Story is put on hold as for now. 6/11/18

Disclaimer: Soul Eater is owned by Atsushi Okubo.

Author's Note: This story is actually something that I've been working on for quite some time and I've decided to finally post. The basic plot and workings are from a book called 'The Dark Heroine' by Abigail Gibbs. I have just modified it to incorporate one of my favorite anime pairings. I am by no means taking credit from Gibbs, this is just something that I've come to enjoy doing in my spare time and I hope it is received well.


.::ONE::.

Yoyogi Park is probably not the best place to stand at one o'clock in the morning. In fact, it is probably not the best place to be if you are alone at any time of night.

The shadow of Meiji Shrine, in the center of Yoyogi Park, loomed above as Maka shivered; the cool air of the October night rushing between the barren trees. She shuddered, pulling her coat tightly around herself, seriously beginning to regret wearing a short black dress for the evening. Jumping as a pigeon fluttered down beside her feet Maka scanned the empty courtyard for any sign of her friend.

'So much for getting a 'late-night' snack,' she mused to herself.

The sushi bar was only a two-minute walk away from here and twenty minutes had already passed and her friend was nowhere to be found. Maka rolled her eyes. No doubt Katsumi was in her underwear by now.

'Good for her. Why would she need to worry about little old me anyway?'

Maka walked toward the benches sheltered by the covered walkway. She sat and sighed, rubbing her hands across her knees, bitterly regretting the decision to wait behind. In retrospect, Maka should have known better than to let her friend have any privacy with some guy.

Taking one last glance around the empty square she pulled out her mobile and called Katsumi. It rang until the voicemail finally cut in. Groaning, Maka ended the call and slipped the phone back into her inside coat pocket. She knew her efforts were in vain as Katsumi's cell was probably lying underneath a pile of tangled clothing by now. Rubbing her hands together and drawing her knees up to her chest in a bid to keep warm, Maka debated whether she should just get a cab and go home.

But. . . if Katsumi did turn up, Maka would definitely be in trouble for leaving her friend behind in the center of downtown Tokyo. So, resigning herself to a long wait, she laid her head on her knees in the quiet.

'Katsumi will show up. She will,' Maka assured herself. 'She has too.'

Opposite, late-night drinkers drifted into view from around the shrine, sprawling out upon its stone steps. They bantered and carried on for a bit but after a while, and Maka thanked the heavens above, the loud group stumbled back from whence they came, their raucous laughter lost in the darkness with them. A few more people strolled through the empty courtyard after that, none even noticing Maka sitting all alone in the darkness. They too eventually moved on, finally leaving Maka completely alone with the silence of the park once more.

More minutes passed, or it could have been hours, and Maka began to feel uneasy. No one had stumbled through for a while and the cold night air was descending rapidly like a blanket around her exposed legs. She shivered, hugging her legs tighter. The courtyard was deserted, save for a few pigeons taking flight. She glanced about for a taxi or a passerby but the road that ran closest to the park's center was empty.

Maka breathed out a heavy sigh and sat up, dropping her feet to the concrete. She had made up her mind to call her father and explain the situation. He would send a car for her and before she knew it she'd be at home underneath her warm blankets. She was midst pulling her phone from her pocket when something flickered in the corner of her eye. Almost dropping her phone she jerked her head up and looked around, scanning the courtyard while her heart leaped into her throat.

Nothing. . . There was nothing.

'A pigeon. It was probably just a pigeon,' she assured herself.

Maka released the death grip she had on the phone and quickly called her father.

"C'mon. . ." she muttered impatiently as she waited for the lines to connect.

Maka was in the middle of a prayer when the dial-tone stopped and it went to voicemail. It took everything within Maka not to throw her phone upon the pavement. What was the point of having a phone when no one even answers!?

Maka shot Katsumi another 'SOS' text, one of many, and took a deep calming breath. Or at least attempted too. Her breath got caught in her throat when she spotted movement on top of Meiji Shrine. Her eyes widened, and she watched in disbelief as a shadow swiftly swept across the roof, vanishing from sight as quickly as it had come. With a shot of adrenaline pumping through her veins, Maka instantly stood and stared over at the entrance of the courtyard, ready to leave, but as soon as she took one step she froze and was instantly rooted to the spot.

A gang of men clothed in long, brown coats and carrying long, sharpened canes at their sides descended the steps of Meiji. Their grim, weather-beaten faces were dark and heavily scarred, every brow set in an unwavering, determined line. Their heavy footfalls rang in her ears, pounding out an uneven march on the pavement as they moved ever closer to the center of the courtyard.

Stunned and unsure of where to go, Maka shrank back into the shadows. She silently crouched behind a bench, daring to even breathe.

One man stood upon the steps of the shrine, staring out into the crowd. He barked an order and the others quickly spread out from their groups and into a five by five square. There were twenty-five of them and as one smooth machine, they came to a halt in front of the shrine. Each step in sync, each blink together. Only their coats moved as the wind billowed through the fabric. They had to be military. Each man looked straight ahead with an unwavering concentration, watching and waiting.

