"Tsubaki?" Maka said, bringing Tsubaki back to reality. "We know this might be hard, but you aren't alone here, remember that."

"Yeah, we can handle this. We've got a witch, a ninja, and the son of death in our side. We've got this." Soul said with confidence.

"But that's what makes me worried. If any of you are careless, my brother could force you to hold him and control you as the enchanted sword." Tsubaki said.

"I wouldn't worry about that, I'm far to strong for someone to control me!" Black Star said, flexing his arm.

"Or perhaps your soul wavelength could be too strong for him to control." Patty said randomly.

"Same thing!" Black Star said with a grin.

'I guess she sometimes does say smart things.' Tsubaki thought about Patty.

"So, where exactly is Masaumone?" Maka asked, poking at Kid.

"According to the file Father sent us before we left, we're heading to the Village of Needles in Japan." Kid said, looking at a Manila folder. "Masaumone has been sighted around that area, so that is where will find him."

"He couldn't have picked a nicer place?" Liz asked.

"I'm sure it's just a title." Patty said, picking up a child's magazine to read.

-A few hours later-

Patty was wrong, it was not a title. The Village of Needle actually had large needles/spikes sticking out of the buildings and land in random places!

"Who the fuck decided to live in a place like this!?" Liz asked.

"Some pretty tough people, I'd say." Patty said as they walked into the village.

"We should still remain vigilant, we have no idea when or where he will strike from." Kid said.

Everyone nodded as they walked around the village, seeing the locals going about their business but sending glances at the group.

Hateful and angry glances that they couldn't explain.

'Do these people hate outsiders that much?' Maka thought, actually feeling the hatred crawling up her skin thanks to her magic.

"Keep your eyes sharp." Kid whispered.

Everyone agreed as they kept walking, hearing the village people assembling and following them from behind.

'Okay, this is getting creepy.' Soul thought but was ready to fight.

Upon reaching the town square before a strange fountain, they were surrounded by the villagers as a man who appeared to be the chief stepped forward.

"Excuse me, sir, but is there something wrong?" Kid asked.

"Yes. Do you know what you bring with you into our village?" The chief asked with a glare before pointing at one of them.

"Huh? Me?" Black Star asked. "What's wrong with me?"

"Foolish boy, you are a monster. A monster of the accursed Star Tribe!" The chief shouted as the villagers pulled out normal weapons. "No member of that tribe is welcome in this village! Ever!"

'Is it too much to ask for a normal mission?' Maka thought.

"What?! This is a misunderstanding!" Liz said quickly with her hands up. "Black Star isn't like that!"

"Yeah, he's a cool dude. Not some murderer." Soul added.

"Regardless of your personal opinion, that tattoo om his shoulder is proof he is a member of that merciless clan. The one that slaughtered nearly all of our village years ago!" The chief said, clenching his cane tightly. "I was but a young teenager when it happened, one of the lucky few that survived as it hid underneath the corpses of my parents…their very last act of protecting me."

Hearing this story, Maka looked at Black Star's shoulder. Where his white star tattoo laid proudly.

All these years she's known him, she never once asked about it or about his family. To think he had been carrying something as heavy as this all along and hid it under all his arrogance or bravado, it made her think that he was like her in a way.

'I guess we both come from cursed families, don't we?' Maka thought.

"Sir, please. Let him stay. We were sent her by the DWMA because-"

"I am aware of what you're here for and thank you but he cannot be here!" The chief said, standing firm. "The rest of you can stay and help but the Star Child must leave or else we will not be held accountable for what happens."

Death the Kid looked at the chief, before looking at his friends.

"We're going to go search the woods around the town." Kid said.

"Around?" Tsubaki asked in surprise.

"We don't know if the Enchanted Sword is in the village yet. So it's best we sweep the border of the village before checking inward." Kid said, giving his logic. "That way, we can still do our job and the villagers won't have to attack Black Star."

"I guess that makes sense." Maka said.

"But what if he's already in the village?" Patty asked.

"Then we must return WITHOUT Black Star to subdue him. I'm sure Tsubaki's plan will work without him." Kid said firmly.

"What? Hang in!" Black Star argued.

"Quiet, demon! Your leader has spoken!" The chief said.

Maka glared at the chief for that as Soul held her back from doing or saying something rash, even if he didn't like what he was said about Black Star either.

"Whatever, let's just do this." Black Star said, glancing away from the villagers with a scoff. "Tch."

The group left as the villagers watched them closely, unaware of someone in the tree watching them as well.

Specifically, watching Tsubaki leave.

'How long has it been since we last saw each other, sister?' Masamone thought before follwing them stealthfully.

-Outside of the village-

The group walked around the border of the village, knowing Masamone would do something sooner or later.

And if he did, all of them were given specific instructions to let everyone else know they found Masamone.

For Maka, she'd send a magic blast into the air like fireworks.

For Black Star, he'd throw Tsubaki as a smoke bomb for an explosion.

And for Kid, he's send his flying skateboard spinning in the air like a propeller.

'You know any search magic that can help?' Soul asked in weapon form.

"Afraid not but Soul Perception should be enough." Maka said, looking around.

'Let's hope it is.' Soul said.

'At least out here, I can let my Soul Protect down.' Maka thought, looking around carefully.

She used Soul Perception as far as she could see, before she found one soul outside of the village, heading away from it.

"I think I found him." Maka said, starting to run.

'You sure it's him?' Soul asked.

"I don't that's why I'm not going to signal the others until we're close enough to see Masamone." Maka said.

"Well then we might as well make sure." Soul said as they ran off.

Little did they know it was a trick he learned. He's leading them away without having to even do anything.

'Shadow Manipulation, a blessing among my life of tragedy.' Masamone thought, hiding in a tree with his hands together. 'The shade of the trees increased my range, so I can stretch my shadows as far as I wish.'

He knew he'd have a better chance if he kept them FAR away from each other.

'That's one pesky pair distracted. Now for the others, including my dear sister.' He thought.

Chapter Text

In another part of the forest about the Village of Needles, Death the Kid was examining the tree for any signs of unnatural disturbances. Such as slash marks or dried blood from any potential victims of this potential Kishen.

"Hm, he is making sure not to leave any sign of him being here." Kid said.

"But someone has to know someone is gone yet. Or maybe we arrived before he could kill someone." Patty said, shrugging.

"Regardless, we still must find home before he claims another innocent soul." Kid said.

"Well, he has to slip up eventually." Liz said.

A rustling of the leaves caught their attention, making Kid turn as Liz and Patty transformed into guns. Landing in his hands as Death the Kid aimed them the bush and his pinkies were on the triggers.

'What was that?' Liz asked.

'Maybe a little animal?' Patty asked.

"Odd, because we haven't even seen one since we arrived at the village." Kid said, looking at the bush with a glare.

'Well, it's better to investigate before shooting.' Liz said, crossing her arms. 'Don't want to accidentally shoot someone from the village.'

Kid nodded as he slowly approached the bush, his footsteps being silent and careful to not step on any leaves or twigs to give them away.

