Maka was always one to be nice to people. She was polite, respectful, and always tried to hear people out- though occasionally, Maka got pissed off. Maka also tends to be extremely vulgar and disrespectful when she is pissed off.
In hindsight, Maka probably shouldn't have gone to confront to the Council of God. Her reasoning to do so being she thought all the oppressive rules, watching eyes of the Discipline Force and the mind-numbingly precise schedules were, in her own words;
"-repressive, unnecessary and FUCKING ANNOYING!"
Maka panted, just finishing a long-winded speech about how she despised the current state of heaven. It was already illegal to simply raise one's voice at a member of the Council of God, and the copious amounts of "fuck"s, "shit"s, and "asshole"s definitely did not help Maka's case. Her wings were straight out in anger, her all-white eyes burning with rage.
Their faces- or rather, lack thereof, for none of them actually had faces, only blank curves that barely ghost features onto them- stared blankly at her. Every single member remained silent for minutes on end. Slowly, the leftmost member spoke.
In a hauntingly wispy tone, they breathed out, "Banish her."
The member next to them yelled suddenly, "No, execute her!"
The rightmost slammed their hands on the desk in front of all of the members. "You have disrespected God, Heaven, and us!" They screeched.
The members broke out in arguments about her imminent punishment, as Maka stood motionless, the full weight of what she had done crashing on her like the unyielding waves of Earth's ocean. None of the members could seem to come to any agreements. She was lucky the majority wasn't screaming for her death.
The middlemost member raised their hand flatly palm exposed. "Silence." they demanded. "We shall meet in the middle," They told the other members, who all nodded. "Angel Maka Albarn, for breaking Law 4A, Law 5A, Law 7A, and our most important law, 1A, you are hereby banished to Earth. You will be given a permanent glamour, and can never return unless you collect 99 human souls to send to heaven, and one demon soul to send to death. If you make the slightest mistake, you will stay on Earth for even more. Get out of our sight, traitor."
Maka opened her mouth to protest, to apologize, something, but before she knew it, the shimmering clouds beneath her feet gave way, and she fell, down, down, down, towards earth.
Her wings didn't slow her one bit.
Maka sighed, looking up at the ceiling of her room in her tiny two-bedroom apartment. She replayed that day in her head every morning for the five long years she's been banished on earth. Her only real comfort was that she was close. She currently had 99 human souls stored. No demon souls. She was so close. All she needed was that one demon soul.
She fiddled with the small, silver cross that hung around her neck on an equally shining chain. There waited the 99 souls she was to bring to heaven to be treated to eternal "paradise."
In truth, human souls that reached heaven weren't treated to much at all. They were simple released in a marked-off section of heaven and left to rest. It was the same in hell, as she heard. The only difference between the two is that souls in heaven believe they are good, and rest in peace, while souls in hell believe they are evil, so they cause their own suffering. Not that souls are conscious beings, but they seem to somehow know when they are in heaven or hell. Maka wondered if the souls resting in her necklace were alright.
She had woken up with it on Earth, along with a tattoo on the back of her neck, depicting two angel wings and a halo with a jarring red "X" through them. The tattoo acted as her glamour, keeping her in her human disguise, and honestly, she wished she had gotten an earring or a ring or something instead to act as her glamour. She felt a jolt in her heart whenever she thought about the tattoo. The Council most likely chose that design to show off how much of a traitor she was to the whole world. Or perhaps spite. Her human form wasn't bad, per say, but Maka couldn't blame herself for wanting her previous glory as an angel back. She still was a bit surprised when she saw herself in the mirror.
She had pale blonde hair that she kept down to cover her glamour. She used to pull her hair into twin ponytails in heaven, but nowadays, she only did that in the safety of her apartment. Her roommate Soul already knew about her tattoo by now, having lived with him for about a year now. Her eyes were a forest green and round, almost innocent. She was fairly good-looking, she had to admit, in a more cute than pretty or sexy way. She was relatively thin, with a healthy balance between tan and pale skin. She was fine with this form, and it even resembled her as an angel a bit, but... she truly missed the glowing freckles that sprinkled her entire body in excess, her pure white eyes that matched her bright, soft wings, and the constant faint glow above her head from her halo. They made her feel...complete.
