Disclaimer: I do not own SE. This fic is created purely for casual entertainment. Strictly not for sale. XP
Author's Notes:
Hey all, while I am re-editing my RE series, I decided to put up something that I absent mindedly composed during one of my lecture break time. It is not a happy story, so... This is for tragedy suckers. Not your usual "I love you" death parting tho. I cannot guarantee that this will be a great composition, but hope you guys will like it. Do check out my other two short one-shots too. Will put up the next chapter of RE after I finished re-tweaking some parts of the plot. Have an awesome day!
Love,
DATsubasa
Title: Sorry, I Am Late
"You promise me that you will not be like my dad?"
"Don't compare me with that bastard, for god sake! Of course I won't!"
"You said you will marry me when we become adults."
"Of course. It's a promise."
"Really?"
"Yea, wait for us to grow up. And your chest too."
The boy got whacked with the spine of a hard cover book the very next second, followed by the girl's angry yelling accompanied with the boy's squeals of pain.
He always takes his own sweet time. Takes things at his own pace. Because he hates stress on things he does, hates to rush everything, and likes to dwindle his time away. He is a very laid back and carefree kind of guy. A typical lazy bum who loves to sleep during classes, lying on the couch for the entire day and hang out with his guy friends. Every time when school is over, she has to wait for him, all the time. Because he probably is lazing around somewhere in the school with his buddies that he did not notice that the horizon has turned velvet.
"Seriously. You made me wait for an hour!"
"Well, why don't you get home first?"
"I'd have you to fetch me back, after all, we are staying under the same roof, idiot."
"Sigh… oh Maka…"
Despite that, she always waits for him. No matter how long it takes.
They hit their twenties in a blink of an eye.
The boy turned into a young man. He began his hunt for the so-called perfect partner that fitted into his criteria. His pace of life sped faster and the young lady found it difficult to follow his pace. Yet she continued to wait for him when he went away too far from her. She always believed that he will return. He was always late for dinner, and it made her waited for him till it was almost midnight before footsteps. The other times he totally did not come home at all, probably stayed overnight at BlackStar's, Kid's for an all nighter gaming session, or at his love interest's house. She waited till the dawn broke and she fell asleep on the couch, and a minute later, he stepped into the house.
"Sorry." He whispered to the sleeping young woman. She could not hear him, dreaming away about the promise he made years ago. By the time she woke up, it was already noon, and the young man was sleeping beside her.
"You are late again, Soul." She whispered quietly.
The man finally met a woman whom he fell head over heels in. He made advanced plans for her, to marry her, and their future family. Things went on smoothly for him. The small apartment he and his partner used to lived together in is merely a temporary stay for him now. After dating for three years, they announced their plans for marriage to all but one. While the woman was busy writing reports away in the small apartment, waiting for her partner to come home, he took his love back to his hometown for a holiday and hosted a grand wedding after. The very next day he went back to the apartment, only to collect his belongings.
"Soul, see that wedding gown? It looks so pretty! Just that it is the more royal version of the Black Room Gown that I wore when your Black Blood is activated!"
"Alright, alright, I will get something like that for you in the future."
The woman was baffled. She did not know what was going on until she saw the wedding ring on his finger. She looked up at him in confusion.
"Oh, sorry for not informing, I am already married, just yesterday."
The woman quietly looked at him, and continued with her reports, "Why are you telling me only now?"
"Sorry."
"Why even bother? I am not in your life any more years ago anyway."
Silence.
"Just go, Soul. Good bye."
"I am sorry."
No words exchanged after that.
The man packed all this belongings and went through the door. He casted a glance at his partner. She did not look at him. She had turned away to look at the outside of the window with her ears stuffed with ear phones, blasting music from a portable music player. Somehow there was a tugging feeling in his heart. Despite the joy he had during his wedding yesterday, all immediately vanished into nothing the moment he was with his Meister. He did not understand why there was a tugging feeling of sadness. It was already slowly eating him up from the inside ever since he started going out with his love.
Another five years passed. Maka had no problem living alone. Gone was the heartbreak she suffered after the man whom she always loved left her in the dark while happily married to his wife. Yet, instead of moving away, she stayed on in the apartment.
