Maka's Birthday Wish
Maka woke up that morning hopeful that today would be a good one. She opened her eyes and woke up with her hand on the last book she read last night. Thankfully, she remembered to mark her page before she fell asleep; however, that meant she fell asleep without changing into her night clothes. She sat up in bed, gazing into the early morning sun. Death City looked the same as ever. Maka then gazed at the calendar above her desk. Today was January 23, in other words, Maka's birthday. She sighed because it was also Monday, which meant more than likely, she and her weapon partner, Soul, will be given an assignment to hunt down a kishin.
"Let's get today over with." Maka sighed to herself as she forced herself out of bed. A knock on her door startled her.
"Hey Maka, are you awake yet?" Soul asked through the door.
"Yes Soul. I'm coming." Maka changed into some clean clothes and walked into her and Soul's common room. Blair was humming to herself while she flipped pancakes over the stove. Blair sat atop the counter in her feline form; Maka and Soul let her stay with them after they mistook her for a witch. Finishing up with the last of the pancakes, Blair jumped off the counter, tucked herself in for a flip, and transformed into her human form.
"Who's first?" Blair chirped, holding her plate of freshly made pancakes. Maka and Soul sat down at the table and stuffed some pancakes into their mouths. Maka glanced at the clock and hurried Soul out the door. He had yet to mention anything about Maka's birthday; she figured that he had forgotten.
Maka and Soul took their usual places in class and prepared for Professor Stein's lesson. He rolled into class as usual. He paused for a moment, engaged the class, and rose to the nearby podium. "Let's begin." He stated. Professor Stein went on and on throughout the class while the students obediently took notes. Maka scribbled note after note, not paying a moment's attention to the looks Soul, Tsubaki, Liz, and even Black Star were giving her from across the room.
"And that class…" Professor Stein was interrupted by Crona bursting through the doors.
"I'm so sorry I'm late! I…uh…I…I overslept."
Professor Stein fixed his glasses on the bridge of his nose silently. The class glued their eyes to Professor Stein, wondering what he would do to Crona. "Crona, it is unacceptable for a student of the DWMA to arrive to class late."
"I'm not used to school life! I don't know how to handle it!" Crona wailed. He grabbed fistfuls of his hair in frustration. Ragnarok stayed inside with the rest of Crona's black blood during school hours because he couldn't stand the school environment; Crona was thankful that he didn't have to get an earful from Professor Stein and Ragnarok; he definitely couldn't handle that. Maka encouraged Crona to sit next to her in the reserved seat.
"As I was saying…" Stein continued. Maka opened her notes and handed them to Crona. When class was finally over, Stein dismissed the students all except for Maka and Soul. "You two, are to report to the Death Room."
Maka sighed; she knew this was coming. She and Soul still had a lot of kishin souls to capture and one witch soul before Soul could become a death scythe. Maka sighed.
"What's up Maka? You're not acting like yourself." Soul noticed.
"It's my birthday today." Maka finally confessed. Soul didn't speak another word about the matter. They finally reached the Death Room. Lord Death waited by his mirror as per usual.
"Hello Maka, Soul. It's good to see you kids." Lord Death greeted as they passed through the arches to meet Lord Death. "So Maka and Soul I…"
Spirit burst through the doors. "Maka!"
"Papa?" Maka asked as she turned around.
"Spirit, is now really a good time?"
"I'm sorry Lord Death but this is the only way." Spirit strode up to Maka. He stopped just in front of her. He paused for a moment and then he took out a gift bag with Maka's name on it. "Happy Birthday Maka." Spirit said.
"You remembered?" Maka asked.
"It's your birthday?" Soul and Lord Death echoed.
"Thanks Papa." Maka hesitantly took the bag from her estranged father. She was worried about a repeat from the last time Spirit tried to buy her a present. She carefully removed the tissue paper and found the next volume of manga that she had been wanting. Maka was shocked that Spirit even knew the manga she was reading let alone the next volume she needed. Maka figured that he had finally paid attention to her and that maybe he wasn't so bad after all.
"Hmm." Lord Death hummed.
