Maka's Dark Soul Problem

By: DemonClowSorceress

Disclaimer: Jeez, need I say it? Soul Eater is not mine. If it were, I'd totally be pals with Soul, kick Black*Star's ass on a regular basis, tease Kid with asymmetrical art, and have fun with the girls. Only the storyline and OCC is mine.

Summery:Maka never knew how much she treasured Soul...until she thought she would lose him to someone else. But is she really losing him?

Part One

Witch of Evil, Child of Envy

"You have got to be kidding me, Tiny Tits."

Maka Albarn scowled at his reaction. "What?" she replied defensively. "It's food."

"It looks like you threw an old shoe in the blender along with some Jell-O and pushed puree, then took a blowtorch to the top." Soul Eater Evans leaned over the pan and sniffed her creation. "Is this even edible? Should I have Poison Control on standby?"

"Just shut up and eat it, Soul," snapped the scythe meister, cutting a slice and shoving it in front of him before getting one for herself. The rest of the meal was heavy with a bitter, almost smothering silence.

The youngest Deathscythe rolled his eyes and stood up. "I'm heading over to Shibusen to get my assignment," he said. "Should be back by ten. Make sure you don't study late and get some sleep tonight, okay?"

"Screw off, Soul," Maka said angrily, still miffed about the jab at her cooking. He flashed that shark-like smile and left the apartment. She heard his motorcycle rev in the street before peeling out for Shibusen.

A soft "Nyah~?" drew the ash-blonde meister's attention to Blair. "Why did you and Scythe-Boy fight, nyah~?" she asked in her peculiar way.

Maka sighed heavily. "Because he's an arrogant, cool-obsessed jerk who thinks it's not 'cool' to eat something that looks like crap but actually isn't all that bad!" she steamed, throwing her fork onto the floor.

Blair jumped at the harsh jangle of metal on linoleoum tiles. "Maka, don't throw silverware, nyah~" she said, picking up the utensil and leaping on the table to put it back.

"Blair, I told you before, no jumping on the tab - What?" For the purple cat was giving her a surprised look.

"What d'you mean, Scythe-Boy didn't eat? His portion's gone, nyah~"

Maka stood up. Sure enough, there was only a handful of crumbs on his plate. The mortified blush on her face burned as she screamed, "HE'S GETTING A MAKA-CHOP WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM!"

Soul Eater Evans

"Ah-CHOO!" The sneeze exploded from Soul's nose with such force that it startled both Black*Star and Death the Kid. When they looked over at him, he suddenly shuddered. "I think Maka's planning on how to kill me," he stated, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"You really ought to stop provoking her," Kid replied matter-of-factly.

Soul shrugged. What could he say? He loved provoking his meister. It made her react in pleasant and emotional ways. Not like their usual interactions, the mundane talks of weather and friends and souls (don't misunderstand, the last two are great topics), which were so routine that it made Soul want to bite the heads off some kishin. He wanted to tell Maka how he felt about her, but it never felt like the right time.

Besides, she had the stupid but justified misconception that all men were cheating bastards like her Papa. How can you beat that?

Soul gave his trademark grin again. "It's not that easy," he admitted.

Black*Star, less loud but just as obnoxious as usual, cracked up laughing. "Don't you get it, Kidd? He does this so he can get whacked by Maka!" The loud ninja leveled a finger at Soul's face. "Masochist!"

"Give it a rest, Black*Star," Kid sighed. "Not everyone has your luck with women."

Soul rolled his eyes. Yes, Black*Star had finally deciphered his own feelings for Tsubaki, his partner, and the two had been dating for the last three months. Now if only Maka were just as perceptive. Which is ironic, considering she's the smartest girl in our entire SCHOOL and has got the best Soul Perception since, like, CREATION.

Further inner discussion was interrupted by Lord Shinigami, who popped into existance before the three boys with his customary, "Yo!" Soul and Black*Star bowed their heads in respect while Kid said, "Father," in the same tone of respect.

"Well boys, I wish this was going to be an easy mission, but unfortunately it's not," said the God of Death, shrugging his shoulders. "There's a witch on the warpath outside Death City, and our intelligence says she's quite the powerful little renegade. Her name is Allavalia, and she was a disciple of Medusa Gorgon."