'See anything yet?' Patty whispered.

Kid pushed the bush aside and looked in, seeing nothing and nobody was there.

"Nothing. It must've just been the window or a small squirrel foraging." Kid said, feeling frustration insteadn of calm.

'It feels like someone is playing tricks on us. The file couldn't have been wrong about Masamone being here, but where could he be?' He thought.

"He's here in the forest somewhere." Kid said as he walked away from the bush.

'Can you sense him?' Liz asked.

'Is it like a shiver up your spine?' Patty asked.

"Something like that." Kid said.

Both Thompson sisters were in guard, gazing around for anything out of place.

'ON YOUR LEFT!' Patty screamed as she saw something!

Kid turned and fired, hitting a "man" that tried to sneak up on him. Only for him to vanish.

Two more appeared from the shadows before coming into the light, revealing pitch black figures.

"It's the Enchanted Sword's shadow manipulation!" Kid said as he continued shooting them.

'The what?!' Liz shouted.

"My father told us about it!" Kid said as he ducked, dodging an another from a third shadow man! "And being in a dark forest like this, he's go unlimited reach and unlimited strength!"

'So basically we're fucked!?' Liz said.

'I ain't going out like this! Let's Reosnate and wipe out this while forest!' Patty shouted crazily.

"No, that's too dangerous." Kid said, blocking a kick and punching another one.

'Then let's signal the others!' Liz shouted.

Kid nodded as he summoned his skateboard, until the shadows managed to grab hold of him and hold him down.

"Grr! Shit!" Kid cursed as his arms and legs were tied by shadows.

'Kid!' Luz and Patty said in worry.

"Liz, Patty, transform and RUN!" He shouted as threw them into the air, making the sisters transform back to normal as they landed in some trees. "Go, GO!"

The shadows began dragging Kid away, scaring the sisters as they shouted for him!

"KID!" They screamed.

Patty jumped down and ran after him but Liz pulled her back, making both of them to the ground.

"We can't help him! At least not alone!" Liz shouted, as she got up. "We have to go find the others."

Liz pulled Patty away as the shadows didn't follow them, allowing them to leave as Masamone grinned from his hiding spot.

'This is quite enjoyable. Though it might be difficult to try and control the boy since he's a grim reaper, I'll just keep him imprisoned for now.' Masamone thought before focusing on Black Star and Tsubaki. 'Now, to deal with you and your meister, sister.'

He them slipped into the darkness of the woods and made his way towards them. His plans wouldn't be stopped, not by anyone.

Chapter Text

Black Star and Tsubaki walked around the woods, strangely quiet.

"Any sign of your brother, Tsu?" Black Star asked but Tsubaki was only looking around instead of replying. "Tsubaki?"

She covered his mouth to make Black Star be quiet, leaning to whisper in his ear.

"My brother is a master of stealth, so don't talk too much or else he'll get the drop on us." She whispered, pulling her hand away. "He could be following us and we'd never know."

Black Star nodded as he tried his best to remember his ninja training, incomplete or not.

'A ninja's greatest tool is silence. Become one with the darkness and you will be invisible to all.' Black Star thought.

A noise caught their attention. Tsubaki instantly became a ninja sword/tango in Black Star's hand, who got in a ready position to attack.

"Is it him?" Black Star asked.

'Not sure. Get closer.' Tsubaki whispered.

Black Star nodded as he shuffled quickly to the bush, ready to attack who or whatever was inside.

And it was... no one inside.

'Nothing.' Tsubaki said, glaring at the bush as she mentally scolded herself. 'Should've known he would be playing tricks on us.'

"So how do we find him?" Black Star asked.

'Hmmm. I'll go smoke bomb and search through as far as I can reach.' Tsubaki thought as she transformed into a smoke bomb.

"Hope you're right about this." Black Star said.

Unsure of this, Black Star still threw Tsubaki to the ground and she exploded in a giant cloud of smoke.

'Where are you?' She thought, concentrating in her "weapon" form and was sensing every leaf, twig, insect, and etc. within her smokescreen.

Suddenly something moved in and kicked her, knocking her out of her smokebomb form.

"Tsubaki!" Black Star said as he caught her.

Tsubaki held her ribs, which were nearly broken from the attack.

"Someone just hit me but it didn't feel like my brother." She said with a hiss of pain.

"Are you okay?" Black Star asked.

"I'm fine." Tsubaki said as she changed into a chain scythe in Blakc Star's hands. 'So get ready. It looks like my brother found himself a victim to use.'

"Great." Black Star said, grinning. "It wouldn't be much of a challenge if things were easy."

'Since when do you care about east?' Tsubaki quips as the person who Masamone possessed walked forward.

His eyes black with red pupils as shadow like tendril tattoos covered his arms as legs. In his hand, was a black katana with white wrappings around the handle.

"That him?" Black Star asked, looking at the katana.

'Yes. In his hand, that's the Enchanted Sword. My brother.' Tsubaki said as the person chuckled, a mix of Masamone's voice and the voice of his puppet.

"Hello, little sister. How many years has it been since we last saw each other?" Masamone teased.

Tsubaki didnt reply as she just looked at her brother in anger, sorrow, and regret as the person he possessed walked forward.

"So you're the enchanted sword? Not bad but I expected you to be tougher looking." Black Star said with a grin.

"Big talk from someone like you. A member of the Star Clan in the DWMA, the world is growing closer to madness than I thought." Masamone said.

"Doesn't matter who I am, what matters is that we're here to stop you." Black Star said, pointing at Masamone.

Masamone just chuckled as he pulled himself up, the "sword," getting into a fighting stance as he made the person grin.

"This will be fun." He said.

"On that we agree!" Black Star shouted as he rushed at Masamone.

Masamone's hostcjust stood there, until Black Star tried to attack...only to then vanish in the blink of an eye.

"Huh?!" Black Star let out in surprise.

"A true ninja never blindly charges into battle." Masamone said, appearing behind Black Star and ready to kill him.

Tilting, Black Star barely dodged the slash as he swung back, aiming at the Enchanted Sword instead of the controlled victim.

However, Black Star underestimated how strong the sword was he and Masamone clashed multiple times. The exchange was making Black Star move back and dodge as Masamone attacked relentlessly.

He ducked down as the sword slashed through a tree with ease, making it crash in the forest as Black Star jump away.

"Is that all you have, child?" Masamone asked.

"Not even close! Let's do this!" Black Star shouted as he grabbed the chains and began swinging both sides of the cabin scythe like saws. "Try some of our Star Saws!"

Chucking at the flashy attack, Masamone smirked and disappeared into the shadows.

'Be on guard! He could strike from anywhere!' Tsubaki shouted, looking around through there chains.

"Right." Black Star said.

Black Star looked around and waited for Masamone to reveal himself or to strike first.

'Focus. Take a breath and focus.' Black Star thought, being calm for once and thinking the situation through.

From high in the tree, Masamone jumped into the air.

'Now you die.' He thought, aiming to impale Black Star.

Tsubaki glanced back and gasped at her brother!

