Along time ago in the desert of Nevada , a city was built by death himself, the city was named Death City and right in the centre was an academy started by The Lord of Death for those with the power to fight the evil that plagued the world. For a while everything was peaceful until something changed soon the land became over run by the evil souls that Death and the Academy sought to irradiate, Pre-kishin; those who had strayed of the human path by devouring the souls of humans. Close to becoming the true evil that could destroy the world and its inhabitants. A kishin.
The city was city was shut off, surround by an unsolvable labyrinth. Once in a while a brave, but incredibly stupid person would enter but none come out... EVER.
So for hundreds of years it stayed like this- "MAKA ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?"
Maka looked up startled, her history teacher, Mr Anderson who was glaring from the front of the classroom. Maka looked around and slide down in her seat feeling the stares of her class mates, she slid the book under her papers and looked back up to the teacher and apologised "it won't happen again-" she continued before she was cut off by the teacher; "I should hope so, but just in case, if it does indeed happen again it will be a detention". She frowned and looked at her papers, all covered in scribbles of souls, ghastly monsters and a half human weapon. It was a figure of a male with the arm replaced by a scythe blade, the hair was left white while the rest was shaded; for some reason it didn't feel right to colour in the hair. The bell rang and Maka started to pack up her things, it was the end of the day and she planned to go to the library to study for her biology test later in the week.
She walked up the corridor, avoiding the pushing and shoving of the underclass men trying to get out of the building. She put her books in her locker and moved a few things into her bag when the sudden presence of someone made her jump. "Short blonde hair, green eyes and carrying a heap of books." She turned starting to get annoyed already. Yes she carried books but no a heap. It turned out it was a guy, most likely a senior. "Marcus Fenn" he said holding out his hand, she took it and he continued "I'm a senior, you're Maka Albarn right" Marcus smiled showing a dimple beneath his cloudy grey eyes. She nodded eyeing off his curly, chestnut hair "yeah I'm a junior, but I guess you know that. What can I help you with?" she asked as she pulled her school bag out of her locker.
"Yeah, I'm on the football team and need to get a good, really good grade on my next math test or I'm off." She nodded, not that she overly cared "Well apparently, you are miss super genius and you are a tutor in maths" he smiles again and she started walking, indicating that he should follow. "So I was thinking we could start today if you're not busy". She nodded, nice; football players and their belief that everyone would drop everything for them. She thought it over for another second; well she did want to get one of the new books the store had got in "I didn't agree to anything yet". He smiled hopefully, he was like a puppy. "But? I hear a but in that tone"
She sighed, money winning out on the weighing of pros and cons. "Okay I can only help for one hour today, and twenty for today after that ten for an hour. He nodded "That's good enough lets go". He wraps his arm around mine and drags me toward town.
"You're into the Death City legends" Marcus needed to the small black book that Maka looked over while her went over the questions she had given him, "I read that two years ago, it was pretty cool but they're not much to it." Maka looked up at him "really? It's an amazing story, yeah, it doesn't go into much detail, and I mean you can't even find a name of the author" she pointed out, moving the book around to show that. He nodded "I know, but after searching the internet I found an old manuscript of sorts" He smiles and Maka sat up "no way! Really, I thought I looked everywhere"
Marcus laughs "Yeah, I had to go deep into collector's thing but there other information." Maka leaned forward, excited "okay, no you have to tell me." He sits back and dives right in from what he knew "You know how the city was cut off?" he started and she nodded "Well before the Pre-Kishen began to take over Death was killed in battle." Maka narrowed her eyes, slightly concerned "Wait, Death died?" she was reeling but her nodded.
"Yeah, something about powers of reapers only being temporary, even if they live for thousands of years they can't live forever, and are able to be killed. So that's why he had an heir to his powers, his son." She frowned at this, there had been no mention of that before "But the new protector of the world wasn't as, well… as focused on keeping the evil at bay. He was fixated on watching a girl from another universe, and all that. Poor guy apparently, he fell in love with this chick and blah, blah, blah, vowed that even though they were in different realms he would do anything she asked.
