Here's the first real chapter of the story, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater or its characters, and I'm not profiting from this although I sure as hell wish I was.
Maka leaned against the wall for an indeterminable amount of time, sinking to the floor at some point, until she dully heard her father pounding on the door to her apartment. She tried to get up, but then found out she must be suffering from shock because the moment she took on her full weight she collapsed against the wall again. She was able to hear a crash as her father broke down first the front door then the bathroom door, entering with his gun drawn and acting serious for once.
"Maka… MAKA?!" Her father quickly knelt down next to Maka who was now sitting up on the floor still dazed, "Maka, wha-" Finally he seemed to notice the symbol on the wall. He walked over to it, inspecting it to make sure that the eye wasn't the work of a copycat. The results he got must not have been what he wanted, because he paled slightly before whipping out his cell phone, "Black*Star, if you know what's good for you you'll be at Maka's apartment in five minutes or less. Bring Soul with you- No, it's not me that needs help, it's Maka… Black*Star?"
Even in her dazed stupor Maka heard the click of Black*Star hanging up his phone after yelling loudly to whoever Soul was to, "Follow your God to help one of his most special minions!" If she wasn't trying to steady her heartbeat Maka probably would have rolled her eyes and complain about Black*Star's God complex.
"Who's Soul?" She asked after a minute. Her father had his watch out and had a finger pressed to her wrist to check her pulse and make she wasn't going into shock. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but the only Soul she knew was a guy Black*Star graduated with that she'd only met once. It couldn't have been him though, because that Soul was a piano prodigy, not someone to do the nitty gritty work police did.
"The new detective we were going to have a party for tonight, although after this I have a feeling it'll be postponed for a while. Now, I need you to-" Her papa was cut off by shouting from the doorway of Maka's apartment and, in a second flat a blue-haired streak was running into the room, the sounds of another person entering behind him. Maka looked up to see Black*Star, in his signature shorts and shirt, his hair styled to even look like the "great star he was." The tattoo on his left shoulder stood out in stark contrast on his skin, and Maka remembered Tsubaki and her trying to convince him to wait to get the tattoo. He was eighteen and had just graduated, that was four years ago and now at twenty-two the star really meant something to him.
"Wow, that was fast even for you," Maka said, looking up at the man from her position on the floor.
"Maka?" Black*Star asked, cocking his head to one side, "You alright…" He trailed off as he saw the symbol on the wall. From where she was sitting Maka could see his fists ball up and jaw clench; Black*Star's adoptive parents were former detectives as well, now teaching at the Police Academy they called Shibusen, so Black*Star was every bit as aware of what the symbol meant as Maka did. He growled in anger and frustration before looking at the father and daughter, "I take it you want me to bring Maka to the precinct for a while?"
"Yeah," Spirit agreed, "As soon as you get back to the precinct then I need you to send a couple uniforms down here to canvas the area. Octopus Head-"
"Soul Eater Chief Perv, not octopus head," The man Maka couldn't quite see ground out. His voice was deep, and had almost a musical quality to it even when annoyed by her father.
"Whatever. You stay with Black*Star while he brings Maka to the precinct. Maka, you alright with that?" Her father looked at her, and even though he was trying to remain serious, the overprotective father in him was coming out. He seemed to be bursting with questions and looked like he wanted to lock Maka up and never let her out again, but was forcing his wants aside for her sake.
"Perfectly fine with me. Can I at least grab some clothes before leaving? I'd appreciate not having to walk around the precinct in a towel and they never have any spare sweats in my size," Maka replied getting up shakily. Black*Star immediately helped her and she gave him an appreciative smile. She walked out of the bathroom and past an old man with white hair examining a picture on the wall. Huh, she could have sworn that Black*Star's partner had sounded young. Shaking her head, she walked over to her closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and an empty backpack, then over to her dresser and picked out a plain green t-shirt. She made sure none of the males were peaking before dressing up underneath her towel, a skill she'd learned from Patty.