"Oh great," mumbled Black*Star when the dead witch's name was spoken. "And here I thought me and Tsubaki could turn in early for the night - "

"TMI dude, T-M-friggin'-I," Soul warned the blue-haired teen.

Lord Shinigami continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Also, she possesses an unusual hypnosis over women - she seems to make them catty and jealous of other women, thereby distorting and destroying their ability to perform Soul Resonance. This is the reason why I have asked only you boys here - we tried getting Stein and Marie to attack with Sid and Mira Nygus, but the weapons got jealous of each other and messed up their Soul Resonance."

Black*Star winced. "Ouch. How bad did they get their asses handed to them?"

Lord Shinigami was serious as...well, as Death. "They were lucky to escape with their lives. Kim has been using her restorative magic nonstop for the last day." This sobered the boys up quick. The thought of their teachers actually losing to a lone witch was very disturbing. "So I must stress this - you must be careful. Another reason why I have asked that you not fight with your female partners."

"That's fine for me and Black*Star, since we're both meisters and can fight without our partners, but what about Soul?" asked Kid. "He's a weapon. Granted, a Deathscythe, but he can't fight efficiently on his own. No offense," he added.

The white-haired weapon shrugged. "None taken." It was a cool observation. Soul wasn't well-trained in single combat yet. His true strength came from his meister. From Maka.

Speaking of which, it sounded like he wouldn't be back in time for bed. Dammit, she's gonna be pissed off...I can feel the Maka-Chop with my name on it already...

Lord Shinigami nodded. "Well, I think I can solve that. You see, there's this one individual who is surprisingly immune to the witch's hypnosis. She claims, " - This he directed at Soul - "She claims to know you, Soul." He waved behind the boys. "Come in now, miss."

The three boys turned around to face this new ally. Soul's crimson eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "You?"

"Been a while, Soul Eater."

Maka Albarn

"Maka~, Blair is tired, nyah~" mewled the magical cat. "Why are we walking through Death City at midnight, nyah~?"

Maka steamed as she stomped down the empty streets. "Because that damn Soul isn't home yet, and he said he'd be back by ten."

"But Scythe-Boy's a big, strong Deathscythe," purred Blair. "Surely he can take care of himself, nyah~"

"If you want to go - " Maka's sentance was cut short when she sensed an unshielded witch's soul outside of Death City. "Dammit, it's a strong one," she said, picking up her pace to run towards Shibusen. "I have to tell someone! Blair, hurry up!"

Together girl and cat raced through Death City towards the school. Thanks to her powerful Soul Perception, Maka could keep tabs on the witch's movements. When the witch began heading for Shibusen, Maka increased her pace. But why? she wondered, skidding around a corner. Why head towards Shibusen? Unless she's after Kim, or Angela! The thought of either girl in danger spurred the teenage meister even faster.

But as she came to the street leading to her school, Maka heard a dark, girlish voice giggle high above her head. "Viper, viperssss, poise-on, poison."

Blair quickly screamed "Pump-pumpkin Pumpkin!" and summoned a Flying Pumpkin to carry her and Maka out of danger as the ground exploded beneath them. Clutching the top of the pumpkin, Maka looked down to see a thrashing snake of magic zip over and up like a firework, heading right for them. Cat-Blair leaned left to steer the pumpkin out of danger.

Where is that damn witch! Maka panicked, scanning around with her Soul Perception. A ping registered, and she glared at the dark form floating in the sky against the moon. There!

She looked very small, almost childlike. Long black hair was done up in two long, spiral-styled pigtails tied with huge green ribbons high on her head. Her outfit was composed of a green coat that was buttoned over her generous chest, baring her stomach as it flared out behind her like a cape, and black short-shorts. Green tights glittered over her legs, while black ankle boots covered her feet. She sat sideways on a broom like she was queen of the sky and giggled madly.

Maka scowled at the small witch. "Who are you?"

"My name is Allavalia, disciple of the great Medusa Gorgon," announced the witch. "You, Maka Albarn, killed my master. For that, your soul is mine!" She pointed to the meister. "Viper, viperssss, poise-on, poison!"

