Maka pulled her fleece coat tighter around her torso and hunched forward as she walked. Topsoil and blades of grass crunched underfoot when her boots pressed into the frost that thinly coated the ground. For a town bordering a Nevada desert, Death City got cold in the winter; snow was not common, but frost and ice seemed to build up out of nowhere during the desert winters.
Maka groaned and looked to the cloudy gray sky. "Stupid Papa," she grumbled, breath puffing out in a thin white mist. "I'm not a baby, I can decide to go out on my own on weekends if I want to. There's a limit to how much coddling is healthy." The toe of one of her boots kicked the frosted dirt, sending a clod flying. Her pace slowed as she entered an empty neighborhood, one that she had begun to frequent.
It had been almost a month since Maka had run into Soul, the strange demon-boy who had captured her interest. Since the incident with Black*Star and Tsubaki, the shadow pair had mellowed out into an interesting set of friends and Maka had grown to enjoy their company along with that of Soul himself. Black*Star was obnoxious and loud, but as time went by he had begrudgingly become more and more interested in human life; video games, sports, and television in particular enchanted him, and Maka found it oddly endearing. Tsubaki had taken to housekeeping and caretaking, which Maka suspected was not a new development. Tsubaki had also taken it upon herself to help Soul find the "recipe," which he suspected was currentlyin Death City. Many afternoons after class, when visiting the house, Maka would find the pair poring over books written in symbols she could not make heads or tails of. It was always surprising, seeing Soul so focused on a book, as he had made it clear time and time again that Maka's bibliophilic habits earned her the title of "nerd queen." Still, the recipe was obviously important to him, so she let his hypocrisy slide.
Soul hadn't really changed since she met him, unlike the shadow masters. Aside from the abrupt hug he had given her when he woke up, he was careful to keep his distance from her. He joked and sneered and teased, but when all was said and done, nothing truly touched him or made him honestly enjoy himself.
Maka wanted to see him smile for real.
The air vibrated around her as she stepped past the now-familiar edge of the magical barrier within the neighborhood. This particular spell had two layers: the first was misdirection, to turn around any unwanted human or unprepared demon who entered the area and coerce them to take another route, and the second was the illusion that Maka had unwittingly discovered during her first encounter with Soul. Both spells were originally of Soul's construction, but now Tsubaki maintained them; she had offered to rebuild both barriers, as utility spells were her strong points magically, and Soul quickly took her up on it, groaning about how tough it was to use –much less keep up– magic that wasn't fueled by his blood.
Still, Maka had been relatively unfazed by Soul's barrier aside from her reasonable confusion at the world changing around her. She supposed that it was a good idea that Tsubaki take over; clearly Soul needed some brushing up on his other spells if she had wandered through the misdirection without being fazed. The "run down" house was now in sight, and she strode quickly towards the spot where she knew the images would begin to twist–
"What are you doing here?"
Just as Maka stepped over the second spell's threshold, in front of her materialized a new figure, a boy with wild blue eyes and slick black hair. She barely caught a squeak of surprise before it slipped past her lips, but while the sound had been quenched her hands had flown to cover her mouth in surprise. The instinct to step backwards was strong, but the knowledge that this boy would fade out of her sight if she did rooted Maka's feet to the ground. Instead she ran her options through her mind. This boy was likely a demon if he had made it into the barrier and was surprised to see her. That cut out simply running as a possibility; he almost certainly could stop her with little effort. She could yell for Soul, Tsubaki, or Black*Star, but a demon poking around inside of the barrier was a huge red flag that they were looking for Soul, likely to reclaim a body part. Drawing attention to Soul's presence was, in that case, a very bad idea unless her life was in danger.
That left one other option that Maka could quickly come up with. She forced her eyes open wide and was grateful for the instinct that had shot her hands to her mouth; it played in well with her plan. One hand lowered to cover her heart. "Oh, I didn't see you there! I never see anyone when I come through here, what a surprise!"
The boy's eyebrows came together sharply, and he gnawed a bit on his upper lip. "How did you get in here? Humans can't come through without getting turned around." With a quick scan he took in Maka's appearance. "You're definitely human. So, what are you doing here? I won't let anyone else get him before I do!"