"As you would know, the main cause for the pre-Kishens forming was madness; everyone has their own madness, the new reaper his was perfection. The want for precision drove him mad; his mind became dark and twisted. The Labyrinth was built around the city to protect the inhabitants but the labyrinth was dangerous, filled with the pre-Kishen. Those at the Academy saw what was happening and were lead into an uprising but they were killed and those who avoided the slaughter were exiled to the labyrinth. But he continued to watch over the girl obsessively while his own world fell to ruin."
"Wow" Maka sat back, think over the new information before she commented "you know I kinda feel sorry for the girl" Marcus raises his eyebrow, questioning and Maka rolled eyes, yeah why would you feel sorry for someone being basically stalked "would you want help from a mad man? Also this 'love' thing just seems like an obsession. His judgement of right and wrong would be off".
Marcus nods and looks at his watch "shit, its seven o'clock, hey ugh meet you here tomorrow?" She nodded back to thinking of Death City, waving as he left.
After a week of helping Marcus study for his test the two became closer, and made plans to hang out outside of studying. Maka found that she considered Marcus to be one of her only friends she had. When he passed the test he asked her out to the movies, as friends. It was some action film and the pair had had a discussion about it on the way home. It had been a really good day until she got home. It was raining by the time she got to the house and was damp and cold as the rain was however, the ice in her mother's tone had made the inside of the house feel like a blizzard had come right though.
"Bloody hell spirt. I'm sick of this, I'm sick of you and your damned cheating. You said it wouldn't happen again!" Maka froze at her mother's screeching it hit like a brick wall. They probably didn't notice her enter, they were so centred on their fight, Spirit Albarn was gripping onto a wall, most likely drunk off his face again and Kami who Maka resembled down to the last blonde hair on her head was standing over him, she was tall but that was because of her legs while her torso was shorter. Her father on the other hand had dyed red hair that when down to his shoulders and baby blue eyes that were nearly always glassy. Maka stormed up the stairs and into her room. It was always like this; a never ending cycle. Spirit would go out, sleep with some random woman, come home get yelled at sometimes he yelled back but it was normally a one-sided argument.
She throw herself onto the bed, still in her damp clothes, she had worn a white button up blouse and a yellow sweater vest, and a red and black tartan skirt, her hair was pulled up in pigtails. She covered her ears as the yelling got louder; they were going up the stairs and outside her door. Suddenly the direction changed and then there was a slamming of the front door. Her mother had left her and walked out again. Maka sighed pulling herself up there was only one picture of the three of them when they were happy, she was five in it. Why did she have to put up with it?
Her bedroom door was knocked on and Spirit walked in, looking abashed "Maka, honey. I'm sorry you had to hear that." She frowned, really? He was going with that? She had to listen to that on a near bi-weekly basis. She got up fuming but remained calm on the surface "How can you say that! You do it all the time, it's your fault!" she near yelled "you don't care, about me or Mama. Only yourself!" Spirit shrinks away looking down "you don't love Mama enough to do right by her or me apparently! I'm sick of it and you. I wish you were gone. Forever. I wish someone took you away and lever let you out of whatever hole you crawled out of"
Spirit was frozen looking at his daughter before walking out of the room, looking nearly sobered by what she said. Maka picked up one of her cushions, white with a black X across it and throw it at the door before punching the wall, a then instantly regretting in because the wall hurt. Rubbing her knuckles and mumbling "I wish The Lord of death would take his soul". A crack of thunder shook the house and she grabbed onto her desk, waiting till her heart had calmed down. She looked out the door; the dark from the hall seemed to seep into her room, filling her with a cold dread. She walked out into the hall, treading softly as her heart stared racing faster, no, I'm not scared, and this is my house. There's nothing to be scared of in the dark; she told herself that over and over before she opened her parents' bedroom door. It was empty.