'Behind you!' Tsubaki warned Black Star.

Jolting amd jumping, Black Star dodged the attack and twisted around.

"Got you!" Black Star shouted as he launched a Star Saw at the Enchanted Sword!

Masamone blocked the attack and knocked the "saw" away before blocking another.

"Impressive." He comments.

'Seems like Tsubaki trained this one herself. He might actually be a challenge.' Masamone thought, readjusting his stance. 'Good.'

He blocked another Star Saw before controlling the shadows to attack, making Black Star jump back again.

'He's good! Gotta try something else!' He thouhht as he pulled back a scythe and threw it around the forest to create a web of chains.

'Excellent move, Black Star!' Tsubaki said with a smile.

"Thanks! Let see him get past this!" Black Star said with a grin.

Masamone chuckled as he slowly pulled back, hiding in the shadows of the forest again.

'Once again, very clever, child, but let's see what you do against this.' He thought before making a counter.

The enchanted sword made multiple shadow figures and spread them around the trap zone.

In the middle of the trap, Black Star and Tsubaki waited for Masamone to trigger the trap.

'Come on, Mr. Shadow Man. We're ready for you.' Black Star thought as a shadow moved towards the trap.

Jostling one of the chains as Black Star turned to it!

"Got you!" He shouted, pulling the chains and making them wrap around the shadow man.

Within seconds of their failure, the shadow man faded away.

'It's a fake!' Tsubaki shouted as multiple shadow figures rushed at Black Star. 'Look out!'

"Got it!" Black Star shouted before charging his soul wavelength and punching the ground! "BIG WAVE!"

An explosion of his soul energy burst around him, making the shadows disintegrate into nothing.

"You think shadow puppets are going to stop the great Black Star!?" He shouted, searching for Masamone.

'Drat. I didn't expect him to have such a power soul wavelength.' Masamone thought, glaring at Black Star from a treetop. 'He needs to be dealt with first before I deal with Tsubaki.'

Jumping high from a tree, Masamone made his controlled wielder dive straight down towards Black Star to kill him!

'Black Star, watch out!' Tsubaki said, able to see her brother come down fast!

Too fast for Black Star to dodge as he looked up and saw Masamone was 2 feet from him, the blade coming close to impaling him!

"VECTOR PLATE!" A voice shouted.

A white arrow formed under Black Star and sent him backwards, away from the attack as Masamone cushions his fall with shadows!

"TCH!" Masamone let out as his host rose up, glaring upwards towards the new arrival. "You."

"Me." Maka said, standing next to a sitting Black Star. "Seems like you found him."

'We didn't but he attacked us before we could signal you and Kid.' Tsubaki said.

"Makes sens, he seems to have been watching us this whole time and tried to keep us separated." Maka said.

'We didn't think he could make creepy shadow figure people. That's how he tricked us.' Soul said as Black Star stood up.

"Where's Kidd and the Thompsons?" He asked.

"Not sure." Maka said, keeping her focus on Masamone. "I have a feeling we'll have to beat that information out of him."

"Sounds great to me." Black Star said, preparing for round two.

"Hehehehe." Masamone chuckled with a smirk, preparing his host. "Two against one? Maybe this will be a duel that's worth my time."

"Guess we'll see." Mak aid with a glare.

"Get ready Enchanted Sword, Masamone, your soul is ours!" Black Star shouted with confidence.

"You're being too optimistic, boy." Masamone said, glaring at Black Star.

'Someone has to.' Soul said with a grin. 'Hope you're ready to get your ass kicked, shadow boy.'

"Then show me what you can do." Masamone said.

The two sides rushed at each other, ready to end things here and now.

Chapter Text

Maka jumped in the air with her fist glowing with magic!

"Impact Strike!" She shouted, making Masamone dodge as she smashed into the ground and caved it in!

"Impressive." Masamone said

"That's not all I've got!" Maka said as she made white arrows shoot from her back! "Vector Arrows!"

Acting quickly, Masamone created shadow tendrils to block all of Maka's arrow attacks with ease.

"Hmm, Gorgon blood." Masamone said, sensing magic within Maka's soul.

"So you know of my aunt?" Maka asked.

"Yes. I've run into her sisters in the past, tried to recruit me for her side." Masamone said before blocking an attack from behind from Black Star.

He kicked Black Star away, before rushing forth and elbowing Maka in the stomach to knock her back.

"But it doesn't seem like you're as strong as them." He said.

'Says you!' Soul shouted, extending his blade.

Masamone leaned his head to dodge, getting a cut on his controlled host's cheek. Making him chuckle.

"You can't hurt me, without hurting the person I'm possessing." Masamone said.

Maka growled before grinning, looking behind Masamone.

"Then we'll just have to catch you." Maka said.

"Think that's all what it will take?" Masamone mocked, tilting his controlled host's head.

"Yeah we can!" Black Star shouted, attacking with a large shuriken.

Masamone quickly turned and blocked the attack, glaring at Black Star.

"Pathetic. and you call yourself a ninja." Masamone comments.

Black Star just smirked as his colors suddenly fades, his body peaking away like paper to reveal-

'Tsubaki?!' He thought in shock, seeing his sister's serious face.

"It's time to talk, brother. " she said as she grabbed the Enchanted Sword and kicked the host in the chin, separating them!

"GUH!" The host let out as Black Star appeared and quickly caught him as the strange shadow tattoos fading away from his body.

"Got him! It's all you, Tsubaki!" he shouted.

Tsubaki nodded as the same tattoos appeared on her arms and face, shutting her eyes before she screamed loudly.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" She let out.

In another part of the woods, Liz and Patty paused as they heard the scream.

"That was Tsubaki!" Liz said, turning to the scream.

"Let's go!" Patty said, running to the scream.

They had no idea what was happening but they hopes novody was dead. In another part of the woods, Kid was tied up by shadows before they disappeared, following a loud scream that he instantly recognized!

"Tsubaki must've gotten to her brother! I need to hurry!" Kid said, getting up and summoning his skateboard.

Meanwhile with Tsubaki, she found herself no longer in the woods surrounding the Village of Needles. Instead, she was in some sort of foggy swamp with clear waters, bare deformed trees, and a cloudy sky.

"So this is where you wanted to be?" Masamone asked.

Looking ahead, Tsubaki saw her brother sitting in the middle of the swamp in his human form. Gazing at Tsubaki with angry yet tired eyes.

"Yes, this is where I wanted to be. Just you and me, alone in a shared weapon void." Tsubaki said before making her own chain scythe weapon appear in her hands. "A one on one duel."

"...Very well." He said as he got up from his spot.

Doing the same as his sister, Masamone summoned his sword form into his hands like a real weapon.

"Come at me." He said, ready to fight.

Tsubaki quickly threw one of the scythes. Making Masamone deflect it as Tsubaki charged at him with the other blade ready!

'Need to end this fast!' Tsubaki thought as she threw the other scythe!

Masamone dodged that one as he rushed at his sister, who used the chain to pull both blades back!

"You're open!" Tsubaki shouted.