Maka tilted her head to the side and put on her best doe eyes. "I'm not quite sure what you mean...," she said, making sure to look as confused as possible. "I come through here almost every day; it's on my path to school, and there's a grocery store just past here that has the best sales. You have to know it if you're from this area, right? I know nobody really comes through here, but it's much quicker for me this way and I actually like the quiet. I must've spaced out- I'm really sorry for almost bumping into you! It's just the first time I've run into someone here, so I wasn't paying attention!" She punctuated her speech with pressing her palms together in front of her and bowing her head, hoping that this demon understood it as a very human, very non-threatening sign of apology.
He watched her carefully, but the defensive scowl that had been plastered on his face had begun to melt away, leaving just a frown. "Well, don't come this way anymore, stupid," he snapped. "There's an important investigation going on and I can't let your carelessness tip off my target."
Alarm bells went off in Maka's head; so this guy was looking for Soul! She knew the proper course of action was to turn around, to count her blessings that this demon wasn't out for her blood, and to hope Tsubaki had noticed him enter the barriers, but that felt like giving up. This guy was believing her so far when she said that she knew nothing of the barriers; there was a little more room to push it, a little more space where she could make herself useful, right?
The words tumbled out before she could think it through any longer. "Investigation? Target?" she asked, donning her confused clueless human expression once again. "What happened? Did someone get murdered or something?"
With a snort, the demon wrinkled his nose and looked down on Maka. "Murder? As if. My master-ah, I mean my boss-isn't interested in mundane things like that. He only has me go after the highest quality information, the most important new events." Once again his eyes roamed up and down Maka, and he harrumphed. "And yet, here I am wasting my precious time on you. Get lost, pipsqueak, my mas– boss and I have no interest in someone like you."
That was it. That had to be the end of this questioning; aggravating a demon whose specialties she didn't know was something that even Maka wasn't brave enough to do. But the information she had just obtained, little as it was, was important; if information about his whereabouts was being collected, then Soul needed to know.
She smiled and took half a step backward, distancing herself from the boyish creature without sliding behind the spell's wall and distorting her field of vision. "Well, thank you for at least letting me know that something's going on here. I don't want to get caught up in anything dangerous, so I'll start taking the long way around until whatever it is settles down. Good luck with your investigation!"
But instead of turning around, Maka tried to step around the demon, to continue on her previous path towards Soul's home.
Before she could blink, he had grabbed onto her right arm, nails that came to slight points digging into her flesh but not drawing blood. "Oh?" he breathed, navy eyes glinting with new suspicion and malice. "But it's very dangerous to go that way. Why don't you just turn around and let those who know what they're doing take care of the problem?"
Caught. Shards of ice pumped through Maka's veins. Stupid, stupid. Why did she have to press her luck? If she had turned around, if she had left without arousing more suspicion–
Maka jerked her arm out of the demon's grasp, gasping at the pain from his nails jerking across her skin but not hesitating. Her freed hand shot into the satchel that hung against her left hip, and she flung what she grabbed into his eyes.
The demon keened, grabbing at his face and biting down hard on his upper lip. A small sizzling sound popped from his flesh where the fistful of salt had come into contact with it, but Maka did not pause to ponder the fact that demons apparently weren't fans of the substance– she had been certain that Black*Star was joking, but the results in front of her were pretty damning. Still, she pushed off from where she stood and began to sprint, aiming for the shortest path to the house's front door. The cold air burned her lungs as she gulped it in, trying to stay calm. Her bangs whipped into her eyes along with the wind, but she blinked back the tears and pain, instead gathering a large breath, preparing to cry out.
The air crackled around Maka, and just before she forced out her shout she was struck squarely in the stomach and flung back onto the ground. The air was knocked fully out of her lungs, tearing out of her throat with a wheeze, and she struggled to breathe. When she looked up, towering over her was the demon, left arm extended with an elaborate black wing blossoming from his wrist. Feathers that had knocked Maka backwards with their force fluttered harmlessly to the ground around her, a black snow of ill intent.
