Summary: "He is a killer! Don't you see what danger you put us in by inviting him?! He is the Soul Eater!"

"Why did you choose this life? Why in the world would you want to kill people?"

"Why?" He asked. "Because I have this ability to protect myself. I'm blessed with this power to strike those who rise against me dead. I can get back at those who anger me and I can do everything those people did to hurt me. I can get my revenge on everybody in this cursed world."

Armour of pure crystal and a sword made of compacted crystals. He's Soul Eater, the infamous killing machine. You come in his way, and he will take your life.

The Legend of the Crystal Kingdom Part 1

The young boy peered at the creature on the opposite side of the bush. His ruby eyes peeked from the leaves, his eyes focused on the stray cat cleaning its dark blue fur. A smirk slowly grew on his face, exposing his razor sharp teeth. He raised his hand, ready to bounce on his prey. His fingers tingled and they froze, a sharp light blue crystal spire pierced up from the grass. The cat had barely time to hiss, not any time to dodge, and the crystal spire goes through the cat's stomach, leaving the cat to mewl in pain as death slowly crawled closer. With another hand motion of his hand, another spire shot up from the ground and stops the cat from ever inhaling another breath.

"Oh, your shoulders are very tense, Sir Eater." The masseur whose name was Chrona dug his fingers into Soul's shoulders. "My, I see now why you asked for an emergency massage."

Soul Eater only grunted in answer, moving his muscles in discomfort when his fingers dig into a muscle knot. He flipped his head to the other side on his arms, looking out on the area of the hot spring. The sound of the small waterfall gently fell into the hot spring. Other guests strolled down the sand with white towels around their bodies.

His eyes then settled on a woman on the opposite side of the room. She lie on a massage table, a female masseur rubbed her back. His eyes followed the smooth oiled skin of hers from the oil the masseurs used. The creamy skin of hers and the blond hair poured on the side of her head. His eyes settled on the blissful face of hers. The small curved smile on her rosy lips and her eyes closed with pleasure.

He couldn't look away. The beautiful creature before him was enchanting. Her porcelain pale skin and the softness of her made his fingers tingled with longing for his fingers to run over her bare skin. For him to feel her golden strands of hair running in between his fingers. His eyes settled on her closed eyelids, her long rich black lashes caressing her skin. He wanted to find out what color her eyes were. Were they perhaps a perfect sky-blue? It would be fit for a human with such flawless beauty. Or maybe her eyes were a deep brown, with mystery and depths lie in them.

She certainly was a mystery and he'd gotten himself in a few altercations because of his curiosity when he was a little boy.

"Who is that?" He said to Chrona, pointing his finger toward her. "Her, the one being massaged."

Chrona's hands stopped on his back for a second before they continued working on his muscle knots. "That is the queen of Albarn Kingdom." He spoke.

A queen? If she was a queen, then where were her guards? Soul had seen quite a few royalties in his days, most of them ended up dead at his hands, and all of them had an army of guards with them. This one, how come she didn't have any?

His eyes darted to the ceiling and around the area in search of any suspicious people who appeared to have their eyes on her, but he found none of such characters. Not a single one.

"If she is a queen, then where is her guards?" He asked.

"Why? Because she doesn't need any."

"Doesn't need any?" His voice rose in shock. Every queen needed guards, guards protecting the royalty from people like him. He could easily sweep in and slice her head off and no one would be able to stop him.

"Correct. She does not have any enemies. She is a very liked and precious queen for us. There is not a single one who would want to harm a hair on her head."

"Is that so?" He murmured. No one could be liked and loved by everyone. There must be at least one who hated the queen with a passion.

Soul twisted his tongue in his mouth, rolling it around in his mouth to feel how that statement tasted. He did not like the statement at all.

His eyes suddenly widened only a little when the masseur removed her hands from her back and covered her back up with the white cloth. The queen smiled brightly and got up from the table with her long cloth fisted in her hand as it poured around her ankles.

Emerald. Her eyes were emeralds, glistering like the brightest and most precious summer days. The perfect color of green apples and grass, two of the things he is very familiar with and likes very much.

She smiled gently toward the masseur before she heads toward the hot spring.

He barely has time to register what he was doing before he sat up on the table and wrapped the cloth around his waist.

"W-wait! I'm not done!" Chrona exclaimed after Soul as he quickly made a spin in the sand.

"You did enough. I'm fine." He turned again and went toward the hot spring where he saw the beautiful queen descend into the water with the long cloth tightly wrapped around her body.

Instantly, he stopped with his foot in the midair.

What was he doing? What would he expect the queen to do to him? With the abnormal white hair of his and eyes as red as the blood of his victims and sharp shark teeth. Nothing good comes out of having looks like his.

His whole life was all about rejection. His parents rejected him when he was a child, he doesn't even remember their faces or their names. Every person who walked by him accused him of being the spawn of Satan and a demon. There was never anyone who showed him kindness or even a nice gesture toward him.

He was never wanted. And he showed one by one what would happen when you messed with Soul Eater.