The blades were pulled back, making Masamone move his sword vertically his back to block as he got closer and clashed with Tsubaki as they glared at each other.

A fight between siblings of this caliber is something along the lines of inevitable.

Meanwhile, in the other side world, the remaining trio were gathered around Tsubaki's unconscious body as she held the Enchanted Sword with a tight grip.

Her plan to fight her brother face to face had worked but the outcome was undecided.

"So all we can do is wait now?" Soul asked, feeling bitter about this.

"Unfortunately, yes. Tsubaki was clear about needing to do this alone." Maka said.

"I hate that." Black Star said.

'If only I could go in that weapon void with her, we'd kick his ass together!' He thought before hearing leave crunching. 'Ugh! I don't have time to deal with some stupid squirrels!'

Lucky for him, it was actually the Thompson sisters running through the bushes.

"There you guys are!" Liz said with a smile

"We've for a big problem!" Patty shouted.

"If it's about Masamone, Tsubaki already has him." Soul said, gesturing t the unconscious Tsubaki.

"Oh! That's good but that's not what we're talking about! He kidnapped Kid!" Lizzy said.

"Which is a joke but no time for that!" Patty shouted.

"Damn." Maka said.

"We already assumed than but if we go looking for him, we leave Tsubaki alone. I'm sure he's fine." Black Star said, still sitting by Tsubaki. "He is a Grim Reaper after all."

"Soul and I will go look, Black Star, stay here." Maka said.

"What about us?" Liz and Patty asked.

"One of you guys can stay with Black Star and the other can come with me and Soul." Maka said

"I'll stay with Black Star." Liz said.

'I'm probably safer here with Black Star.' Liz thought.

"That means I'm with you, Maka! Yes!" Patty said quickly turning into a gun and forcing herself into Maka's hand.

"We'll be back as soon as we find him." Maka said to Black Star.

"So, you gonna use your arrows to rush around?" Soul asked, becoming a scythe in Maka's other hand. 'I'll admit, that vector plate thing is pretty cool.'

"It's the best chance, we can't go faster any other way." Maka said.

'Then let's do it!' Patty shouted in excitement. 'I got a need for speed!'

'I truly worry for this girl.' Maka thought, glancing at Patty.

Refocusing on finding Kid, Maka created a trail of Vector Plates on the ground that soon went into the air.

"Vector Road!" Maka said, dashing forward at high speed before taking off into the air.

'Find him. Please.' Liz thought, watching them leave.

Turning back to Black Star, Liz saw he was still looking over Tsubaki. Wondering and worrying if she's able to handle her brother alone.

Back in the weapon void, the two were locked in bitter combat.

Blade against blade as Masamone and Tsubaki slashed at each other relentlessly.

"You're quite good, but you hesitate too much!" He shouted, slashing as Tsubaki lean back to dodge.

"Maybe it's because this is the last thing I want to do." Tsubaki said to her brother.

She jumped back and switch her weapon to the giant shuriken, throwing it at Masamone as he slashed and knocking it away!

"That's why you're weak! You always were!" Masamone shouted as he commanded the shadows to attack Tsubaki.

"Is that so?" Tsubaki asked as she jumped back to dodge and reclaim her weapon, "Then why do I have an important role in life? Instead of just killing people for fun!"

Masamone scoffed as he created shadow "ninja" to help him.

"My duty is not fun. I am going to bring a new world order by becoming the next Kishin." Masamone said.

"What you're doing is causing problems that will get you killed." Tsubaki said.

"It's no different than our childhood!" Masamone shouted he and his shadow ninjas charged at Tsubaki.

Who quickly switched to her chain scythes, throwing them at her brother and his ninja

Two of them were "killed" as others jumped over the blades but got caught in the chains.

Tsubaki pulled the chain back and hit the other with a kick to the chest.

'Pathetic!' Masamone thought, weaving through the chains and getting behind Tsubaki before slashing at her back!

"AAAAH!" She screamed in pain from the shallow cut.

"Still just a child." Masamone said, shaking his head.

Tsubaki grit her teeth as spun around to attack him, making Masamone block it with ease as two other shadow ninja attacked her.

"And you're still just a trickster!" Tsubaki yelled before she was kicked back.

"I am a ninja, of course we're tricksters!" Masamone shouted as Tsubaki fought off the other ninjas.

"You've killed countless people! And for what!?" Tsubaki yelled.

"A new world! A world free from Death! Free from suffering!" He shouted as shadows around him grew wild, lashing rapidly at Tsubaki.

"Killing" his other ninjas as Tsubaki was desperately trying to block his attacks.

What you want...isn't freedom... it's chaos." Tsubaki said between each struggling block.

Masamone rushed in between the shadow lashes, overwhelming Tsubaki as she could barely block and deflect the attacks.

"Chaos and order are just words! All that truly matters in the world is power and how you use it! Just like what we learned as children!" Masamone shouted, wildly attacking his sister.

"You forgot what we learned." Tsubaki said, blocking his attacks. "Always stand together."

Masamone glared with an animal like growl, the shadows around him becoming more jagged as well ax his attacks becoming more ferocious.

"Do not preach that shit to me!" He screamed before Tsubaki kicked him in the chin!

Allowing her to jump back to gain distance!

"Someone has to." Tsubaki said., firmly but saddened by the state of her brother.

Quickly recovering, Masamone rushed at her and swung widely again! No longer holding back as he was more determined to kill his sister than ever.

Tsubaki cousl read his attacks and dodged as best as she could, but his stamina was too high! Slashing at her more and more as Tsubaki was struggling to keep dodging.

'He can't keep this up forever.' She thought, trying to retreat but Masamone wouldn't let her!

"Do you have any idea what it was like growing up in that damn village with you as a sister?!" Masamone shouted at his sister. "The shame, anger, and sorrow I felt being seen as a WEAKLING compared to you!?"

"Do you think I wanted that!?" Tsubaki asked, stopping his attacks and forcing a deadlock! "I never asked for any of that to happen! Or for this to happen!"

Masamone screamed more as he broke her defense, slashing Tsubaki across the chest.

"GUH!" She let out, coughing up blood.

"It happened because of this world's cruel fate! Choosing someone as weak as you to bear a power you are unworthy of! I should've been blessed with multiple weapon forms, not you!" Masamone shouted, finally speaking his true feelings.

'He wants my power, huh? Alright.' Tsubaki thought, falling to a knee.

"Then come and take the power you crave." Tsubaki said with a glare.

Roaring in anger again, Masasmone jumped into the air and created dozens of shadow shuriken before throwing them at Tsubaki.

Changing her weapon again, Tsubaki used the smoke bomb and disappeared in a large smokescreen.

"You can't hide forever, sister! This is MY domain! Not yours!" Masamone shouted, landing and looking around for his sister.

"Who said I was hiding?" Tsubaki asked, appearing behind him.

SHINK!

"GRRR!" Masamone let out as Tsubaki stabbed him through the shoulder.

'He dodged that quickly while I was this close?!' Tsubaki thought in shock, originally aiming for his heart!

