The Star Warriors

by C. S. Cooper

  Franklin looked at Soul, a bemused expression on his face. He shook his head and said, “That’s not right.” All eyes fell on him. “There’s no way to find one fragment with the other. That was never in any of the scriptures discovered by the Regiment.”

  “Are you sure, Dad?” asked Sakura.

  “I have some magical power too, Sakura,” said Franklin. “I studied that key at great length, and I’m telling you there is no way. Who told you that, anyway?”

  Everyone looked at Eriol. The Scotsman pursed his lips, and a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

  “Wait a sec,” said Astrid. “If Moonface couldn’t use their half, then how did he know the Lee Clan had the other half?”

  “Maybe the informant really is in the Regiment,” said Xiaolang.

  At that instant, Astrid recalled the image of an Alchemic Warrior racing toward them in the hangar.

  “Hannah Peterson,” she mumbled, her eyes unfocused with amazed realisation.

  “She was one of the people guarding me,” said Franklin. “I saw Moonface put something in her mouth before I was taken away from Cunnamulla.”

  “She was a homunculus,” concluded Nathan. “And if she was in the meeting when …”

  Astrid pointed at Eriol, having put two and two together. “You’re the informant!”

  Maka joined her in the accusation and yelled, “You gave that little tid-bit that the Lee Clan had the other half!”

  Sakura gasped with shock. “Eriol! You can’t have!”

  “Busted, I guess,” chuckled the Scotsman.

  Maka flew into a rage and grabbed the man by scruff of the neck. Astrid too advanced upon him. Sakura charged in, shrieking, “Don’t hurt him!” She pushed Astrid out of the way. Maka ignored the girl and landed a punch on Eriol’s face. His smarmy smile did not let up even as Maka drew blood. Sakura tackled the girl and yelled, “Leave him alone!” Maka kneed Sakura in the stomach and pushed her away. Soul came to the rescue and held Maka back. Sakura pulled herself up, rubbing her stomach.

  Eriol giggled as he looked at the people in the room.

  “Look at you idiots,” he chuckled. “You have no idea what’s in store for you.”

  Rodrigo opened the infirmary doors and had a security detail take Eriol to the brig. Sakura whimpered as they took her friend away.

  “He didn’t do this, I’m sure of it,” she insisted.

  “Oh, shut up, you dumb cheerleader,” snarled Maka. “What you think just ’cause you have some magic cards, you have a say here?” Sakura stammered as Maka drew near to her, but the blonde’s assault continued despite Soul’s pleading. “You’re a pathetic, happy-go-lucky girl whose never had a hard day in her life.” She shoved Sakura into a wall. “If you hadn’t grabbed a random book one day, you’d be flipping burgers at Micky-D’s, where you belong!” She shoved Sakura again, and an ingrained reaction kicked in.

  Sakura grabbed Maka’s arms, holding them to her chest. She then twirled the girl around and pushed her away. She assumed a defensive stance and said, “Leave me alone.”

  Maka swivelled and rushed Sakura. Xiaolang appeared between them, caught Maka’s blow, and delivered a punch to her face. She hit the ground hard.

  “My Maka!” cried Spirit.

  Xiaolang advanced upon the blonde. Soul moved forward, his hand in scythe blade form, and said, “Hands of my meister.” Xiaolang deflected the scythe blade with his magical shield and threw Soul into the wall. Spirit vengefully charged in, almost stepping on Maka, only to be knocked out cold by Xiaolang’s volley of punches.

  Before Soul and Xiaolang could come to blows, Astrid and Nathan stepped in to break up the fight. Astrid pushed Xiaolang away, while Nathan caught Soul’s scythe blade in his bare hand.

  “Stop it!” screeched Sakura. The scuffle came to a halt, and they looked at the upset girl. “No wonder those monsters are winning.” She buried her face in her hands, unable to find any words to communicate her frustration. Xiaolang’s heart melted and he edged toward his girlfriend.

  On the other side of the room, Rodrigo gazed at the mess and sighed. Franklin rubbed his face down with his hand, eager to be done with this unwelcome adventure.