He wasn't going to waste his time on a queen.

He turned around and fisted the material around his hips.

"Excuse me! Sir!" A high feminine voice called out. For him? Perhaps.

Slowly he turned around and he found the queen's eyes settled on him. Her emerald eyes sent a shiver down his spine and he didn't know why.

"What?" He grunted hostility.

"Pardon me, but it looked like you were heading to the hot springs." Her voice was of an angel. High and smooth as silk and sweet as sugar. Was she really talking to him?

"What if I was. What business is it to you?" His eyes narrowed at the woman and he made sure his sharp teeth peeked out from between his lips.

"I do not wish to bathe alone. You are more than welcome to join me Sir…?"

Silence. He watched her expression. Her eyebrows weren't narrowed and her lips weren't crooked with disgust, neither did her eyes give off any negative intentions. She smiled gently toward him, resting her arms on the beautifully laid stones on the edge of the hot spring.

She was… intriguing. Her looks definitely reeled him in and made him take a step toward her.

"Soul Eater. That is my name." He was sure she had heard his name before. He was infamous of his ruthless murders. Everybody knew not to mess with him or their body would walk around without a head.

She didn't react to his name. Her smile didn't waver and the sparkle in her eyes didn't disappear and was replaced with fear. How could she keep smiling toward him? How come she didn't look at him with fear and disgust? It irked him.

"Soul Eater you say," The queen spoke softly as Soul stepped down and let the hot water envelope his legs and stomach, "why the name?"

"It's none of your business!" He snarled and bared his teeth at her.

She did not flinch. Her smile still crossed over her face and the friendly spark in her eyes was still there as the sun is in the sky. How could she not flinch? How come she didn't despise him and cursed him to the seventh level of hell? How could she smile toward him?

"I apologize then. I have not seen you in the Albarn Kingdom before. May I ask where you are from?"

"I said it's none―" He stopped. He stared at her smiling face as his fists slowly clenched. He dreamt of a moment like this one. A moment when a friendly person would finally approach him and finally offer him a kind gesture. This was the moment and he was screwing it up by being hostile. "I don't know." He muttered, slowly relaxing his knuckles. "I have no clue where I was born."

"How tragic." Her smile slowly faded and sorrow joined. He wished to see her smiling again. He didn't like the tragic turn of her face. "Didn't your parents ever tell you?"

"No." The conversation took a turn he did not like to converse about, not that anyone asked about his parents or his life. The only words they said to him was pleas to spare them, which he never granted. "You are a queen. Why are you here all alone? You never know who might jump out and seize the moment to get blue blood on their hands."

"Would you?"

Yes! No! "You never know." Fitting answer.

"I do not like having guards with me." She sank deeper into the water and let the water rise to her neck. "There is no reason for me to have guards. Violence is wrong and I do not encourage it by having men with swords with me." Her eyes slowly fluttered shut, enjoying the steaming water around her. "I only brought one guard in order to keep the king happy and he is most likely enjoying himself in a sauna."

"So, he does not fear for your safety?" Soul asked, peering at her face. The perfect curve of her cheekbones and her perfect pale skin, except for the light rosy cheeks of hers. Perfection. That was the only word worthy for her.

"No, never has there been a single one to threaten me with a sword. I do not want the castle to be guarded at all, but the king, Death the Kid, insists on keeping them. Saying anyone could storm the castle and harm us, which I believe would never happen."

"Never happen, huh?" A sinister smirk stretched and completely exposed his sharp teeth. The Eater inside of him felt like playing.

The queen must have heard the ominous reek from him since she opened her eyes and straightened her back.

He smirked wide at her and under the water at the sand floor of the hot spring, a sharp crystal shot up and pierced the surface, directed toward the queen. "How about now? The zero is broken."

To his astonishment, she didn't flinch away from the tip of the crystal that was only inches away from her left eye. "It is tragic." Her hand arose from the water and her fingers caressed the see-through crystal. "How something so beautiful could be used as a weapon."

His eyes widened. That was not the answer he'd expected. He wanted her to scream with fear and run out of the hot spring and cursing him to the seventh level of hell like everybody else.

"What?" He simply grunted. For the first time, he had to fight to keep up his hostile front.

"It is so beautiful. I have heard about your crystals before. It is the most tragic I have ever seen." Her hand ran up the crystal and toward the tip. "Such beauty, such an incredible ability used for such a horrible purpose. Even the crystals are weeping."

"What? They are not weeping!" He raised his voice and his face trembled from fatigue of having to keep an aggressive and dangerous facade. He had never before in his life had to force out anger, he had plenty from his past and with this girl, he was taken back. How could she confuse him so?

"Yes they are." Her finger came dangerously close to the tip of the crystal and he is ready to pull out his wildcard. "They are― Ouch!" He sharpened the edge and prickled her finger, successfully drawing her blood.

In his past, it wasn't a new thing for him to hurt royalty. He had taken on jobs from royalties and other nobles to assassinate their enemies, he knew the kings and queens had blue blood, and that was the same color that trickled down her finger. A perfect deep blue.

