"Where were you when the world ended?"
Author Unknown
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Chapter 1: Grand Theft Library
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"This is stupid," a deep voice whispered, its owner hidden in the shadows of a shoddy alleyway, illuminated only by a worn flickering street lamp and the bright yellow moon. Old newspapers, needles and the occasional broken knife littered the cracked pavement around a pale green, filled-to-the-brim trashcan.
"No it's not," a feminine young voice broke the alley's oppressive silence, coming from where the previous voice originated. "It's gonna be quick, just like we planned."
A few light steps echoed in the street and a slender figure came out of the shadows. Blond hair tied in two identical pigtails tossed around, as the petite girl looked left and right before running straight towards the lone dirty trashcan. With one mighty push of her legs the girl jumped onto the trashcan then to the top of the metal fence, hands gripping the brick wall nearby in support. With baited breath, she knelt down before leaping off again, towards a suspended railing. Her hands barely caught on the metal and her entire figure wobbled back and forth, as strong hands gripped tighter on her leverage and pushed her whole body up the railing.
"Phew," she panted heavily and rubbed her brow before turning towards the dark corner. "Your turn Kid," she said, leaning into the massive wall dirtied with the occasional bloody spatter and flaying plaster.
"I'm coming." The other figure called Kid shifted through the shadows until he came under the lamp's light. The flickering beam accentuated the boy's black hair and pale skin as the teenager moved through the alley. The boy shifted the backpack he was carrying on one shoulder and stopped about a meter away from the fence above which the girl was. He slipped the backpack from his shoulders and gripped it with one hand.
"Maka, catch." With one strong swipe, the bag flew over the fence and onto the girl's lap. The boy took a few steps back, before sprinting towards the fence and jumped, one foot connecting with the fence as another hand gripped the thin wire lines. Kid's free foot propelled the boy higher and his other free hand grabbed the top of the fence. With a soft grunt the boy climbed up to the fence's top. He crouched and balanced himself on top of the thin top rail, holding on the wall for extra balance. Bright yellow eyes looked at the faraway ledge with apprehension.
"I stand by my previous claim. This is stupid."
The girl frowned before giving the boy a disapproving look. "You're always so negative," Maka said, mounting the bag on her back. She sat on her knees and extended her hand to Kid's direction. "I'll catch you. Worst case scenario, you'll get a bruise."
"You're being too optimistic." Kid bent his knees before jumping off the fence. His stomach collided with the beginning of the railing as slender hands caught on both sides of the ledge. He let out a pained grunt as Maka helped him up.
"See? Not that bad?" Maka said with a bright smile, giving Kid a pat on the back. "A+ for effort."
Kid raised an eyebrow at the gesture and stood up. "Don't be patronizing. You know it's not the getting in part I'm worried about," he muttered while brushing off imaginary dust of his faded black T-shirt.
Yet Maka merrily brushed off his comment off and walked further along the metal ledge with Kid in tow. After a few seconds of blindly walking along and staring at the lower part of the wall, Maka stopped in front of a hole in the wall covered by a thick ridged metal cover. "Bingo," she said as she knelt down and grabbed the cover between the gaps. With a mighty grunt she tried to pull the cover out, yet the metal didn't budge. After a couple of more unsuccessful tries, she let out a depressed mumble and turned to an amused-looking Kid. "Mind giving me a hand?"
"Sure," Kid responded as he knelt down. Two skinny arms grabbed the vent entrance and pulled with surprising strength. Within a few seconds the metal bent until finally giving out, and the cover fell into the abandoned alley with a loud clang.
"Kid the strongman strikes again," Maka joked as she entered the vent, the sounds of limbs against metal echoing through the metal impromptu hallway.
Kid shrugged as he knelt down after Maka. "Maybe it's a family thing," he muttered. A second set of footsteps resounded through the vent as he crawled behind her. "Wouldn't know."
"Or maybe Miss Marie's being giving you lessons," Maka commented in a light-hearted tone.
"No, currently she's more preoccupied trying to find a husband and annoying Azusa," Kid said with mild annoyance. "At times like this, I can't figure out how they ended up as flatmates."
