The first chapter of the collection story! :DD Hope you guys enjoy and if you want to hear the songs behind the chapter I'll be listing them out in my profile.
I don't own Soul Eater
She never understood music. Of course she'd read nearly every book in the library to try and understand her weapon, but Maka Albarn had never found a reason to bring her self to sit down and try to make sense of the notes and why they were appealing to the albino male. That is until today.
Really she had meant to wake him for dinner, but when the moody male didn't answer she opened his bed room door to find him sleeping at his desk his large head phones on with music playing loudly.
She tried shouting his name to wake him, but it was no good. The world around him was limited to the melodies that had lulled him into sleep to begin with. Stepping closer Maka had seen the open book and rolled her eyes.
"He bored him self to sleep while doing home work. How can any one, besides Black Star, do that?" Maka had reached out slowly with her soul, trying to wake him with resonance, but it was no good. His own soul was a warm and calm. Much more relaxed then Maka had ever felt it. She felt her self being soothed by the comfort he felt. Finally though she made her way closer. Tip toeing out of unnecessary habit, it wasn't like he could hear her anyways.
Maka paused when the floor board creaked as she was just close enough to look down and see his sleeping face. Her heart skipped a beat, like it had hit one of those rest notes, but then two quick beats right after.
Soul's face wasn't in a scowl, nor was he grinning like a mad man, no. He was genuinely relaxed all the way down to his finger tips which still held a small well chewed up pencil in his hand. To Maka's surprise the note pad beneath him wasn't a school book, but a journal. Bars of music half completed scattering the page, a few note jotted down near them. She could see titles that were erased away, but one, the one that he looked to be working on still, her name was next to it.
The notes were simple and she recognized the small signs for sharps and flats and tried to imagine the sound that would have gone with the notes before her. Biting her lip she reached for the open book that was just barely stuck under him. With one quick flick it was in her hand and she heard the light thud of his head hitting the desk. Soul just stirred and continued sleeping. Maka with her prize in hand ghosted out of the room as quickly as she could.
Her eyes were studying what she'd guessed to be her song. Usually Soul's hand writing was boyishly sloppy chicken scratch. (Not that her's was really much better unless it was homework or her final drafts of notes before a test, she always took extra time to make sure every letter was as clear as a bell) And right now, looking down at Soul's music journal, everything was clear and solid. A few ghostly notes that had been rubbed away still readable here and there. Far different from what she was used to seeing from him.
Maka bit her lip. She had thought about trying to hum the song, but she didn't know the sound for each note, and the complex symbols next to each one changing its meaning and making the foreign subject even harder for her to understand was un-nerving. She could ask for help or where the nearest bathroom was in multiple languages, but music was not one of them.
With a sigh she closed the journal. Dinner was going to get cold all because she was too nosy for her own good. Standing up she quickly made her way back into the room and laid the note down for Soul to find later. This time though, she was sure to reach out and shake him awake. "S-Soul." Her eyes stayed on the book, hoping that he wouldn't notice to quickly that it was suddenly closed.
Their link stirred and she felt a groggy mess flutter into her. He was waking up and soon enough his head lifted and he simply slouched back his red eyes slipping open with confusion. "Maka?"
She nodded while he removed the head phones. "I didn't know that you were planning on taking a nap."
"I-I wasn't." He sighed looking down to where his note book had been, confused when it seemed to have moved and closed its self. "Did you?"
"I just saw you sleeping and figured you didn't wanna drool on it." Maka snipped quickly turning and walking out. "I didn't read it or anything."
Soul's eyebrow rose and she knew that he must have been able to tell that she was blushing. Around everyone else she could usually keep up a pretty good poker face. However some how, Soul could always see through it or she couldn't even muster it up. "Okay, so why are you in here?" He asked.
"Dinner's ready and you weren't answering when I called you, So I came in to wake you up." Soul was confused and she could feel it drumming around in their mental link. Maka prayed that she'd been able to keep her own nervous buzzing out of resonance, but questioned if she was failing or not.