"Do you hate me now?" He whispered and allowed himself to relax and drop the anger from his face, exchanging it with a blank and emotionless facade. "I threaten your life and I hurt you." He wanted her to hate him. He did not need anyone's pity or care. He was a big boy who knew how to take care of himself. At the same time, he longed for her. Those large eyes, her perfect pale skin, he wanted her to look at him with those large eyes of hers and touch him. He longed for a kind gesture and now when he got it, he was insecure and hostile. He didn't know how to handle it.

She shook her head as she put her wounded finger in her mouth, cleaning her finger. "No. I could not hate you."

And he broke. Just like that. The hard facade was broken and he didn't know what to do with himself. He was the Soul Eater! One woman had managed to crumble the great Eater with just a few sentences. He did not like the sound of that.

"Why? It doesn't make sense." The crystal crumbled and fell into the water, sinking to the floor of the hot spring before they became dust. "I threaten you, hurt you and curse you. Why can't you hate me?"

She pulled out her finger out of her mouth and scooted closer to him slowly. "Because of your eyes."

"My eyes?" He asked quizzically.

"Yeah." She was close. Very close. Her knee touched his and he got a better look at her. She was even more perfect up close. Utterly perfection. Perfectly pale skin, rich lips he found very desirable, collarbones which almost broke her fragile skin and her eyes. Her large eyes. A perfect grassy green and thick rows of pitch black lashes. He was sure she was a saint. There was no other explanation.

She raised her hand and cautiously reached for his cheek, not because she feared him, but to prepare him for the touch. Her fingers made contact with his cheek and soon her palm joined in, gently cupping his rough cheek. Her hand was even smoother and tinier than he'd pictured it. He even feared she would cut her hand on his ragged cheek. "I have never seen so much pain in anyone's eyes like in yours. You're trying to hold up such a dangerous front but I can see you are only defensive because you are hurting."

It was true. He knew she was more than right. She had hit the nail on the head.

"No one deserves to bear so much pain like you are." Her words were like honey as her eyes pierced him. She was hypnotizing him. He knew he should get away from her, probably drive a crystal through her abandonment for daring to touch him, but he did not have the heart to hurt her. He clenched his fists tightly. He is Soul Eater, he should hurt her. He should kill her to then kill every person inside of the building. She had slowly removed layer after layer of his being and he was too exposed to his liking. Never in his life had he been so bare, so vulnerable to anyone.

"You have no idea what you are talking about." He muttered, not making a move to remove himself from her.

"Maybe, but I do know you are bearing a huge burden for a man. You are hurting like no one else and you do not deserve it."

"And business is it to you?" He questioned her, looking straight into her eyes.

A small smile played on her face. Her thumb caressed his cheekbone and she leaned closer. "Let me offer you a meal. Come to the castle tomorrow. Go to the royal gate and give them your name, they will send you inside." She stood up and her hand was the last one to leave him. "I will be expecting you." Her eyes lingered on him before she got up from the hot spring and walked away.

He could not remove his eyes from her as he watched the white cloth drag behind her in the sand. The soft touch of her hand on his cheek still lingered and his heart was going haywire.

What in the world had she done to him?

He was pissed. An hour after she had left and he was back in his crystal armor, he was raging. His crystal sword quickly sliced through a tree and it came crashing down.

How could he have lowered his guard like that for someone like her? What had she done to him? He could only think of her fragile smooth hand on his rough cheek and her perfectly green eyes staring into his heart, seeing through him like his crystals.

She had wiggled her way inside of him and he hated it. He hated how all he could think about was her green eyes and those perfectly rosy lips of hers. What would they taste like? Like green apples like the color of her eyes or maybe milk like her creamy pale skin?

He growled loudly and stabbed his ragged dark blue crystal sword into the trunk of a thick tree, barks and splinters soared through the air. His breathe was quick and labor, his eyebrows narrowed like never before and his eyes could set the forest on fire. He was oozing anger as he withdrew the sword from the tree trunk. His eyes wandered to a new tree and slowly an image of the queen standing in her white cloth took over the trunk.

He hissed and cried out angrily as he swung his sword toward the queen.

His sword never made contact. The tip hovered right in front of the bark of the tree.

He decided to go to the castle and see the queen. He had not learned her name and quite frankly, he wanted to see her. Who knows, maybe he could sell her head to one of the underground criminals. A blue blood queen with a precious face as hers he could get a house for.

He entered the Albarn Kingdom and he wasn't surprised with the condition of the Kingdom. Houses were broken and villagers were dressed in rags. The standards weren't much better than in the other kingdoms.

The villagers gasped loudly and the mothers clung to their children as he walked by. Word of him had definitely reached this kingdom of his murderous ways. It isn't hard to miss whole-body crystal armor. There was no other armor like his and if there was, he would kill the bastard for wearing a similar armor. There was only one Soul Eater and that is how he wanted to keep it.