"Blair, move!" shouted Maka as a large viper of green magic shot from Allavalia's fingertips. The cat hurriedly steered them away from the attack, but Allavalia continued to fire viper after viper. Soon the sky was full of writhing green snakes, all hissing and heading for Maka.

Blair did her best, but her Flying Pumpkin wasn't fast or agile enough to avoid all the attacks. One snake struck the pumpkin, causing it to explode. Another sliced through Maka's side, and a third snake hit Blair head-on. The cat's scream of pain was screeching, making Maka's hair stand on end as numbing pain spread through her body. Shit, there's poison in the magic... she thought as they fell towards the cobblestone streets. I can't...move...fast enough to...land right...

"Maka!"

A hard form collided with Maka, and strong arms cradled her close to a muscled chest she knew well. Looking up, she recognized the sharp teeth and messy white hair of her partner. "Soul?" Then she remembered the injured magical cat. "Blair! Soul, she's - "

"It's okay, Kid's got her," said Soul, calming her with his deep voice and firm hold. "Just relax, Maka. You got a bad hit there..." Those crimson eyes scorched her soul, searching for other injuries. "Okay, it looks like you're only hurt in one place. Just stay still and we'll get you back to Shibusen."

Kid skidded to a halt beside them on his skateboard, cradling Blair. "Hurry up, Soul," he said, handing the cat to him. "Black*Star can't hold that witch off forever."

"Give me a second," Soul said, his eyes never leaving Maka.

The young Shinigami shook his head and spun around. "Get moving. She's getting in position."

Maka tried to tell them about Allavalia, but she couldn't make herself speak. It was like something was blocking her throat, stopping her voice from passing through to him.

"Soul Eater Evans!" came an unfamiliar female voice from behind him. "We got a witch to slay! Let's get to it!"

"Hold on!" yelled Soul without any true venom. He set Maka down against a building's wall and put the unconscious Blair in her lap. "Just stay here and watch, Maka. You'll be okay, I promise." He stood up and ran towards Allavalia, shouting, "All right Dark! Let's go!"

"Wicked sweet!" Maka watched, shocked, as a girl she'd never seen ran up behind him and held out her hand. "Okay Soul Eater, transform!"

The pianist transformed into his scythe form and spun into the girl's hand. To Maka's astonishment, there was no hissing flesh that signified a rejection response. The girl spun Soul expertly, over her head and behind her back, before holding him behind her back so that the blade extended above her shoulder like a crimson and black metal wing. "Hey! Witch!" she called at the floating child. "Let's do this in a wicked sweet way!"

Allavalia giggled again. "A girl? Perfect! This will be so easy!" She waved her hands. "Viper, viperssss, poise-on, poison!" One hand pointed to the girl, while the other leveled at Maka. "Envy Poison!"

A green cloud of magic shot from each hand, heading for the girls. Maka felt it touch the wound on her side and screamed as white-hot pain seared through her body, blocking everything out with agony and bringing one thing into the forefront of her mind.

Soul can resonate with another girl.

But he's MINE.

Soul Eater Evans

Soul saw the magic coming towards them. "Dammit. Dodge it, Dark!"

His partner laughed. "Soul Eater, you wuss! Why do you think Lord Shinigami made me your partner?" She gripped his staff and stood her ground. The magic green cloud enveloped her, seeking a way inside. Her grin widened, showing the right fang-like canine. "Oooh, scary magic, witch. You know, jealousy isn't becoming for a girl like me!"

Allavalia cursed. "Why won't you succumb to my Envy Poison?" With a screech she shot another magical snake at girl and scythe.

Dark laughed as she dodged with ease. "What reason would I have to be jealous?" Her tongue licked her long fang. "Satisfied, Soul?"

My total opposite, thought Soul. "I am now."

"Great. Now shut up and follow my lead!" She gathered her legs and jumped high, avoiding the green viper with ease. Executing a perfect flip, she landed squarely behind Kid on his flying skateboard, startling the son of Death. "Just stopping by!" she called, jumping off again.

Soul took another good look at his recently-assigned partner. Even though he hadn't seen her in years, Dark Nightmare Blade was still an impetuous girl who never failed to understand him on a level most people couldn't. She was his friend when they learned piano as children, and many times they would play with each other as they composed their dark, twisted songs. A smirk touched his face when he remembered her reaction at his leaving the family for Shibusen - not of disappointed shock like everyone else, but of admiration and pride.