Her phone chirped almost too pleasantly, and she groggily grabbed it and turned her alarm off. She could hear her roommate shuffling around the kitchen. She slowly rose, pushing aside her musings of heaven, yawning as she left her room and saw her roommate making breakfast, probably only for himself.
Soul was cooking bacon for the fifth time this week, his snow white hair tied into a small ponytail. He glanced over at her. "Morning."
"Morning," she yawned, plopping down into a chair at her dining table.
"Bacon again?" She asked, smiling gently.
Soul nodded and grinned, flashing teeth that were sharper than was probably normal for humans. But Maka knew for a fact he was indeed human, so she tried not to worry about it.
"Yeah, it's good any day of the week. Plus, with Blackstar here, we need all
the food we can get."
Soul jerked his head towards the sleeping boy on their couch, artificially dyed blue hair messy, and even a chunk of hair was stuck in his mouth. His real name was Blackwell, but he utterly hated that name and instead went by Blackstar or occasionally Blake, if he needed a more believable name. He usually said Blake was his real name anyway. He had stayed the night with Soul, and Maka stuck to her room the whole night to avoid that ordeal. The tan and muscular boy snored loudly.
Maka simply nodded, checking her phone as Soul laid a paper plate on the table in front of her, and another at his usual seat. She politely and slowly nibbled on her food.
In all technicality, she didn't need food. Her internal organs were still that of an angel's, but she all but had to, lest people be suspicious or worried.
Soul placed the third plate of bacon on the small side table beside their couch, and as if on cue, Blackstar stirred and sat up.
"Jeez, I shoulda known food was what would wake you up."
Blackstar grinned. "Can you blame me? Your bacon is bomb as hell." He yawned loudly, stretching out his arms.
"Thank you, thank you very much." Soul drawled, doing an awful impersonation of Elvis Presley.
Blackstar lazily picked up the plate of food and practically inhaled the food.
Soul chuckled, shutting his blood-red eyes. His eyes. Again, they were something Maka tried to ignore about her human friend, especially since red eyes were associated with demons. Thinking about demons for longer than she had to was...uncomfortable to say the least. She shook her head and instead focused on the rest of her breakfast.
Soul, Blackstar, and Maka had all went out get coffee at Marie's, their friend Tsubaki joining them on the way. They waited in line and were met with a cheerful face at the counter. The blonde behind the counter waved intensely, smiling widely.
"Hi guys!" Patty chirped, bright blue eyes sparkling with glee. "Four usuals?"
They all nodded, and Patty happily skipped off to fetch their orders. She gracefully and skillfully whips up their coffees and snatches bagels from the display, setting everything down on the counter.
"Separate or together?" She asked, punching the values of the items into the nearby cash register.
"Bundle me and Maka together, and Blackstar and Tsubaki are payin' for themselves." Soul jabbed his thumb towards Tsubaki and Blackstar.
"Maka's a cheapskate, so I'm paying."
Maka shot a glare at him, huffing. "I am not cheap, Soul."
"That's exactly what a cheap person would say!" Blackstar proclaimed strongly, pointing his finger to her face.
Patty laughed, while Tsubaki let out a small giggle.
Maka pretended to be fuming playfully, while watching her friends pay for their coffee and bagels. Well, Blackstar pay for his bagels. Both bagels were for him. Soul handed Maka her usual white chocolate mocha. She took it and slowly sipped, enjoying the taste. Being forced to eat did have it's benefits at times. Her friends all happily walked over to their usual table, all taking a seat with Maka and sipping their own drinks. Patty tipped her uniform's hat as they walked away.
"So what's Liz up to, I haven't seen her in a while." Blackstar breifly took a break from devouring his bagel, looking up at Tsubaki. "You stayed at her house last night, right?"
Tsubaki nodded. "She said she was going to meet a friend after she dropped me off at home. I don't know who it was or where though."
"Patty might know," Maka offered.
"Yeah, I texted her though on the way here and she said she didn't know. Liz still owes me ten bucks for the high school B-Ball game thing."
Maka rolled her eyes. "You don't even go to high school anymore, and you're still betting on those dumb games? You literally dropped out not even a year ago."
"Hell yeah! It's tradition, Maka. You wouldn't understand, you're too busy reading books all the time or whatever."
Soul nodded in agreement while Tsubaki frowned in disapproval.