"Blair and Liz could give you some of the clothes from their department," Her father said, and Maka rolled her eyes at the mention of the two females. Blair was her father's on-again-off-again girlfriend and Maka's mother figure, while Liz was Blair's partner and one of Maka's friend's sister. Actually Maka and the two sister were all close friends now that she thought about it.
"Hey, who's this chick and… other person in the picture with you?" The man named Soul asked from behind her. She looked back at him and was surprised to find that, no, he wasn't old but just had white hair. He had lightly tanned skin and crimson eyes, like rubies. They had a lazy quality to them and an underlying glint of humor just under a layer of indifference. He was a man who had learned to control his emotions even though he only looked a few years older than Maka's eighteen. He looked familiar, almost like he could be the Soul Black*Star used to hang out with.
"That's Patty and Chrona. Patty is Liz's sister and Chrona's mom was the school's nurse before she was fired. Kid should have been in the picture, but he thought he looked too asymmetrical even though it was just for Chrona's graduation. Did you graduate with Black*Star by any chance?" Maka said as she stuffed more clothes into the bag. She didn't know how long she'd be kicked out of her apartment and there was no way that Blair and Liz could dress her up. They worked undercover in the Vice department, so often times they went undercover as prostitutes to catch possible drug dealers. As a result, most of the clothes they had weren't exactly modest, and Maka had learned her lesson when they helped her get ready for a date last spring.
"Uh, yeah. So that's the crazy sister Liz was telling me about. Cool," Soul smirked at Maka, revealing sharp teeth. Even though the teeth should have made him look like a grinning monster, the smirk worked for him. He looked behind him into the bathroom, "Hey Chief Perv, I texted Killik so him and the midgets are coming over to tape off the area and canvas the apartment complex. Now all we need is your statement," The other three turned towards Maka just as she pulled out a bra to pack away. Her father and Black*Star both turned away, Spirit blushing slightly and Black*Star pulling a face, while Soul's ears turned red and he hurriedly wiped at his nose before going back to inspect the bathroom.
"I was taking a shower to go to the party tonight and the eye wasn't on the wall when I got in there, I would have noticed it. After taking a ten minute shower I got out and noticed it. That gives him ten minutes to have snuck into my bathroom and paint that on the wall, he got out through the window which was open when I got out as well. My radio was on so I couldn't hear anything or anyone making noise in here," Maka told them and noticed her father writing down notes on a notepad. His red hair was getting in his face as he was writing, I'll have to remind Blair to give him a haircut, as long as they haven't broken up again that is. Speaking of Blair…
"Where's Blair? I heard her just a minute ago," She asked and looked around my bedroom. After crawling around on her hands and knees for a minute or so she finally pulled a small purple cat wearing a snap-on witch's hat out from under her bed.
"Blair? She's already a Chupa Cabra's, not here," Soul replied from the bathroom.
"No, my cat Blair. Human Blair gave her to me as a sixteenth birthday present and named the cat after herself because they both have purple hair," Maka said and pulled Blair closer to herself, "Well I guess both of the Blairs can just live with each other for now seeing as how I probably won't be able to take care of her."
"What's with the witch's hat? That's new from the last time Tsubaki and I were over," Black*Star said, taking kitty Blair from Maka. The cat immediately flattened its ears and attempted to squirm away from the bluenette, "I don't understand why she doesn't like me!" He held the cat at arm's length and made a face at it.
"Because you're loud and cats hate loud people," Maka huffed then grabbed her cat, gently depositing her in a cat carrier, and bag, "Let's go, if I'm here when Fire and Thunder arrive I'll never get to leave. C'mon loudmouth," She pulled Black*Star by the ear out the door with Soul following behind and laughing loudly, her father chuckling himself.
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO YOUR GOD! THAT'S ANTI-FOLLOWER LIKE! LISTEN TO YOUR GOD!" Black*Star howled as he was pulled down the stairs. The other tenants were long used to this, so they only grumbled when they heard the loudmouth. Luckily Maka lived on the second floor, so they only had to go down one set of stairs.