Acting quickly, Masamone spun his sword and stabbed into Tsubaki's leg.

"Aaaah!" Tsubaki screamed in pain before Masamone kicked her back, bouncing across the swamp and crashing into a tree.

"I think this has gone on long enough, Tsubami." Masamone declared, turning to her.

Tsubaki grunts as she slowly rose up, holding her leg in pain.

"I... agree." Tsubaki said between breathes.

'I don't want to say it but he's got me outclassed in nearly every aspect of ninjutsu. If I can't end this soon, he'll kill me.' She thought, trying to come up with a way out of this.

You overthink things too much!' A voice said, making Tsubaki gasp.

'Black Star?' Tsubaki thought as one of their training sessions came to her mind.

'I get being a ninja means you gotta make smart moves and stuff but I think sometimes you gotta just go for it!' Black Star's memory shouted at her.

She chuckled at the memory... who knew Black Star would be able to be the reason she believes she can win?

"Yeah…I just gotta go for it." Tsubaki muttered as she fully stood up, summoning a tanto to her hand.

"What was that? Are you begging for your life now?" Masamone asked.

"No, I'm ending this." Tsubaki said, determined and unwavering.

Tsubaki assumed a quick draw stance, aiming to end this fight in a single move.

Masamone scoffed at this as he enters the same stance, wanting to end this fight in an instant.

Both of them stood still for seconds, not taking their eyes off each other as a drop of sweat fell from both of them.

BLIP!

They rushed worth in bursts of speed, causing giant geysers of swamp water to rise into the void's sky!

"RAAAAAAAAH!" They both screamed like warriors, slashing/stabbing at each other with their blades.

SHINK! SPLURT!

In a single move, blood gushed from the loser and into the swamp as both siblings stood tall.

Neither of them moving as they stood behind each other, back to back before one of them dropped their weapon.

"Ugh." Tsubaki let out, falling to her knees as she had a second slash mark across her body.

"Hmph. That's checkmate, sister." Masamone said, turning around and walking to her. "I hate to say it but well done."

Stopping in front of her, Masamone stood tail as blood dripped between them. The tanto in his chest being clear for her to see and being a deadlier blow than the one he landed on Tsubaki.

"I hate to say... but you're right." Tsubaki said, slwoly crying.

Masamone chuckled, despite the pain he was in, and kneeled before his sister.

"Looks like things really haven't changed. Fate has decided that you should win once again." He said to her.

"It didn't have to be this way." Tsubaki said.

"But it did. Fate decided one of us had to die, so the other could live." Masamone said, feeling blood coming from his lips. "And honestly, some small part of me is glad it was you."

"Then why didn't you listen to that part?! Why didn't you just live as a good person and joined the DWMA with me?!" Tsubaki shouted, tears flowing from her eyes.

"One day, you'll learn why." He said with a sigh.

Feeling the last of his strength fading, Masamone began to fall forward into his sister's arms she hugged him.

"Use my weapon form and ability well, sister. Perhaps you could actually change this accursed world better than I." He said as the light in his eyes faded.

Despite drowning in her tears, Tsubaki shut her eyes as she hugged him tighter.

"I promise, Masamone. I will." Tsubaki said before opening her eyes, seeing her brother's kishin soul egg was in her arms instead of him.

It was done. She had stopped her brother and won, but it not an enjoyable win. It was bittersweet.

'Goodbye, Masamone.' Tsubaki thought as the void around her was consume in a bright light.

Allowing Tsubaki to wake up in the normal world as she gazed at the sky while sitting up.

"Is it over?" Black Star asked, making himself known.

"It is." Tsubaki said, placing a hand over her heart as the wounds she experienced in the weapon void weren't visible on her real body. "Masamone's been defeated and I now have his Enchanted Sword transformation."

"Good, because we're not done." Liz said, making herself known. "He kidnapped Kid and hid him when he got the drop on us."

"And now that you're awake, we can help search." Black Star said as he stood up.

"Maybe there are some caves or abandoned structures outside of the village." Tsubaki said as she turned into a tanto for Black Star's right hand.

"Then let's hurry!" Liz said as she transformed into a gun for Black Star's other hand.

Meanwhile with Kid, he was still flying back to the Village of Needles.

'His control over shadows was stronger than we thought. Took me miles away!' Kid thought.

"Hopefully the others are okay." Kid said as he boosted off with more magic power and hoped that his team had subdued or even defeated Masamone by now.

'They're strong. Im sure they're fine.' He thought.

Meanwhile with Maka, she had searched all over the outskirts of the Village of Needles for Kid but found nothing.

"He has to be here somewhere." She said.

'Don't you have a spell or something to help find Kid?' Patty asked.

"Not really. Still learning." Maka said.

'Then what else can we do? Just keep looking around for him like a headless chicken? That's so uncool.' Soul comments.

"what other choice do we have?" Maka asked.

'I would say try his phone but we don't habe his number or Masamome could've destroyed it.' Soul replied.

"Exactly. So we have to keep looking." Maka said.

'Wait, maybe we can signal Kid to come to us if he's escape?' Patty suggested.

"That's a big if." Maka said before goign back to using her magic to sense Kid's location.

'Anything?' Soul asked.

"N- Wait, I think I found something." Maka said, focusing on what she was sensing. "It's faint, but there's something."

Using a vector plate again, Maka shot into the air and landed on another vector plate to gaze into the distance.

'Is it Kid?' Patty asked.

"I think so but I've never really sensed his soul energy from this distance before. So it's hard to tell." Maka said, focusing her magic and soul energy into her eyes.

A trail of energy began to appear before her eyes, stretching away from the village.

'Could this be Kid's soul or magic energy?' She thought and hoped.

'What are we waiting for? Let's follow it!' Patty screamed.

With a small nod, Maka burst forth to follow it.

Leaving Black Star, Tsubaki, and Liz on their own as they decided to check INSIDE of the village for Kid.

Chapter Text

Meanwhile with Black Star, he was doing his best to stealthfully search the village for Kid.

Now that Masamone was defeated, he could help find him.

'I still think this is a bad idea, Black Star. You into how this village feels about you.' Tsubaki said to him.

'Yeah, even if they agreed to let us help, they still looked bloodthirsty at you.' Liz said.

"I'll be in and out." He said.

'Besides, like I care what these people do if I get caught.' Black Star thought as he jumped to another building.

'Kid, where are you?' Tsubaki thought, concerned from him.

'You think your brother could've hidden him in someone's house or shed?' Liz suggested.

'No, that's not like him.' Tsubaki said.

"Still can't hurt to check." Black Star said.

'But what if the villagers find you? They looked ready to kill you before and they still might.' Tsubaki said, concerned.

"Then I'll deal with it." Black Star said as he went back to searching the village.

After some time searching every house he came by, Black Star decided to take a break in an alley between two houses. Hopefully nobody would notice him.

'It would be easier if he just showed up randomly.' He thought.

"Hey! What are you doing in the village?!" A random villager shouted as they saw Black Star sitting "alone" in the alley.