"Blackstar," she scolded. "Let her enjoy what she pleases."
"I am! I'm just saying, it wouldn't kill her to do some exercises now and again. Though, she could never really catch up to me!" Blackstar flexed proudly, grinning his trademark cocky grin.
"I doubt she wants to end up like you," Soul teased.
"Now that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! OF COURSE she does! Anyone would want to be as great as I am!" He boomed with self-aggrandizing laughter.
Tsubaki placed her face into her hand.
The banter went on until they all parted ways, Blackstar and Tsubaki walking back to their shared home together with parting waves. Soul and Maka paced back to their own home, Maka staying behind Soul at a small distance.
She froze when she felt a twang of electricity-like awareness jet through her chest, dissipating into her limbs.
There was definitely a demon nearby. The demon's magic alone was enough to trigger her senses into overdrive. She exhaled shakily, fists automatically clenching.
"Hey, Soul?" Said Maka, trying to keep the shaking out of her voice.
Soul spun around lazily. "Yeah?"
"Can you go ahead without me, I think I left something at the shop..."
"I can just go with you, what'd you lose?" He turned to walk towards her, eyebrow raised.
"No! I mean...no, that's really okay! I can get it myself. Go on ahead." She turned and started nervously shuffling away.
Soul watched her for a moment before shrugging and turning back around unsurely, walking in the opposite direction.
Maka sprinted to a nearby alleyway, everything in her body screaming;
"Here! The demon is here!"
She skidded to a halt when she saw someone standing there. She took a tentative step forward, inspecting them with narrowed eyes.
A curvy woman in a short, frilly black dress, long, purple boots, and shockingly purple hair turned to face her. Her face was slightly obscured by her black sunhat, a purple ribbon tied in a bow as a band.
"Oh?" The woman purred, voice smooth and almost seductive. "Who's this little popinjay?" She turned around to face Maka, her yellow eyes gleaming. Her pupils were slits, almost like a cat's eyes. Maka now noticed the choker around her neck with a shining silver bell attached to it.
Maka got into a strong stance, throwing her arm up and pointing at her. "Who are you? Identify yourself, demon!"
"Demon...?" The woman breathed quietly, almost seeming offended. She then smirked, and thin, sharp fangs unsheathed from her lips.
"Why, I'm Blair, little popinjay~"
Maka glared, bringing her hand to the necklace across her neck, wrapping her fist around it.
"Demon Blair, as an angel of heaven I hereby challenge you to a duel to the death! In the name of God himself, I will strike you down!" Maka then snapped the charm of her necklace off of its chain.
"Glamour release!"
Upon shouting the keyword, her necklace burst into a white light, bursting into a long streak of brightness, forming a white metallic pole. Maka grabbed it as the end forged into a long, curved blade.
Maka gave her newly formed weapon an intimidating slash, face stoic. She then silently released her bodily glamour, revealing her shockingly pure wings and her halo summoning over her head. A few white freckles sprinkled her skin. Her eyes remained green, and her skin was still similar to a human's, for she couldn't expend the energy to fully go into her angel form without truly needing to.
Blair seemed astonished. "Wow, you really are an angel!" She sung, lifting her hands, dark magic swirling around her painted purple nails.
"That scythe is what I really have my eyes on, though! Give Blair your scythe!"
The magic swirling the woman's hands suddenly burst forward, faster than Maka could react, and they exploded on impact with her body. Maka was thrown back with a shout of surprise, gritting her teeth at the burns on her shoulder and waist. They would heal in a few hours, but for now, they stung painfully.
Blair giggled, preparing another attack. Maka shot forward, swinging her scythe at blade at the demon woman, and by a clever dodge from Blair, missed. She then jumped up and slashed the opposite direction, gritting her teeth.
Blair jumped back, barely missing the attack, still grinning. She leaned down, arms extended as the ribbon from her sunhat snaked out on her command, grabbing Maka's ankle and lifting her into the air. Maka attempted to cut the ribbon, but she was slammed against the concrete before she possibly could have reached it. Her body exploded with pain, wind being knocked out of her lungs. She lay crumpled on the ground, her weak hand barely able to keep grip of her weapon. She gripped it tightly anyway, forcing herself up. She moved her hands down to her hips her scythe spinning mid-air in front of her, halo-like circle blades summoning. She gripped them and slung them smoothly at Blair.