"I think the word you want is heresay dumbass," Maka said and Soul vowed to try and not piss off the petite woman.
"Damn Bookworm!" Black*Star ground out. The three finally made it out to the street to see…
"A motorcycle? You two came here on a motorcycle?" Maka started giggling as the two young men looked at each other, "I can't believe it!"
"What about it? It's no big deal for a god!" Black*Star boasted.
"It's not like… oh!" Soul paled he realized what the two of them riding the motorcycle together must have looked like, especially seeing as how it was a rather small and sleek bike with no handlebars for Black*Star to hold on to, "Black*Star, you're on foot. I'll drive Maka back to the precinct on the motorcycle." Black*Star nodded, still not understanding what was funny, taking Maka's bag but leaving Blair before running in the direction of the precinct, "Okay bookworm, get on back. I only have one helmet, but you're putting it on. I don't want Chief Perv to get on my ass.
"Alright," Maka said, handing Blair off to Soul while she put on the helmet. She swung her leg over the motorcycle before taking Blair back and Soul got on. The drive was short, but Soul made sure to drive carefully. He'd seen what Maka could do when mad and he didn't want anything to happen to him. Although it took him a while to remember why that name sounded so familiar, the attitude towards Black*Star and her father seemed to jog his memory. She was the girl who Black*Star freaked out about being attacked...
It was about four years ago when they'd first met, even though they both could barely remember it, they did for different reasons. Maka remembered it because it was the first time she'd been attacked because of her father, and Soul remembered it because it was when he'd met a freshman that he didn't hate, but actually kind of liked. Both of them were lost in memories of Soul and Black*Star's senior year and Maka's freshmen year which was the only time they'd met each other as the motorcycle roared down the street.
Four years earlier…
Soul and Black*Star were just chilling at Black*star's house after school when his parents called.
"You need me to pick Maka up? What happened, I just saw her like half an hour ago at school!" Black*Star said, the videogame him and Soul had been playing forgotten as he stood up angrily, "What?! What the hell was she thinking?! I'll be there in less than ten minutes!" Black*Star turned towards Soul and the albino saw the bluenette's eyes darkened with anger. Soul thought back to when Black*Star told him about his real family, the assassins and gang family now all dead because of their need for revenge. He hoped he wouldn't have to do anything to stop Black*Star from trying to exact revenge on whoever this Maka girl was, because it seemed like it would be impossible with Black*Star's temper at the level it was now.
"What happened? Who's Maka?" Soul asked, pausing the game and setting down his controller.
"Maka Albarn, practically my little sister. They fucking ganged up on her! I'll make them pay!" Black*Star was seething, not even making any sense. Soul grabbed his friend by the arm and led him down the stairs, unable to get his buddy to elaborate as to who "they" were. They quickly got on the motorcycle and drove to the precinct. When they got there Black*Star jumped off the bike, running in before Soul even stopped. Once inside Soul was surprised by the flurry of activity going on inside, a large group surrounding a desk. The Chief of Police was practically weeping on the ground next to a young blonde girl who had her hair up in disheveled pigtails. She looked ready to smack him, when none other than the Mayor did it himself, hitting him with the side of his hand on the top of the man's head.
"Spirit pull yourself together!" The Mayor spoke loudly. The crying man passed out from the hit to his head, "Oh, I think I hit him too hard this time."
"That's fine by me," The girl ground out. Another man in a white doctor's coat that had stitches all over it walked up to the group. He tall with silver hair and a screw stuck in his head, and pushed up his glasses, "Hello Stein."
"Hello Maka, your father has been overreacting again, hasn't he?" The man asked pleasantly. Stein seemed to be careless of the fallen man, and began examining Maka. He checked all of her bruises and scrapes, covering them with disinfectant and bandaging her head where there was a particularly nasty cut, "You look just fine. Make sure you keep the wounds clean and use disinfectant once a day at a minimum. And as a favor, maybe since he's already unconscious I can run a few tests on your father..."
