Shit.
Shit.
SHIT.
I was trained for stuff like this- why didn't I notice a presence behind me? Why didn't my instincts kick in?
Her laugh, lacing the air…
Oh yeah. Maka. Right. Speaking of Maka, couldn't she hear anything from inside her room? The door was how thick?
My ambusher was starting to tie my arms. I jerked them free and elbowed what felt like a gut. I heard the breath being knocked out of him or her, and felt a grin forcing its way past the gag. No time to take the blindfold or gag off, though. I could still feel the attacker's body heat there (shocked, maybe. Or taking in my rugged good looks), so I gave him (was it a him?) a good kick. The person stumbled back, and I began a volley of punches, only to meet empty air with my (to put it nicely) pissed off fist. I ripped off my blindfold.
All I saw was an empty hall. I took a moment to survey the area and relaxed. My shoulders remained tense though, and my eyes darted around as I untied my gag. Whoever had attacked me had made an effort to hide his or her identity; that much was obvious. But why bother? I mean, we were all family in crime, I noted sarcastically. And here, of all places? My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and observed the bright screen. It was a text.
You're late.
I was outside the huge mansion in thirteen seconds flat. I might not be stealthy, but I'm fast, strong, and suited for my job. I saw a sleek black car that I didn't know the name of (it was probably a model that wouldn't be out for a while- the Death family really had a lot of money), and immediately recognized the Shinigami symbol on it. I pulled open the door, hopped in, and crashed it shut as the car started.
"You could refrain from harming my vehicle," Kid's voice came from the driver's seat. "This car cost more than you can imagine."
"Oh, I can imagine, all right," I snorted. As if I didn't already know the tons of cash he probably had. I swear, if they wanted, they could free America of all debts.
Liz sat in the front with him. Black Star and his partner, Tsubaki, sat next to me. Oh yeah, about Tsubaki…
Pale skin, pretty violet eyes, onyx hair that flowed long past her waist, and a rocking body. Not that I cared. (Don't get me wrong, I've got just as much testosterone as any other guy, but when you're constantly pummeling people and on the run from the cops, you don't have time for the stuff. Ignore movies, cuz they lie.) It was hard to imagine how the girl could even harm a fly, but I've been told she's dangerous. Jeez, what was with the people in this gang? Harmless on the outside… killer machine on the in.
"Where's Patty?" I questioned. Liz threw a glance at me.
"Unlike you," She said, "She has a good reason why she isn't here." Ouch.
Black Star laughed at me. "Of course, I, the almighty God, was here before you!" His arrogant voice filled the whole car. I thought I would suffocate- he was taking up too much oxygen. "You should bow before me!" He lowered his gaze to meet mine. "But for you, I'll make an exception."
Black Star, Kid, and I were a team. A 'special' squad if you will, but we worked together so well we could probably take the Death God himself.
…Or not.
Kid was the strategist, and Black Star was our source of pure, raw and undefined power. Me, I guess I just cover their backs. God knows they need me to, even though we can all kick ass.
"Where're we headed?" I asked briskly, watching the lavish mansion vanish from view.
"The Albarns."
We arrived at about 9:27. While I waited for Kid to get over the unsymmetrical spots of the home (This hedge isn't trimmed the same! For god's sake, why aren't there red flowers on both sides? This wreath is slanted!), a thousand thoughts ran through my mind.
What if someone Maka knew was home? I was pretty easy to define, I mean, who else had white hair and red eyes? But of course, this was her house, I cursed in my head. Of course she would know the people here. I couldn't afford to be seen. A certain part of me wondered why I even cared. Another wondered why I didn't just dye my hair and get contacts.
"Of course, I will lead!" Black Star said loudly. Both Kid (who had snapped out of it with some kicks from Liz) and I shushed him. Tsubaki chuckled at him but said nothing.
"Kid, you should go in with him. I'll stand guard." The words were out of my mouth before I could catch them. He shot me a curious look. I mentally smacked myself and continued, "He needs someone to keep him in line, and this place seems pretty empty tonight."
And it was true. Most of the lights in the building were out. In fact, all of them, save the street lights. Liz smiled cattishly at my observing gaze.
"Power is gone, security is down, and the guards…" She blew on her nails, not needing to finish the sentence. "Well, the servants are probably in a state of panic, their back up generators are… well, ashes, and all the Albarns are at the party." The bush behind me rustled, and Patty popped out, a gun in her hand and a smile on her face that matched a Cheshire cat. Ah, so that's where'd she been.
I swear, although Patty is probably ADD (a certain event including underwear, paper clips, and nacho cheese comes to mind), she can be a killing machine. Maybe she's got a split personality.
"Alright," Kid finally nodded, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Soul, you stay outside. You're the fastest of us, so you should be able to make sure no one gets in."
I nodded with a mock salute. Black Star cackled, and Tsubaki hit him gently. Then she gagged him while apologizing profusely. I'll never understand women.
Everything went without a hitch. What, were you expecting some epic fight scene? Or maybe some disastrous flaw that sent the whole operation crashing? Nah (though that woulda made the whole thing a lot more interesting). The only thing that surprised me was that the only thing they walked out was… a book.