'Just my luck.' Black Star thought.

"Answer me, demon! Why are you here?!" The citizen said as they walked into the alley.

"Just resting. The enchanted sword has been taken care of but he kidnapped one of my team. I'm searching for him." Black Star explained.

'For people that are scared of the black Star clan, they sure don't want to leave him alone.' Tsubaki thought.

"And how do I know you're not lying? The last time this village trusted one of you demons, we were slaughtered!" The citizen said before seeing a random old broom in the alley and grabbing it, breaking off the brush to use the jagged edge as a weapon. "I'm only going to say this once before I alert the chief! Get out now or I'll kill you!"

Black Star didn't respond, he just got up and walked away.

'He isn't even worth it.' He thought.

Only for a rock to hit his head, making Black Star stumbled!

'Black Star!' Tsubaki and Liz said in shock.

But the ninja boy didn't turn back or complain, he just kept walking as the person kept shouting slanders at him. Because if Black Star retaliated in any way, it would just prove that the village was right about him being a demon.

Tsubaki and Liz were very surprised by the amount of restraint Black Star just showed.

'Black Star…' Tsubaki said with wide eyes.

"The inside of the village is a bust, let's just wait outside and hope Maka found Kid." Black Star said before jumping to the rooftops and heading off towards the forest.

'I'm proud of you, Black Star.' Tsubaki said.

'Yeah, that took a lot to not fight back. I don't think I would've been able to.' Liz said, gaining a new level of respect for the loud ninja.

Black Star didn't seem to want fo acknowledge this, just simply wanting to get out of this place as soon as possible.

This village, their comments; it was bringing up VERY bad memories about his father.

The white demon of the Star Clan.

He had very few memories of him, but what he knew is that he killed... a lot. And never for the right reasons.

'I will never become like him. My dream is to surpass god and that dream won't be tainted by me becoming a demon! I refuse!' Black Star thought as he reached the outside of the village, sitting on a tree and waiting for his friends to return.

With Maka, she was still following the trail.

And eventually, she was able to come face to face with Kid. Much to the happiness and relief of Patty.

'Kid!' She shouted happily.

'Finally found you, man!' Soul said.

"Yes, sorry to be gone for so long but Masamone took me pretty far from the village after her captured me." Kid said as Maka handed his gun/Patty.

"Well, good news is this mission is finished." Maka said.

"I assumed as much but it's good to hear it in person." Kid said before glancing towards the village in the distance. "Have you told the village yet?"

"Not yet. We wanted to look for you first before telling him." Maka said witj a sigh. Come on, let's get this done so we can go home. It feel like we've been here for months with everything that's happened."

"Agreed. Not to mention with Black Star by himself, the villagers could attack him for no justified reason." Death the Kid said.

"Yeah." Maka said before jumping to ride on Kid's skateboard.

Using her Vector Plates, Maka increased the speed of the flying skateboard and helped them rushed back to the Village of Needles even faster than before.

"This has been one our craziest missions yet." Maka said.

"It has. I wish I could've been more helpful instead of being ambushed and kidnapped ." Death the Kidd said.

'Not your fault that ninja guy got the drop on you. He was a ninja.' Patty comments.

'Don't beat yourself up, man. Je wasn't someone to mess around with.' Soul said.

'Tsubaki can attest to that.' Maka thought.

"Well, as long as he's been defeated, I'm sure father will be happy." Kid said.

'No argument there.' Soul said as the village was coming into view fast.

As well as Black Star sitting on top of a tree with his arms crossed and eyes closed. Almost as if he was meditating before opening his eyes from sensing them or hearing them return.

'Finally, we can get leave this place.' Black Star thought.

Once they were all reunited and swapping back weapon partners, the group reported to the village chief that Masamone was taken care of but they didn't give the exact details as Tsubaki's request.

'I'll tell them later.' Tsubaki thought, wanting to keep the reveal of possessing the power of the Enchanted Sword under wraps for now.

Chapter Text

On the way back to Death City, everything was somewhat silent as they were recovering from this surprisingly hard mission.

Especially for Death the Kid, who should've been the strongest of their trio yet he was subdued so easily.

'I must train to avoid this from happening again.' He thought with a determined frown.

When they got there, they went to Lord Death.

"Glad to see you all made it back safe and sound. Masamome didn't give you too much trouble, did he?" Lord Death asked.

"I wish I could say no, but he gave us a lot of trouble, father." Kid said.

"Well, at least you all came back in one piece then." Lord Death said.

"And Tsubaki gained a brand new weapon transformation." Black Star said with pride for his weapon partner.

"But I'll need some time to get used to it." Tsubaki said.

"How wonderful." Death said with a nod. "You've all done wonderful on this mission."

"Thank you, Lord Death." Maka said with a nod.

"So, can we get a little break after that mission?" Liz asked.

"From school too!" Patty added.

"Whatever you need." Lord Death said before gazing at his som. "Kid, may I speak with you… privately?"

"Of course, father." Kid said as the rest of his friends took the hint to leave.

Though Liz and Patty stayed outside of the Death room to listen in on the reapers' conversation.

"Kid, tell me, what happened on the mission." Lord Death said, "I see that look in your eyes."

Kid let out a sigh as he gazed downwards.

"When I faced Masamome, he was more skilled with his abilities than I thought and he managed to capture me. Then hid me away in a cave miles from the village." Death the Kid said with shame. "I couldn't get free until Tsubaki defeated him."

"Ah, I see." Death said, putting a cartoonish hand on his chin. "Perhaps it's time I start teaching you some more advanced techniques si that can't happen again."

"More ad-YES! That's exactly what I need! As a member of my team, I can't allow what happened in that village to happen again." Kid said with a nod, barrly holding jos excitement.

"I understand that but these techniques will not be easy to master, you must understand that now." Death said to his son. "This is the first step to becoming the next grim reaper. I was hoping to wait a few more years before getting to these, they can be quite difficult."

"I'm ready, Father." Kid said with a determined smile.

'I hope you are, son. I truly hope you are.' Lord Death thought, casting a glance at the door where the Thompson sisters waited. 'Not just for my sake but for theirs too.'

"Well, I won't keep you any longer." Lord Death said, "Go on, rest up."

Kid nodded before taking his leave, meeting up with the Thompson sisters and leaving the school.

"Well... that is probably the worst mission we've ever done." Liz said, her hands in her pockets.

"Even worse than letting that soul thief get away?" Patty asked.

"YES." Liz said firmly.

"Well, it's over, and there's nothing more we can do for now. I say we go home for the day." Kid said to them.

"Yeah and it's your turn to cook, so we'll have a perfect dinner to help unwind." Liz said with a small grin.

'His perfectionism comes in handy with cooking at least.' Liz thought.

"Yes, I think that will help take my mind off this mission." Kid said with s nod.

"Can we have pizza tonight?! It's perfectly round and always comes in 8 slices!" Patty suggested, playing to Kid's symmetrical flaw.

"And the slices are triangles, split on in half you get an equal triangle." Liz said.