His head tilted slightly to the side, and he snarled down at Maka, "I knew there was something odd about a human making their way here; you do know that abomination. Well, as much as I loathe the thought, Master Noah may have some use for you." His eyes narrowed and he lightly stomped the ground, frost crunching beneath his boot. "But a human, of all things! He shouldn't have to sully himself with your presence!"
Still, complaints about Maka's lack of being a demon aside, he spread his arms wide, and the elaborate design on the front of his vest split open horizontally. It took Maka a moment to realize what was happening; the quickly widening hole in his vest –no, his stomach– was intended to hold her.
"Soul!" she cried, almost choking on fear before her friend's name could be uttered. "Help me!"
The gaping maw that had appeared in the strange demon's torso enveloped her and a faint shower of orange sparks burst forth. When the sparks faded, Maka tried to stretch out, to squirm her way out of the demon's grasp, but her limbs were met with a springy but firm resistance, as if she were encased in an invisible bubble.
Terror, pounding through her veins with each trembling pump of her heart, flooded Maka and sealed her throat closed. Any shouts or screams that would have followed her plea for help died prematurely, strangled by fear. Human. She was a human who had thrown herself into the affairs of demons and expected to not get burned. This was her punishment for the strange curiosity that drew her to Soul like a moth to a flame; she had been bound to flit too close to the fire and set herself ablaze with danger.
Still, that knowledge, the sinking realization that this situation was a problem of her own making, was painful and terrifying and real. And in a strange calmness that lay still just beneath her fear, Maka decided that no, Soul did not have to save her. Why would he, after all? Yes, he had saved her when Black*Star and Tsubaki attacked, and yes, he hadn't sent her away when she continued to stop by. Still, ever since the attack on the house a week and a half ago , the first for which Maka had been present, Soul had been more curt around her. She hadn't been in the way, not by a long shot; Maka had done nothing but stay in a far corner while the demon demanded her eye back and then attacked. Nonetheless, Soul had almost immediately begun to push her away, as if her presence was nothing but a burden.
No, he had no obligation to come save her. This situation was of her own making.
But as the demon began to teleport and the world warped around Maka, further distorting the slightly curved view from within the bubble, she could barely make out a figure topped with a shock of white hair barreling out of the house.
"Maka!"
Even though her vision was fading as space was twisted and torn apart, the sound of his voice reached her, and the concern and fear that wove through it rekindled the terror that she had momentarily pushed aside. The burning fear coupled with a fresh burst of adrenaline cleared her throat of the knot that held it closed, and she screamed once more before the world faded to black.
"Soul!"
"Maka!" Soul stumbled over his own feet as he tried to reach the demon that held her, but with a sneer and a sickly sucking noise he was gone. "Shit, what do I– Tsubaki, get out here!" A fresh flow of adrenaline heightened Soul's thoughts and reactions, but he knew he didn't have enough time to draw blood and write out his spell; the one chance he had hinged on his much weaker channeled spells. Still, with Maka's cry for help echoing in his mind, he had no choice. The swirl that the demon had disappeared through was fading, and with it went the traces of magic that could lead to their destination. Teeth grinding harshly together, Soul thrust his arms outward and bowed his head, eyes screwed shut as he reached for the magic in his soul.
Please.
Small tendrils of black and red wrapped around his arms like ethereal snakes before lunging forth to their target location.
And, within the bubble of magic that Soul channeled, time began to slow.
The effect on his body was instantaneous, and Soul bit back a snarl that fought to tear itself from deep within. Daring to peek through his tightly closed eyelids, Soul watched his fingernails sharpen themselves to points and become dyed a light-consuming black. He really was pushing it, the madness in his blood was going to get the best of him if he kept up such a complex spell for much longer; either his body or his resolve would give out first if he didn't– where the fuck was Tsubaki?
"Soul? What are you– Soul!" Footsteps and a concerned voice heralded Tsubaki's arrival, and it took all of his willpower not to snap at her for taking her precious time.
"Track him," he managed to grit past his teeth. "I'm holding it as best I can but I can't take much more–!" Soul's eyes flew open and he saw red. Too close. His limit was far too close. "Tsubaki, you have to now!"
