Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater!
The Cat Dilemma
Maka gazed warily at the dormant white mouse laying carelessly beside a cracked wall, its chest frozen still as the invisible orb sunken deep into its flesh swirled uselessly around, unused and distant.
The floorboards creaked as she stepped closer, scrunching her nose up in disgust at the sight of the dead mouse. She paused briefly, taking in the damp and humid stench of the rotting house, lying hidden among one of the cities many sleeping forests.
Maka sighed, blowing the thick layer of dust from a nearby table. Scratched upon the tables rugged surface relayed the words: 'Kristen and Jay 4 Ever'. "Teenagers," She huffed with a scrutinizing gaze, wandering back to the main entrance. Stuff like that is written everywhere these days, even on the school desks!
The house she had entered was old, and creaked underfoot. She hadn't entered here on mere whim like most teenagers would; probably searching for a spirit of some sort just for the fun of it. No, she had entered on her neighbour's request, searching for their runaway cat who had escaped due to her leaving the gate open. She was only returning their cup of sugar.
Old fashioned? Maybe. But what was a girl to do on such a low wage -bland tea just wasn't nice!
Her neighbours weren't too happy with her mishap and had demanded her to retrieve their cat. Living alone and having nothing else to do, Maka grumpily agreed. But looking back on it now, she should have just held on to the remaining sugar. Her neighbour's were being too dramatic-
Maka jumped as the winter wind rattled the loose broken panes of glass in their frames. It wasn't supposed to rain until this evening, the weather man had said it would be dry for the morning. Guess they should hire a new guy, someone that can actually read the change in weather patterns.
The cold drafts flittered through the open seals and brushed against her, raising the bumps along her milky white flesh. She glanced suspiciously towards the sound, watching as a swarm of hail stones broke through the sky, covering everything in their path with white in only a matter of seconds.
Maka shook her head before going back to her search, trying to distinguish where the cat could be. "If only my neighbours had bought a normal cat, then I would be able to track where he'd go." She growled, shoving her fringe back in frustration. "Normal cats would smell that dead mouse and hang around for a bit or maybe even take a nibble! But no, this cat has to go and ignore the meal just to spite me! He's obviously been planning this escape route from the very beginning!" She fumed.
Unknowing to the girl, a silvery-white cat sat perched on a dirty old mattress in the same room, clawing through the material all the while keeping his crimson eyes on the girl. His tail flickered with interest as her face grew a dark shade of red, rendering her anger.
He stood from his perch with a tired meow, lazily stretching his limbs.
Maybe if Maka hadn't been ranting and raving, she might have heard his bored sigh with a little strain of the ears.
"Why couldn't they have fetched their own cat? I'm not some nanny that can be used and disposed of at will!" She screeched, stomping her feet. But she could have just said 'no'. "Why is it always me!?" Her tone was drenched with despair. "...I can't even sense his soul," she whined regretfully, lowering herself to her knees.
This problem should have been easy to fix.
With her natural ability to emit body waves only visible to her eyes, Maka's powers acted like a bats, one which uses sound waves to see. Just like those blind mammals, she can track people's whereabouts and understand how they feel- as long as they are near of course.
But it didn't seem enough this time.
For some unknown reason, the girl couldn't sense the cat at all. Was it because it had no soul? Were such impeccable things real? Her thoughts ran wild at the possible outcome. If so, how is it walking? Breathing? ...Is it a zombie?
"Don't be silly, Maka. Zombies live in fictional books, they're not real." She scolded herself, closing her eyes. The hailstones bounced from the outer walls of the house, making subtle thrumming noises when they hit. Even if I do find the cat, there's no way I'm capable of getting us home dry.
Her hands ran over the wooden floor, brushing past chunks of wood and a soft pillow. Wait, a pillow? She gripped the 'object' tightly, gaining a feral screech from the pillow as three red lines appeared on her arm. "T-The pillow talked!" Maka wrenched her stinging arm back, raising her foot for the attack.
The pillow narrowed his eyes, ones daring her to try.
Neither of them moved.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, forcing her eyes open. Staring right back at her were a pair of crimson eyes, holding a ring of annoyance for the girl. The object wasn't a pillow but a cat. Her neighbour's cat.