The proud stone-castle stood tall and steel fence framed the whole castle from any intruders like him. At the gate to the royal castle stood two guards and as soon as they set their eyes on him, they gripped their spires and readied for a fight.

"Stay where you are!" A male with blue hair hollered at him as he pointed the sharp end of the golden spire at him.

He doesn't stop. "My name is Soul Eater. I have been invited by the queen." He has his sword fastened on his hip and if they are planning on standing against him, he is more than ready to draw blood.

The other guard with black hair straightened his back and rested the end of his spire on the ground. "You may pass." He spoke but the other guard had other plans.

"You may not pass!" He hissed loudly. "A murderer is not welcome inside of the queen's castle!"

A fight is going to take place. Soul can only smirk wide and the gap of his crystal helmet expose his sharp teeth. He came closer and closer to the gate and to the man and his hand found the handle of his sword, the thin layer of crystal holding his sword to his hip breaks.

"You know the orders. The queen ordered us to let Soul Eater through. We can't disobey her orders." The guard with black hair said.

"Would you rather get her killed? If disobeying the queen's orders means keeping her majesty safe, I will disobey them without hesitating." His blue eyebrows narrowed and his eyes focused on Soul. "I will fight you and die if that means keeping the queen safe!"

For the first time, he stopped. He raised his crystal sword and spread his legs, ready for a fight. "Bring it on."

The blue haired guard growled and he leaped.

"Stop!"

Immediately the guard stilled and turned around, dropping down to his one knee. "My queen."

Soul looked behind the fence and saw the approaching queen, this time, she was not dressed in a simple long white cloth, now she wore a luxurious green dress with golden details.

"Black*Star, I told you to let him inside, not start a fight." The queen said and opened the gate.

"My apology, my queen, but I do not think it is a good idea to invite an infamous murderer inside of the castle. You might put yourself in danger." The guard now known as Black*Star said with his head bowed.

"You have nothing to worry about, Black*Star. If I need you, I will call for you." The queen spoke and smiled at Soul. "I was starting to think you would not come."

Soul darted his eyes at the guard Black*Star. No danger. He put the sword back at his hip and crystal grew from his armor and successfully fastened it on his side. "And miss the chance to eat food fit for royalty, I don't think so." He walked passed the guard and walked pass the queen.

"I'm still glad you came." She closed the gate behind her and walked beside the warrior. "The food is already served. You came just in time."

"Cool." He didn't know what to say to her. He was still very confused about the whole thing. Did he hate her or not? He did want to strangle her and touch her face with his hands. What in the world was it that made him this confused over a single person?

"Would you like a house tour after dinner? I could show you the castle's spa if you would like." The queen offered, fiddling with the wedding ring on her finger.

"If you had a spa in your castle why on earth would you travel out of your kingdom to go to a hot spring?" He regretted the words immediately. That was a first for him. He usually never regretted saying nasty things.

"It is all about freedom." She said softly, totally ignoring the rudeness he spoke to her. "I do not want to be a queen caged inside of her castle. The king may take care of most of the political work for our kingdom, but I like to get out of the castle and help the villagers." She moved with such grace. Even the way she entwined her hands behind her back made his heart skip a beat. "Call it silly, but I have always dreamt of a world without violence and poverty. I have always dreamt of dissolving the guards and bring the castle and villagers closer. I enjoy helping my people and strolling through my kingdom. I enjoy feeling free and meeting new people. It is exciting and it feels like I am coming closer to my dream for every person and every smile I see."

"That is an impossible dream." They entered the castle together and the queen led him through the stone hallways. "There will always be evil in this world. There will always be those who kill and poison the world. People like me."

"No." She shook her head. "You are not poison. You can't ever be toxic." Her hand ran over the crystal armor of his, her fingers touched the back of his hand. Oh how he wished he did not wear his armor so he could feel her touch on his skin. "Poison hurts everyone. Poison can't be turned to good. But you can."

His heart skipped a beat.

This woman. This queen. She held such an innocent dream, a dream as impossible as catching stars. And her perspective of him, so full of hope and faith in him. He had no hope. His whole life had he killed people. He was poison to the world, but she looked pass all of that and saw the little that might be decent.

What in the world was she doing to him?

They reached the dining hall and the queen immediately retrieved her hand from his. By the table sat a man with black hair with a golden crown on his head. The king. As soon as his golden eyes settled on him, they widen and he shot up from the chair.

"The Eater!" The chair hit the ground and the king pointed at Soul. "Maka what were you thinking with inviting a serial killer to our table!"

Maka. That is a beautiful name fit for a queen in his mind.

"Calm down Kid." Maka softly spoke, not raising her voice. "He is a human being just like everybody else."

"He is a killer! Don't you see what danger you put us in by inviting him?! He is the Soul Eater!" The king growl loudly and slapped his hands on the mahogany table. "I went along with the beggars, I went along with the homeless, I went along with the alcoholics, but this is where I put my foot down. I will not tolerate a murderer by our table!"