"Didn't Miss Marie insist on living with Azusa when she found you?"
Kid made a non-committal sound. "Well, seeing as she's still treating me like I'm an 8-year-old, most likely."
There was a moment of silence as the two teens continued their strange journey, with only the muffled clangs of their movement accompanying them as they trudged through the vent. It was dusty and more often than not Maka had to stop and pull at several spider webs while avoiding the numerous rusty and corroded parts of the metal lining.
"I'm still surprised we managed to find a way to sneak in the library," Kid said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, it's weird. I thought the place would be better protected."
Kid gave a thoughtful hum before speaking out, "I guess there wasn't much need for protection from the people here. After all, we are within the inner circle. If one were to invade, they would come from the outer circle, which would probably end with the wannabe culprit's soul eaten."
Maka turned her head as much as the restricted metal tunnel allowed her and gave Kid a wide grin. "Does that make us successful culprits then?"
"More like incredibly idiotic culprits but the terms are not mutually exclusive-"
Kid's cynical remark was cut short as Maka stopped dead in her tracks, causing him to stop as well.
"What's up?"
"I got us an empty room."
Kid heard another grunt and realized Maka was trying to remove another one of the metal covers. "Can I help-?"
"Nah, I got this," came Maka's strained reply, her whole frame shaking from the effort. After a few intense seconds Kid heard metal giving away as Maka's frame relaxed. "There." Another small clang confirmed Kid's suspicion as the cover was pushed away from the entrance. His friend grabbed on the edge and with a graceful swoop exited the vent. Kid did the same only with much less enthusiasm, and both teens found themselves surrounded by darkness.
"I can't see anything," Kid heard Maka's voice coming from somewhere close to his left.
"I can see, barely. The room is small. There's an old armchair in front of you. And… I think that's a candle over there?"
"How about a light switch?"
"Can't make one out."
"Ok, wait I think I have some matches in the backpack." A shuffling noise filled the room followed by a scratching sound and a small orange flame appeared. The flickering light barely illuminated Maka's face whereas Kid's frame was hued a faint orange but remained fairly obscure.
"You really came prepared. Hand me one, I'll go get the candle."
After a few more shuffling noises and a few footsteps, a small lit candle was placed on the coffee table in the middle. Thanks to the small light the teens could see that the room was probably a private reading room if the two exquisitely decorated armchairs and the mahogany table were of any indication. The floor was covered by a thick and textured red-brown carpet, a similar hue to the dark red walls lined with expensive looking portraits and ancient maps.
Footsteps and chatter came from outside the room, causing both teens to look worriedly towards the door. The voices of two women slowly increased in volume until it seemed like the people were right outside the room… Kid took a tentative step back, getting closer to the single candle providing light whereas Maka lowered her back, like a lion ready to pounce.
Then one of the women let out an airy laugh, followed by the sounds of footsteps moving away from where the two teens were. Maka's tensed shoulders relaxed whereas Kid gaze remained fixed on the door.
"It's starting…" the girl muttered and her eyebrows scrunched with determination. "We need to hurry up." She removed her backpack with hasty movements and set it near the coffee table, pulling the zipper open and removing many cloth bags along two sets of formal looking clothes, setting them on top of the mahogany furniture.
"The clothes at the top are for you," the girl explained as she set the two sets of clothing on top of the table while discarding the cloth bags on the floor. "The ones below are for me," she added as she took the lower set and started unfolding the garments. "How'd you convince Azusa to lend you one of her outfits?" she asked while absent-mindedly inspecting the clothes that were for her.
"I didn't, so don't ruin them or I'm screwed. More so than usual," Kid said with some regret and took his pair. He inspected the black fabric with some confusion. "Speaking of which, right back at you. How did Spirit let you take one of his formal pairs? Considering…" Kid tilted his head in a silent exchange between him and Maka.
The teen shook her head before returning to her more confident and cheerful self. "Well… I'm in the same situation as you," she sheepishly said, giving the boy a goofy grin.
"Oh wonderful," Kid drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm, which Maka completely ignored as she picked up the matchbox. "So if we do make it out of this with our souls intact we're still both screwed anyways."
