A Soul Eater Story: Wandering Souls

Chapter 14 Fighting for Stein's Sanity

(Timeskip to where Stein went insane and went with Medusa... At the fight between Marie and Crona VS Medusa and Stein)

Marie couldn't help but wince as she was thrown against the stone pillar, hearing it crush under her. She and Crona had gone ahead of the others in hope that no one else would get hurt, but it seemed like that wouldn't be the case with them.

Not only was their fight against the Snake witch, but also with Stein, who was under the influence of the madness that caused him to not be able to tell reality from fiction. Knowing that, it made things for her all the more harder to hurt Stein.

Glancing over at Crona who was fighting Medusa himself, she saw even from here that the fight wasn't going anywhere as the poor kid was forced to fight his own mother. If she were not occupied already fending off Stein, she would help him.

"This is it!" Medusa cried to glee as she raised her Vector sword above her head as she was about to strike her own son. "Die!!!"

"Think again, you witch." said a voice, complete with confidence as a long chain stopped the blade before it struck true to its target.

"Yeah! Think again you mean lady! You won't be hurting mine and Lorranna's friend!" Poppy commented from her weapon form, a sleek Kusarigama with a sickle and ball at the end of a long chain of black and silver.

Medusa's eyes visibly narrowed at Lorranna's appearance into the fight, hinting to her annoyance.

Maka and her weapon partner, Soul Eater, also jumped into view beside Crona, helping him onto his feet.

Lorranna's eyes widened when she saw her father attacking Marie, and then they narrowed again as she glared back at Medusa. "What have you done to my Papa?!"

The witch smirked in a snake-like manner, if snakes could smile. "I did nothing, little girl. He came here of his own choosing."

"Yeah, like my Papa would actually join a filthy witch like you," Lorranna snarled hotly, her glare intensifying.

"Lorranna! His mind's been taken over by the madness!" Marie called out, dodging another attack from Stein. "He's confused, he doesn't know what's real anymore!!"

"We've got to help Papa," the blonde-haired teen said softly, turning to Maka. "Can you guys help Crona? I need to save my father."

Maka nodded in acknowledgement. "You do that. We'll do our part here!" Maka called out.

So the two Meisters jumped to the other's opposite spots, Maka taking a stand with Crona against the witch as Lorranna stood with Marie against her father to snap him out of his madness.

Lorranna had sparred with Stein on a few occasions, the fights being their time when they would hang out and talk about things, so she knew partly how her father fought. However, the madness caused some differences in his fighting style, changing it to be totally more sporadic and wild than actual, detectable moves. It might've seemed like he still held onto his traditional style to Marie, but to her it was as plain as light that the madness had affected her father on a deep level.

In front of her, Marie was trying to reason with Stein in his current condition, causing him to verbally make them keep their distance.

"Marie....please.... Get away.... Before I dissect you!" Stein got out as he held his face in his hands. Lorranna couldn't tell what his expression was, but his voice sounded like he truly was trying to fight the madness within him. Hearing this, Lorranna spoke up.

"Then don't. Papa... I know you are in there..... Fight it, Papa! Fight the madness. Fight it because I know Papa is stronger than any madness in the world!"

Her words seemed to strike Stein, lifting his head from his hands to look at her, small tears threatening to run from his eyes.

Then Medusa spoke up, saying that she and Marie must be lying and that Stein should do something about it, causing Stein to run at them with his hands covered in his Soul wavelength.

Throwing the chain of her Kusarigama around Stein, she was able to tie him up and prevent any movement as she sent her wavelength through the chain itself.

Suddenly, Lorranna looked over at where Crona and Maka were fighting Medusa, when the brunette had shrieked "CRONA!!!!"

Her heart skipped a beat. A large vector sword had stabbed clean through the boy's torso, after he had shoved Maka out of the way... And he fell nearly-lifeless to the ground.

"NO!!!!" the blonde shouted, her eyes wide in shock and horror. She could still sense the boy's soul... but just barely. And Ragnarok... he was barely there anymore...

Without realizing it, her soul wavelength flared in response to her emotional turmoil, as a new song came unbidden to her lips without her trying.

"Oh I wish it was over... And I wish you were here.... Still I'm hoping that somehow...." her soul wavelength seemed to fill the entire space, causing Medusa, Marie, and even the still-maddend Stein to look at her in shock. "'Cause your soul is on fire! A shot in the dark! What did they aim for when they missed your heart?! I breathe underwater, it's all in my hands! What can I do, don't let it fall apart!" A wave of energy passed out from her, wrapping around Crona and Ragnarok like a bunch of bandages that stopped the rapid bleeding in an instant, "A shot in the dark! A shot in the dark... A shot in the dark!!!!!!"

A light flashed, and the wound disappeared, leaving only Crona very weak from the sudden blood loss. Then, Lorranna turned to Marie, "Marie, help Papa!"

Stepping in between Maka and Stein, Marie laid her hands on each and began to glow slightly, enveloping the dark room in a warm light, cleansing Stein of his madness.

Once the light died down, Stein seemed to have been shaken from the disease that had once gripped him. Picking up his glasses that laid on the ground, Lorranna approached him and placed the spectacles back onto his face as the chain that tied him loosened.

"Papa wouldn't be Papa without his glasses on. They suit you." she said softly, a small smile on her face.

"Thank you Lorranna." Stein replied, his eyes clear again as he looked around.

"Now the real fight begins" he said as he glared over to their opponent and held on Marie as she shifted into her weapon form.
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A/N: Dun da dun!! What's gonna happen next? Stay tuned to find out sometime next week!!

The only reason the song is not italicized is b/c I'm writing on my phone.