"What the hell?" I exploded. "We came here, murdered people and robbed some rich dudes for a book?" No problem with the murdering part (don't think of me as without morals. If you were me, you would both have a) gotten used to it, and b) had a very good reason for even bothering to stick around getting used to it), but they stole a book.
"I know, right?!" Black Star shrieked. The gag had disappeared, but the moment the last syllable slipped out of his lips, it was on again. And Tsubaki had that innocent look on her face. Dang, she's good.
"Silence!" Kid hushed us (although I guess Black Star really needed hushing anymore). "It's not just any book." He beckoned us into the car and started the engine. We were out of there fast- the car wasn't just money, after all. It was a lean, mean, speed machine, and it was that way for a reason. "This is the Book of Eibon."
"Never heard of it," I said bluntly. He face faulted (probably cuz it was symmetrical and I was dissing it) and then gave me a harsh look before turning back to the wheel.
"I'm not exactly sure of what it contains," He hedged, and I wondered why he didn't just open it. Liz saw the look on my face and shrugged.
"Orders."
"What the big guy doesn't know won't kill him," Black Star said. This time the gag was ripped to pieces.
"I don't care," I groaned. "But why a book?" Death God had never really specified exactly what we were after when talking to me, just that it was extremely valuable. "It's not like the Black Market would offer over big bucks or anything."
"On the contrary, Soul," Kid said quietly (whenever he said something quietly, a tone of danger coated his words. Probably got it from his dad). "This book is highly wanted and could very well fetch over 50 billion."
I froze.
It was a god-damn book. Someone would actually pay that much for a bound collection of paper? My mouth opened, close, opened again (Black Star burst into laughter at the proclaimed 'fishy-fishy' moment. I punched him), and then all of a sudden I was laughing.
"Who the hell… would pay… that much for that piece of crap?" I forced a breath in between my laughs (I was laughing a lot nowadays. That was new. Weird) and somehow managed words. I could see Kid's jaw go taut in response, and my mood instantly lowered. Suddenly, the darkness of the night seemed to really seep in through the windows and the son of the 'Death God' really did act like it.
"Noah."
I'd had to learn a lot of things the hard way, and though his name wasn't one of them, it still scared the crap-load outta me. Me. That has to speak volumes.
Noah was bigger than any religious god(s) that are out there. Don't believe me? Go ahead and cower in fear as he stands over you, praying to the God that isn't going to save you. I've heard many things such as 'Force your way through things, cuz that's reality', or 'If the first time doesn't work, punch the shit outta your enemy', but he could do anything with a stare. I've never actually met him, and never want to. He's the head of practically all the Black Market systems out there for a reason. Rumors are that someone died from just looking at the guy- with blood pouring out of his eyes. Though I find that hard to believe, rumors always stem from something, and the fact that he has stuff far above 'charisma' or 'sensuality' is more than real.
I was still deep in thought (don't laugh at that) when we arrived back at home (don't laugh at that, either. Gotta call it something), where Death God was waiting. Guess the party ended early, or he slipped away. Though we couldn't see his eyes, I could feel his gaze intensely focused on the book Kid was handing him. And by intense, I mean you could literally feel the fire.
"What the hell's in that thing, anyway? Post stamps?" Black Star shouted loudly, and maybe a bit happy that there was no more need to keep quiet. We all shot him a dirty look anyway. Behind that childish mask, I could feel eager anticipation. We all waited, and Death God finally said, "If I could wait this long for this book to be in my hands, you can wait longer for an answer."
Suddenly, he was gone.
While Black Star was busy being pissed, I turned to Kid.
"Why was the Book there?"
"Mr. Albarn is a police officer," Kid said. "They call him 'Death Scythe' because he is known for hunting down some of the most dangerous criminals out there. Once he sticks to a case, he finishes it. On one of those cases, he arrested a man named 'Eibon' and received this book." He thought for a moment before continuing, "Eibon was Noah's father."
"Supposedly bigger and bad ass-ier than him, too," Black Star joined in. Probably felt left out.
I blinked once, twice. I'd had more than enough thought to last me the day, but this new piece of info was… actually, amusing.
Maka's father was a police officer. Mister 'Death Scythe', too, and I wondered if he knew that 'Death God', his… erm, friend (I don't know if the stuff that goes on at that party is socializing or politics. Probably both) was actually a big time gang head. Better yet, I snickered quietly to myself, I was a gang member and Maka couldn't even tell. My smile turned down a bit- it was probably a bad thing anyway, for her to associate herself like me. (I wasn't exactly a hard core gang member though, if you couldn't tell. Even so, I had my reasons for joining up.) I wondered why I even cared, for the fifth time that night.
I slept fitfully that night.
Shinigami had disappeared off to somewhere. No one knew where, and frankly, no one cared- when the boss is away, we all play, and that never applied more literally. With no one bossing us around, the hideout was lively. By that, I mean it smelled like dirty playing cards, alcohol, and… ew. Something else there I won't mention. I was about to go back to my room and crash, when a hand grabbed my shoulder and dragged me behind a wall.