"You do not need to raise your voice." The queen spoke so tender just like honey. "I will not send him away. I have already promised him a meal and a meal he will get. If you not wish to be in his presence then you can leave."

The queen grabbed his hand and slowly led him to the long table decorated with turkey, pig, apples, bread, chicken and all sorts of vegetables neatly cut and decorated. The king stared at him as the queen released his hand by an empty chair.

"Please, take a seat. I asked the chefs to prepare every kind of food since I did not know what you liked." The queen― Maka took a seat beside Soul and gently met his eyes with elegance. "Dig in."

Soul looked at the wide varieties of knives, forks and spoons. Every silverware looked almost the same but with the smallest of changes for each and every one of them. He glanced over toward Maka and watched her with fines as she ate a piece of an apple with a tiny fork and cut it with an even tinier knife. However, he could not figure out which for and knife it was.

Maka seemed to notice his confusion with the silverware and she could only smile kindly toward him. "You do not have to worry about manners. If you are comfortable with eating with your hands, then feel free to do so."

"Thanks."

It was like a weight had been taken off his shoulders. It was freedom for him to eat apples, chicken and turkey with his hands. He even had to widen the hole in his helmet so he could eat more at once. The food tasted wonderful, it was nothing like the chickens he catch and kill. It was nothing like he had every tasted, nothing could compare to the heavenly food displaying in front of him.

Maka giggled cutely as she watched him shove every kind of food into his mouth, chewing it loudly with his mouth open.

Soul had a hard time ignoring the small tugging sensation on the corner of his lips.

The king however was not pleased. He chewed slowly on a chicken wing as his eyes darted from the queen to Soul. The king didn't enjoy the eyes of his queen. Her eyes lingered too long on the assassin for his liking.

With grace Maka wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I hope you enjoyed the food."

"Yeah. Thanks." He said as he wiped his mouth from the grease on his cheeks and lips. "It was delicious."

"Would you like some dessert―"

"No dessert!" The king hollered loudly and stood up from his chair. "He got his meal, now he will leave!"

"Kid." Maka stood up from her own seat. "You can't be rude. He does not deserve any more hostility."

"He deserves the whole world's hatred!" Kid hollered and threw the fork on the ground, taking a step toward him. "The last thing he deserve is having a meal by our table and your kindness. Don't you see he is preying on your generosity and kindness?!"

"He deserves kindness than anyone else!" For the first time, Maka raised her voice and still she sounded nice and elegant.

Kid growled loudly and took a step toward her, "He does n―"

A crystal spike suddenly shot up from the ground and pointed toward Kid. It made him backpedal in shock and stare at the tip with shock and fear.

"That is as close as you get to her." Soul spoke coolly as he got up from his seat. "You weren't grown up on the streets. I know what happens when a male screams at his woman. Abuse. That is what happens and the queen has done nothing to earn it." His eyes wandered to Maka and slowly he nodded. "I appreciate your kindness and I thank you for the meal. I can show myself out." He turned on his heel and started to head toward the exit. With a quick hand motion the crystal spire turned to dust before it turned into nothing.

"Wait! I'm coming with you." The heel of her boots echoed rapidly as she joined his side. "I'm very sorry about the king's behavior. He should not have lashed out on you like that."

"It's fine." Soul sighed heavily as he kept walking toward the exit he'd memorized when he walked inside. "I'm used to being treated like that. It isn't anything new."

"That is the thing." Maka grabbed his hand and forced him to come to a stop a hall away from the exit. "You shouldn't be used to it. You deserve so much more than you are receiving. You deserves smiles, laughter and friends. You are the person who deserves the most love here in this world."

"Why?" He looked into her green eyes. The corners of his lips tugged once again. "Why in the world do you think so highly of me? I don't get it."

"You want to know?"

He nodded.

Maka neared him. A playful smile shone up her face and her hand wandered up his arm to his chest, gently caressing the armor with her palm. Her face came closer and closer to his. He could swear he could feel her heat from her body through the crystal armor of his. "Come back tonight. Come to the West side of the castle when the sun has set. I will leave a window open for you." Her face was suddenly away from his and she walked away from him.

He had to see her.

It was not up for discussing. He needed to see her. She was like a drug to him and he needed her in order to solve the mystery of life and his own purpose of life. He felt like she was the answer to everything, everything he ever wanted and needed she had and he had to have whatever she had to offer him.

The night couldn't come too early. He was… excited to see her again. He had never been excited about anything before, well, maybe going and killing people, but never for something like meeting someone. Meeting someone like Maka.

It was easy for him to sneak over the fence with the help of his crystal ability and with the help of the darkness, it was a piece of cake getting to the West side of the castle. As promised, Maka had left a window open for him. On the second floor. A tree was beside it and he guessed she thought he was supposed to get up with the help of it, but he was in no need of it.

Crystals formed under his feet and lifted him up toward the window. He looked inside and there she was, sitting on a royal bed. Her face lit up when she saw him climb inside of the window, dissolving the crystal outside of the window.