"Hm, I don't see why not." Kid said, rubbing his chin as he did the math in his head.

'Perfecly symetrical.' He thought.

'Yes!' Liz and Patty both thought as they high fived each other behind Kid's back.

Meanwhile with Black Star and Tsubaki, they were inside of their own home as Tsubaki told her partner the entire battle she had with her brother before winning.

Including the results and showing her new Enchanted Sword weapon mode.

"Incredible Tsubaki! You might end up being as big of a star as me one day with performances like that!" Black Star said.

Tsubaki smiled, that was basically the closest thing to a compliment as you could get from him.

'Thanks but mastering this form won't be easy, for either you or me.' Tsubaki said in enchanted sword mode, soon picked up by Black Star.

"That just means we have to up our training so we can master it! We were already powerful before but this will make us even stronger!" Black Star said with a grin, seeing Tsubaki in the blade.

This caused Tsubaki to sigh.

'Same old Black Star…but I do hope he can handle the power that comes with this weapons.' Tsubaki thought, shivering a bit as she felt she wasn't alone in this weapon form.

Something else was in here with her, something ancient and powerful.

Chapter Text

Maka and Soul walked back to their apartment.

"Another day of school and another day wasted." Soul commented.

"School is not a waste, Soul." Maka said for the THOUSANDTH time.

"Yeah it is. If we didn't have school, we could've gotten me half way back to being the youngest Death Scythe by now." Soul said.

"That would be the easy way, Soul." Maka said.

"What's wrong with that since we botched the hard way with misinformation?" Soul asked blankly.

"It means all the work we did meant nothing if we don't do it the right way." Maka said.

Soul sighed, he knew he wouldn't win an argument with Maka.

"So, what's the plan for tonight? Studying, training, readying or what?" Sou asked with a shrug.

"Not really sure right now." Maka said, shaking her head.

'I could try and study that magic book Kim let me borrow.' She thought.

"Well, if you ask me, I am going to take this time to watch some tv and veg out." Soul said with a yawn. "Man, that mission sucked."

"I know, Soul. But it still helped us." Maka said.

"I guess and maybe next time, we can bring Blair for magic back up." Soul suggested.

Just as he said that, Blair pounced on him.

"Did somebody call my name?" Blair asked in cat form with a Cheshire like grin.

She then turned into her human form and Soul's face was pressed against her chest. Something that made Maka grit her teeth in anger as Soul's nose blood profusely!

'Damn cat bitch!' Maka thought, still jealous of Blair's human form via transformation magic.

Mainly jealous of her ample bosom.

'They're probably fake anyway.' Maka thought.

"I'm so happy you're both back, it's always so lonely being home by myself!" Blair said before noticing Maka's expression. "Oh? What's wrong? Did the mission end badly?"

"You could say that, yes." Maka said, walking ahead back to their home.

Going straight to her room.

"Was it really that bad, Souly?" Blair asked, looking down at Soul.

"Y-Yeah, kind of." Soul said, wiping his nose clean. "It was... a fairly rough mission."

"How so?" Blair asked as Soul walked into the den, making her follow.

"The guy tried picking us off one by one." Soul said.

"Oh my, how strong was he?" Blair asked.

"A master ninja that could outsmart Death's son." Soul said as he sighed loudly.

He NEVER wanted a mission like that again.

"Not even having magic helped?" Blair asked, referring to Maka.

"Only in searching for Kid after he was kidnapped. Tsubaki and Black Star did most of the work taking him down." Soul said as he turned in the tv. "Now enough of the questions, I want to try and forget that mission even happened."

"Okay, I understand but I think I'm gonna go talk to Maka for a bit." Blair said, transforming into a cat and running off.

"Yeah, whatever." He said, putting a pillow under his head.

'Hope Maka doesn't shout at her to get out.' Soul thought, glancing at the tv.

In Maka's room, she was laying face first on her bed.

She was still thinking about the mission, about her magical power, and about whatever her aunt was planning.

'Medusa, what are you trying to do?' Maka thought.

She suddenly heard purring and turned her head, seeing a purple cat looking at her.

"Wanna talk? Witch to magic cat?" Blair asked.

"No." Maka said blankly.

"Sure you do." Blair said, moving to lay next to Maka's face.

"No, I don't." Maka said.

"Talking could help you feel better." Blair said with a smile. "Plus, I can teach you how to transform like me."

"I don't really want to be a cat." Maka said, turning over.

"First of all, rude. There nothing wrong with being a cat. Second, need I remind you that I am a CAT with magic that can transform into a human? If you copied my spell, you could change into anything or anyone you want. Not just an adorable cat, smart girl." Blair said.

"I'm not a fan of transformation magic." Maka said.

"Even if it could help you in a pinch?" Blair said.

"Name one good use of transformation magic." Maka said.

"Getting away from someone chasing you." Blair said.

"Vector plate can handle that." Maka said.

"I mean changing yourself to look like someone else. Which would also be good for undercover missions." Blair said with pride.

"No thanks. I'm fine with Vector Plate." Maka said, being stubborn.

Blair sighed as she ran a paw down her face.

'Alright, time to pull out the big guns.' She thought.

"Maka…it's okay to lose sometimes." Blair said in a serious tone.

Maka stopped thinking the second she heard that.

What?" she asked, turnng to Blair.

"Losing isn't always a bad thing. It's in times of defeat that we learn and grow more than in times of victory. Trust me, I've been around the block a few times and I've lost a few things myself. Even a friend or two" Blair said with a small frown. "But the difference between the value in winning and value in losing is that you can either let a loss define you or you can grow from it and become better. So, what will you choose?"

Maka stared at Blair for a moment, surprised and impressed that the usually playful and teasing magic cat could give her such a wise and thought provoking advice.

"...Okay, I'll listen to what you're talking about." Maka said as she say up.

Blair smiled as she jumped off the bed, becoming human in baggy blue cargo and a too big, purple t-shirt.

"Thank you. And since you're willing to learn, I'll teach you my pumpkin magic too. My Pumpkin Halloween cannon can pack a punch!" She said with a smile.

"You don't have to remind me." Maka said, remembering taking that attack to the face a few times.

'It would come in handy if Witch Hunter or Impact Stirke fail.' Maka thought as Blair sat on her bed.

Blair smiled as she told Maka about two of the spells she knows best, being sure to go into detail since Maka was a very focused in learning.

Chapter Text

The next day, Blair brought Maka out to the desert. It was time to put what Maka had been learning from Blair into practice and expand on her arsenal of copied spells.

"Alright, this should be far enough." Blair said.

"Yeah, it should. Nobody from the school should be able to see us." Maka said.

"Purrfect!" Blair said with a grin.

"For the love of God and Lord Death, no cat puns." Mama said blankly.

"Awwww but I spent a lot of time on them." Blair said with a pout.

"No." Maka said firmly.

"Meow…fine. Let's start with Pumpkin Halloween Cannon first." Blair said as she pointed to a random cactus. "Aim there and focus on firing the cannon."

"Alright." Maka said, getting her attack lined up.

