DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Soul Eater'. All rights belong to Okubo Atsushi. I also do not own any of the songs referenced. All rights belong to their respective owners. I only own this fanfiction. Thank you.
NOTE: Mentions of prior mutual dubious consent [drunk sex], and mild violence.
Criminal
"...ugh..."
The sound of distantly twittering birds and rumbling engines slowly filtered into the hearing of the lone figure lying in a messy bed. It bore a broken leg, the centerpiece to an equally trashed room.
There were cracks in the walls, and holes too. Clothes were scattered about, among other things, which included beer bottles and cans, some CDs and DVDs, a TV, a few tools-tools? Really?-a dresser beside the bed, and of course, dirty magazines. This was clearly a man's domain. And one with a temper, to boot.
"Oh, jeez...it hurts..." As she sat up from the tangled sheets, holding her pounding head with her fingers threaded through loose ash-blonde locks, eighteen year old Maka Albarn turned her attention to rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and trying to recall what exactly had happened the night before to give her such a headache. Her mouth hurt a little too, and there was a strange flavor on her tongue. Her lips and inside were dry, and there was the faint taste of blood when she licked the former.
Her bare legs shifted slightly under the covers. Moving right, she tried to climb out of the bed. But she suddenly lurched, as a wave of nausea hit her full on. The sun was streaming in from a nearby window, and its warmth hit her skin, causing her to shiver at just how cold she was. There wasn't a scrap of clothing on her, and it-
Wait. A. Minute.
Maka froze, the color beginning to drain from her already pale face. Her heart was starting to pound, and it was only now that she could smell the unmistakeable odor of beer, mingling together with the still air...
She was naked. Why? Why would she be sleeping in the nude? She never did that. Whose room was this? It wasn't her room. What the hell was going on?!
Her green eyes darted to and fro, desperately scanning her surroundings. It wasn't too hard to figure out that it belonged to a guy-the question was who. It was unfamiliar to her, so that automatically ruled out any of her friends. Which was both a good and bad thing. Eventually though, she had to stop looking so quickly, because as frightened as she was, rapid movement plus anxiety, nausea, that smell, and the now blinding sunlight? Not a winning combination.
She drew up a leg, feeling so vulnerable and lost. But a sharp pain shot up from between them, and Maka winced, bringing it back down. Tentatively checking beneath the blankets after a few seconds of indecision, she found the faint, but unmistakeable signs of dried blood on her inner thighs.
That? That wasn't a good sign, at all. It was all only serving to confirm her worst fears-that something seriously skeevy had gone down last night. She moved her right shoulder, and another pain wracked her from there. Looking over, she was shocked to see what appeared to be a small, bloody puncture wound-jeez more blood? It was dry too, at least, but still...where, or in the case of the latter, what on Earth had they both come from?
Clothes. I need to find my clothes, and my purse, and then...get some answers. I may be sick as a dog, but I'm not going to take this lying down! As scary as the situation was, Maka couldn't deny the little spark of anger that flickered beneath. Who was so brazen enough to think he could get away with drugging her and then...then...
Managing to crawl out of the bed, she had just wrapped a sheet around herself as a makeshift dress. Searching for her clothes, she suddenly heard the door open. The clean scent of a shower filtered into the room, mixing with the other one and covering it some. A voice drawled out, masculine and amused. It was very teasing, and Maka could feel the shiver slip down her spine. Even with the sheet, she felt exposed.
"So, you're finally awake. Morning, Princess. Sleep well?"
She didn't want to look at him. Maka didn't want to admit that this figure had any sort of power over her, just with that voice of his. But she also couldn't hide behind her fear. It was important to acknowledge-to pretend it wasn't there was foolish-but she'd never get anywhere if she allowed it to take her over completely. She wanted answers, didn't she? So, swallowing her nerves, she slowly turned to face the man that stood in the doorway.
He was taller than her, and definitely older. Well built, with a muscular frame that was currently on display for her to see-his chest was bare, a few drops of water trickling down from his shoulders. He was only clad in a pair of jeans, a black shirt in his hands. He didn't seem to care that his spiky, light brown locks were still damp, falling in front of his piercing gaze.