Only a beat of silence passed between them before Tsubaki's confused gaze was steeled and her eyes narrowed in focus. A pale golden glow surrounded her as she focused, but Soul couldn't keep watching her. His eyes screwed shut and he forced ragged breaths through clenched teeth until Tsubaki spoke.
"Soul, you can drop the spell."
Every bit of his being had been focused on maintaining the bubble of warped time, and it took a moment for the absolute command he had given himself of do not let it go to release. Once the magic was no longer concentrated so strongly within him, Soul's legs gave out and he slumped against the ground, breathing in the chill of the frosty grass and dirt. Light crunching on the icy ground signaled Tsubaki's approach, and he opened his eyes to look at her.
Red still rimmed his vision and keeping his voice level was a chore. "Where did he take her?" he rasped, forcing the air from his lungs. "You got it, right?" The silence that hung heavy and unbroken between them left him colder than the frost that pressed against his cheek. "Tsubaki. Where are they?"
He knew it was coming –it was painfully obvious–, but the reply of "I don't know," almost sent Soul into a fit of madness-induced rage. His muscles, still exhausted and limp from the damage the magic had dealt to them, spasmed, and his fingers dug themselves into the ground. His nails, which had been slowly reverting to their typical shape, lengthened once again, spearing blades of grass. But Soul had exerted himself far too much; the instincts that pushed him to snarl, to fight, to defy what had come to pass could not overcome the exhaustion that had sunk deep into his bones. The rage passed. The air was cold in his lungs, and Soul focused on that while the thundering of his heart calmed.
When Tsubaki's fingers gently ran through his hair, Soul let his eyes flutter closed. He took in her whispered apologies, listened to the regret in her voice, and let the knowledge that she tried sink in. It wasn't as if Tsubaki had just let the trail dissipate. She had tried; he had felt her spell alongside him, something that wouldn't have happened if it wasn't backed up by all of her power. No, the fault was with his spell. Time manipulation was particularly tricky, moreso for someone whose skills in channeled magic was poor. He had probably been unable to slow the area enough to give Tsubaki time.
He just wasn't ever strong enough, even when he had someone to protect.
It hurt.
But she was counting on him. And that was enough to make him move forward.
"Tsubaki, don't worry about it," grunted Soul as he pushed himself up off of the ground. His muscles screamed in protest, threatening to let Soul fall flat on his face once again, but by sheer power of will he kept his arms steady. "We're going to find Maka. I got a decent look at the bastard that took her, and we'll hunt the sleazeball down." From sitting to standing, Soul's movements did not waver, even as Tsubaki watched him with concerned eyes.
"I got the general area," she whispered, her voice almost being carried away on the cold wind. "I don't have a pinpointed target location, but I have an idea of where they went within about half a mile radius. That area isn't too far off, so if we can find him in my books, learn what sorts of areas he spends time in–"
"We'll take him out. And then we'll get her back." The words were gritted out between clenched teeth. Rage at the sneaky demon festered just beneath Soul's barely-holding composure, but he squelched it, digging his nails into his palms. "I'm sorry I couldn't hold the spell well enough. But you did well, Tsubaki. Thank you. Now we're going to get Maka back."
With a pulling sensation and a powerful urge to vomit, Maka found herself deposited roughly against the ground. Biting her tongue to suppress the nausea threatening to force bile up her throat, she pushed her torso off of the ground and looked around.
The first thing she saw was the scowling demon, and Maka instinctively scooted away from him, legs dragging across the rough carpet beneath her. He stepped closer to her, gaping maw in his stomach closing and wings on his wrist disappearing in a flurry of feathers, and Maka quickly found herself backed against the wall, stone blocks picking at her jacket. The slight moment of relief that she had felt at being freed from the demon's grasp quickly dissolved into a heavy ball of tension that pulled against her gut. His eyes were unflinching as he leered down at her, and with a lurch he planted each palm against the walls above Maka. A faint black aura flickered around him, barely visible in the dim room, and suddenly Maka felt something searing hot against her wrists.