"Kid, we're getting a book."
"No, we're stealing it. From the Central Library's Forbidden section. With most of the Kishin council surrounding us."
"We've done this before," Maka commented offhandedly as she lighted a few more candles scattered across the room shedding more light in the red-hued chamber.
"Stealing minor things, yes. No one in the upper level would care about missing wallets and the occasional kerfuffle."
"You forgot that one time we got the caretaker's timetable for our district."
"Yes but that was only one low-level Witch and some mindless ghouls," Kid said, his face scrunching up as he remembered sneaking past the moving corpses. "In a few hours this place will be swarming with Witches and… Kishin Eggs. If anyone smart enough uses soul perception…"
Maka dug through her outfit and Kid copied her. "Then we run," she mumbled, sorting through a long cotton fabric and a leather belt before inspecting an inconspicuous black garment. "It's not like our families are upstanding members of society…" Maka's remark trailed off.
"I highly doubt anyone outside Kishin-controlled territories will welcome us with open hands…" A similar failure of speech happened to Kid who was also giving a part of his outfit a confused look.
"Kid?"/"Maka?" both asked simultaneously.
"What's this?!" Maka had a scandalized expression on her face, cheeks slightly blushing as he held up a certain type of clothing.
"It's a bra," Kid replied in a neutral tone.
"Why'd you get me a bra?!" she hissed and the red in her cheeks deepening. "A push-up one as well!"
"We said we'd bring each other a proper outfit!" The boy crossed his hands in indignation. "Sports bra don't go with cocktail dresses!" Kid said as a matter-of-fact and then held up a particular piece of clothing as well. "Why the hell did you get me briefs!?"
"Boxers create panty lines!"
"How the hell do you know that?"
"Right back at you!"
"Oh gosh," muttered the teen in mock surprise, "maybe because both my guardians are women?!"
"I've been mostly living with my dad as well!" Maka hissed and turned away. Her blush had now reached her ears and showed no sign of receding. "Not that I like that, he's a total deadbeat and keeps cheating on mom-"
She was interrupted by a small chuckle. Maka reeled around and saw Kid eyeing the two offending pieces of clothing while trying –and failing- to keep his laughter in.
"What's so funny?"
"We know each other too well," Kid muttered, rubbing imaginary tears off his eyes. "At least if we get caught and stripped for torture our outfits will be on point."
Ignoring Kid's cynical comment, Maka found herself loosening up as well until she failed to hold in a small giggle.
"Anyways," the girl said, "we should get ready."
They both picked up their respective piles of clothes, underwear included, and went to opposite corners of the room. Maka deposited her pile on a comfy-looking red armchair whereas Kid used a small coffee table to place his clothes.
"Don't look," Maka said as she pulled up her yellow second-hand sweater.
"Same," Kid replied as he took off his faded black T-shirt.
What followed were a few minutes of mutual silence, broken only by the occasional shuffling of clothes and the steady hum of activity outside the room.
"I'm ready," Kid piped in. "You?"
"Just a sec. The stupid zip in annoying." A small zipping sound reached Kid's ears. "There!" came the triumphant yell.
Both turned around and looked at each other.
Kid was now dressed in a beige dress shirt tucked under a formal black trouser, with black suspenders keeping the garment secure over his thin form. Maka herself was dressed in an imposing black high-neckline cocktail dress, the ends hanging loosely around her knees.
There were only two little issues…
"The pants are too long…" Kid lamented at the multitude of folds at the end of his pants
"The bust is too big…" Maka groaned, eyeing the sagging fabric at her front.
"Oh, we are done for…"
"No!" Maka yelled. "It's gonna be fine, we can fix this!" She grabbed the cloth bags and turned to the boy. "Kid, pull your pants up and fold them as much as you can!" She then turned her back on him. "I'll stuff the bust with the bags…" she muttered to herself before hissing, "don't look!"
Another minute later with more shuffling, the teens faced each other again.
Maka gave Kid a satisfied smirk. The male teen looked presentable, despite the end of his pants appearing weirdly large.