"Feel free, just get him away from me," Maka looked away pointedly as the man, Stein, pulled her father by his legs out of the room. She looked up and finally noticed Black*Star and Soul standing a short distance away, "Thank God you're finally here, I'm not sure how much longer I could stand being in the same room as that idiot." Maka smiled tightly as she stood up, but abruptly sat back down once she noticed Black*Star striding angrily towards her. He caged her into the chair and got his face in hers.
"Explain to me what the fuck happened," Black*Star barked out. Lesser beings might have cowered in fear at the look in Black*Star's face, but this tiny girl, a freshman that barely came up to Soul's shoulders, simply rolled her eyes.
"Don't swear," She said primly. Soul had to snicker, and he noted a lot of the others in the room did too. If he had to guess the two did this a lot during arguements, Maka going as far as to reprimand Black*Star not to swear, "I was walking home after dropping Kim off at her house and a couple guys jumped me; it was Giriko and a couple of his big lackeys. They tried to pull my into the alleyway but I kicked their asses until Justin noticed, intervening, and they ran away. It's no big deal Black*Star, Arachne is just upset that Papa's getting close to her weapons operation. Apparently her little spies haven't been paying close enough attention that they haven't noticed that I moved into my own apartment last month."
Black*Star however was not done yet, "It's no big deal?! Maka you're fourteen and Giriko's at least twenty-five, you're a smart girl, you know what he could've done if Justin hadn't come along! That's it, I'm walking you to and from school until this whole deal is over with and you can stay at my house."
"Like hell you are loudmouth! I'll be fine on my own, I have been for the past month," Maka ground out. Black*Star opened his mouth to argue but Maka cut him off in a softer voice and an understanding expression, "Black*Star, I know what could've happened, but you're not going to always be there to protect me. You're graduating in a few months and I'll still be in high school so I've got to learn to protect myself too."
"I just don't want you to get hurt, and I know Tsubaki doesn't either," Black*Star said and he ruffled her hair before straightening up. Almost everyone else lost interest at this point, but Black*Star effectively recaptured it, "A GOD DOESN'T ALLOW HIS FRIENDS TO GET HURT! HAHAHAHAHA!"
"Maka…"
"Huh?"
"CHOP!" With a comical hit on the head with a book, Black*Star was down for the count for a while. Maka put her book away before looking at Soul, "Are you Soul? Black*Star's been talking about you at supper for the longest time. I hope you two stay friends after graduation, and have fun dragging him home. I called Tsubaki while you guys were on your way." As if on cue the tall curvy and beautiful Japanese girl from his classes, and Black*Star's girlfriend, walked into the precinct. Worry filled her violet eyes and she even stepped over Black*Star without a second thought, pulling Maka into a hug.
"Maka you had me so worried!" Tsubaki said before leaning back slightly to check Maka over, "Your eye is starting to bruise and it looks like you let Fire and Thunder do your hair."
"I know, but it's no big deal, I taught those guys who the boss is!" Maka smiled brightly and Soul was struck by how much older she looked with just that small change of her facial features. He had to hold back a blush as Maka turned that smile towards him, "It was nice to finally meet you Soul, maybe I'll see you around."
Now they were all walking back into the precinct, Black*Star running up almost as soon as they got off the bike. They walked into a quiet precinct, everyone staring before one young man with black hair and golden eyes walked up to the three, "Maka, Soul, Black*Star, what happened?" He inspected the girl and her two companions, not missing the cat and bag as well as the fact that Maka lacked her normal hairstyle and Black*Star was oddly quiet.
"Asura," was the tense, one worded answer Maka gave in reply, which most of those present recognizing the name, "I'm going to stay here until my dad gets back then I'll probably go to his place as much as I hate it. Is it alright if I take one of the bunks for now Kid?"
"Of course. I suppose I don't need anyone to show you the way, do I?" Kid patted her head (directly in the middle) and half-smiled at her which Maka returned, "I'll have Liz bring you some toiletries in a bit to pack in your bag. Get some sleep Maka, you've probably had a long day."