A small metal strip ran across the bridge of his nose, while a few thin hoops dangled from his ears. He was into body modification, apparently. His lips were set in a smug little grin, and even from where she stood Maka could tell his teeth were sharp. That explained where the mark on her shoulder came from...
As she continued to stare at him like a deer in headlights, Maka realized that, as startling as his appearance was, it wasn't entirely unfamiliar. In fact, she swore she could place it, somewhere...but where? It hurt, but she had to think back on it. Where had he come from?
Where, where...oh! That new building across the street from Shibusen! That time when Liz and Patty went out to the bar with those construction workers! Her jaw dropped. He was with them! Her thoughts were racing now. What was his name? It started with a G! Gi...Gir...Giri...
He was staring at her, still grinning but a bit annoyed now, seeing as she hadn't yet responded to his question. "What, cat got your tongue or something? Maybe you can't speak 'cause of all the noise you made last night? Heh." He licked his lips. "For a virgin, you sure were into it. Got me goin' real good. Real hard." He leered at her, and that was when it all clicked.
"Giriko!" Maka could feel her face heating up. "F-From the new shopping strip by the school!" How in the ever-loving fuck did I wind up with him? Maka's conscience was screaming at her, and she had no idea whether to cry or laugh.
He chuckled. "Oh, so you remember me? Took me a little while to figure you out. You were the one I noticed first way back when-right before those two sisters came along. They were cute. Wouldn't let me do anything with them, though. Fucking frigid. And the other one wouldn't stop laughing. Hell, I passed out 'cause I was so bored! I don't ever do that!" He paused, and scratched his head. "Funny, though. They never called me back."
Maka had had enough. She was tired of not knowing what was going on. Screw tears, screw madness-I want my answers! And he's gonna give them to me! Gritting her teeth against the slight pain below, she marched over until she was directly in front of Giriko. Planting one hand on her hip, and standing up at her full height to make herself look more imposing-even though she was still considerably shorter than him, and nauseous to boot-she pointed her other finger in his face, and gave him the fiercest look she could manage.
"You sleazeball! What did you do to me last night?! You doped me up and dragged me back to your place, is that it? You'll pay for this, I swear it!" Now she was trying to sound intimidating, even while sick.
But the only effect it was having on the male was irritation, and he let out a growl, swatting her hand away. His gaze was slightly narrowed, and heated. "Back off. If I'd wanted to rape you, you can be damn sure I wouldn't need t'use drugs to do it. And I wasn't the one who came after you."
He smirked again and pointed his finger at her forehead. "You were the one who bumped into me, nearly spilled my fresh drink, blubbered like a baby and then dragged me off to a corner somewhere. You were lonely, and I had nothing to do. So I decided to humor you. But you started it first. I didn't do a damn thing you didn't want me to."
Maka was gaping like a fish, looking after him dumbfounded as he walked around her, putting on his shirt. He then started searching through the things on the floor. After a couple minutes, he produced a dress, coat, undergarments, sandals and a purse. He had good eyes. He dropped them in front of her, and proceeded to head back out the door.
"Bathroom's down the hall if you need it. I'm hungry, so I'm gonna eat. And I got work soon, too. Let yourself out, okay?"
But Maka stopped him with a forceful grab of his thick arm. She couldn't wrap her hand around it completely, so she had to dig her fingers into his skin. He growled, and turned to look at her with another sharp stare. "What now?"
"Like hell I would go anywhere with you willingly!" He rolled his eyes. "You were drunk off your rocker, and so was I. Shit, I was drunk before I got to that crap shoot. I don't know what you're like usually, but last night you were clingy as fuck. I played into it."
Now he was looking at her a bit more seriously. "Look, I'm sorry if you were saving yourself for Prince Charming or something, but I didn't do anything wrong. You came after me. The hell would I get out of lying to you, anyway? Like I'd really wanna get jailed for that." He huffed. "If I'm gonna fry, it may as well be for someone worth it. I ain't getting caught for nothing. I'll go down in a blaze of glory."