Maka threw the bag against her side and stood at attention to Lord Death. "Lord Death, I'm sorry. You were saying?"
"Was I?" Lord Death puzzled for a bit. "Ah yes. I had hoped to send you and Soul to find a kishin that has been stalking young children. However, given the circumstances, I can get another meister and weapon team for the job."
"What?" Soul and Maka asked. "But Lord Death," Maka finished. "Soul and I need to collect more souls. We still don't have ninety-nine."
"That may be true Maka," Lord Death continued. "But that is no reason you have to give up your birthday. One assignment isn't going to hurt your chances of becoming a death scythe. So go on, you kids go have fun and have a happy birthday Maka."
Maka and Soul bowed respectfully, thanked Lord Death, and exited the Death Room. Soul asked Maka how she would like to spend her birthday. Maka was at a loss; she couldn't think of anything. Soul smirked. He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her away from the Death Room. Soul whisked Maka through the halls of the school and out the front door. They hopped aboard Soul's motorcycle. "Hang on." He cautioned her. Maka wrapped her arms around Soul's waist and they went off.
Soul weaved in and out of back alleys and down the main streets of Death City. Maka clung tightly to Soul, resting her head on his back. Soul smirked silently to himself. Soul slammed on his brake, bringing the rear end of his motorbike to a screeching halt away from a frozen yogurt stand. He helped Maka off of the bike and walked her over to the stand. Soul told her to order anything she wanted for her birthday and it would be on him.
Once they had their delicious smoothies, the two of them walked over to a nearby fountain and sat down. "So Maka, is there anything special you wanted for your birthday?"
Maka hesitated for a moment. "There's only one thing that I can think of."
"What's that?" Soul asked.
"I wish for all of this to be over. I want the kishin to be destroyed."
"And we will Maka. It won't be long before the DWMA will find the kishin." Soul reassured her.
"But it's not just that Soul." He looked at her confused. "I just want us to have normal lives again. I feel like I can't concentrate on getting one-hundred souls to turn you into a death scythe. It's not fair to you Soul."
Soul patted her hand. "You will Maka. Don't worry about me. You're the coolest meister a weapon could have. You will turn me into a death scythe." Maka smiled, feeling reassured. "Come on, let's go home."
The two of them mounted the motorcycle once more. Soul raced back to their apartment on the opposite side of Death City. Soul made sure that he was ahead of Maka when they reached their front door. "Soul, are you okay? You've been acting weird all day."
"Everything is cool." Soul opened the door to Maka's surprise party.
"Surprise!" Everyone shouted. Soul had put a lot of hard work into finding/setting up decorations, he asked Blair to bake the cake while they were away at school, and he secretly invited people all without Maka finding out. "Happy Birthday Maka." They cheered.
Crona, Miss Marie, Professor Stein, Death the Kid, Liz, Patty, Black Star, and Tsubaki all showed up to wish Maka a happy birthday. "Soul, did you plan all of this?"
"It would be un cool if I didn't host a party for my meister." Soul smirked. Maka went around the room, greeting everyone and thanking them for coming. Suddenly, Black Star stood up on the end table and screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Quiet down! It's time to give Maka her presents." Black Star cockily pulled out his present to Maka. "Mine is the best present because Black Star is the greatest the assassin and gift-giver." Black Star scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to Maka. "It's a photograph of yours truly with an autograph. You're welcome."
"Uh…thanks Black Star." Maka awkwardly took the picture and handed it to Soul. He tucked it away secretly where no one would find it. Everyone took turns handing Maka her birthday presents. They watched closely as she opened each and every one of them.
When Maka was finished, Blair came out of the kitchen with Maka's three layer birthday cake. Blair spent all morning baking it and she was more than proud to showcase her masterpiece. "Happy Birthday Maka." Blair said. Everyone sang happy birthday to Maka and she blew out her candles. Death the Kid was the only one not paying attention; instead, he rearranged the manga books on Maka's shelves, the paintings, and even the cushions on the couch so that they would be symmetrical.
"What did you wish for Maka?" Professor Stein asked.
"I just want to defeat the kishin." Maka told them.
"And we shall." Professor Stein echoed.