In many ways, she was like Maka. But whereas Maka was an angel of light (not that Soul would ever be caught dead saying such an uncool-sounding, yet true, statement) Dark was more like a fairy of darkness. Her hair was a darker shade of midnight blue sprinkled with stardust that glittered even in Death City's grinning moonlight, and her eyes were silver pools of mercury. She was a little more endowed compared to Maka's underdeveloped figure, but modestly, not like Blair (thank God, nowhere near that much). Her clothes were simple, being a pair of black jean capris, white sneakers with black scythes on the sides, a red tank top with a black soul design on the front, and a black tattered short cape that fluttered to the small of her back and mantled over her shoulders.(1)

Soul was knocked out of his internal comparison of his two female partners when something slammed into Dark, sending the two of them to the ground. She got to her feet, using him to support her, and looked over at their attacker. "Wait, isn't that your meister?" she asked Soul.

Maka? Soul looked over and, sure enough, Maka stood there like an unsteady doll, dripping blood from her side and an unnatural light in her green eyes. "Maka, what are you doing?" he yelled.

"Get your slut hands off my partner, bitch!" screamed Maka, lunging for Dark again. Unable to attack, Dark merely blocked her with Soul's handle and jumped back. "Get off him. Get off him. GET THE HELL OFF HIM!"

Dark quickly backed away and jumped atop a street lamp. "Geez, so that's what Lord Shinigami was so worked up about. If she was a weapon, then there'd be real trouble."

"Be thankful she isn't packing books," Soul murmured.

Black*Star landed on a nearby street lamp, his knuckle bandages torn and bloody. "Damn witch is tough," he said. "Can't really knock her off with Soul Menace. We need Witch Hunter."

"That's a little bit of a problem," replied Dark, watching Maka scream obscenites at her.

Death the Kid skidded to a halt between their perches. "Maka's really mad," he noted. "Father said that this witch manipulated women's emotions to create jealousy. I bet that's her aspect of destruction - she destroys relationships."

Black*Star looked really horrified at this. "That's why he didn't let us fight with the girls. If they - if Tsubaki - " His eyes widened in fear at the thought of his partner suddenly hating his guts. "So now Maka is..."

"Caught in the grips of jealousy," finished Dark. She lightly jumped down to the street and released Soul. "Change back, Soul Eater. I'll try and talk to her."

Before he could argue against it, the starry-sky-haired girl cautiously approached Maka. She moved with a fluid kind of grace, like a dancer - an aspect of her family, Soul recalled. Her footwork was deliberate, but light and delicate. "Maka Albarn?" she called out. "My name is Dark Nightmare Blade, and I'm a friend of Soul Eater Evans."

"You're not Soul's partner," growled Maka angrily, flexing her hands into fists. "He's mine!" And she lunged for Dark again, causing the other girl to jump back. But Maka, having been training with Patti in hand-to-hand combat, quickly closed the gap and brought the fight to close quarters. Dark had no choice but to dodge and defend against the possessed meister.

Soul glared around the area, but the witch Allavalia was gone. "Dammit, she slipped away," he cursed. "Now what're we going to do?"

Kid sighed and looked to Black*Star. "We need to stop Maka. Black*Star, think you can use Soul Menace to knock her out and break the witch's power?"

"Wait, what?" Soul looked at his dueling meister, then back at Kid in horror. "Soul Menace? Maka can't block that, you'll hurt her!"

The son of Death fixed serious amber eyes on him. "Soul, we don't have much of a choice. Maka will hurt herself even more unless we get her to Stein and Kim, so suck it up and get ready to grab her." Kid looked back to Black*Star. "Think you can handle it?"

But the blue-haired Star ninja was already moving, and Dark knew it. She blocked a jab, then sidestepped to let Black*Star rush in and deliver a well-placed Soul Menace that knocked Maka out, but didn't hurt her anymore than necessary. Soul raced over and caught his meister, panicking as he saw that her entire left side was soaked in her own blood. His rage came back with a vengeance. "I'll kill her," he swore to the night, to his two friends, and to Dark. "On my honor as a Deathscythe and this scar on my chest, I will kill Allavalia for what she's done to my meister!"