The tiny bell around the feline's neck chimed as he moved, stalking towards her with stoic white legs; he circled around the still girl with a lazy expression, missing the evil glint in her eye. With a fellow swoop Maka ripped the hidden book from beneath her skirt and slammed it upon the spot the cat was moments ago.
Her emerald orbs frantically searched for the cat, briefly catching a blur of white as it shot past her vision. The cat had jumped onto the roof rafters. Pushing herself to her feet, she hurriedly dusted off her skirt and yanked her miniature encyclopedia from the dented planks, giving chase.
She listened while she ran, following the soft thumps of the cat's paws hitting the rafters in swift leaps. But she pressed on, forcing her legs to work under the sudden action as she hiked up her skirt, pulling the knee-length trim higher to climb the stairs. Taking two steps at a time and the final few with a leap, she called after the cat, "Come back!"
She stopped, taking a moment to catch her breath as they came out in loud wheezes. Her focused eyes scanned the ceiling once more, seeing only blackness. A light would help. Digging into her pocket she fished out her cell phone, turning on the flash that was already installed in most modern phones these days.
Gripping the device securely, Maka shone the stream of light up at the ceiling rafts, illuminating the cracks and cobwebs hidden in the dark. Although her phone light was bright, the hallway beyond its touch was eery, concealing the emitting groans of the house.
The ash blonde trod carefully, each step creaking underfoot from the sudden imbalance of weight. "Here, kitty kitty." She cooed, hoping he would show himself.
She paused.
Something warm brushed against her leg, and thinking it was the cat, Maka sighed with relief and shone the light at it. She screamed.
Rubbing against her leg was an enormous rancid rat. Her eyes reflected the pure terror coursing through her veins, sending her into convulsions. "E-Eww!" She stumbled back, tripping over something in the dark as she fell flat on her back. Her hand hit the floor with a thud knocking her phone out of her grip. She watched it bounce away, tilting dangerously over the top step of the staircase.
With no pressure on the light app the source of power radiating from her cell phone shut off almost instantly, leaving her with the dim lighting creeping through the boarded windows.
Maka rubbed her arms for comfort, feeling a chill rush by. Her unfocused eyes swirled violently, expanding for better focus to see where the rat had scurried off too. Her eyes stopped on a familiar pair of crimson, ones that shone like daylight in the dark, belonging to a white feline.
The rat squeaked in terror at the sight of the cat and tried to make its escape, but he wasn't taking any chances. He pounced on the defenseless rodent with a playful glint to his eye, knocking the rat several feet back.
Maka pushed herself to her feet during the commotion, fumbling along the wall for a light switch. "Damn it!" She winced, gaining nothing but a few splinters in her hands. There was no switch.
Her ears strained for sound, seeking out for any significant noise to guide her in the dark. All she could hear was the heavy panting of the cat, as well as the pelting hailstones grating against the fallen roof.
"Stupid cat, stupid house, stupid rain!" She yelled, rubbing her eyes in frustration. "I can't take this anymore!" She had reached her limit. Extending her hidden power, the soul perception lit up the way in search of the cat and its prey.
The wilted orb, similar to the previous mouse's, was floating lifelessly above the body of the rat's, slowly losing its light of life. However the cat was no where to be seen, hidden away from the girl's perception.
The frustration kicked in again upon the cat's second disappearing act of the day. It was slowly grating on her nerves. "OK, listen here cat." She spat, placing a hand on her hip. "I am sick and tired of chasing you throughout this Kami-forsaken house-" Her foot slipped through a broken floor panel, dropping down a fallen dent in the ground. "-Which if you haven't realised, is falling apart! I don't want to play this game of cat and mouse anymore, so you'd better get your fluffy ass out here before I Maka Chop you senseless." Her last words came out in a growl as she waited patiently for the cat.
Much to her surprise, the peculiar cat trotted out from his hiding place with a tinker of his bell; he sat directly before her, gently licking the soaked blood from his front paws. "Oh my, you actually listened this time." Maka spoke with an ounce of pride. She crouched down to level herself with the cat, thrusting her hand out. "Come on, Mr no-name, your little adventure is over." She grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.