  “We need to get our systems back up,” said Bravo. “We have to find Moonface and Shaula before its too late.” He roused Spirit with a nudge of his heel. The red-haired man look up dazed. “We could use some DWMA intel to find them.” He marched out of the room before anyone could retort. Spirit staggered to his feet and glanced at Maka, who refused to acknowledge his existence. He gave a sigh and left the room.

  Rodrigo remained, and gave Franklin a pat on the shoulder. “I’m once again truly sorry for everything. As soon as we have a plane ready, we’ll take you and your daughter home.”

  “Thank you,” croaked Franklin. The two men gazed at the six teenagers in the corner, standing around and either glaring at each other or sobbing quietly.

  A worn-out Regiment officer entered the room and saluted Rodrigo.

  “Has Lamperouge been detained?” asked Rodrigo.

  “Yes, sir,” said the officer. “However, he has requested to speak with, and I quote, the six teenagers with attitude.”

  Rodrigo frowned a moment, before chuckling and glancing at the group. “I think he means you.”

  Each of them looked confused and intrigued at the same time.

  * * *

  Eriol sat quietly in his cell, his hands on his thighs, and a pensive smile on his face. That smile widened into a grin when the six people he’d summoned arrived. They stood in front of his cell, tired and worn-out. Sakura was still upset; Maka was irritated; Nathan looked confused; Astrid was exasperated; Xiaolang was furious; and Soul just looked bored.

  “Thank you for coming,” said the Scotsman. He eyed Maka and said, “Dang, lassie, you got a hook there.”

  “If you’re just gonna call me sexist things, I’m outta here,” snapped Maka.

  Eriol smiled and held his hands up earnestly. He stood and approached the glass shield. His look was not one you’d expect from a caught double agent. He seemed excited, proud even, to look upon the six of them.

  “I have waited a long time for this moment,” he said. “Me and my predecessor.” He glanced at Sakura and said, “I’m sorry for dragging your father into this. I didn’t mean for him to get hurt.” He looked at Lee and said, “I apologise about your family being threatened.”

  Sakura and Xiaolang nodded and accepted the apology.

  Nathan stepped closer to the glass and said, “You do know that ‘sorry’ ain’t really gonna cut it. Not with me. I’d like to know why you did it.”

  Eriol bowed in acknowledgement. He wrung his hands thoughtfully and measured his words carefully. Considering his level of conniving and mastery of word, it was clear he had attained a new high of self-criticism.

  “Yes,” he enunciated. “Yes, I was Moonface’s informant. He didn’t know who I was, but I did tell him the Regiment had half of the Silver Key. And yes, I knew that Warrior Peterson was a homunculus when I met with the Regiment and DWMA. And, yes, I used magic to rig a Japanese lottery in order to put Sakura in Hong Kong. I did not, however, anticipate that Moonface would escape. Rest assured, I did not know that assault was coming.”

  “Why did you do it?” Astrid repeated.

  “Because I wanted the six of you to meet,” said Eriol.

  “Six of us?” asked Maka. “Why would we need to meet?”

  “So that you might see the common cause you all share, and the good you could do as one,” Eriol explained. “I told Sakura the story of Clow Reed and his inspiration to create the Cards she now wields. He wished to emphasise the goodness of humanity and their ability to work together to overcome adversity. He believed this was a better path, rather than –” he glanced at Nathan, “– excising the weaknesses or –” he looked at Maka, “– culling the bad eggs.” He took a step back so he could see all of them. “But that was only half the vision. This incomparable sorcerer
looked into the future, and saw six lights – beacons in the void. These were to be immensely powerful people who, on behalf of all humanity, would face the coming calamity.”

  Nathan touched his hand to the glass and said, “That was the vision you showed me?”

  “What vision?” asked Astrid.

  “I saw something when I shook his hand earlier,” said Nathan.

  “Of what?” asked Xiaolang.

  “Stars, being swallowed by something,” Nathan explained. “And I was with five other people, and we all made the bad guy disappear.”

  “Ridiculous,” said Maka, and she stormed out of the room. Soul groaned as his meister marched off, and he shot the others an apologetic glance before following her.

  Sakura cringed at the sight, and she turned to Eriol.

  “Wouldn’t it have been better if you’d just asked?” she mumbled.

