The haunting notes of a piano echoed into the forest air. Wildlife quieted, as if to listen to the melody.
Undaunted by the oddity of such a thing so far from civilization, a teenage girl continued climbing up the steep path to the cliffs ahead. Her sandy blonde hair gleamed in the sunlight that made it easier to pick her way around the rock strewn trail. Keen green eyes glanced up towards the red doors that were left carelessly open. There was no "wall" they were attached to, the hinges had to be attached to the cliff-face.
Scanning the cliff-side, Maka spotted the shine of windows, then she tripped.
"Crap!" Mentally cursing she focused her eyes on the ground again. Embarrassed by her own thoughts, Maka determinedly focused on stomping her way to the residence.
It was stupid to have a path that was so treacherous. Why bother having a path at all?
Kicking a rock out of the way (and causing a mini-avalanche) Maka looked up to check how much further the door was... and almost smacked her head on it.
Reeling back, then grabbing it to keep her balance, she noticed the cool smoothness of dried paint under her fingers; it gleamed in the light. The metal studs and bands were perfectly symmetrical, the doorknob on the second door in the exact same spot.
Letting go of the door and straightening, Maka peered into the dark interior, but the sunlight didn't reach much past the entrance. All that was revealed was the same dark grey stone of the exterior cliff-face and the blurred image of a hall extending within.
Maka hesitated, and the music within changed, the song rising on a crescendo filled with wrath.
Was it smart to head inside? Maka didn't know the person within. She wasn't a guest. He didn't even know her.
Nervously reaching to fix her gloves (and belatedly realizing she wasn't wearing any) Maka stiffened her spine.
She was Maka Albarn, daughter of the great sorceress Kami Albarn, who was able to open the death-spells of her partner dragon. Meeting one boy would not be a difficult task for her, even if he was a dragon. Dragons weren't so tough. They needed sorcerers to be anything but brutish fighters. She could definitely handle this.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the hallway. The heels of her boots clicked against the stone floor, but it was muffled by the notes of the piano. Curiosity had her peering around in the darkness, looking for the source of the sound.
Her eyes slowly adjusted to the gloom as she came across her first open door and the source of the song she had been listening to on her climb. Slowly, she edged into the room as the music became melancholy once more.
It pulled at her heart strings, making her long to bring comfort to the boy that came into view. In stark contrast to the sombre setting of the black grand piano and bench, the boy was wearing a rumpled orange t-shirt over blue jeans and grey sock covered feet. His shockingly white hair was a spiky mess that appeared to fall over his eyes. His fingers worked magic on the black and ivory keys while a single light fought the darkness which sunlight couldn't penetrate from the red drape covered windows. The walls were a dark red with pictures framed in gold that Maka didn't bother to take a look at.
This had to be Soul. Soul "Eater" Evans, the white scythe class dragon. Scythe like her father, the dragon her mother had partnered who had become death-spell capable with her help.
The song came to an end with heart breaking loneliness and his hands stilled on the keys.
Maka began to clap.
((This is my first Soul Eater fanfic, please feel free to comment and let me know how I did.))