Maka Albarn

When she woke up, she could feel Soul's hand holding hers.

Maka felt like crap. She could feel the tight bandages around her waist and the dull throbbing of her side wound. Her head felt like it wasn't connected to her neck and like she'd been Maka-Chopped in the face. All in all, she felt like she'd been in a catfight.

Then she felt stupid. Falling for a witch's spell of envy...and fighting a girl she didn't even know just because she was with Soul? I really am the worst meister, thought Maka. I trust Soul. Chances are she was just his partner for this mission by order of Lord Shinigami...

"Hey, you're up." She looked over and saw Soul looking at her, relief in his crimson eyes. "Thank god. I was beginning to think you'd bought it, Tiny Tits."

She couldn't even muster energy to Maka Chop him. Maka sighed and looked down to see Blair curled up at the foot of her bed, bandages stark against her purple fur. Soul caught her gaze and squeezed her hand. "No worries, it's cool. Blair will be fine. And so will you, after a few days' rest."

Maka looked at their joined hands and found the courage to speak. "Soul, who was that - "

"Soul Eater, I got the dishes done!" came that unknown female voice from the kitchen. "Is she awake? D'you want me to bring in some tea?"

Soul winced and locked eyes with Maka. There was a little bit of panic in his blood-red orbs, along with hopeful expectation. She blinked once, twice, then frowned a little. "Who is that?" she asked.

"An old friend," he replied before raising his voice. "Yeah Dark, she's up."

Maka's bedroom door opened, and a girl walked in. Already Maka felt very small and unfeminine. This girl's hair was a waterfall of star-dusted midnight blue, loose and free to hang around her shoulder blades, and her eyes were glistening pools of silver. Her color scheme was much like Soul's in his Black Room - black capris, red tank top with a black soul design on the front, and a black tattered short cape that had a mantle over her shoulders. The only different thing were her shoes, white sneakers decorated with black scythes along the sides.

She looked like a girl perfectly suited for Soul. Maka felt a twinge in her heart that felt very ugly and fought to keep her face polite. "Who are you?"

The girl held out her hand. "We met last night," she said. "I'm Dark Nightmare Blade. It's wicked sweet finally meeting you, Maka Albarn." Dark grinned, showing a fang-like right canine, and ruffled Soul's already messy mop of hair. "This guy never stops talking about you when he writes home. I swear, it's ridiculous."

"Shut it, Dark," grumbled Soul. "That's not cool."

"Still going on about 'being cool', Soul Eater?" Dark laughed, a pleasant sound that Maka found herself instantly disliking. "Oh c'mon, man, that's so dorky."

"What about you and your 'wicked sweet' attitude?" teased Soul. "People misunderstand that, you know."

"Oh, and you're soooooo knowledgable about this stuff."

"Of course. I'm a cool guy."

"And I'm a wicked sweet girl!" And they busted out laughing.

Maka listened to this easy banter and felt the ugly jab in her heart again. They have this kind of relationship, she thought. They know each other so well...and she's obviously known Soul longer than I have...

"Maka?" She blinked when she heard Soul's voice. "Maka, you all right?"

Dark handed her a cup of tea. "Here. It's black tea, and a wicked sweet remedy for headaches," she said. She looked to Soul and held out her fist, which he bumped with his own. "Later. I'm out." She grabbed a red baseball cap with the same black soul insignia as her shirt, pulled it on, and walked out of the room.

"Where's she going?" asked Maka, sipping the tea. It was very tasty, so she drank some more.

Soul sighed. "Back to Lord Shinigami. He said he had a solo for her to do."

"She does solos?" I didn't think meisters could do solo missions, she thought, finishing her tea. Maybe she's like Professor Stein or Black*Star... "Wait a second, Black*Star!" she said, suddenly getting angry. "He used Soul Menace on me! That bastard!"

Soul winced again. "Well, you were possessed and we couldn't figure out what to do with you..." The phone rang, sparing him from more explaination. He went into the living room and spoke with someone, his deep voice lulling Maka back into drowsiness. Combined with the tea, it wasn't a surprise that when Soul returned to her side, she was asleep again.