Angry as she was, Maka felt her breath catch in her throat for just a moment, as she saw a new expression cross Giriko's features. It was an unknown emotion, at saying those words. It seemed strange, in contrast with how he'd looked just a minute ago.
Why someone? Not something?
Then, it was gone. He looked at Maka with that same stubborn defiance. "We were both drunk. If I really wanted to, I could just as easily accuse you of fucking me over too." He grinned. "But I ain't that weak, or petty."
Maka was looking down, her hand still on his arm. He made no motion to move it. As loathe as she was to admit it, it seemed as though she was forced to accept this: for whatever reason, she had slept with this man, this cocky brute, Giriko. Last night, she'd gotten drunk, and...
Hey, come to think of it, why had she gotten drunk? She wasn't much for drinking, but she was certainly suffering the effects of a hangover. Just what exactly had happened to set all of this in motion?
"Oi." She glanced up, to lock eyes with the man in front of her. He reached over, took her hand in his-jeez, it was so much bigger than hers!-and dropped it. It fell at her side, and she blinked, still trying to come up with an appropriate response.
"I told you, I'm hungry. And I ain't got anything else to say. So beat it." He turned once again, to leave the room. In a split second, Maka had made her decision. She darted to the door, and slammed it shut. He looked at her with a warning gaze. "Woman..."
"You don't even know my name, do you?" She stared at him furiously, trying to keep her breathing calm and her voice steady. "I am Maka Albarn. And I'm not just some lay!" It was getting harder to not yell at him entirely. "You-You took my, my-you did that to me! And you-you don't even care! You don't even care about how I feel! You have no remorse! And you didn't even use protection!"
At this, he let out a barking laugh. "What d'you take me for? Of course I did! I may've been drunk, but I ain't stupid! You think I wanna deal with a fucking mini-me running around? What are you on about anyway, woman-oh sorry, I mean Maka?" He said her name almost mockingly, putting such a bitter emphasis on it that she couldn't help but flinch at his tone. "You know, you're really taking this way too seriously. Most women are happy when I fuck 'em. They certainly don't go around accusing me of shit. And the ones who won't fuck me? I don't give a rat's ass, there'll always be more women t'go around."
Extending his hand, he flicked her nose. "Aww, were you hoping that I'd fall for you or something, like you were the best little girl in the world and sleeping with you would save me or some kinda garbage?" He snorted. "Ha, save yourself, instead. You must've been hammered to be so delusional, expecting that to happen."
His eyes flashed. "It was fun though...real fun. We should do it again sometime."
That was it. Maka may have been able to hold back the tears, but her frustration was at its breaking point. She didn't even know whether she still had her book to Maka-Chop this bastard with-but screw looking through her purse right now. She'd let him have it some other way! Her hand swung towards his face, and her open palm struck his cheek with all the force she could muster.
It happened in an instant. Maka was shoved up against the door, her wrist now in Giriko's steel grip. She was pinned, and his other hand had found its way to her hair, pulling on it hard as he glared at her. Those teeth of his looked like little white daggers, and his breath was hot against her face as he leaned in, his lips an inch or two away from her own. What was he going to do? Would he strike her back, in retaliation? Or find another way to hurt her?
"Get out." His tone was deadly dangerous, cold. "I'm done humoring you. Get your shit and leave. I have better things to do than try to coddle some high and mighty prissy bitch. I ain't responsible for your mistakes." That's right. This was a mistake. One big, all-consuming mistake.
And in the center of it was him, the man who had stolen something precious from her, something that was meant to be shared with someone who actually cared.
But she was done playing with fire for the moment. Next time, Giriko might not give her a warning. In this case, she was grateful for her fear, and more than willing to back off. Nodding silently, she waited as he let her go and stepped back. Bending down to scoop up her things while keeping the sheet in place, she proceeded to open the door, scurrying down the hall.
She could feel his gaze on her, it burned like a red-hot poker. She found the bathroom easily enough, and let out a sigh of relief as soon as she was able to close the door behind her.