"This isn't comfortable," the teen mumbled as he shifted in his trousers. Kid then looked up flinched as he inspected Maka's appearance.
"Your chest is asymmetrical. Did you put an equal number of bags in each cup?"
Maka's blush returned at full force. "Not this again! It's fine if it's not perfect we won't mingle with the crowd. We just have to look ok from a distance…"
"But if they're asymmetrical then you become asymmetrical as well, and unbalanced so a mistake is bound to happen and you'll be screwed, I'll be screwed and the whole mission will be in shambles-"
"Not now Kid, not your weird symmetry thing-"
"It's not weird- Symmetry is-!"
"I'm heading out!" Maka turned away from Kid and opened the door, the suddenness of her action causing Kid to quit his zealous rant.
"I'm not finished-! Oh," Kid became quiet as he stepped out as well. For a second the bright light blinded him as he took in the enormous hall spread beneath them. The teens were on a hallway way above the sprawling ballroom, perhaps some type of gallery.
"And to think they call this building a library," Kid said with restrained awe as he took in the massive hall stretching beyond the ballroom, marked by the beginning of endless rows of bookshelves. Shelves upon shelves filled with books lined the walls circling around the hall. The stairs beginning from the ballroom split into different subsets, like branches of a tree, proudly defying engineering and logic, standing proud and lavish as a miracle of architecture – magic was certainly involved. Some paths lead to balconies and galleries spread across the gigantic hall at varying levels, including the one the two teens were on. Most staircases ended on platforms also supported on seemingly nothing as they intertwined and stretched beyond their point of view and wound around the multitude of selves. One could easily get lost in the sea of bookshelves that separated the hall from the rest of the building.
Maka, however, was focused in the sea of people below them, frowning as she took in their forms. Most women were wearing themed outfits, from toads and scorpions to geometrical patterns and everything in between. There were relatively few men and women who weren't in the themed costumes; instead, their bodies were distorted into inhuman shapes, often with sharp teeth, nails and menacing humped postures.
Her eyes hardened as she saw the few normal looking humans standing lifelessly to the side. "No matter. We should go find the book," she muttered turning her back to the crowd and heading towards the sea of bookshelves in the back. "The notes said that it should be at the centre of the library…"
She paused when she didn't hear a set of footsteps following her. "Hey Kid, you ok-"
"Look at the entrance, in the middle of the hall-" the boy said in complete awe, leaning dangerously over the railing. "The carvings on each door are perfectly symmetrical-!"
"Not now Kid-"
"Look at the columns Maka, there are eight of them-!" he squealed as he leaned as far as the railing would let him before Maka grabbed him and literally dragged him away from the guest's view.
And as they merged into the shadows, a white-haired boy gave the gallery a questioning look before heading into a door near the entrance of the hall.
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"Soul, have you seen your brother?"
"No mother, I don't know where Wes is," the boy replied as he let himself collapse into a nearby chair with all the grace of a male teenager.
"Oh by the Kishin, where is he, the performance is about to start any minute now," the woman whispered anxiously, playing with a strand of her long white hair as the rest curled elegantly along her thin back. The white-haired boy named Soul sat quietly in the background, fidgeting in his formal suit. "And comb your hair, they're all over the place!"
The boy sighed in frustration. He shared the same striking white hair as his mother, only his were spiky and naturally wild which earned him copious amount of grief from his prim-and-proper parent.
"I combed them five minutes ago ma-"
"Mother."
Soul huffed. "Yeah sure, mother. Like I said I already combed them before, that's how they naturally are…"
The woman rubbed her temples in frustration. "Of course they are. Now where on Earth is your brother Wes…?"
"Maybe he bailed," Soul piped in, smiling inwardly as he saw his mother turn fifty shades of pale before turning and looking at her son like he had just disowned her. She opened her mouth to yell at him, before composing herself, resting a delicate hand on her temple.
"Just kidding mom."
"Your attempt at humour is not appreciated, Soul Evans."