The seconds drew out to minutes, and then it happened. . .

The square came alive in a frenzy of movement and out of nowhere something sprang from out of the trees, soaring high above Maka's head and landing without so much as a stumble on the hard stone about ten feet away from where she hid. Maka blinked, unable to comprehend what she was witnessing and before she could take a second look it had disappeared within the shadows.

A grin cut through the leaders face as he stared out into the courtyard at his men who were as still as a frozen lake. From his coat, he pulled out the sharp baton and with the flick of his wrist it became twice as long. He spun it a few times before him, as though admiring the way the baton glinted when it caught the light.

The leader, tall and lean, was quite old; and, just like his comrades, his face held many scars. His hair, cut short, was as white as cotton; a stark contrast to his leathery skin. His smile widened as his eyes continued scanning the outskirts of the courtyard. Maka drew in a sharp breath when his eyes landed in her corner. She expected him to easily see her in the bright red coat she was wearing, but his attention was quickly whipped away as a man suddenly appeared on the peak of the shrine's rooftop.

Maka squinted and realized it wasn't a man at all, but a boy who looked not much older than her. His skin was ashen pale, almost translucent, pulled taut over hollow cheeks. His hair, spiked and unkempt, was bleached so blonde it was practically white. Maka rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things but when her vision cleared the boy was gone. She searched the courtyard for him but her attention was pulled elsewhere as four other teenagers appeared from the shadows. They walked forward, slowly circling the group of men in the middle, rounding them up as if they were cattle. The teenagers' faces were twisted into a mixture of amusement and hatred when they stopped moving and just stared at the men.

A boy with turquoise colored hair, the closest to Maka, grinned and said, "Well, what do we have here? A bunch of noobs?" He laughed at the men as if making fun.

By that time, each one had pulled out their batons, and just as their leader, flicked their wrist extending them. On the opposite side of the courtyard stood another young man dressed to the nines in a black suit. He pulled on the cuffs of his jacket, looking as if he were bored. The other two were teenage girls; two very well endowed girls who wore the same outfit along with matching cowboy hats and boots.

After a moment the foursome moved as one closer towards the men. Maka was confused by the men's reactions. Their faces were contorted into a picture of total fear as they broke their ranks, stumbling backward and on top of each other as they tried to get as far away from the teenagers as possible. Only the leader remained unmoved, his smile becoming a smirk as he clasped his baton to his side as he watched the scene unfold before him.

Suddenly, the guy with the white hair appeared on the roof again and quickly dived off. Maka held her breath as he plummeted fast toward the ground, surely to his death, but she watched in amazement as he landed nimbly on the top steps, dropping to a crouch in front of the leader.

The courtyard stilled, all eyes upon the two in front of Meiji Shrine.

"Soul Evans, such a pleasure to see you again," the leader said extending his arms in a wide greeting.

The boy, Soul Evans, straightened, his face blank and unreadable as he stared up into the face of the leader.

"The pleasure's all mine, Viktor," Soul answered coolly after a moment. "You mind telling me what you want, I have no time to waste on you and your newbie crew tonight."

Soul cut his eyes toward the cowering crowd.

"And yet here you are," Viktor said slyly as he stared down at Soul. His smirk widened as he ran a single finger down the sharp edge of his baton.

"Don't flatter yourself. We were out hunting anyway," Soul said nonchalantly as he waved his hand dismissively.

'Hunting?'

Viktor chuckled darkly. "As are we."

In a flash, faster than Maka would have thought the man capable of, Viktor brought the pointed end up to Soul's chest, thrusting forward. Though with good intentions it never found its mark. In one second Soul was in front of the man and in the blink of an eye he was behind him. Viktor turned just as quickly, a look of malice on his face. He struck quickly but in one swift motion, Soul knocked the baton loose from the man's grip. It clattered to the ground; its metallic ring echoing in the silence of the courtyard. To his credit, Viktor didn't try to retrieve his baton from the ground. Instead, he tucked his hands in his jacket pockets' and leaned back on his heels, his lips curling into a smile.

"Tell me, Soul," Viktor began. "How is the Shinigami?"

Out of nowhere, Soul's hand snatched forward and seized Viktor's throat, squeezing. Horrified but unable to look away, Maka watched as the older man's eyes bulged and his feet left the pavement while the color drained from his face. Viktor coughed and sputtered, his feet thrashing in mid-air. He attempted to pry the teenager's grip from his throat but his efforts were fruitless and his motions soon began to slow. After a moment, Soul let go and Viktor crumpled to the ground coughing and gasping for breath. He whimpered like a child and his face slowly began reflecting pure fear as he stared up into the face of the younger man. The leader quickly shuffled back and away from Soul. Without a word Soul followed Viktor, bending down next to him.

"Any last words?" Soul growled, the menace in his voice barely restrained. The leader drew in several long, shaky breaths, not daring to look up into the eyes of the younger man. Viktor wiped away the sweat and tears on his sleeve as Soul inched closer and closer.