She focused on a magic pumpkin, creating it within seconds and aiming it at the cactus as the chant for it just flowed from her lips.

"Go! Pum-Pumkin Halloween Cannon!" She shouted as she fired the magic vegetable!

Boom!

The result was a massive explosion with a crater where it hit.

"Wow! Thats a pretty good shot for your first try." Blair said with a grin. "But a bit too much power."

"I've always been a bit of a magic powerhouse." Maka said with a grin.

"Even so, too much magic can be pretty bad. It's like when you use too much energy in a soul wavelength attack. It'll leave you too drained to perform spells back to back." Blair said.

'That... explains a lot.' Maka thought.

"So, you wanna try another pumpkin cannon or do you want to try transforming magic next?" Blair asked.

"Well... the cannon might actually attract attention." Maka said, pointing to the crater. "So yes."

"Alrigt, transformation magic it is. What or who do you want to change into first?" Blair asked.

"Well, what's easier?" Maka asked.

"Transforming into someone or something that already exists is easier to visualize. My human form is something I had to create from scratch." Blair said, gesturing to herself. "So transform into anyone you know, anyone at all."

"…Can they still be alive?" Maka asked with a pause.

"They don't have to." Blair said, shaking her head.

"Okay, thanks." Maka said as she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and focusing on the person she wanted to transform into.

A person she loved so much, one that…left this world so long ago and she missed her everyday.

'Mom…' Maka thought, visualizing her mother smiling at her.

Transforming without even knowing it as Blair watched.

"Wow. You're beautiful." Blair said.

Opening her eyes, Maka gazed down at her body and saw it was not that of a teenager but that of an adult. Gazing ag her hands, she saw that they were now adult hands instead of teenage hands.

Seeing this, Blair snapped her fingers to create a mirror so Maka can see her new self. Looking like an exact copy of her mother.

"It's... been a while since I saw this face." Maka said.

"What was her name?" Blair asked.

"... ... ...Kami." Maka said softly.

'She's named "Kami" because she looks like a goddess. Dad was right.' Maka thought with a smile.

"So, do you want to try another transformation?" Blair asked her.

"... In a minute." Maka said.

Maka slowly hugged herself, feeling as if she was being hugged by her mom again like when she was a little kid.

"You miss her, don't you?" Blair asked.

"I do." Maka said, almost crying a bit.

"You know, I bet she would be really proud of you for following in her footsteps. Not just being a Meister, but as a good witch as well." Blair said.

"Yeah, I guess she would." Maka said, wiping away her tears.

'I promise you, mom. I'll stop aunt Medusa and whatever she's planning.' Maka thought.

After a couple more minutes, Maka turned back to herself.

"So, what or who next?" Blair asked.

"Maybe…I'll try turning into Soul. See what being a guy is like." Maka said.

Smiling widely and nodding feverishly, Blair really liked this idea!

'Two Souly boys for the price of one!' Blair thought with glee, even if it wouldn't be real per se.

Closing her eyes, Maka focused her transformation spell and thought about Soul.

His yellow jacket, his white headband, his crazy red eyes and sharp, beast like teeth.

After a minute, Maka opened her eyes.

Looking in the mirror again, Maka saw that she was a perfect copy of Soul. Except her eyes were her normal color instead of his bright red color.

'Close enough if someone doesn't know Soul.' Maka thought, putting her hands in her new pants pockets.

"Oh! I liek this one!" Blair said with a chesire grin.

"I may look like him, but I'm not him." Maka said, even sounding like Soul as well.

"I know but you did such a good job of looking like him! Even if your eyes aren't the same Ruby pools of bad boyness." Blair said with a blush and a sigh.

"…I am never turning into to Soul again with you around." Maka said before transforming back into herself.

"Fine, guess I'll have to settle for the real thing." Blair said with a sigh, thinking about Soul.

CRICK!

Maka felt a vein in her forehead bulge in anger as she slowly raised a hand at Blair.

"Pum-Pumkin Halloween Cannon." Maka said as she fired at Blair.

BOOM!

An explosion was heard along with a giant meow of pain was heard for all of Death City.

And that is when Blair lost another soul.

Chapter Text

After costing the magic ca another life, Maka and Blair walked back to their shared home.

"That was uncalled for." Blair comments, still smoking from the explosion.

"No, it was justified." Maka said blankly.

"I beg to differ." Blair said

'This girl is SO in love with Soul but just won't admit it.' She thought as she shook her head to shake off some smoke.

"Well, I need to go bathe off this soot." Blair said.

"Don't use too much hot water. I haven't paid the bill yet." Maka said.

"No promises." Blair said as they reached their home.

Maka opened the door and went to sit on the couch. Soul was already there, just flipping through channels.

"So, how did training go?" He asked.

"Fine." Maka said as Blair walked to the bathroom.

"I see…and the burned cat smell?" Soul asked.

"Blair pissed me off." Maka said.

"Makes sense." Soul said as he changed the channel. "So, what new spells did she teach you?"

"Her transformation spell and that pumpkin spell." Maka said.

"great, so now I have to deal with two cat people?" Soul joked worh a grin.

Maka stared blankly at Soul for this, feeling insulted.

'I wonder if I can transform him into a mouse and lock him in a cage.' Maka thought, keeping that idea in mind for later.

"So, anything planned for today?" Soul asked her.

"…Maybe I'll call dad and ask him more about mom." Maka said, knowing how….strained her relationship with her father was.

"Damn... didn't think you were that desperate." Soul said.

"Like you ever talk about your parents." Maka retorted.

"If you ever met them, you'd know why." Soul comments.

'And hopefully, she never will.' Sou thought before feeling phone vibrating. 'Ugh, what now?'

Pulling out his phone, he saw it was a message from the DWMA.

'Yearly medical examinations shall begin tomorrow for students and faculty.' The message said.

'Great. Just fucking great.' Soul thought with a groan.

"What is it?" Maka asked.

"Medical exams at school, mandatory and all that crap." Soul said with a shiver. "I really hope Stein isn't going to give them."

Maka shuddered at that thought as well.

'He would dissect us at any given opportunity, I hope this isn't one of them.' Maka thought.

"Please don't give me thoughts like that, Soul." Maka said.

"I can't help it. That guy is such a creep." Soul said with a groan. "Hard to believe that someone like him made your dad into a death scythe."

"Yeah, the world is full of strange people." Maka said.

"Well, I think it's time to stop talking about this." Soul said.

He turned up the tv to drown out the disturbing thoughts, wanting to enjoy what time they had left of their weekend before they went back to school Monday.

"So, any other specifics from learning Blair's spells?" Soul asked.

"Concerning transformation magic, I can transform into living or deceased people. That's all you need to know." Maka said.

'If it's not a hot woman or acting cool, you don't care about specifics.' Maka thought, insulting herself a bit but not really caring at the moment.

All she cared about is relaxing and mentally preparing herself for tomorrow, hoping the school nurse doesn't find out she's a witch.

'Here's hoping nothing goes wrong.' Maka thought.

(Sorry for the short chapter.)