The white cat growled in warning as she pulled him to her chest, awkwardly juggling him with one arm tucked under his soft belly. His back legs splayed out against her top and he dug his front claws into the fabric of her woolen sleeve, teasingly raking the tips along her skin. He didn't look happy.
She sent a glare his way, daring him to try. "Push those claws any further and you'll be walking home." She sniffled, navigating her way through the dark in search of the stairs. With a few hesitant steps Maka was at the top of the stairs, hand resting along the banister.
Her foot bumped against something as she moved to descend them, knocking the object over the edge. It clattered against the ground floor. That was when she remembered about her phone. "Shit!" She cursed, rushing down the steps with a clinging cat in her arms, skidding to a halt at the sight of her smashed phone. "Oh, damn it!" She picked up her mangled phone, scrutinising its appearance. "It's way past the recovery phase," she groaned, shoving it into her pocket. "Maybe Papa will lend me some- Ah, what am I saying? That lecherous guy is skint!"
I'll just have to contact my mother some other way...it's not like I communicate with anyone else as it is. She sighed. "I'll have to make do with some good old fashioned letter writing," her lips pulled up into a pout. The cat fidgeted in her hold, curling his tail around her arm for attention.
Maka glanced down at him before looking at the door, watching the rain fall. At least it has died down a bit. "As much of a pain you are, I don't want your owners thinking I did a bad job by bringing you home wet." She mused, grabbing a ragged table-cloth from the nearby furniture.
She pulled it around her like a cape, covering herself from head to toe with the cat hidden safely inside as she moved towards the door. With a shaky sigh, Maka wrenched open the creaking door.
The rain bashed down as a feral wind swooped down into the house, covering the girl like a wet blanket. Sucking up her pride, Maka rushed from the house with the cloth trailing behind like a cape, covering them from most of the rain as it fell.
Her feet tore through the puddles underfoot, drenching her worn shoes as the water seeped inside. Her socks squelched with each stride, uncomfortably sticking to the soles of her feet. "This is all your fault, you know." She told the cat, hurrying along.
But halfway home the wind picked up and threw the table-cloth from her clutches, taking away their cover. Maka sighed, stuffing the white cat under her top to keep him dry while she took the brute attack from the weather. She cursed all the way back, her hair tangled and sloppy.
She could feel her neighbour's giddy soul from down the street. They must have spotted them from the window.
Maka's pace dropped as she arrived outside her neighbour's house, not caring about her appearance. I'm sure to get a cold after all of this, she cursed inwardly, pushing the scowl from her face as the door opened.
"You found him!" Mrs Hender cried, grabbing the cat before Maka even had a chance to pass him off. "Oh, we were so worried!" She smothered him senseless while Maka stood shivering in the porch, her face pale and wet.
Mr Hender pulled up the rear, patting his wife on the back. "Thank you for bringing him back, Maka." He smiled wryly, ruffling her dripping hair. "But you're soaking!" His eyes widened, raking her dripping form. "C-Come on in, we'll get you dry and warm!" He tried to usher her inside but Maka declined.
"That's fine Mr Hender, Mrs Hender. I don't want to impose on you." That was a lie. "Anyway, I guess I'll be going now." She bowed, scurrying off.
The cat sighed, struggling to squirm out of his owner's hold. He wanted to stay with the girl, not these pair of old bats.
A thought struck her. "W-What's his name?" She turned back, catching the pair off guard with her question.
"I-It's Soul." This gained a cruel smirk from the cat.
Maka chuckled darkly, bidding farewell. "Soul, hm?" She said to herself, feeling the rain cascade down her face.
How ironic, for a cat with no soul.
Posting Date: 13th April 2014
Symm: I'M BACK...kind of. I haven't been able to meet my goals with editing my other stories, so I think I'm gonna leave that for now, (I can't guarantee a specific date either for when I'm going to update next either). I've never done a one-shot before; this was a practice for my English exam in May ;) I am trying to get better at writing and have tried to extend my vocabulary a little bit to add more tension and such, so tell me how it went. Flames are fine! FIRE AWAY!
I've been working on this idea for a few weeks, trying to take my time with it to make it right. It's not perfect, but nothing is, right? I hope you enjoyed and yes, Soul is a cat. No romance unfortunately. Thanks for reading!
You better come back- Or I'll take your Soul!