Maka nodded, grabbing her bags from Black*Star, then moved through the crowd and up the stairs. Soul watched her for a second, as well as everyone else in the room, before clearing his throat, "I don't know about you guys, but I feel like it might not be such a great night for a party. Can someone call Blair and tell her?"
"I will," A dirty blonde girl said, stepping forward, "I have to pick my sister up, as well as grab some supplies for Maka so I'll just get Blair at the same time."
"Thanks Liz, you're a lifesaver," Soul forced a grin then turned back to the other two men he was standing with. Black*Star was still staring worriedly in the direction Maka had disappeared in, and Death the Kid, son of the mayor, was studying the tenseness in the room, "So what's the full story with Maka anyway?"
"Her parents had her at a young age, but their marriage was never the best. They lived in the house next to me and my adopted parents who worked on the police force with Spirit, and even though I'm about four years older than her she'd always come over to my house to play. During the time of the divorce she stayed at my house most of the time since she didn't want to hear them fighting, we'd sleep in the fort we made since it was summer. She's pretty much my younger sister even if we're not related, and anyone who wants to mess with her has to mess with me first. We came to the precinct all the time as kids, so almost everyone here knows us, actually you might be the only one who doesn't really know her," Black*Star said. He scratched his head after he spoke, looking into the distance like he was watching his childhood in front of him.
"That's how I met her," Kid interjected while Black*Star was distracted, "I came here with my father often as well, so the three of us would get pushed off onto some patrolman, usually Sid, and go play in the patrol cars. Now, sadly, we only see each other when we get the odd days off at the same time."
"Huh," was all Soul could think to say. He was about to ask more questions, but Liz came hurrying back.
"Black*Star, Maka's freaking out and I can't get her to calm down. She went to go lie down for a bit before her dad got back and when all of a sudden she screamed and now she's practically hyperventilating," Liz barely got the sentence out before Black*Star was racing down the hallway. Soul followed him with Kid and they arrived to Maka's bunk panting. It wasn't hard figuring out which bed Maka was sleeping in because she was currently sitting up with her knees pulled to her chest and breathing hard. Black*Star hurried over to her and pulled her into a tight hug while whispering in her ear.
"Sh, it's okay Maka, I know you're just amazed by my godliness, but you don't have to freak out," Black*Star's attempt at calming the girl seemed to work because the next whimper turned into a watery chuckle and a smack on the head for Black*Star, who pouted, "You shouldn't hit your God."
"I'm an exception to those rules," Maka smiled, releasing the bluenette from the hug. She wiped at her eyes before turning to the other two males in the room and scowling with a slight flush on her face, "Geez it was just a nightmare, more like the situation finally hitting me, all three of you didn't have to come."
"Of course I'd come and make sure you're all right," Kid replied softly, Soul knew Kid was polite, but he was genuinely worried about Maka. Soul really was amazed by the fact that this high school senior had so many people wrapped around her finger, but admired the way those people stood around her to protect her.
"I just came along for the ride," Soul smirked. He didn't know her well enough to give any real comfort, but hopefully by bringing some semblance of joking into this conversation she could feel a little better.
"Thanks," Maka rolled her eyes with a small smile, "Now all of you get out, I have to get some sleep before my big test tomorrow in first hour."
"What?" Black*Star replied dumbly.
"I have to get some sleep before my big test tomorrow. Stein is subbing for God knows what reason and he changed the material on the test. I mean testing on a dissection in AP chemistry? Ugh! How they got the police forensic investigator to be a sub at high school is beyond my comprehension!" The three young males looked at each other, two exasperated and the other still confused.
"You're not going to school tomorrow," Soul said and Maka raised her eyebrow in reply.
"Oh, you wanna bet?" She asked.
Semi-abrupt ending, but I like the beginning of next chapter where I put it so you'll have to deal with it. I hope to have the next chapter up by Friday, but that might not happen… so Saturday night roughly. I BARELY made this deadline so don't get your hopes up too high. Until then, review! I love to hear any feedback, so put down your thoughts, good and bad, so I can improve.
-Charlotte