The creaking of the door distracted the mother and Soul dropped the sarcastic comment he was about to make. A young man dressed in a black tailcoat and with the same striking white hair as the other two people in the room came in. "Hello mother, hi Soul, sorry to keep you waiting-"
"Wes Evans, your lateness in unacceptable!" The woman let out an exasperated sigh and rushed to the albino man as the younger brother huffed and looked away.
"Mother, I'm thirty minutes early…"
"We can barely prepare in thirty minutes!" the woman half-yelled before letting out a fake cough and regaining her noble composure. "What I meant to say is that this is a very important event, not just for you but for the Evans family as a whole," the woman softly said as she fixed her eldest son's shoulder flaps before moving to the tie. "If Lady Arachne or Lady Medusa enjoy your performance they may hand out the Indulgence paper and you know how much we need that," she continued, untying and redoing the tie until the velvet fabric was perfect and elegant. "Imagine, being able to live in the Inner Circle, having ghouls as our personal servants, even find a patron in the Kishin Council-maybe even get yourselves acquainted to Lady Medusa's child-"
"Yeah, being a Witch's bitch is such a cool thing to look forward to," came Soul's spiteful remark.
The woman swiftly turned around and gave her younger son an acidic glare. "If you want to keep living in the wastelands among the soulless, hungry and poor until our souls get stolen by some filthy occultist, feel free to remove yourself from our family."
They remained silent for a while before the woman spoke up in a neutral tone.
"Besides you should be grateful to the amazing opportunity given to us considering it is your condition that got us sent to the wastelands," she said in a cold calculating tome. Her comment caused Soul to regress further back in his seat. Their mother didn't notice, absorbed in making sure her son looked presentable. Wes' gaze, on the other hand, lingered on his younger brother but soon refocused on his mother.
"Though you are not the source of blame. If anyone, it is my mother," her hand clenched. "Deceiving your grandfather to what she truly was, I hope Lady Arachne and Lady Medusa put her tainted soul to good use." She scoffed. "I thought since I wasn't tainted by her sin that my children would be safe as well," she said glancing at her younger son, whose slumped frame hid his face in the shadows.
"But we know how it turned out," she muttered before giving both her sons a bright fake smile. "And that's why you Wes, are such a great brother and son! To think you would use your precious talent in piano to help out your family even those who others may think are not worth it…" she brushed an imaginary tear from her cheek, "that's why I'm proud to call you my son," she concluded and gave the younger male a warm motherly embrace, despite being several centimetres shorter than her eldest boy.
Said boy now looked at his brother and mother in concern, rubbing his neck. "I… uh," he trailed off, unsure what to say. "You're worth it mom. Soul too. We're a family right?" he said in a hopeful tone.
"Yes of course," the mother said, smiling warmly as she placed her hands on her son's shoulders. "A better life awaits us, Wes."
A bitter scoff echoed from the back of the room. "You talk like your souls won't get eaten eventually by one of the commanding bitches anyway…"
The woman let out an offended gasp as the elder brother looked between them hesitant. "You compare faithfully serving our Lord Kishin and being rewarded for our service by being forever a part of him to die as insignificant ants!?"
"We don't have to stay in the wastelands!" Soul yelled in desperation. "There are other places we can go!"
"Were would you go? At the…" she shivered, "the Death worshippers?! They'd much rather take your soul! At least our merciful Lord allows us to exist even if flawed beyond repair."
The boy flinched but remained silent.
The woman gave her son a stern look. "You know how they treat your kind dear, my dear son. My mother made the mistake of seeing her sin as a gift and had the audacity to pass it to one of her grandchildren. Don't tread the same path." She slowly approached her son as he turned his face away and receded further into his chair. The woman ignored his childish antics as she knelt from behind and enveloped the boy in her embrace.
"Rest easy my son," she whispered sweetly into his ear. "Mother knows best. It is not your fault you were born with sin. Mommy will fix everything."
Soul's frame tensed and his breath came in shallow as his mother gave him a light kiss on the forehead.
"I'll fix you."