Orange sparks, bursting forth like flames from her skin, filled the room briefly with light before fading. With a frustrated "tch!" the demon scowled harder, and his aura surged, darkness undulating around him.
Maka cried out at the sensation that rippled through her. Sparks once again pushed away the darkness, and overwhelming heat seemed to burn beneath her skin. But soon the shower of orange faded and her arms were lurched upward, no longer burning but instead shackled to the wall with wavering black energy.
Seemingly satisfied but no less sour, the demon harrumphed and turned on his heel, bell-bottomed pants flaring out as he stomped out of the room.
When the door slammed shut, leaving the room in a heavy silence, Maka took the chance to take a deep breath before taking in her surroundings. The wall she was shackled to was rough stone, but the carpet was ornate, and the door from which the demon left was heavy and wooden. Wherever she was, it was an old but elegant building; the air was musty, but the room itself had a haunting sort of beauty to it.
Maka tested the shackles against her wrists. No longer did they make heat surge through her skin, nor did the pressure send forth flurries of sparks. Still, they held firm. She was unable to move her arms away from the walls and was securely trapped. There was no escape for Maka, at least not on her own.
A good half hour passed with little event other than Maka's shoulder cramping painfully, but suddenly the door swung open. The space beyond was brighter than Maka's windowless room, making it hard to discern the features of whoever was coming in, but their silhouette was different than the demon from earlier. The door slowly swung closed, settling with an echoing thump, and Maka's eyes readjusted to the change in brightness.
The man –no, he radiated something more powerful than a normal person–, the demon stepped forward. He was tanned, with a build that was lean but not lanky, and the definition of his muscle was visible beneath the white wifebeater he wore. A black jacket hung loosely off of his shoulders, and a plaid cap cast a deep shadow on his face in the dim light, making gleaming dots the only part of his eyes that were visible.
This had to be the other demon's "master" that he so revered.
Maka gathered up her courage and tried to put on a brave front, sitting up as straight as she could and glaring at the demon. "What do you want with me? Who are you?" she demanded, hoping that her false confidence would take the demon off guard and net her some information. "There's nothing that I can do for you, why would you have your stupid lackey take me?"
He smirked, looking Maka up and down with a critical eye before speaking. "Don't flatter yourself," he chuckled. "If it weren't for Soul's involvement with you, I wouldn't stoop to the level of taking a human for information. Filthy little beings, so oblivious to the world around them." He paused for a moment, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "But as pathetic as you are, Soul has taken an interest in you. Tell me your name."
Maka hesitated. It had been fairly obvious before, but this confirmed that the demon from earlier had been after Soul. And here she had gone, bungling everything and getting caught, making a mess out of whatever she could. She wanted to groan, to hang her head, to curse her weak humanity in a world of monsters and magic. But that wouldn't keep her alive or get her away.
Soul would come for her. Hard to believe as it was, some instinct told her that he was searching for a way. The feeling flitted around within her chest, like an anxious bird looking for a way out, panicking but determined, and she chose to imagine that those feelings were Soul trying to find her.
She just had to stall for time.
"My name is Maka Albarn," she said, and she hoped that her voice did not waver. "Who are you?"
The demon quirked an eyebrow and looked down at Maka, a mix of curiosity and contempt blending strangely in his expression. "You're quite entitled for a human, Maka Albarn," he mused. "But I suppose that could be why Soul seems to have taken such an interest in you, enough to apply that pesky spell at least; Gopher did say that you were protected by a charm, weak as it is. But that is not the point." He loomed a bit closer, eyes dark and menacing. "I am Noah. I trade in information... although I amass it for myself as much as my clients."
Maka's stomach clenched uncomfortably, knotting itself into a ball of nerves. The fact that this demon, Noah, had taken an interest in Soul likely meant that someone was looking for his location. A personal curiosity only made it more dangerous. But past that, Noah's words were strange and unsettling. Before she could stop herself, censor the words, she blurted out, "What spell?"