  “Where’s the fun in that, quine?” chuckled Eriol.

  Astrid rolled her eyes.

  It’s always stupid games with this arsehole, she thought.

  “Not for nothing, Eriol, but I don’t think Maka’s on-board,” said Nathan. He touched his sternum and shuddered. “Not sure if I am either.”

  Eriol shrugged, “We’ll see.”

  Chapter 18: Meeting of the Minds

  As the officers of the Regiment struggled to recover their systems, the upper echelon argued. Much of it concerned how to find Shaula, Moonface, and the Silver Key. That was hampered by discussions regarding how to deal with the treacherous Eriol Lamperouge. Then there was the issue of the communications array, which was still out of commission. Not to mention, all the mirrors in the building were shattered, making communication with the Reaper impossible.

  Alone in a corridor, just outside a wrecked lavatory, Maka kicked a wall with frustration. Sweat poured down her brow and she clutched her stomach, knotted with her anger. Soul appeared around a corner and sighed with relief.

  “Maka, you shouldn’t be wandering alone,” he chided.

  “What? A poor girl needs a man’s help?” snarled Maka.

  “Shut up,” returned Soul dismayed. “There could be homunculi around, and you wouldn’t be able to deal with them without me … or a Kakugane but I’m pretty sure you’d die first.”

  Maka rolled her eyes, but had to agree with him there.

  “No mirrors, so we can’t get back to DWMA and ask for the Reaper’s help,” she moaned. She kicked the wall again. “Goddammit!”

  “Maka, calm down,” said Soul. He tried to embrace her, but she pushed away and started down the hall.

  “For now, it’s up to us,” she said over her shoulder. “I’m going to the roof so I can try and sense Shaula.”

  “I’ll come and help,” said Soul.

  “No!” screamed Maka. Soul stopped dead in his tracks. Maka disappeared down the corridor without another word.

  Soul groaned and rubbed his face. Usually, he could able to pull Maka out of one of her moods, but this was on an entirely different level.

  Obviously, it’s her daddy issues, he thought. But this has been going on since Hong Kong. And when she saw Kinomoto’s old man in the dam …

  Soul pursed his lips at the chill that had emanated from Maka’s soul when Sakura hugged her father. He let out a long sigh.

  I need Kinomoto for this, he concluded.

  He started down the hallway, and navigated the headquarters until he found the brig. Eriol directed him back to the infirmary, where he found Sakura with her father. Xiaolang, Nathan, and Astrid sat nearby. They all looked on edge, and became defensive when they saw him. He held his hands up.

  “I come in peace,” he said. He edged into the room and approached Sakura. “I wanted to apologise for Maka. She was out of line.”

  Sakura smiled weakly. Her mood had evidently improved with the recovery of her father.

  “It’s fine,” she said. “She’s just stressed, obviously.”

  “About that,” said Soul. He swallowed thoughtfully. “Miss Kinomoto –”

  “Sakura is fine,” interjected Sakura.

  “Okay then, Sakura, I have a favour to ask,” Soul went on. “I can tell you that Maka’s bad mood is because of you … Specifically, you and your dad.” Soul explained the events behind the death of Maka’s mother and her father’s subsequent behaviour. When he was finished, he presented his request. “I need you to find a way through to her. She needs to be able to put all this crap aside so that we can all … ya know, do what Eriol said we’d do.”

  “How do I do that?” asked Sakura.

  “Yeah, if Maka clearly hates her so much,” added Nathan.

  “You can resonate with her,” said Astrid. Nathan shot her a confused glance, which she waved off. “You’re too dumb to understand,” she said snidely, only for Nathan to flip her off.

  “Well, I’d like to know,” said Franklin. “I don’t know everything about magic just yet.”

  While Astrid explained the concept to Franklin and Nathan, Xiaolang, Soul and Sakura convened in the hallway.

  “It might be possible,” Xiaolang said after some careful thought. “You might be able to get through to her.”

  “Why can’t you do it?” Sakura asked Soul.

  Soul shook his head. “She’s not pissed at me.”

