It's me again! Miss me? =D I was going through the stories I had already published the other night and I remembered accidentally labeling my first story as In-Progress and it got me thinking. I decided since I didn't have any assignments due anytime soon I would write up another part to it. I actually got the setting idea for this story from a picture I seen on deviantart called The Show Must Go On, By Z-Raid. If you haven't seen her work yet, i would definitely recommend you go and see her on . Her stuff is just awesome.
So, here it is! The prequel to my first story Beautiful. Probably won't be as good but it was still fun writing it ^_^ Anyways, hope you enjoy!
Hm? oh, right. I own nothing but the story down there. Everything else belongs to Ookubo Atsushi.
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Maka spun from his hand before she was slowly brought back into his embrace. His arms wrapped snuggly around her, his larger hand pressed against the small of her back as he moved her across the white tiled floor. The dance was graceful, elegant yet it wasn't right. Whatever was off was subtle, barely noticeable like buzzing in your ears. The man showed no signs of anything being wrong, smiling down at her. She didn't return it.
The room was like nothing she had ever seen before. Every inch of it, save the floor, was covered in mirrors. There was nothing else there aside from their reflections, her dress swirling strangely in the glass. The dress's material was light, feeling like a mixture of both water and air. It clung to her curves effectively; almost like a perfect second skin. The dress accented her hips and was sleeveless; the top looking like it was crawling inside of her skin while the skirt fell into a loose pool at her feet. Two long slits up the side allowed her to move around easier when he twirled her and there was a keyhole cut in the front revealing the sides of her newly grown breasts. The first time she had met him the dress had been much different; being a modest black ballroom dress with long sleeves originally accompanied with some simple one inch heels. As she grew older and her body matured, the dress began changing into what it was now, now with almost five inch heels. Her hair forever remained in pigtails; the clips that held them in place made of the same material as her dress, fashioned into what looked like angel wings at the moment. They were strange, constantly changing every time they met. One of them was slowly shifting into a three eyed shape, the room unsure of who was in charge. She made a note to check them later. In the meantime she would go along with him in their dance and try not to show her fear at being in the presence of the most dangerous enemy known to man.
She couldn't say when the dreams began exactly; all she knew was that they began after the Kishin had been revived and that had been almost four years ago. The madness had affected everyone, Soul and Dr Stein especially. Even those with the anti-madness wavelength were struggling to some extent to maintain order as the years began to wear them down. For Maka, it had been the reoccurring dreams that tried to persuade her into joining the ranks of insanity. She had stopped telling her partner about them, deciding that he had his own troubles to worry about without her adding hers to the mix. Besides, they were just dreams. It didn't matter how frightening they were they couldn't hurt her. She just had to stay strong.
His voice cut through her thoughts. "You're holding back, child."
Maka raised her head to look at him. The demon God was a good head and a half taller than her, making her feel all the more insignificant. His red eyes seemed to glow in the strange bright light of the room, partially hidden behind his strange black and white patterned hair. "Where are we?" she asked. She always asked him this whenever he decided to see her and had yet to receive a real answer.
He continued to move her across the floor. "Wherever you want," came his constant reply. In an instant the room shifted and the walls and floor began to flake away, revealing an endless field of green. She closed her eyes at the warmth that was suddenly seeping through her. The long grass lazily brushed against her legs as a light breeze drifted past her. "Anywhere you want to go, be it this universe or the next, this room will become that place." The room shifted again, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. It was now a courtyard of what looked like a small Japanese temple, a large cherry blossom tree overshadowing most of the area and littering the ground with flowers. The sun was just setting in the west behind the mountains. The scene looked exactly like a postcard she had once received, now hidden in the stack of letters she got from her mother. "Japan?" she questioned. He nodded and twirled her once more.
"It would seem so," he said. "You often visit this place in your dreams. You must be fond of it."