She looked around what the hell she spun around the room "PAPA?" Where are you?!" she yelled, this situation was freaking her out really quickly.
A soft chuckle came from the hall and she froze; that wasn't her father. There was someone in her house, you came to the wrong house you mother she thought, grabbing a wooden baseball bat. Her heartbeat picked up and she held the bat over her shoulder, ready to swing at any idiot who came near her. She stepped out into the hall, as lightning flashed, lighting up her surroundings to show the intruder in front of her. Shock and fear pumped through Maka as she swung at the unknown person. They lifted their arm to block but when the bat made impact it cracked and left her holding half a spikey piece of wood. She looked up at the person and held the half bat in front of her as she backed away slowly.
"Calm down Love, I wouldn't hurt you" Maka narrowed her eyes, well it was a guy. His voice was silky and rich and if she wasn't freaking terrified it would have been attractive, but she was terrified so it was just scary as hell.
In the disappearing light his golden eyes glow as he leant against the wall his hand fell back to his side. His hair was raven black; peculiarly he had three white stripes ringing around his hair which gave of the effect of glowing. His attire was extremely formal in his black suit. Five black lines vertically lined his smirk.
His eyes moved over Maka, filling her with the cold that came before, while here heart speed up she felt immobilised. He was beautiful but she could see a dead kind of cold in his eyes and it scared the crap out of her. Piping up what courage she could feel she stood taller glaring at him "Who are you and what the hell are you doing in my house" she demanded and he gave her an icy smile. "I am Death; well his son but I have the title of the Reaper is mine now. You however can call me Kid" he chuckled as though he had said something funny. Yeah she was a freak show she could see it. He walks toward her and she took a step back, lifting the broken bat to face level, his eyes narrow.
"You don't come any closer to me, what did you do to my father?" she said before he came closer the distance making her move back and into a wall He swiftly wacked the ruined bat handle out of her hand and frowned. He lifted his hand, touching one of her pigtails distractedly "I took his soul to my city." He said simply and she widened her eyes in shock oh god I got my Papa killed, does that count as patricide? Maka's face looked pleadingly "Please but I need him." he pulled back and looked scrutiny at her "then why ask me to"
She shook her head, "I was angry I didn't mean, I didn't think" she looked up has he grabbed her chin, pulling her face up to his. His face had hardened, colder than before "then why day something if you don't mean it
Kid's hand grabs my chin and lifts my head to meet his hardened gaze. "I won't and if you don't mean something then don't say it" he said coldly and Maka was filled with the feeling of dread again, then she realised it was coming from him. "If you need him so much then you should think before you speak." Maka frowned pushing away the cold feeling, she shoved against him, managing to push him back slightly "you're not real your just from a story in a stupid book" she yelled and Kid's gold eyes blazed, but when he spoke his voice was sub zero; "well that's a shame, if I'm not real then I'll go and you can forget about your father" he turned away and Maka grabbed onto his arm, yelling for him to stop "Wait, I'll do anything just give him back."
Kid turned around back to her, his coat flapping in the wind. Wait wind? She looked around to find the pair of them in a desert; and in the distance she could see Death City, oh god, it's real. "Anything?" Kid brought back her attention and he was smiling in an amused way, but how a child smiles at an ant they're burning with a magnifying glass. Somehow Maka felt that was close to her situation. He looked behind him then back at her "very well, Maka I'll give you a day" he looked over her "yes, I think a day will give you I fighting chance." She narrowed her eyes "a chance for what Kid?" she snapped and he just shrugged her anger off. "A day to get through the labyrinth and into the city; if you get to the Academy in twenty four hours then I'll hand over your father and all this will go away". Maka looked at the City, it was already an estimated 20 minute walk to the gates, but she hand no other choice, "and if I don't?" she looked back to Kid but he was gone. She turned in a circle before cursing.
Maka looked at the desert before setting toward the City; it was filled with Pre-Kishen that could kill her in a second. There wasn't much chance of getting out of it alive.