"What the hell?" I snarled. I was looking forward to that nap, too. It was Kid, and he gave me a look that told me to shut up or I will politely rip off your balls.
"Death God is in trouble," He began, and I immediately growled.
"If that guy's in trouble, there's no way we can help him!" I whispered harshly.
"Stop." He commanded. "I must attend to something. In the meantime, go to this address, and do what you can." He handed me a piece of paper and turned to walk off.
"What do you mean by what I can?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"You'll see," He tossed over his shoulder. Then he disappeared.
Man, I hate it when he does that.
I hopped on my motorcycle (my precious thing, touch it and you'll lose an eye) and revved off through the streets I knew so well. It hadn't been without pain that I had learned them, either- I could still remember a time where I wandered in the rain, miserable and alone. I brushed that aside as I approached a large building (it looked like some abandoned factory- cliché much?) and cut the engine.
"Finally! I was starting to get bored." I whirled around.
"Liz? What are you doing here? Wait, Patty too?" Patty was carving a picture of a giraffe into the cement with a switchblade. Figures.
"As if Kid would let you do something as serious as this by yourself." She snorted.
"Why didn't he send Black Star?" I asked. "I mean, he is a higher rank… oh."
"Yeah. This requires being quiet. Which we both know Black Star can't do. Now follow me!"
Liz dashed off with Patty at her side, jumping this way and that, avoiding what I assumed must be sensors. The place was probably rigged. I followed without really following at all, joining their side in the blink of an eye.
We circled around the building and suddenly, halfway through, Liz and Patty swung up onto a particularly high branch and flung themselves onto the roof. Right. I screeched to a stop and did the same. They were fighting some guards on the roof, hand to hand combat (I guess guns would be too loud), and owning them completely. I landed on the last one and effectively knocked him out. We slipped into vents and crept through. Don't ask me how; Liz is just a geek like that. Finding her way through enemy territory is no problem for her. Patty had her mouth taped shut, cuz, though she's no quieter than Black Star, the two can't stand to be apart for very long.
"What are we supposed to be doing?" I hissed through clenched teeth. The air vents reeked of something… irony. Blood? What the hell?
"Central generators s'posed to be knocked out. Main assassins of the group, too. Almost there."
Suddenly, something caught my eye.
Through a crack in the vent, I saw something green flash and I recognized it instantly. What the fuck was Maka doing here?
"Go on without me," I said without really thinking. Liz shot me a look, but Patty just nodded enthusiastically and they continued. I slipped through an opening and dropped down, only to be punched in the face. I automatically responded with a roundhouse kick, and was rewarded with a moment to take in my surroundings.
It was completely empty and smelled like sawdust. No problem.
"S-Soul?" I heard Maka groan out. I whirled around, and fury seeped in, running deep in my veins.
Her face was covered with blood, bruises and all. There was a nasty cut (was her arm broken? Why was it bent like that?) across her face. But that wasn't the worst of it.
Her eyes, her captivating green eyes, stared at me with absolute trust. Her eyes unabashedly told me Itrustyou/Ibelieveyou/Youaregood and it killed me.
Hesitation kills. I hesitated, and I was smacked good on the face again. Something wet trickled down my chin, and I wiped it away, not needing to look down to know it was red.
I launched myself at my attacker, and then got a good look. I stopped, hesitating again, but for a reason.
It was a… girl? Boy? I couldn't tell. His or her hair was… pink and the eyes she or he bore were sad and filled with misery. Had this person really attacked me?
Suddenly, a man appeared behind the person. His eyes were blindfolded; X's were marked over where his eyes should be. Instead of arms, and he had blades protruding from his elbows. His skin was dark and tanned and damn, was that a ten pack?
"Chrona," He snarled out, guttural. "We must finish her off first. No distractions, though this boy is quite the annoyance. Stupid."
Chrona nodded, and an abrupt look of… insanity crept onto his/her face, and Chrona stepped towards Maka, fist drawn and insane laughter bubbling through pale lips. Maka jumped out of the way, rolling, and barely missed an attack that pummeled a hole into the ground. Dang. Chrona's arms were extremely thin, but held a kind of ferocity that I knew I couldn't match, and then-
Insane laughter, happy and angry and sad at the same time…
Arms coated with blood. I am grieving, I am laughing…
Betrayal, being left behind, tears of black…
With a groan, I stumbled back, and shook my head twice, sharply. Maka was lying on the ground, and though her eyes were open (and pleading… god, could this get any worse?), I knew she was bordering unconsciousness.
"Ragnarok," Chrona said gently, feebly, yet the large man that could easily overtake anyone obeyed, and rushed forward at Maka.
Again, hesitation kills, but when I didn't even think twice about jumping in front of Maka, I swear I saw my life flash through my eyes (and I'm telling you, it wasn't pleasant).
The last thing I felt was cold hands upon my face before everything went black.
A/N: I know this is really random, but I was just thinking about when Maka told Soul (in the actual Soul Eater) that she would face his scar. I seriously expected her to say, "I need to face this, Soul… so take off your shirt." Ah… dang. I have serious mental problems.
Anyway~ any thoughts?