When Maka awoke, she was alone. But she could hear jazz music playing in the living room, one of Soul's favorite records. Still sleepy, she gently got to her feet and shuffled towards the door. She had every intention of listening to the record with him - the unusual melodies of jazz were intriguing even if she couldn't get it - when a pair of laughs broke out over the smooth jazz beat. Her earlier drive forgotten, Maka leaned against her wall, listening through the crack in her door as another pang of pain shot through her heart.

The laughs repeated. They were followed by two voices singing the lyrics in perfect harmony, one a deep baritone, the other a sweet soprano. Soul and Dark.

Maka's heart flip-flopped in her chest. I didn't know Soul could sing so well...

"Wow, I forgot you knew this song," Soul said when the record stopped.

"You kidding? I had to play this for my latest recital, and the words stick with you," Dark replied. "Ya know, I thought you'd be there. I did shoot you an invitation." There was a slight pause, then her tone changed to an understanding one. "Oh yeah, your family was there. Wes too. He asked about you, ya know."

"So?" Soul sounded incredibly bitter to Maka.

Dark sighed. "I know, it's a pain, it's not cool, but he's missed you, Soul Eater. So have I." She sighed again. "I have nobody to practice with."

"I'm sure there's someone who'd practice with you," he replied.

"Dude, you're the only scythe I know. It's almost sad how demoralizing that is."

Maka almost gasped aloud, but clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle the sound. She's a scythe meister, she thought. She's a scythe meister. And she knows Soul. That's why Lord Shinigami had her pair up with Soul. They're compatible. They're old friends, both like music, have the same style...they are perfect together.

They're more compatible than he and I are.

And then a dark voice whispered in her mind, So why are you letting them stay like this?

Maka panicked a little. Was it a Little Oni, like Soul had in his Black Room? Is the madness finally affecting me too?

Why let them stay together like this? continued the voice. It wasn't a demon...it was herself. Her inner self, her inner thoughts. It's not right. Soul is your partner, not hers. She's a conniving woman who's trying to steal what's yours. Just like all those other girls at Shibusen who want to partner with a hot Deathscythe...

The ugliness Maka felt in her heart spread through her body like lava, warming her skin and scorching her soul. It felt bad, a black stain against her soul, and the feeling was what Maka focused on. She didn't want to feel the hurt or the hate. She just wanted it to go away, for the hot anger to disappear, to submerge herself in a cold that would stop this burning rage she didn't want to feel.

And the dark voice whispered, You can make it go away.

Soul Eater Evans

Soul realized it was late when the laughing sun was replaced by the grinning moon. He shrugged a dozing Dark off his shoulder and went into Maka's room. "Hey Maka, you okay?" he called out, knocking on her closed door.

Dark walked over as he rapped on the door again. "What's up?" she asked, raking her hands through her hair. "Did she go back to sleep?"

"Maka?" Soul called again, trying the doorknob. It was locked. He got a bad creeping feeling in his gut and slammed his fist against the door again. "Maka! Say something or open the damn door! Blair!" He swore loudly and made his arm transform into a scythe, breaking down the door with three clean slices. "Maka! Blair!" he yelled, bursting into the room.

The room was empty of an ash-blonde meister. The window was broken, glass littering the carpet, letting in a night breeze in that blew the curtains back. Blair mewed on the bed, her bandages stained with new blood. "Maka went crazy, nyah," said the cat weakly. "She broke the window and jumped out. And she kicked Blair. Why did she kick Blair?"

"Soul Eater," said Dark, bringing the Deathscythe's attention to the floor. Something had burned a hole in the carpet, a black maw against the white fibers. Next to it were a few drops of blood - Maka's blood.

"Blair, did anything happen before Maka took off?" Soul asked. "Did she say anything, did anything hurt her?"

The purple cat tried to think. "Blair heard a hiss," she said. "And then Maka whimpered. And then her eyes...they looked like a snake's and kind of glowed..."

Allavalia, thought Soul in horror and rage. Allavalia took my meister. She took my Maka.

Her soul is mine, dammit.

A.N.

1 - think of Vincent's tattered cloak thing in Final Fantasy.