"Soul." She smiled from side to side of her face. "You came."

"I am a curious man in need of answers." He closed the windows behind him and only the moon provided light in the dark room. "What is the answer?"

A soft smile played on her lips as she stood up from the bed and neared him. Her hair beautifully poured around her face. Absolutely stunning. "Can you please take off your helmet?" She whispered as her hands settled on his chest, running over the crystal armor of his.

"Why?" He tried not to be bothered by her hands, but they were a huge distraction.

"Because I would like to see your face."

How could he deny her when she viewed him with those large green eyes? He knew he didn't have the heart to go against such an innocent request. She was special and had enchanted him. He was sure of it.

The helmet cracked at the sides and he removed the crystal helmet from his face, running a hand through his thick white hair. "There. Now answer my question."

"Of course." She spoke and she came closer to him. Her chest almost pressed against his as her hands wandered up his chest. "People see you as a murderer and a demon. I have heard how awful they speak of you and I could not disagree with what they are saying than what I already do." Her hands journeyed up his neck to gently cup his face. His skin burned with pleasure and he allowed himself to sink into her touch, for once allowing another human to take care of him. "When I looked into your eyes at the hot spring, I knew immediately you were no demon or Satan. I could see the hurt you bear and the wounds you try to cover up. You are dying inside with pain and it isn't fair."

"It is no secret I bear pain." His fingers twitched. He wished to pull her closer to him and relish in her scent and comfort, but he knew he couldn't. He had to uphold his wall. He couldn't let anyone see him. He had to be strong for himself, people are only dead weight which he didn't need. "What is it to you?"

"You are hurting like no one else and you have this amazing power you could use for good instead of harvesting innocent lives." Her eyes peered at him. "Why did you choose this life? Why in the world would you want to kill people?"

"Why?" He asked. "Because I have this ability to protect myself. I'm blessed with this power to strike those who rise against me dead. I can get back at those who anger me and I can do everything those people did to hurt me. I can get my revenge on everybody in this cursed world." He didn't mean to share that much about him, but with her impossible green eyes staring into his, he couldn't keep it in. It came out in a wave of truth.

"Who hurt you?"

His eyebrows rose a little in shock before the settled in the emotionless expression he upheld. He expected her to question why he could hurt people, why he would do something so horrible, but she didn't.

"Everyone." His teeth sunk into the inside of his cheek. "My family abandoned me when I was a kid. I don't even know who they were. I was always alone and everywhere I went, people looked at me with despise and disgust. I was only a little boy. I did nothing to anger them. No one helped me. They turned their back to me and I had to steal food to survive."

The queen nodded, indicating she listened carefully to his words. "That explains the anger and hurt. But why did you decide to kill people?"

His fists clenched. "It was night." He gulped. "I was starving. I saw a cat with blue fur. I followed it to the woods where I then sneaked up on it. My stomach was growling so loudly and I knew I needed food soon because most likely, I wouldn't have enough energy to steal food in the morning. And with a swirl of my hand, the crystal shot up from the ground and killed the cat." He remembered that day so well. He remembered the aching pain in his stomach, just wishing for a piece of bread. He had begged the people walking by to spare any eatable item to him, but they only huffed and walked away.

The cat had stilled his hunger for food and it was for the first time in a very long time he felt full, but the madness had only begun.

"A couple had seen me run into the woods. The man came with a sword and a shield in his hands, ready to kill me. His wife only stood and watched as he swung at me. The crystals protected me from the man and had pierced his body. The wife was devastated and she sent the whole village on me."

To this day, he could smell the burned wood from the torches and hear the hollers from the villagers. He recalled his heavy breathing and his aching bare feet hitting the coble ground and occasionally stepping on something sharp that drew blood from his feet.

"They cornered me. They beat me to the ground and one person stabbed my leg with a hayfork. In that moment, the crystals sprouted up from the ground and stabbed right through each and every single one of them. The blood from my leg immediately crystalized and the wound appeared like it was only a scratch instead of a serious one."

"Oh Soul." Her thumbs gently caressed his cheeks, her eyes looking into his with despair. Maybe sorrow. "No little boy should go through that. You faced the most ugly and unfair side of the world all alone with no one by your side. It wasn't fair. No one deserves to face something like that."

"I survived." He backed away from her touch, feeling his throat running dry. "That is what it all comes down. I survived and all the fuckers that stood in my way got what they deserved; death. The one who look at me like how they did, they end up dead at my feet with their blood on my hands."

"That can't be a good way to live." She countered by taking a step toward him and her hands settled on his cheeks again. "You are so much better than they. You are so much better than everybody. You have this amazing ability you could use for good. You could use that pain to fuel yourself to do good, to save lives and I believe you are the perfect person to do so."

"Good? Even if I tried to be good people would still fear me and not accept my help. It is easier being bad than being good."

Why would he even want to be good? He wasn't going to change for one girl. Everybody looked at him with hatred and fear, no one dared to stand against him and so was it going to be. The queen would be no different. Soon she would come to hate him.