For a brief moment, Noah looked baffled, but quickly a glint of understanding sparked in his eyes and his lips twisted into a toothy grin. "Oh?" he questioned, excitement barely contained. "So you don't know? Fascinating. Absolutely interesting. He must really covet you in that case; no risk of scaring you off if you don't know that he's having to cast charms on you to protect you! Yes, girl, it seems that your friend has gone behind your back and cast a magic-dampening barrier on you. Gopher says that it activated both while bringing you here and when he sealed you, but it's nothing that can't simply be brute-forced past."
The knot in Maka's stomach sharply sank, and her throat clenched shut. A spell to reduce magic affecting her seemed innocent enough, but Soul had cast one on her without her permission? It was certainly meant to protect her from the threats that came with associating with demons, but the act itself sat poorly with her. If Soul was willing to do this without even consulting her, what else would he do?
She could not let that get to her yet, though. Maka shoved the doubt, the budding distrust, back down and steeled her emotions. This was not the time to let those feelings consume her.
"So, why actually take me?" she ground out through her teeth. Her frustrations would have to be redirected for now. "Do you really think that kidnapping me will make a difference?"
It was as if the warmth of the room, little as it was, was sucked into a void. In an instant, all of the amusement and mirth from Maka's predicament behind Noah's eyes vanished. "Don't flatter yourself," he spat, and the contempt in his voice felt like ice in Maka's veins. "You are nothing of interest to me, as fascinating as a gnat. Humans are no better than vermin, and your presence here makes me want to gag. You are not important. What I want is Soul." Despite the fury, the darkness, the rage that boiled in Noah's voice, Maka could hear the truth in his sincere hatred. "If you are a weakness, something that can be exploited by my clients, then that's all well and good. But your pathetic existence is nothing to me."
Maka could do nothing but choke out, "Understood."
The way Noah looked at her was unnerving and frightening. Completely different from how he was excited at learning of the spell on Maka –how could Soul do that to her?–, now Noah exhuded contempt. It was clear that he did not lie; the implications of the spell –which were what, exactly?– interested him infinitely more than she did. Any misstep, any toe out of line, could prove fatal. So Maka fell quiet, biting her tongue against curiosity about what information Noah was after, what sorts of demons were in Death City inquiring about Soul, how Soul could have done such a thing to her.
Noah opened his mouth once again, likely to patronize Maka's frail humanity further, but it quickly snapped shut and his eyebrows drew together. He tilted his head, one ear aimed at the door, and after a moment he grinned, teeth bared. "Lovely," he crowed, looking down upon Maka once again. "It seems that you are of value to Soul! Very good to know! He has come to rescue his damsel in distress. Such lovely information." Maka's eyes snapped up to meet Noah's gaze. "He should be here any minute, so I'll just leave handling him to Gopher and get this information to my–"
The door, ripped from its hinges, slammed to the ground. The heavy carpet did little to muffle the crash, and Noah whirled around, words and smile both dying on his lips. In the doorway stood Soul, hand extended to where the door once hung. "Get away from her," he growled, voice more menacing and laced with hatred than Maka had ever heard it. "Maybe then I might let you live."
"Oh?" Noah shot a glance at Tsubaki, who had silently come to stand at Soul's side. "I assure you, I have no interest in your pet human." Soul snarled, baring his teeth at the comment. "Pray tell, though, where is Gopher? He was supposed to hold you off, yet here you are." While he spoke, Noah slowly shuffled toward a more open area of the room, putting a solid table between himself and Soul.
A whooping shout followed by a loud crash came just as Noah finished his inquiry. Soul grinned slowly, sharp teeth glistening ominously in the hallway's light. "He's in one piece for now," he said. "He's just a little preoccupied at the moment." He looked to Tsubaki and nodded, then took a step towards Noah. Tsubaki hurried to Maka's side, looking her arm over quickly before focusing her magic on the shackles.
"Now," began Soul, taking another step, "why would a self-important bastard like you have any interest in my friend here?" Something dangerous simmered just beneath the surface of his voice, and it made Maka shiver. It felt like rage and malice, tinged slightly with an undertone of relief. When Soul's eyes met hers, just for a brief moment when he glanced her way, there was a heat burning in them that she had never seen before and could not name. As quickly as their gazes had met, though, he had looked away again, facing Noah with shoulders squared. "Well?"