She nodded. "Mama visits there often." He said nothing to this. The room changed once more, this time shifting into what looked like the roof of the DWMA. The moon was cackling at them and sending rippling shades across the sand, making it look like an ocean. Maka faltered and stopped. He gently let her go and watched as she made her way towards the railing. She leant over the edge, looking down on the city below her. Death City really was beautiful at night. "Why did you bring me here?"
"Because you willed it."
That's not what I meant, she thought.
"Then what is it you meant," he murmured in her ear. She jumped. He was suddenly behind her, placing his hands over hers on the railing. Maka looked away. She had forgotten he could hear her thoughts.
"I mean, why am I here? Why am I seeing you?" she asked. "Are you real or are you just a figment of the hallucinations?"
He chuckled lightly. "Straight to the point, as always." She scowled. "I've been asking you this ever since I began seeing you. I believe I've deserve an answer," she said.
"I suppose I should reward you then for being such a patient girl," he murmured, his voice teasing. "What do you believe?"
"I don't know. You feel too real to be a hallucination but then again I've never had them before seeing you so I wouldn't know if you are or not." He smirked.
"I believe you're overthinking things, little one," he said. "But if you must have your answer then so be it." Asura threaded his finger with hers, despite her mild reluctance. "The madness you feel is radiated from my own wavelength, meaning I can feel everything it touches. When it touched your soul for the first time your hallucinations were just images designed to send you mad like everyone else. I could feel your soul fight off the hallucinations as if they were mere flies and it caught my attention. I've been watching you ever since and focusing most of my wavelength on you so as to speak to you directly. In conclusion, what you see now is still a hallucination but my actions are not from your corrupted mind, Maka. I am real, so real in fact that if you didn't have the grigori soul I would be able to touch you in person and you would have become mad a long time ago."
Maka's breathing had come to a stop. He has that kind of power? He laughed again at this. She forced herself to take a breath and spoke up. "That doesn't answer my other question though," she said. "Why me?"
"You fascinate me, Maka. Your determination, your strength, your courage. I wanted to see if I could break you and your girgori soul. Just imagine, Shinigami's greatest soldier brought to her knees," he said darkly. "It would show the old fool I am not to be taken lightly." She felt him tilt his head to the side and place a light kiss against the side of her neck. It burnt her skin. "But then I looked closer and I began to see you as much more than a mere human girl. I want you, Maka. I want to hear you say my name, feel your soft skin, feel your warmth…" She turned her head away. "I want to be able to show you what madness has to offer you first hand. I want to make you mine and mine alone, in both body and soul."
"You really are insane." He chuckled. "They'll find you," she said.
Asura placed his hand over her belly and pulled her against him. "It's been four years, Maka, I wouldn't count on it," he whispered, his breath hot against her neck. She suppressed a shiver as he spun her back around, pressing her flush against the rails. "It's just the two of us for the moment, child," he said, placing a kiss in the middle of her forehead. A third eye similar to his own appeared where he touched it. "There's no need to worry about such trivial matters." She closed her eyes when he slouched over her to nuzzle his face into her neck, kissing it again with the same burning sensation. The roof had disappeared when she opened them again and they were back in the room they had started. He lifted his eyes to hers, the red shades staring intensely back into her emerald. She swallowed and blinked, feeling uncomfortable at the closeness. His gaze didn't waver, however, when he leant back to take her hand in his and pulled her back into the dance. Maka caught her reflection in the mirrors once more. The clips of her hair…they had changed. The wings were gone and were now replaced with the three eyed pattern. The pupils were pulsing, beginning to turn red. He was taking complete control over the room, over her mind.
Something moved in the corner, catching her eye. Black Blood? It was slowly spreading through the room; or was it moving quickly? The reflections of the glass prevented her from truly knowing. She couldn't breathe. "I don't understand why you're still fighting it, Maka," he told her. "Madness isn't evil. It is a way of life. It allows you to escape the confines of responsibility and consequences that has been drilled into your mind since birth. Madness gives you a sense of true freedom that you'll never be allowed to experience under the Shinigami's rule. There is nothing to fear with madness," he said, his now seductive voice deep in her ear. She shuddered at the feeling it left inside her. This wasn't right. He had stopped dancing again and was leaning down to her lips, now a hairs breadth away. She didn't dare move as his hand came up to rest on her cheek, his thumb gently stroking her skin. "You've been fighting for long enough, child. Accept it. Accept me." He pressed his lips against hers.