"Breaking the cycle cannot be easy." Her thumbs brushed his face and he swore her face seemed to near his. "But I believe you can do it― I know you can do it. I want to help sooth your pain and I want to be with you because there is something special with you that has me chained to you."

"Wait. What?" His eyes widen.

Maka's chest collided with his and she buried her face on his chest. Surprisingly, he enjoyed where this was going. "You have me enchanted. I do not want to be away from you. I enjoy your company and your face brightens my day and you are constantly on my mind. When I see the white Daisies in the royal garden I cannot think of anything but your hair and when I see the roses I can't think of anything else than your eyes. Everything I see leads to you. You are the answer to everything. I have fallen quickly and so hard for you."

His heart skipped a beat and his throat suddenly ran dry.

She liked him. More than like. Like as in romantically. He had never had anyone who loved him. Never had anyone who believed in him as a person instead of his abilities to kill. Never was he wanted by anyone and now when that one person had arose, he wasn't going to walk away.

"Queen―"

"No, call me Maka. I don't want to be a queen to you. I want to be someone personal, someone intimate and―"

"Maka." Gently he pried off her face from his chest and surprisingly he was tears in her eyes. A very tragic sight for someone so beautiful. A sight he had to fix. "Stop talking." His wall collapsed the moment his lips connected with the ones of the queen. Strawberries. Her lips tasted like strawberries and milk. The most delicious mix.

Eagerly she kissed him back. He was surprised how well their lips fit together and how in sync they were. No kiss was sloppy, no caress of their hands were emotionless and thoughtless, and no intentions were platonic. The assassin had fallen quick and hard for the queen and for once, he was going to allow himself to be free from the facade he had created for himself. He wanted to be himself and show her who he truly was. He wanted to be a better person for her.

Her hands freed themselves from his neck and found the stings to her dress on her back. Rapidly she untied them and let the fabric sink down and expose her chest.

The assassin's eyes widened as he stared at the twin buns in front of him, just as perfect as any other part of her. "Do not stare at me like that." She attracted his attention and a deep blush spread on her face. "Hurry up and get undressed."

"Huh?" He sounded like an idiot. "Are you sure you want this? Now?"

"Yes." She exhaled and wrapped her arms around his neck, her lips connected with the exposed neck of his. "Please, it feels like my heart is going to explode if I don't show you just how much I love you."

He could not believe his ears, what his queen was suggesting, but even if he couldn't believe it was rude to keep a lady waiting.

His armor cracked at the sides until it fell apart, exposing brown pants and a white string shirt.

Her hands were all over him and his were over hers, tugging down the dress to pool around her feet. His hands touched every patch of skin he found, back, thighs, chest, neck, shoulders, he touched every skin he came across and he loved the smooth texture of every bit of her. His mouth moved against hers chaotically as she kept tugging at his hair, pulling him closer to her.

He could feel when she snapped. Her hands tugged at his hair and twisted his body around and her hands found his waistband and quickly pulled them down. He complied and stepped out of them as he backed Maka into the bed. Carefully he laid her down on the huge bed and helped her crawl to the center without their lips breaking.

Their lips finally broke and he grabbed a hold of the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head, discarding it on the ground.

His eyes noted her swollen lips from their heated kisses and her eyes flickered down his naked chest toward his as bare hips and legs.

"Wow…" Maka whispered, her delicate fingers caressed her swollen lips. "You look…"

"Like a beaten animal? Like a―"

"Do not degrade yourself." She cut him off and her hand caressed his rough cheek. "You are… manly."

He cocked his eyebrow. "Manly?"

She blushed a bright red and with the moonlight hitting her face, it made her look even cuter than she already was. "It isn't easy to find a word to describe you. You are so… manly, attractive, special and utterly amazing."

Soul chuckled heartily and his hands caressed her waist, feeling the smooth pale skin of hers. "You aren't that bad yourself. You are gorgeous beyond belief and you are the most perfect woman I have ever seen in my entire life."

Her blush only deepened. "I'm not perfect. I'm far from perfect."

"You have no idea then what perfection is."

"Then certainly you do not."

He raised his eyebrow quizzically. "What are you talking about?"

"You are perfect." She smiled gently toward him as she sat up slowly. "Maybe a little rough around the edges, but you are still perfect. The perfect man for me. I never thought I would meet someone who made me feel alive and so much all at once. I can't stop thinking about you and I don't want you to leave me." She flung her arms around him and he didn't ever think feeling a girl's naked chest pressing against his would ever feel so pleasurable.

"I'm not going anywhere." He whispered into her ear. "You are my home now. I have no plans of ever abandoning my home."

"Oh Soul." Their mouths connected and their love filled the room in one millisecond. Soul's finger hooked in her underwear and soon they too joined the rest of the clothes on the floor. They were both as bare as physical possible, but the nakedness of their bodies did not even compete with the bare and vulnerable state both of their hearts were.