Yes, this was a very precarious situation indeed. But she had to keep going forward. She couldn't take back what had happened. All she could do was move on. So, with a heavy heart, Maka began dressing herself. Now that she had these few answers...she could go ahead a couple of paces, but where would it lead her?
The world was mixed up, mucked up, fucked up. Who knew?
…...
It only took a few minutes to put her clothes back on, but Maka found herself waiting an extra couple simply out of the desire to avoid any more confrontations. Still, she had to creep on a little bit further ahead, when she saw that the hallway was empty.
She found the kitchen, and a standing Giriko, facing away from her in front of a counter and cabinets. The kitchen was a mess, just like the bedroom. But it was mainly because it was crowded and disorganized, not because of visibly rotting food stuffs and disgusting pots and pans. She was actually surprised at the fact that, despite the empty booze bottles in the bedroom, he did his dishes.
Maka wasn't about to congratulate him on this though, leaving before he had a chance to discover her again. Her eyes briefly glanced over the wooden door as it closed behind her. She managed to register that it was damaged, hacked up with jagged slashes. She didn't bother dwelling on how that might've happened.
Once outside, Maka had to raise a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. Her head was throbbing, and she had no idea what part of Death City she'd wound up in. She was probably going to have to walk a little ways before she could place a landmark and figure out where to go from there. Perhaps she should've taken another gamble, and asked him for some aspirin? Certainly not food, seeing how icky her stomach was feeling at the moment. Maybe later. He obviously drank a lot, so he had to have some hangover cures on hand.
Unless he was a sadist, and just rode them out naturally...? Or maybe he drank so much he was immune to them. Yeah, that made more sense.
The heat was nigh unbearable, and eventually Maka had to shed her jacket, placing it over her head instead to offer some sort of comfort from the sun. It worked for her eyes, but not much else. That great grinning ball of fire wouldn't quit. Most of the time, she enjoyed the daylight hours. She wasn't a big night owl, unless you counted all her instances of study sessions that ran a bit past bedtime. Partying like this wasn't really her forte.
Partying...party... Hey, why did that sound so familiar? Maka was getting the strangest sense of deja vu, like that word should have meant something to her. An image filtered into her frazzled mind, but it was cracked and blurry, and right now it still hurt to over think things. She was amazed she'd been able to recall Giriko as she had. But this was made all the more difficult to handle, seeing as she preferred to use her brain.
The point was, it wasn't clear enough for her to risk discomfort and chase after, not when she needed as much of her energy as she could muster to keep on walking.
Still though...party. A party. And booze. She had been drunk. Was a party the reason why? No, that made no sense. She'd been to other get-togethers, and had never once felt the inclination to drink. More accurately, most of the parties she attended had no booze available to her. If a party was involved, what sort had it been, and what made it so different that she would break her own limits, to the point of winding up like this?
The road began to rise, and Maka let out a groan as she realized that she'd soon have to tromp uphill. While feeling like her limbs were made of overstretched rubber, and her head was about to explode. And like her stomach was curdling. And she still hurt a tad down there. All under the late summer heat, no less. Brilliant.
"Ah-" As the sunshine continued to bore down on her, she winced as her injured shoulder was exposed to a direct beam of sunlight. The heat aggravated the sensitive wound, and she looked at it with a pang of worry, hoping that it didn't decide to start bleeding again. That was just what she needed, to go home looking like an accident victim.
She had a ton of hickeys, she knew that much. She'd easily spotted them in the mirror while she was hurriedly changing. The paths he'd taken across her uncharted flesh had been left behind in those tenderly bruised trails. She huffed. Stupid Giriko. Her brow furrowed. Stupid Giriko and his stupid sharp teeth. What the hell, did he want to sleep with me, or eat me? She then realized that that question brought quite the mental images to mind.
Oh GOD, did he actually do THAT to me?! And oh, jeez, I-I don't-what did it feel like...no, NO! I'm NOT focusing on that! It's over and done! More vague memories were coming to mind, still not helping to clear the picture in her head. All she knew was that something must've happened, and it smelled putrid. Like a dirty little secret just dying to be popped, divulged, released.
