Mari (Soul Eater)

Part Twenty-Seven

"We came to kill Medusa..." Kidd said, his voice full of pain.

"Why would you kill Medusa?" Mari asked, her eyes hidden.

"Because she's a witch," Maka said. "Witches are almost as bad as keshins and people who had keshin egg souls."

Mari looked up at her, the angels wings parting to show her form. "So you're going to kill me?"

Maka looked stricken. "Wait... What?" Her eyes widened as she looked at Mari's soul. "No... Mari..."

Kidd's eyes were wide as he looked at Mari. He stepped toward her, reaching out a hand. "No... Medusa made you..." Medusa started laughing as Maka fell to her knees. Kidd reached out a hand to Mari. "Mari..."

Maka started shaking with rage. "You bitch!" She screamed and jumped at Medusa.

Mari's head whipped and she jumped out, reaching out a hand to stop Maka. One of her wings reached like a second arm to block the blow. Maka's eyes widened as Soul slammed down into Mari. Mari black blood spurted into the air and flew toward Maka. It stopped inches from her face, hovering in mid air. "B-Black blood..." Maka said.

The black blood moved back to Mari's arm and almost reconstructed it in a moment. Medusa started laughing as Maka fell back in horror. Medusa took Mari's wrist in her hand and examined it, only a slight black scar remaining. "Is this not beautiful?" The others back away, scared.

Mari looked up at them with her dark eyes. She smiled and tilted her head. "That's okay. You don't have to love me. What's a little more pain?" She said.

Medusa smiled and snapped her fingers, Mari's appearance altering. "Sometimes, Mari..." She bent next to Mari's ear, her blue hair curled now and cloth binding her chest. "It can be everything."

Mari flinched and her chin trembled.

"Stop it..." Kidd said. He looked up at Medusa. "Stop hurting her!"

Medusa looked up at Kidd. "Oh, but have I been hurting her this whole time, Kidd?"

Kidd's eyes widened as it hit him and he looked down. "Mari..." he said. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Mari stood, her wings folding behind her. "I want to go home." She said. She looked down. "But I don't have a home."

Medusa took her hand and led her outside the door, the three meisters to shocked to do anything. "Medusa." A voice said outside and Mari recognized it as Stein's. "What are you doing?"

Medusa looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Taking her home." She said.

Stein clicked his screw and looked at Mari's broken form, looking over her angel wings. "I'm sorry," he said. He reached his hand out to Mari's head. "I need to kill her. She's going to become a keshin."

Mari's hand flashed, catching Stein's wrist and she twisted it, hearing a snap. He fell to the flood, clutching his arm, cringing. "Looks like you got me, Mari..."

Mari turned to him. His eyes looked over her as if her wanted to dissect her. "Stein," She said. She leaned down and looked him in the eyes with her black ones. "If you ever think about dissecting me again..." She tapped her chest with her finger. "I'm going to rip you apart and eat your soul."

He smiled. "I thought as much." Medusa pulled her down the hall a little more and Stein called out to them. "Mari! I almost forgot." He had a cigarette in his mouth. "Happy birthday."

Mari's body went rigid as memories flashed. She held her face with her hand and started breathing heavily as she remembered her birthdays after her mom died and after she had turned into a weapon. Her dad had always been drunk and had locked her in her room. "I want to go home." Mari said, clutching Medusa's hand until her knuckles were white.

Medusa nodded and pulled her out of the house. It seemed like only moments before they were in the forest again. Mari let out a breath and stopped walking. Medusa looked at her. "They'll be coming soon." She said.

Mari dropped to her knees, her hand pulling at Medusa. "Let them come and find me." She said.

Medusa looked down at her and the way her eyes stared vacantly. "Fine." She said and dropped Mari's hand, walking deeper into the forest.

Mari suddenly felt the absence of people and she reached out her hands, trying to find someone. She looked up at the sky, seeing hints of red and orange through the dark trees. "Kidd..." She said, reaching her hands up toward the sky.

Her wings seemed to move on their own and she was suddenly lifted into the sky and was over the tops of the trees, the beautiful sunset out before her. She marveled at it. Tears started running down her cheeks and she held her shoulders. "Come back." She said. Her hair flowed about her, the soft curls tickling her skin.

Her body stopped moving and she began to fall toward the ground. The trees tore at her skin and her face. She reached her hands up out at the sky. Her body hit the ground and she gasped and she heard a loud crack. She coughed and black blood splattered her lips.

She lay on the forest floor and cried, trying to feel something other than pain. She heard two pairs of footsteps and she turned her head to see who it was. She saw Erica and Free standing at the edge of the little clearing she was in. Free walked to her and crouched next to her. "Medusa sent us." She said.

Her breath was rasping from the broken ribs she probably had and she couldn't breath quite right. "Go... away..." She said.

Free and Erica looked at each other and walked off. Mari closed her eyes, pain welling up in her as her bones moved around as the black blood mended her. She stared up at the sky, seeming so far away from her through the trees. "Mom... dad..." She said. "I'm sorry..." her hand fell to the ground, limp and her eyes closed.