She felt like she was falling, her knees giving way beneath her and she was caught in his arms. The room was filling, the blood sloshing over her feet but she didn't notice. Her mind was shattering, coming undone with every movement of his lips and his fingers as they dug into her skin. She forgot everything that had been previously happening and her thoughts were clear, free. She had no worries, only the feeling of him and her arms as they reached up to grip his shoulders. It felt good. The black blood was growing rapidly, now reaching her knees.
Maka responded enthusiastically to his lips, splashing the blood onto their faces and leaving a long trail of black on her cheek. He was growing rougher with their kisses, holding her tighter and biting her lower lip. She opened her eyes hazily when his fingers dug into the sides of her body, the once emerald colour growing black as madness, sweet and glorious, filled her soul. His voice echoed in her mind as his thoughts became open to her. You're beautiful like this, you know? He began to move down her neck, sucking and biting her skin. She closed her eyes when she gasped and ran her fingers through his hair. He grinned against her skin. "That's it, Maka. Let the madness fill your very soul. Forget everything that you knew before and accept everything that is happening around you."
The black blood had now reached her hips. Asura whispered in her ear "You're almost there. You're almost mine." Maka shuddered and he returned to sucking on her neck, her own fingers clutching onto him for dear life. In some distant corner of what remained of her sanity she could hear herself screaming out for her to stop, to get away from him before she drowned. But his lips were so distracting. She felt no reason to stop. Asura grabbed her leg and allowed it to drape over his hip, recapturing her lips fiercely. Maka groaned into the kiss and returned the pressure, wanting nothing more than to become one with him. Their souls unknowingly began to resonate with each other, his almost completely engulfing her own. She let out a loud cry at the colossal burst of pleasure that rocked her entire being, blinding her and making her whimper with desire. It blocked out the remaining parts of her sanity and all she could see was red. His touch left her body aflame with every stroke, his tongue quickly finding hers and battling for dominance. He won easily, deepening their kiss and crushing her small frame against his strong chest as she began to unravel further into the very depths of madness. The black blood had rose to her chest, constricting her breath even further and the remainder of her mind began to panic. The glass room was now cracking and flaking away, revealing thousands of red vertical eyes glaring down at them. Her own eyes darted back and forth around the room, watching them back. What's happening?!
"It's just your imagination, Maka," he gasped, pulling back. Her rested his forehead against hers, listening to her heavy breathing. "Imagination is just another one of man's weaknesses. It creates the illusions of pain and fear and tears them apart from the inside out. Forget it." Maka swallowed and lowered her eyes, feeling his fingers run through her hair (which had come undone in the commotion). She could slowly feel her soul working to remove the dark stains left behind from the encounter and could finally breathe. She focused on the black blood for the first time since he began to kiss her, eyes widening a bit at how much it had spread. She thought back to the feeling his touch gave her; even now it was still evident from his fingers. It had felt blissful. She felt free from judgement and responsibility, had no worries or thoughts. In fact she had stopped thinking all together. She didn't need to. There was just nothing but sweet, candied promises within his kisses. She had lost herself to him and it scared her.
Asura gripped her chin within his thumb and index finger, making her look up and bringing her face closer again to caress his lips against hers. She tensed and turned her head away, despite her desperate urge to allow him to continue his advances. He froze. "Is everything alright, child?"
"This is wrong." There was silence for a moment, the only sounds coming from the sloshing of the black blood around them. She looked at him, finding it somewhat difficult to look him in the eye. "You think I would be that easily swayed?"