Her thoughts jumped back hurriedly, oddly enough to the subject of Giriko's sharp teeth. Those teeth had marked her, with the telltale signs of having belonged to someone else and then some. If she were being truthful with herself, she didn't really think his teeth were stupid. In fact, they were strangely reassuring. Probably because they weren't the first pair of sharp ones she'd seen. Giriko's teeth reminded her of...of...of...
Maka stopped suddenly, rooted to the spot where she stood. But her body was not steady; a slow shudder was beginning to make its way up her spine, wracking her with tremors. With just one thought, one name, the floodgates had been wrenched open. The images of the night before came rushing back to her all at once, in full force.
It was a good thing she'd managed to make it past the hill. Thankfully, it was short. She was on even ground now. If her legs had started wobbling back there like they were now, she'd have gone tumbling downwards.
That name. One name, one night, one long mental movie.
"Soul..."
A/N: Umm...ta-da?
Here it is, at long last, the official disclaimer/blurb for this lil' fic of mine. If the character filter and previous chapters [vague] descriptions were too much of a tease to get anything across, then this and the cover art will clear up any misunderstandings. :)
Yes: This is a GiriMaka fic! As in, GirikoxMaka. I know that this is certainly a rocky start, for any sort of pairing. But, if you were to ask me honestly...I can't really see these two fitting into the usual relationship mold. [That's one reason why I didn't tag this 'Romance' here.] I figure some of you must be scratching your heads and wondering how on Earth could these two ever have any sort of basis. Well... [next bit is copy/pasted from my GiriMaka oneshot, posted at separate account]
My logic train kind of-sort of works like this: In canon, from what I observed in the manga, although Giriko has an attitude, he does respect Arachne deeply. And he's hella shaken up by her death afterwards, though he's good at keeping it inside. He's biding his time until he can face down the one who killed her, in this case Maka.
And honestly? To me, based on the way he reacts once they are face-to-face? I could buy that he harbored some secret feelings for the Spider Queen. I mean, he waited 800 years-nearly a freaking millennium-for her return. AND he kept watch over her soul in that golem, I'm assuming-that's how nobody found her out, until the Kishin was released, and they acted on it, thus attracting Maka and co.
How does this translate into Giriko ever having interest in someone like Maka, though? Well, aside from what canon gives us [I am a sick puppy, I understand this fully, taking things like ch. 47 and 75 as proof... 'goes to sit in Mr. Corner'], there's also the fact that both Arachne and Maka, I would say, have strong personalities. Both of them have the power to influence/sway others to a powerful degree [see: Arachnophobia and Crona], and both of them have that motherly quality, too.
But then, you throw in the rest of Maka's personality. It's a counter to Giriko's, and I think that if you were to put them in a proper situation [i.e not the battlefield] where they actually got a chance to interact [somewhat?] normally...interesting things would happen. With a few tweaks here and there, that is this [entire] fic. XD
Does any of this make sense? I'm NOT trying to say "GiriMaka is canon and everyone start shipping it, now!" I'm simply trying to explain how I can see these two coming together; it's not just a case of "Oh, they look good together [although they do]/I'm bored/LOL crack pairing" here for me. I did think about the reasons and dynamic. [end copy/paste]
However, I also had fun. It wasn't all just logic and planning-I got to get inside the heads of a completely new batch of characters' heads, and flesh out a new universe. I can only hope that I did it well enough to keep all of you satisfied, and reading.
Any feedback, be it a fave, alert or even a review, is appreciated. This story...was an experiment, of sorts; although unplanned, it did wind up exposing me to new things, and teaching me in the process too. I'd like to think that I've learned a lot from writing this, but I can't really tell without some sort of feedback...I get scared when it's quiet. I worry that I've messed up. ^^;
Okay then! Enough rambling! 'clears throat' Next time: what dirty little secrets are hiding in Maka's memories? And what does Soul have to do with all of this? See you soon...I hope?