Soul hovered over her, their chests pressing against the other's as they kissed heatedly and passionately. Their hands explored each other and Maka moaned softly into his mouth. His hands kneaded her chest before one slowly wandered down pass her stomach and to―

Her hand gripped his wrist just before he would touch her most intimate area. Maka pulled away from the kiss. "I have never done this before."

He cocked his eyebrow. "You are married." He stated.

"It was an arranged marriage. I did not marry him out of love. I married him because that is what is of the best interest of my kingdom. Fortunate for me he never asked to finalize the marriage even though he did hold feelings for me I could never reciprocate." She blushed and caressed his cheek. "Have you been with someone before?"

His heart sunk with disappointment. Not for her, but for himself. "Two times with hookers." He looked away from her and now it wasn't worth the poor fuck the two hookers had given him. It was nothing but short pleasure he could offer himself with his hand. He had wasted something so precious on a hooker when he could have given his queen it.

"Hey." She cupped his face and steered it back to look into her eyes. "You are here with me now. I wanted to know if it hurt. I overheard maidens talking and they said it hurt badly. Will it hurt as much to me?"

"I was never with pure women." He spoke and cupped her face. "I don't know if it will hurt. If you feel uncomfortable or it starts to hurt, we can stop. I promise you I will try to be as gentle as I can."

"I know you will." She worked her legs out from underneath him and placed on either side of his hips. "Let's do this."

He smiled and nodded gently. "Okay."

The sun shone into the room and hit the sleeping woman's face deliciously. He watched her chest raise to then fall. The memories of the night kept playing in his head, feeling her breath on his ear and hearing her sweet mewls and moans as they made love for the very first time. It was the best sensation he had ever experienced. He could never regret meeting Maka. He would go through those twenty years of hell just so he could spend one more night like this with the girl he treasured.

His thumb gently caressed her naked hip. She had done a really good job with the pain and she had passed out like a candle when they were done. She deserved all the sleep she could get, which was why he refused to wake her up. Besides, it was enjoyable for him to watch her sleep peacefully.

He didn't know how many minutes or hours went by until she moaned and her eyes fluttered open. He was so taken by her beauty and how she had blossomed into the rarest and most precious flower there was.

"God morning." She murmured and scooted closer to him.

"Morning." His hand ran up and down the perfect valley of her waist. "Slept well?"

"Like a log." Her hand settled on his chest. "You?"

"Never better." He leaned forward and planted a light kiss on her forehead. "You were great last night."

"Speak of yourself. You were remarkable." She giggled and her hand gently caressed his skin. "I never thought it would be like this. I never thought it would hurt so much and at the same time be so pleasurable and intimate. It is nothing like I have heard of."

Soul chuckled and pulled her flush to his body. "Being compared to your gossip maidens is kind of hurtful. Do you think what we have could ever be compared to the poor intimacy they had?"

"No," Her smile fell and so did her eyes. "That is why it is so sad. They were used for a man's pleasure. It is a shame they didn't feel the astonishing wave of love and want like I did. I wish they also could feel the same love like I did."

"They have to find someone else because I'm unavailable." He chuckled heartily and his lips connected with her forehead and her cheeks.

"You better." She giggled and their lips connected, sharing a passionate kiss. "You are mine and mine only." She murmured into his lips as her hands ran up to his neck. Her leg threw over his and he automatically laid down on his back and allowed his queen to mount him.

"Consider me yours. Yours forever."

He had learned so many things over the past day. He learned he wasn't the heartless beast he thought he was. He was truly a man with bad experience who only expected the worst and wanted to be the worst, but with a gentle touch from an angel he melted and became only hers. He had never thought he could be possessive of a woman before, but even the thought of his queen with someone else made his stomach flip with disgust and heart to clench. He knew he would have to do something about the king in order for them to truly be together. It would be easy for him to simply storm inside of his chamber and kill him, but he knew Maka would be disappointed with him and he didn't want to let her down.

His Maka. His lovely queen. The woman who snatched his heart in front of him. He still doesn't know how she managed to worm her way inside of his heart so quickly and took over, but he is glad she did and he will love her till the end of the world.

"Your majesty!"

Maka's eyes snapped open and her lips froze on his. "Oh no." She immediately jumped off him and stumbled out of the bed. "It is my maiden. I need to go." She quickly grabbed her underwear and put it on. "You need to get out of here. If she finds you Kid will know you were here."

He nodded and got out of the bed. "Okay. When will I see you again?" He asked as he stepped into his pants and pulled his shirt over his head.

The maiden called for Maka again and she flinched. She was getting closer and the heavy wooden doors to ever room opened loudly. It was just a matter of time before she would open their door. "Tonight." Maka pulled her dress up. "When the sun sets. Come here and I will have a meal prepared for you."

"Okay," With the flick of his hand the crystal armor of his attracted to him like a magnet, slamming together all around him. He smirked wide and neared his queen. "Night cannot come too soon." Their lips met for a quick farewell and he threw himself out of the window just before the maiden opened the door.