He said nothing. Maka pulled away from him, the black blood disappearing almost instantly, all evidence of it ever being there vanishing with it. "You seem to underestimate us humans, Asura, especially me. We're all a lot stronger than what you give us credit for and even if I'm not as strong as others I am certainly strong enough to know where my loyalties lie."
He chuckled. "Loyalties, huh? What a pathetic excuse."
"What are you trying to gain from this, Kishin?" she asked, standing straighter and now feeling more confident. In her confidence the room changed to one she was very familiar with: the black room where she and Soul resonated. The piano remained stationary in the corner of the room, playing the song Soul played for her the very first time they met. It comforted her. Maka watched him closely for an answer. His expression had grown dark. "You know very well what I intend to gain from this, Maka," he whispered.
"Enlighten me." Asura was steadily moving towards her again, backing her towards the table that held the dusty record player. She bumped into it and he leant forward, trapping her with his arms against it. She stood her ground. "I can't explain it…you've become my obsession. I can't stand the thought of being away from you anymore. I want, no…I need you, Maka," he breathed. "I wanted to kill you when I realized how much the thought of you controlled me. But then I realized something else…" He reached up with his fingers to brush her hair away from her eyes. "…your eyes. You had no idea just what you were doing to me and best of all you are absolutely terrified." Maka gritted her teeth and glared.
"I'm not afraid of you," she said.
"Oh really?" He brushed his fingers lightly over her arms. "Then explain to me why it is you're trembling, child?"
She flinched away from his touch. He leant down closer into her. "You can't escape me, Miss Albarn. I know now that I don't have to kill you. In time you will bend to my every request and I plan on taking full advantage of that." She swallowed.
"I won't help you kill Shinigami-sama, if that's what you're trying to do," she replied. He growled and barked into her ear, making her cringe. "YOU DON'T GET IT, DO YOU, HUMAN!" he yelled. He gripped her arm and threw her to the tiled floor, standing over her. She rolled and let out a yelp, clutching her arm. Had they been outside the room the force would have broken her arm. "I don't need help from a mere child to kill my enemy! I am the demon God of madness, the first being created from a fragment of Shinigami, not some puny human trying to prove himself!" He was no longer looking at her. He had grabbed his head in both his hands, anger and frustration written all over his face. She shrunk back at the sudden change of emotion. He's too unpredictable…Her thought caused him to look back down at her, his expression unreadable once more. His hands slowly lowered to his side. "You don't understand anything…no matter. You will submit to the madness soon enough and everything will be clear."
"What will become clear?" she demanded.
He knelt beside her, playing with a strand of her hair. "It will make sense soon, little one, I promise." Asura leant down, kissing the corner of her mouth. Maka tried to ignore the sudden surge of desire that stirred through her system at that one small gesture and moved her head away again, disgusted at her emotions.
"You're wasting your time," she told him. "Shinigami-sama will stop you and if he fails then I'll be coming after you myself. Whatever game you're playing, you won't win."
"We shall see." His scarves suddenly appeared from nowhere, wrapping around her eyes and blinding her, everything growing dark and the music began to disappear…
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Maka's eyes shot open with a start and she flung herself forward, breathing heavily. She looked around the room, taking in the poster covered walls and floor littered with clothes and sheet music with relief. It was another dream. She leant forward with a muffled moan, pressing the palms of her hands into her closed eyes. This dream had been different to the others. It had never been that intimate before. By now she was used to his speeches of insanity but she had never felt as vulnerable as she had been tonight. Her fingers brushed her lips lightly. His kisses…they were like nothing she had ever experienced before. They were addicting, almost like a drug. Her arm hurt from where he had grabbed her but she didn't bother looking to check for bruises, knowing she wouldn't find anything to explain where the pain was from. Maka looked out the window at the red sky. He was out there somewhere, tormenting her. The dreams, every hallucination she had had of him, was real. Despite how horrified she should be feeling she couldn't help but feel a small amount of relief at knowing she hadn't lost her mind just yet.