Blair jumped up, floating for a few moments, halos missing and embedding themselves in a nearby wall.
Maka growled and snatched her scythe back, glaring daggers at the woman. Blair simply looked at her nails without a care in the world. Maka decided she had no choice, and wordlessly commanded the rest of her glamour to release.
She was engulfed in white light, her wings gaining significant wingspan. Her eyes became a striking white. Sparkling freckles covered her skin, and her hair flew in a violent, invisible wind. She pulled her scythe back powerfully, ready to deliver a killer blow. Maka swung, a the air whisking around the blade due to the speed. Maka aimed right at Blair's neck.
Blair's grin faltered, and she cried out.
Maka looked up, smirking as she felt her scythe slide though something.
It fell quickly.
Blair was sitting on a nearby dumpster, the only thing actually cut being a second dumpster suspended in the air by her magic. Before Maka could blink, both pieces were flung in her direction, slamming into her body and sending her painfully to the ground. She cried out, feeling something in her side crack while she was hit in the head with one of the pieces, and all Maka could see was stars. She lay in a heap on the ground.
"For an angel of God, you aren't all that great," Blair taunted, hopping down from her seat on the dumpster. "All I want is that cool scythe, why don't you give it up and then Blair won't have to kill you~"
Maka slowly rose.
Looking at the ground in utter shame, she slowly made her way to Blair. She held out her scythe, her bangs obscuring her eyes.
"Yay! Good little girl!" Blair exclaimed joyfully, grabbing the handle of the scythe.
As soon as she did, Maka put all her strength into swinging the scythe, letting out a scream of determination.
She split Blair completely in two at the waist.
Blair's separated body parts hung in mid-air for a split second, shocked expression plain on her face. The pieces then became some sort of black-colored magic, and violently dissipated, leaving only a soul with a faint purple glow behind.
Her weapon automatically flashed back into light, forming around her neck and reforming into a necklace. Maka limped over to the soul and cupped it into her hands. She had done it. She had beaten a demon, and finally, finally could return to heaven. She grasped the soul in her hand, smile gracing her lips.
A part of her didn't want to do it. It desperately, absolutely didn't want to go back. It didn't want to abandon her amazing human friends, leaving them to never know what happened to her. It didn't want to return back to the oppressive, stifling air of heaven. But she was an angel. This was what she had to do. She had to make up for what she had done. With a final burst of determination, she used her necklace to collect the soul. It swooped into the cross, the cross briefly glowing purple.
She grasped the cross, head moving up towards the sky. She closed her eyes, and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Nothing happened.
Maka's eyes snapped open, and she frantically looked at her necklace. What was going on? It looked fine but something was clearly wrong. She started running every possible explanation through her head. Maybe it just took a while, maybe someone was going to escort her, maybe-
She was cut off from her thoughts as she saw a black cat happily strut in front of her, meowing. The cat suddenly was engulfed in a poof of lavender smoke, leaving none other than Blair on all fours remaining.
Maka's mouth hung open. She stuttered out an utterly confused, "what?"
"I never said I was a demon," Blair said casually, pawing her hand with curled fingers. "You just assumed Blair was on your own. But really, Blair is just a kitty who sold one of her souls for a heaping amount of demon magic. Blair had nine after all, don't you know cats have nine souls?" Blair said with a false pout.
Maka was speechless for a good minute. "So you're telling me," she began in a flabbergasted tone, "I just collected a soul of a cat into my holy heaven cross?!" Her voice raised to a shout with every word she spoke.
"Seems like it," Blair yawned uncaringly. "You sure aren't the smartest, little popinjay."
Maka suddenly remembered something.
"Wait..."
The Council of God member's words echoed in her head. "If you make the slightest mistake, you will stay on Earth for even more.'
"I have I start all over?!" She screamed, and not a moment after she did, a stream of light blue shot from her necklace, right into the sky, all her human souls being confiscated in less than a second. Her necklace fell limp against her chest.
Maka spun around, unable to look at that fucking woman, and was about to scream in frustration, when she noticed something- no, someone before her.
Soul stood in the entrance of the alley, completely and utterly frozen, eyes wide in confused shock.
Maka's heart sank.