"Oh, awesome." Soul grinned jumping up from his seat at his desk and Maka moved out of the way, keeping her eyes on the book. "Dude you made some fish?" He was excited it would seem.
"Well it was going to go bad soon, so I figured it was best to use it up." Maka laughed turning and walking back to the kitchen, sitting down behind her own meal and poking at the potatoes. Quickly nagging Soul to wash his hands before he came to eat. Which he did without any argument, because fish was on the table and he'd do anything for it. Maka smiled lightly watching him, again the part of him that was in her mind hummed with joy and she smiled to her self digging into her own food.
It didn't take long for her to be shoving what was left of her own far more well done fish across the table for them to both work on finishing, she'd slap his hand if he'd gotten to close to her other food. "Ouch."
"I said you could eat the fish! Not my potatoes or anything else." She teased while Soul gave her a sour expression. Then Maka thought of something she could easily do, it was devious, however Soul was in a rather good mood. "Um, S-Soul?" He looked up at her then back down to the food stealing more of her vegetables, and Maka didn't stop him. "I know you like listening to music and all that, but Do you try writing it ever?" She asked this without making eye contact, missing the glance Soul gave her.
"No, I wouldn't be good at that kind of thing." The comment was quick and robotic.
Maka didn't know which it was that made her angry. The fact that again, he brushed her off so easily, his own self loathing, or the fact that he just lied to her so plainly. "Oh, really? I kind of doubt that." She offered. Maka had wanted to prod him with her wavelength until he'd confess about the song with her name attacked, but kept her self under control.
"Please, you like techno Maka, again. You have the musical IQ of a slug." Soul smirked playfully and she kicked him under the table. "The hell!?" He jumped up and away from her. "Dammit Maka was the hell was that for?" Shark teeth bare Soul growled at her.
"Oh sorry my foot slipped. Besides, I like listening to you play." She commented picking up the dishes and turning back as she headed towards the sink. A genuine smile on her face. Soul felt his cheeks prickle with warmth and quickly turned his head away.
"Yeah, well that just makes your IQ seem way lower." Soul scoffed and Maka threw down the dishes in response making him jump as she turned around and stormed towards him.
"Excuse me!?" Maka roared. Soul leaned back against his chair. "Why can't you just say it Soul!? You're good at playing the piano. You're really really good!" She huffed storming back to the dishes and for a while the only sound between them was the rushing water as she washed them. Soul's link with her humming an apology, this lead Maka into a sigh. "And Soul." Her voice was level and she tried to keep her self in voice and their link to one another calm.
"What is it?" He sounded annoyed with her, but she knew it was just defensive. "I, I lied...When I first ran into wake you up, I-I...Grabbed the note book to read it." She turned around leaning against the sink. Her hands crossed in front of her holding them selves. "I'm sorry?"
Soul looked red. Maka couldn't tell if it was out of anger or embarrassment, but all emotion and feeling in their link stalled like a frozen river. Her breath was shaky as she tried to prod something from Soul. "What the fuck Maka!?" And just like that both rage and humiliation poured in. "Why would you do that?"
Defensive Maka stomped her foot. "Well why would you lie to me!?" She crossed her arms. "Your just like Pa-"
"I swear if you dare compare me to your dad over my self wanting to keep my journal private I will walk the hell out of this apartment right now." Soul had thrown his chair back as he stood, both hands on the table. Maka stormed forward throwing her own hands down across from him.
Both of them glared, fire in either of their eyes. Their link hissing and sparking in both of their minds. Until Maka's finally faltered realizing that she had no real battle with Soul. His own angry dying down. "I just wanted to know why there was a song with my name next to it." She commented. Plopping back down into her own seat. Souls face was slowly becoming tinted pink. "What?"
"Y-You saw that?" He asked nervously.
