Mari (Soul Eater)

Part Fifty-Four

I have been the laziest writer in the world and I have totally neglected this story... I'm so sorry guys... I feel really bad ;-;

Anyway, here's another part!

Kidd held Mari as she cried quietly in their bed. She clutched his shirt with her shaking fingers, her head tucked under his chin. She held a sob back for a second, and then it broke free, the sound making Kidd pull her closer. He ran a hand comfortingly on her head, whispering softly to her.

"Kidd... he's back in my head." She whispered, her words barely audible. "Get him out... out..." she whispered.

Kidd held her, feeling helpless; there was nothing he could do. He would give away his life to make her happy. But no one had made him an offer, and no one would except his.

There was a nock at the door and Kidd sat up, holding Mari in his lap. "Come in." he said, his voice cracking.

The door opened, light filling the room. Stein stood in the doorway, Maka, Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki behind them. Mari turned, seeing her friends. She saw a small form at the back of the group, and she realized it was Amme, her weapon Sora standing next to her. Amme smiled with a pained expression when she saw how torn up Mari was.

"We're ready." Stein said, seeing the two on the bed.

Kidd nodded and moved to the edge of the bed, already dressed in his black and white suit. He helped Mari to her feet, her bare toes on the wooden floor.

"Mari..." Maka said, her voice pained.

Mari was dressed in black shorts and long-sleeved black shirt, the sleeves pulled over her hands. Her she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands, her hair falling around her face. She walked out of the room, everyone parting for her.

She walked to the front door of the Gallows mansion, opening it and stepping out into the dusk. It had been a day since the Keshin had made himself clear that he was back in her mind.

She walked down the steps of the mansion, no shoes on her feet. She began walking down the path, and everyone followed her. She looked up as she walked through the streets of Death City; all the people still out for dinner or partying, shying away from her black eyes. She didn't care about them.

'I don't care about any of them.' She said. She thought of her friends. 'Except them.' She thought.

'But do you even like them?' the Keshin's male voice asked her.

Mari pushed him to the back of her mind, stopping to catch her breath as she reached the gates of Death City. She hadn't realized that she had been running. Her friends and Stein caught up with her, Kidd not breathing heavily like the other. Except for Stein.

"Slow down, Mari." Maka said. There was a car waiting for them at the gates, and they all got in, Stein in the drivers seat and Mari in the passengers side. Stein started driving, his face grim.

"We locked in on her location, and she should be close. Thanks to Azusa." He said. Mari nodded absently, her legs tucked up under her.

Everyone was silent, so Stein reached forward and flicked the radio on. Mari looked over at him as he turned the dial until a station with no static came on. And, of course, it was Carry On My Wayward Son.

Mari slammed her fist into the button as the chorus started, smashing the button. The car went back into silence and Stein lifted a cigarette to his mouth. Stein pulled the car over and pulled the keys out of the ignition.

"We're here." He said, and Mari opened her door and got out, her bare feet touching the grass that lead into the woods. She looked into the dark trees, the sun almost behind the horizon. She waited for everyone, and then started walking.

"What's our plan?" Amme asked, all of the weapons already in their forms.

Stein clicked his screw, and looked at Kidd. "We get in and find Arachne." Kidd said. Everyone nodded. "Then we figure it out from there?" he asked.

They all stopped when they saw a big castle in the middle of a big clearing, the black stones it was made out of sunken into the ground a little ways. Mari walked forward, and Kidd held out a hand to stop her, his mouth opening to say something, but her body had already begun to change.

The group was hidden in the trees as Mari walked towards the castle. There was shouting from the front, Arachne's minions yelling warnings to get weapons. Mari put one foot up on the stone steps and dozens of red trackers landed all over her body.

"Mari!" Kidd yelled as there was the silence of people holding their breath. He ran forward only to watch her move.

Mari reached her hand down, her fingers elongating into sharp claws. The claws dug into her stomach, black blood spraying forward. There was shouting, as it the minions thought she was stupid, and they fired their guns.

Something flashed out in front of Mari, pain streaking through her as the long, black, spiked tendrils deflected all the bullets. There was silence, except for the sound of the tendrils, and Mari's footsteps as she walked to the front door.

The small group behind her followed, Black Star a little mad that she had stolen the show. Mari reached her hands up and ripped the giant black door off of its hinges, walking in to see dozens of minions in their black robes and white masks looking at her with weapons.

The tendrils flashed forward, the front of her torn shirt dangling and showing her ripped skin. The minions screamed as their bodies were torn apart by Mari's tendril and her friends, who had joined in on the fight too.

After a few minutes, all the minions that had been in the opening area were gone, and Mari stumbled forward, her eyes fluttering.

"Mari..." Kidd said, watching the tendrils rip the walls apart as she leaned against the wall. She opened her mouth a little, black blood splattering her lips. Kidd moved forward, panicked, but she held a hand up to stop him.

She looked up at her friends, a smile crossing her face. "Whatever you do... don't come near me." She said. Kidd moved back, shocked. She looked down at the tendrils trashing around her body, and they became still, moving to the ground and snaking over them silently. "I can't control them." She said.

She straightened and continued walking. There was a great brass boor at the end of the long hallway, and minions came out of nowhere, seeming to be protecting it. Mari killed all of them. She had been eating the souls, but at this point she stopped.

She was in front of the door, her hair floating around her with magic. She put a hand on the door, and stood there for a moment. Then her claws dug into the metal, ripping it to shreds.

She walked into the room that had been behind the door, and torches lit up around her, lighting up the large room. She saw a table in the middle of the room, lit by the burning fire.

A woman sat there, in a black dress, sipping tea. She looked up and met Mari's eyes. She smiled as Mari began to shake with rage.

"Hello Darling." Arachne said. "How are you doing?"