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Meanwhile, outside the library's entrance, an entirely different scene was playing out. Beneath the laughing moon's pale moonlight and the bewitched bloody red candles, a lone young man reclined against the old library's brick wall. He was of Japanese descent, tall and well-built. His black hair was tied back to a thin ponytail with the exception of two side bangs and the rest of his body was covered by a high-collared white coat.
The man was staring at nothing in particular but perfectly aware of his surroundings, isolated from the rest of the people gathered around. As he stayed there unmoving and silent, a small group of women of varying ages passed him. They were muttering among themselves, and judging from the hushed tones and intrigued remarks, their conversation topic was highly sensationalist. The man focused his attention on them. He was a newcomer to this world; every bit of information, even meaningless gossip was a good stepping stone to his eventual integration.
"Did you hear?"
"I heard the boy was stolen and raised by a Meister!"
"One of the people who worship the fallen god? How horrible!"
"They say the Star Clan invaded one of their hideouts and recovered the child about a year back!"
"Oh by the Kishin, why did they let him live?"
"Lady Arachne said the boy already had the Madness in him despite those horrible people's best tries."
"Praise Lord Kishin for that."
The young man moved his eyes to the person the Witches were not-so-subtly gossiping about.
Perched up in the square's statue where the annual soul-feasting took pale stood a young boy at his mid-teens. His wild spiky blue hair and ninja-themed outfit made him unique enough, but what truly made the boy stand out was his arrogant pose, standing proudly upon the tallest point on the spiked statue, revelling in the people's attention.
The man's eyes widened as he saw a small detail on the boy's shoulder. A tattoo in the shape of a star…
With slow but determined steps, the young man approached the boy. As he stood at ground level he craned his neck to look up, seeing the boy with a wild grin on his face.
"Good evening," he said politely. For a moment he was hesitant he'd have to shout as the teen didn't seem to hear him. However, the boy immediately turned his head and looked down on the man. The boy's grin intensified.
"I see you are aware of my godly presence! And who might you be, lowly mortal?!"
"…Masamune," the man softly said.
The young teen frowned at his response. "Can't hear crap from up there!" Strong muscles propelled the boy forwards as he jumped down from the tall stature to land with the grace of a cat.
"I haven't seen you around these parts before!" the boy said, full of energy. "I don't notice people much, more like people notice ME because of the big star I am-But of course you know about me-"
"No, who are you?"
The boy seemed to have an aneurysm, before facing the ma with an offended expression. "How the hell do you not know me?!"
"I'm new to the inner circle," Masamune quietly said, his gaze focused on the floor. "This is the first major event I'm attending."
"So that explains why you didn't know me! You're a newbie! In this case, your sin of not recognizing me is forgiven! Hahahahaha!"
"I take it you're famous? Or come from a renowned family?" Masamune quickly added.
"Ha! Someone as awesome as me doesn't need family ties or that crap to get to the top! You probably have heard of my folks though. After all, this awesomeness had to come from somewhere!"
"Yes, I suppose…"
The boy crossed his hands and drew to his full height, which was ironically not that much, before proudly exclaiming, "The name's BLACK STAR and I'm the one who will surpass the Gods-!"
Masamune's eyes widened. "Of the Star Clan of assassins?"
"Yup. So you have heard of my folk."
"They're… famous."
"What about your folk?" Black Star said with not as much enthusiasm as before. "Most people here that aren't Witches or Kishin Eggs get here cause of connections and whatnot- Not me of course-"
"I'd rather not mention my clan."
To Masamune's relief, the external library's lights around them were toned down considerably and the muttering subsided. Black Star snorted in the background and muttered something along the lines of 'stolen attention'.
A bright light was focused on a platform in the entrance of the building, where a young woman in her late teens stood. Her hair resembled a scorpion's tail and she was clad in a long black robe resembling an insect's armour.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. My name is Shaula Gorgon-" she stated with a fake sweetness coating her voice, though the thin wrinkling around her nose revealed she was anything but sincere.
"One of the Gorgon sisters…" muttered Masamune.