"Yes. I did, that's why I grabbed the book actually. At first I thought you'd fallen asleep doing home work or something." She laughed awkwardly.
He had to smirk at that, but then felt him self now faced with the realization that he would have to come clean about the journal. "Listen. You know how I, when we do the group resonance thing?" She nodded. "And I harmonize everyone's souls together and all that?" Maka nodded again, waiting for him to get to the point. "Well your soul is usually...the one that I get stuck in my head the most." The last portion came out so quickly and rushed Maka held up her hand.
"Please repeat that I didn't understand a word that you just said." She commented.
With a sigh Soul let his head fall down to the table. "The sound your soul makes gets stuck in my head the most often. So I was writing down what it sounds like so I could...Maybe. Play it f-for you?" It was slight, but he heard Maka's soft laughing. "Sorry I know it was a dump ide-"
"No. I want to hear it Soul, I really do." She smiled widely. "Please?"
"Then why did you just laugh?" He asked her perplexed.
"Well, I didn't know what it was and I tried humming it to my self, but from what I've gathered I really couldn't bring my self to understand how to read the notes." She offered. "C-Can I hear it still?"
Soul nodded. "Uh, well its late so that cafe we went to the one time for me to play for you, it's probably closed now."
"The Black Room?" She offered. Soul didn't want to agree at first, but he could feel her pestering him through the link.
"Fine." Maka eagerly grabbed her chair and pulled her self closer to him, her hands resting on her knees as she looked ahead. Their resonance humming to life before Soul finally leaned forward a bit, Maka followed suit. Just before their foreheads would meet he tucked stray hairs behind her head. "R-Ready?"
Maka could only nod unsure that her lips would allow her to say that she trusted him fully. Her cheeks still pink thinking about the delicate way he moved her hair away before their foreheads joined and the world around her melted away and blackness swallowed her.
"Maka?" Soul's voice made her open her eyes. They were alone in the room. Dressed both in the pinstripe suit and black dress that they were accustomed to. Soul's feet felt rooted to the ground, the piano sat in the corner of the room mocking him. He was thankful that the Imp seemed to have disappeared at least for a little while. Trying to swallow the lump in his throat felt like swallowing sand.
"Come on Soul!" She grabbed his arm and clung to it as she pulled him ahead, sitting him on the bench. "Play please?" Maka was begging him.
He glanced up at her feeling heat prickle on his cheeks. "Just, uh, D-Don't laugh please?" He asked her. Maka nodded like a child, Soul lifted his hands to begin playing, but paused again. "Um, to start why don't you face away."
"What?"
"Just please Maka?" He asked her pointedly and with a loud sigh she agreed and turned on the ball of her foot arms crossing.
"Thank you." Soul gave and at last she could hear the small ringing of the hammers hitting the strings inside the piano.
Maka closed her eyes. What did she sound like to Soul? She wondered. Then he started playing, the notes seemed lower and quick to a point, but then there where little sparks of higher notes. Making her skin cover in goose bumps as she heard them pierce the air. Her lips parted feeling something odd about the piece. Of course it was short, still a work in progress, but it was also horribly simple...The final note hung between them and she finally asked. "Can I turn around now?"
"Yeah." Soul was sitting nervously scratching the back of his neck. "Well what did you think?"
"I sound plain and ordinary." Maka gave. "Is that really my soul? Just plain notes...And some of those sounded really sour!" She pointed.
"Simple?" Soul hissed. "Maka you're anything, but simple." Soul rolled his eyes crossing his arms and legs turning away from her. "This was dumb..." He wanted to stand and storm out of the room.
"No, no it wasn't." Maka offered to him, something sounded broken in her voice. "It helps, I guess now I know more about how you see me." Soul turned back around quickly. Indeed the girl beside the piano looked as if she was on the verge of tears. "I can't believe my self..." Her voice was light and it trailed off. She was whispering something under her breath. A part of her feeling foolish for thinking it was him confessing romantic feelings, but why, why would Soul feel that way about her?