  Sakura wrung her hands nervously, and fidgeted under the albino’s expectant gaze. She glanced back at her father, chatting with the two Australians who had saved her from the homunculi. She considered them nice people. Xiaolang was, of course, wonderful – the love of her life. Soul was a kind person too, even if his sharp teeth and red eyes made him look a bit scary. And Sakura had said Maka would be cute if she smiled.

  Eriol’s story had constructed an image in her mind, one in which they worked together as friends to save the world. The thought elated her. She started to wish Maka would be nicer, if only to make that image a reality.

  So she agreed.

  * * *

  Maka paced around the roof of the Regiment headquarters. No matter how hard she tried, she could not extend her senses out further than a mile or two. Even then, what she sensed was sketchy at best.

  Gotta find Shaula, she internally growled. She reached out harder, looking for any signature of homunculus or Witch. She found nothing. Her body shook with frustration. She couldn’t excise the infernal image of that silly girl hugging her daddy from her head. It stuck there like a wedge in her mental gears, and it would not go away. Then another image entered her mind of her own sleazy papa hitting on that glorified cheerleader, and she punched the railing with an enraged squeal.

  Maka’s hand seared with the pain of broken bones. She gripped it tightly and sucked in her breath to bare the agony. The fight didn’t go her way and tears leaked from her eyes. Now, she couldn’t even reach out with her senses to find nearby souls.

  She looked out over the land. There was only flat terrain as far as she could see, with a few towns specking the horizon. She had no point of reference for where she was. Never had she felt so isolated.

  Except for one time.

  Involuntarily, her mind took her back to that moment.

  A five-year-old girl in a cream blouse and a red one-piece dress dotted with tears. Her pigtails, held by red ribbons, bobbed rhythmically with her heaves. Alone, she sat on a swing set. She gazed out at the children at play, seemingly unaware of her very existence.

  Maka couldn’t find even the energy to swing.

  She saw a little blonde baby, playing in the sand box with her mother and father. It made her gnash her teeth and grip the swing’s chains tightly.

  Why isn’t Mama here?

  Because she died, she remembered.

  Why isn’t Papa here?

  He ran off with that black woman from the liquor store, she remembered.

  Maka sobbed harder, such that she didn’t notice the shoes lingering just within her field of vision. She looked up and saw a girl, no older than four, with shoulder length chestnut hair. She patted down h
er pink overalls and smiled. She looked Asian, but Maka couldn’t have cared.

  “Whacha doin’ here all alone?” asked the girl with a thick New-York accent.

  “Being alone,” muttered Maka.

  The Asian girl looked around with a furrowed brow. Her eyes fell upon the empty swing next to Maka and she hopped on it.

  “I’m Sakura,” said the girl. Maka didn’t reply, so Sakura just said, “My Daddy doesn’t like me swingin’ alone.”

  “Where is he?” asked Maka half interested.

  “Oh, well,” said Sakura, her tone growing solemn. “My Mommy just passed away. And we had the funeral and everything. But he decided to take me and my Big Brother on vacation.” She smiled. “He’s a good Daddy.”

  Maka stifled an enraged roar that came out as a low sigh.

  “He’s probably just here to meet women,” she growled. She started to swing. “That’s all men are.” She swung higher. “They use women up and throw them away.” She swung even higher. “They just see women as buckets to dump their loads and forget about them!” Without realising it, Maka released the chains and flew into the air, screaming, “They should all die!”

  She face-planted into the dirt. Her tears turned to mud as she pulled out of the ground and spluttered. She continued to whimper, while everyone else continued to play regardless of her cries.

  Sakura walked over and stood beside her. She pointed at the other fathers.

  “They’re not doin’ that,” she said. “Sounds like they’re havin’ fun.”

  “They’re just biding their time,” snarled Maka.

  “Long time to bide,” replied Sakura. She looked down at the girl in the mud and intoned, “Maybe you just want that to be it.”

  “It is it!” retorted Maka. “They’re all secretly cheating! Just like Papa. And when their wives’re dying, they won’t even wait for the funeral. They’ll be running after the next whore.”

  “And if you’re wrong,” said Sakura. “Then it’ll mean you just got the raw deal. And then, you’ll have to wonder why you did. Maybe it was something you did, and not the big bad world.”