The scythe meister nearly jumped out of her skin when she was pulled back down, arms wrapping tightly around her middle. She blinked in confusion and turned her head. "S-Soul?" Said weapon didn't reply, snuggling closer to her and burying his head into her back, legs unconsciously curling around hers. She could hear his dull snores, confirming he was fast asleep and probably dreaming. Maka relaxed and held his arms in place, ignoring the stray hairs that tickled the exposed skin from her singlet. He would probably throw a fit about her sleeping in his room again (which was totally unfair, considering the amount of times he had snuck into her room without her permission to sleep) but at the moment she really didn't care. Her life was growing too chaotic, too dangerous for her to be worrying about such things. She frowned. The hallucinations (or whatever they were exactly) scared her. He had said he wanted her and somehow she doubted the Kishin was one to back out of his plans. The notion made her shiver. She felt her partner shift behind her, moving his head up to rest by her shoulder, unconsciously moulding his body against hers. Maka wanted nothing more than to stay like they were for the rest of her life yet somehow she couldn't shake the feeling that this, whatever this was, wouldn't last much longer. Something was going to happen. She could feel it in her gut and it was telling her that it would be something terrible, not just for her but for Soul and everyone else as well.
"Maka…" he breathed. She held her breath. Was he awake?
She listened as his snores started up again and she smiled sadly. This was stupid. She was being stupid. Shinigami-sama will protect them and the Kishin will be killed. It's only a matter of time, she thought. Everything will go back to the way it was soon. Maka closed her eyes and allowed her weapon to use her as a human teddy bear, listening to his steadily growing snores and feeling the beat of his heart through his chest. "Goodnight, Soul," she whispered. They were going to be fine.
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The demon god climbed to his feet, the image of his beautiful obsession disappearing as his concentration dispersed. He growled and lowered his head scarves, looking down at his hands. He had had her; she had been in his grasp, on the verge of madness. But no. She had been too stubborn to let go of her sanity and instead managed to evade his advances. His hands clenched shut in rage. He almost had her! His fist shot out and smashed against one of the temples columns, reducing the brick to near dust from the force. Asura didn't look back at the collapsing column as he stepped outside, stepping over the bodies of the two DWMA students in his way. Their disappearance would be sure to attract Shinigami's attention, but he wasn't interested in that just now.
Maka was the only thing on his mind, the only thing that had been on his mind for the past four years! It angered him. Why should he alone suffer for what she was doing to him? She should know the full force of his feelings for her, the full force of what she had done albeit unknowing to her. His eyes flickered upwards at the cackling moon. Even after four years of his constant attempts to persuade her to join him, she still refused his invitations of being in a world without consequence or rules. A world with him. He snarled. She was leaving him no choice.
If she won't go to him then he would have to go to her himself. He knew she had felt the power of his souls wavelength. Simply being in his presence would be enough to send most humans into a deep, unstirring fit of madness. Maka's soul would slow the process, yes, but he didn't plan on just being close to her. Oh no. He would have the stubborn girl screaming his name, begging him for release by the end. His beautiful angel would submit to him and his madness within time. His eyes shut and he cast out once more with his wavelength, suddenly standing beside her as she slept with her weapon. He gently stroked her cheek. She flinched from the contact and backed closer into the arms of her partner. He smirked. While the idea of her pleading for him to take her thrilled him to no end he couldn't deny that the journey leading up to that point would be just as enjoyable. After all, she looked her most beautiful when she was scared and fighting. The Kishin stroked her cheek once again. "I'll be back tomorrow evening to take you away from this, child. I don't expect you to understand at first but you will. All you need is a little patience for me to undo everything your precious Shinigami has done. Only then will you be mine." He leant over to kiss her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Maka."
Soon she would understand his need to have her. She was his beautiful obsession, after all.
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And there you go! =P I was actually reading the reviews earlier for Beautiful and I had someone mention it would be nice if Maka was in control so that was my original plan for her. I think I went a little off track with that haha but she's was a big girl in the end so she saved herself ^_^ Hope you guys enjoyed it and tell me what you think.
Laters!