"I hope you all burn in hell," the fallen man spat out between clenched teeth.

"Wishful thinking." And with that Soul pounced forward, his head falling to Viktor's neck.

There was a sickening crack. Maka gagged, instantly closing her eyes. Tears fell and she knew without a doubt that if she made any noise she would be next.

There was a thud and when she dared to peek between her fingers at the scene before her Soul was standing before Viktor's lifeless body. Blood was running down his chin and he had a sickening look in his eye as he stared at the remaining men within the center of the courtyard.

It was then when a huge fight broke out. Though it didn't last very long. The men barely had enough time to raise their stakes to defend themselves before the four on the ground ran through the men like lions chasing lambs. One by one their bodies dropped to the ground before her eyes. And blood. . . There was so much blood.

The smell of copper that floated through the air made Maka's nose burn. She swallowed hard, hoping to keep the contents of her stomach down. Soul watched as his comrades tore through the throats of the men with ease. He looked pleasantly happy despite all the carnage before him.

Within minutes five teenagers had slaughtered twenty-five grown men.

Afterward, the four reconvened in the center of the courtyard not seeming to mind the pools of blood they were standing in.

"Soul, please tell me we are not going to clean this up!" said the tallest girl as she attempted to wipe blood away from her chin.

"No," Soul said indignantly.

"We'll leave it as a message for the other hunters not to cross us," replied the boy with the three white stripes in his hair. He stared down at the nearest limp body with a look of disgust while straightening the cuffs on his ruined suit.

"Agreed," nodded Soul. He kicked the arm of a man out of his way as he made his way over toward the others.

Maka knew she needed to get the heck out of dodge before these people noticed her. Looking back she figured if she slowly crept towards the closest line of trees she could make it at least to the main street before they finally caught up to her. . . She hoped. Saying a small prayer to herself, Maka held her breath and removed her heels, hoping to make the least noise as possible. Once off Maka crawled backward a few steps before fear got the best of her and she had to look back. Had to make sure they hadn't noticed her. Maka slowly rose her head to find the teen with the white hair leisurely staring over at her. If her body hadn't frozen in place Maka knew she would have passed out from fear.

"Well, what do we have here?" Soul chuckled as his cool voice carried over the courtyard. He smiled at Maka, his lips curling into a smirk.

Instinct worked faster than her mind and before she knew it Maka had jumped up and sprinted away from the courtyard towards the long line of trees sheltered next to the main road. Her feet thudded against the cold stone pathway as she ran, literally, for her life.

Maka looked back over her shoulder but found out that was a mistake when she instantly crashed into something hard. Maka fell down on her butt and looked up. Standing before her was none other than Soul, the one who jumped from the roof of Meiji. The one who had killed that man! Maka recoiled away from him and rose to her feet. He had been fifty yards away before she had taken off and he had made it in front of her within the blink of an eye.

"Where do you think you're going?" he questioned, the smirk still placed on his bloody face.

"N-n-nowhere. . ." Maka stuttered. She stared over his shoulder at the growing light flowing through the trees.

"Going to report us?" he questioned. Maka didn't speak, her lips gluing shut as he came closer. "Well, I'm afraid you can't do that."

Close up he was even more frightening. Soul licked his lips as he stared over at Maka. It was then when she caught sight of his teeth. But they weren't like teeth at all. They were all pointed, like sharp fangs, and so brilliantly white they didn't seem real. But what really chilled Maka to the bone was his eyes. The small red orbs glowed within the darkened pathway, making her feel as though he was staring straight into her soul.

Unable to stand in his presence any longer Maka decided to run. Just run. Ducking around him she attempted to make a frantic getaway. She was about ten feet away from the line of trees when she was yanked back. A hand clutched around one of her wrists and she was quickly pulled up against a body. Both hands wrapped around her fragile self but Maka fought back. She wasn't about to let this guy take her without a fight. She yelled as loud as she could but all the kicking and screaming didn't seem to work. No one stopped to look in the directions of the yells.

Maka's body slumped when a smooth voice whispered beside her ear. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?"

This was so not normal. None of this was even close to normal! What was going on? Who were these people? Struggling again in his grasp, Soul tightened the hold he had on her, pulling her firmly away from the shelter of the brightly lit road and hope for escape.

"What do you want?" she questioned belligerently, trying anything and everything to loosen the grasp he had on her.

"What do you think?" His words were chillingly cold. " You saw all of that. . ." He trailed off, letting her figure out the rest on her own.

Soul pulled her closer towards the carnage in the middle of the park and the closer she got to the others the more her heart raced. Maka's eyes cycled rapidly between the dead bodies lying in tangled bloody messes upon the pavement and the four teenagers who had killed them all.

Her mind raced.

'What am I going to do? Who is going to help me? What about Katsumi? Dad? Mom. . .?'

Soul slowly bent down close to her, his hot breath upon her neck.

"Scream and I swear I'll kill you."

And without thrashing about or yelling—what she desperately wanted to do—Maka was taken away. Away from the gruesome bloodbath that these pale monsters had created.