"Maka, I can't read your lips if you have something to say then say it louder, or I can't fix it." Soul sighed.
"I thought," She huffed, "N-Never mind."
"No!" Soul stood up and grabbed her arm. Maka looked back at him stunned at his shouting. "You can't do that to me. Maka I don't know if you've noticed, but that journal was important to me and I just...Fuck it's not like I asked for your soul to sound like that. And you think its simple? Maka you're one of the hardest to play."
"How so?" She crossed her arms and yanked them out of his hand. "Tell me Soul, how am I the hardest to play?" Their eyes connect and they study one another. Her eyes burn into his own red ones. Soul feels his teeth grind while he searches for the words to say. He opens his mouth and nothing comes out. "See. I thought so. You just don't want to tell me what I already know Soul." Watching her turn to leave seems to take an eternity, but everything speeds up and soon she's ready to fade away into the black shadows of the room.
"Its what I feel." She pauses and looks back at him. "I, I can't just play your song like I can the others." He looks so worried and frantic she feels her own brow knit out of concern. "Maka." His voice begs her to step back into the room, begging that she stays to hear him out. Soul doesn't breath until she makes a few slow steps back, he just watches her feet, until she plants her self in front of him. Soul reaches out and pets the same stray hairs back behind her ear. "When I play that song, my chest tightens and it feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders, because I know that song is precious to me. Its not just notes on sheet music."
Maka can feel her face growing warmer and she knows there must be a bright twinge of pink running across her cheeks and up a long her ears. "Soul..." He's just as red.
"Its mine," He explains and she tilts her head, "Mine to protect from the dangers that we face and I...I its not easy for me to really expl-"
Her finger tips are on his lips, cutting him off. Soul had to fight every urge not to lean into them and kiss Maka's finger tips. "Play it again?" Maka asks. She's smiling up at him in the warmest way that she can.
Wordlessly he agrees and takes her hand leading her back over to the piano, this time he stopped her from turning away. Instead she stood behind him, watching him very carefully place his fingers on the ivory white keys. He begins again and this time she watches his hands.
Every movement that he makes is as gentle as possible, but still hard enough to make the notes crisp. "Again," She requests and Soul with a grin plays the song over, this time she moves and stands at the opposite end watching him as he plays. Maka nearly stumbles seeing that he plays with his eyes closed, but the faintest and most genuine of smiles dances on his lips. Just before he can open his eyes as that final note vibrates through the room. "Again." She demands like the Meister she is.
Soul does as he's told without argument and begins the song once more, he nearly jumps when he feels her arms wrap around his neck, He feels her head rest on his. As the song ends he allows him self to be pulled back against her. She doesn't oppose to his hands taking hold of hers. "Maka?"
"I'll see you back out there." Her voice is a soft whisper. Soul nods and agrees feeling the buzz of their resonance pull them back out of the Black Room. As he opens his eyes he's confronted with Maka looking into his red eyes and a few stray tears running down her face. Before he can ask her about the crying she's tackling him chair and all to the floor. He yelps as the arms around his neck pull him closer to the girl he's now positive that he loves.
"M-Maka?"
She sniffles against his neck and his arms wrap around her waist, one hand lightly rubbing her back lightly. "I'm sorry." She says.
"Why?" He asks letting her sit up, he leans up on his elbows.
"For, for being so mean about it the first time that I heard it. Soul. Thank you." Her face is pink with blush and his is too. "I'm also sorry that I don't understand music the way you do, but...I do know, I could listen to you play all day and I really I really like that song and I want to know what ours is."
"Ours?" He raises an eyebrow at her and she flushes. Soul just laughs and pets the side of her face. "Also I don't care if you don't understand music...Just means I can make all the mistakes I want in front of you with out being judged." He laughs and she flicks him on the nose.
Yes, Maka Albarn never understood music, but sitting there with Soul after hearing such a sweet song made her realize. Maybe she could try just a little harder.