"And I'll be your host for this year's gala. Feel free to come inside the ballroom of the Central Library as our event is nearing its official opening ceremony. Our musicians for tonight; Wes Evans of the Evans family, currently residing in the outer district of New York City…"
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
And as his brother's perfect melody filled the library's hall Soul walked away from the scene, hands in pockets and head hung low. The boy's initial fast pace slowed down as his brother's music faded away until it was but an indistinguishable hum along with the guests' voices. Surely their mother must be having the time of her life, socializing with the elite and some other equal crap, thinking their family would be perfect the moment they rise in rank.
Soul sniffed loudly and rubbed his nose. At least it was warm in here, and if things went right -which of course they would 'cause Wes was brilliant at the piano- they'd have a warm place to stay and not have to endure the humid spring weather…
And there it was. In an ironic twist of fate, a piano stood among the soaring bookcases, unabashed and undisturbed. Though not in the best of condition with a scratched board and faded polish, the instrument itself seemed sturdy and fine-tuned; almost certainly a high-quality one.
Soul looked behind him in apprehension. He was far away so that couldn't disturb anyone… plus he wouldn't have to worry about anyone listening in.
With barely restrained enthusiasm the boy lifted the wooden cover completely, revealing the row of black and white.
Pale fingers stretched over the piano keys.
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
A few ledges up and on the opposite bookshelf of where Soul was paying the piano Maka's ears caught the melody. The girl stopped her investigation, freezing in place before running to the railing.
"Maka?" Kid stopped as well but looked more confused than amazed.
Maka ignored him and leaned on the railing so she could get a better view of the young pianist. "Such beautiful music…"
Kid rolled his eyes as he took to the bookshelf behind them, scanning through the countless books lined up haphazardly. His right eyebrow twitched at the chaotic display, followed by his left for the sake of symmetry and the boy had to amass every last inch of his willpower not to make a scene. If he were anywhere else but in this section of the library surrounded by Witches and Kishin Eggs ready to eat his and his friend's soul the moment the two teenagers were discovered, he'd make it a personal goal to arrange the books in a precise and perfect matter, preferably in a symmetrical arrangement.
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
From the corner of his eye Soul saw a strange blond girl look at him in awe from a ledge above them.
At first he panicked, his fingers freezing in mid-air. He wasn't supposed to have people around him, that's why he had gone so far into the library in the first place-wait did that mean it was only him and her?
Oh no, what if she left and Soul never got to see who she was?
Gulping a lump and ignoring the slight lurch of his stomach, Soul continued mid-melody. Though it was less flowing and more sharp and structured, as Soul put his playing on auto-pilot, he searched for the girl again, relieved when she saw her still leaning from the riling. Sure he had to turn his neck at an uncomfortable angle, but his face and hair were equally pale so he hoped the girl was too focused on his 'rad' piano skills.
Was she the one he'd sensed earlier? Focusing on her he saw that she was a blonde –which was cool because he liked blonds- and was wearing a black cocktail dress that hugged her figure in all the right places. Soul was also relieved to see the girl with closed eyes, slowly swaying her head to his melody; it'd be awkward if the girl caught him staring at her.
Of course it was at that time that the mysterious girl opened her eyes revealing two green orbs, which subsequently locked with Soul's blood red ones.
He gave her a toothy smile.
The young girl jumped and vanished from sight much to the albino's disappointment. Soon enough he stopped the piano and sighed. Well, it was good until it lasted, he thought bitterly to himself and stood up, heading towards the hall once more.
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
Maka, however, did not take their minor exchange so calmly and immediately and backed as much as she could from the railing until her back hit the wall.
"Maka-?"
"Dammit, I think he saw me!"
"What-who did-when," Kid said as he abandoned the bags and assumed a battle stance. "We got found out didn't we, I told you so-"
"No, no, we weren't completely found, everything's gonna be fine-"
At this precise moment, an explosion rocked the library's foundation, with the entrance blown apart. Maka and Kid clutched on the wooden structure of the bookshelf as the ground itself shook causing a myriad of books to rain down on them. Smoke filled their vision as countless dust particles swivelled around the rubble and broken furniture.
Maka coughed from the dust and slowly piqued from under her cover, with Kid following her example.
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
Premise Idea taken from ChildrenAreMySoulFood. Feedback is appreciated.