An abrupt series of knocking on the apartment's door woke her up on her slumber. She opened her door only to find a face she almost had forgotten about, right in front of her. He did not look blissful like how he was the last time she was him. He stumbled in with loads of luggage and sank onto the couch. She went over to him after locking the door.
"So, what brings you here again after conveniently abandoning this home for your own benefit?"
"This is still my home, Maka."
She felt her fist twitched sharply at what he replied but restrained herself for lashing out.
"But you don't treat this as your home at all."
He slowly looked up at her after she said those words.
"Well, especially when you got married behind my back." She continued slowly. A defending silence fell upon the couple. The man could feel the intensity of her gaze which bored straight into his soul, amplifying that feeling of sadness and emptiness he felt since long time ago when his Meister was concerned.
"We are divorced." Came the quiet reply.
She was neither happy nor sad about that fact. However, his presence in this apartment warmed her frozen heart up again.
"Five years late, but welcome home." She said, sighing. The woman turned to the kitchen, intending to make him some food when a pair of arms grabbed her around her waist and tugged her back onto the couch.
She cried out, only to have her jaw grabbed by a strong hand which pulled it up to allow her lips to meet another. The man smooched her furiously, pinning the woman down while grabbing her wrists tight. After ten minutes, he let her go. She jumped up from the couch, glaring at him.
"Soul Evans, what is that for?!"
He winced at how she spit his name out.
"I missed you."
"Greatest joke I have ever heard, Evans. One minute you were happily screwing some woman out there and now you are telling me that you missed me?! And forcefully kissed me like this, what do you take me as?! Your comforter?!"
"Maka… please…"
She stomped back into the room and slammed the door shut, leaving the man agitated with himself. He did not understand what was wrong with him. Somehow, somewhere in his heart he could not totally let her go.
History repeated. Till the point that she was sick of all his marriage dramas and all ended up with him running back to the apartment for shelter and creating the same drama all over again in front of her. Yet, she waited for his return every time.
After his fifth failed marriage, he decided to go back to the apartment again after travelling around the world. By then he was already in his late seventies. He eagerly opened the door hoping to find his Meister sitting at her usual place. An elderly Tsubaki on a wheelchair came into view. She gave him a very disapproving look.
"Tsubaki? Why are you here? Where is Maka?"
"Do you even care?"
"Please…"
"Go back to your home, Soul, you don't deserve to be here."
"Let me see her, please…"
"Soul, stop torturing her already, please!"
He stared at her.
"Maka has been waiting for you to fulfil what you promised her for almost her entire life! She is so devoted to you that she remained unmarried! She wasted her youth, her feelings and her time for you and what have you given her?! Do you even know what you want?! Can you please listen to your heart properly, just for once?!"
"I need her in my life! Tell me where is she?!"
"Why only now did you realize that?! Why not be straight forward and tell her when there is still time?! Why give her false hope when you can't fulfil what you said to her?! Why can't you put your stupid ego away at least for once?! Now that things are too late that you finally realized your heart, it is too late! YOU ARE SELFISH!"
"I admit that I am a selfish bastard! Please, where is she?!"
Tsubaki's tears poured down her wrinkled cheeks. He immediately feared for the worst.
Running through the streets, despite being in his late seventies, his strength came from the information Tsubaki gave him. He frantically searched one bridal shop after another. It was only till the end of the fourth day when he managed to find what Maka always wanted. Without bothering to pack the dress, he rushed straight to the hospital towards that certain ward.
He pushed opened the door only to find some nurses and the doctor surrounding a deathly white bed. The cardiometer displayed a straight line. They parted for him to approach the bed.
"I am sorry for your loss, sir."
There lay an elderly woman, with charming chiselled features, eyes closed for the very last time. Soul's tears streamed down his cheeks and bawled like a baby while slipping a ring onto ring finger of the charming old lady who passed away a second before he came in. A single tear rolled down Maka's pale cheek.
A single note beside the bed on the table, written by Maka before she passed on read, "Dear Soul. My love. I love you, but I cannot wait anymore. Good bye, my love."
She has moved on, because she could not wait anymore. He is always late. And he is too late this time.
END