Noah's eyes scanned the room, but he maintained aloof composure. "I have nothing to gain from your friend," he stated, lifting his hands in a display of innocence. "You can have her back... if you let me leave peacefully."
Soul narrowed his eyes, considering the proposal, but Maka cried out. "Don't let him, Soul!" Soul turned to look at her, and Noah bared his teeth and glared, but Maka continued. "He took me to get information about you, Soul, and if he leaves he'll be sending more demons after you! He wanted to know if I could be used as a weakness against you!"
The way that Soul's entire body tensed up made Maka's blood run cold. It had been quite some time since they had met, and while she had seen him fight a few times, it had always been relatively laid back; he had never gotten truly upset. She had come to see him as a strange boy with unfortunate circumstances around him, but...
He really was a demon, wasn't he?
The next few minutes –or was it longer?– were a flurry of movements and shouts. Soul had used his teeth to slice down both of his forearms, and the black blood that poured forth hardened itself into wicked curved blades. He lunged and slashed at Noah, who flung spells from a tome he had snatched off of the table in return. The two danced, a terrifying waltz whose missteps led to both participants taking dangerous blows. If Noah's arm was gashed by Soul's blades, he would retaliate with summoning a few imps to preoccupy Soul while he steeled himself once again. Soul would take damage from the counterattacks, and then they would clash again, a bit weaker but none the less vicious.
When Gopher ran in and almost tripped over the door, Black*Star in close pursuit, Tsubaki apologized to Maka and left her still shackled, going to assist her partner.
As the battle progressed, Soul's attacks became more and more unhinged, less controlled, but the force behind them seemed to increase accordingly. Worry twisted Maka's stomach, though, as she watched his movements change, and along with them changed his appearance. He was still Soul, it was nothing that drastic, but he certainly looked more demonic. His fingernails, usually trimmed short like most humans', were dyed the same black as his blood and curved into ripping claws. His teeth had always been more beastial than human, but they seemed even sharper and more vicious as he snarled during his onslaught. And tendrils of red and black laced themselves across his skin, reaching farther the more he pushed his limits.
Maka could do nothing but watch as her friends fought for her freedom.
Tsubaki and Black*Star tried to keep Gopher's haphazard attacks aimed away from Maka by positioning themselves accordingly, but when the demon saw his master take a particularly nasty blow from Soul, he keened loudly and unleashed a flurry of black feathers in every direction. Maka couldn't help but gasp in pain as some grazed her sides, her neck, her cheek; none hit her square-on, and for that she was grateful, but it was like being sliced by little serrated blades. Soul's head whipped around at the sound that she let out, and it was like something snapped in him.
No longer did Noah's spells deter him from closing the gap between them. Soul took a blast to his chest, grimacing as the magic seared his flesh before dissipating, but still he lunged forward, bringing both arms together to slash his blades like a guillotine. It was only by a hair's breadth that Noah's neck escaped the blades when he threw himself backward.
Gopher tried to change his focus, to go aid his master, stomach tearing open wide as a ball of energy gathered inside of it, but Tsubaki quickly wrangled him down with shadowy tendrils before Black*Star landed a punch to Gopher's face. Gopher squawked in pain, hands flying up to his bleeding face, and Tsubaki restrained him further. The opening in his attacks that she had been given was more than enough for her to bind his wings so that they could not be used as attacks, and she rooted him to a wall.
Noah was not faring so well either.
The onslaught from Soul had only gotten stronger, and even when Noah was able to land retaliating strikes between attempts at dodging, Soul did not relent. His lack of exhaustion was a stark contrast to Noah, whose once calculated movements were becoming haphazard and slow. Blow after blow, each kick or slash or punch that landed was taking its toll, and the creatures that Noah could summon had seemingly run dry, or he simply did not have the power left to keep bringing them forth.
And then one hooked punch caught Noah along his jaw. And then Soul's knee thudded into Noah's stomach.
And then a blade pierced Noah through his torso, and he coughed up purple blood.
Gopher screeched, and his panic was enough to break him from Tsubaki's shadows' grasp. He pushed both shadow masters away with a wall of feathers, and he forcefully pried Soul off of Noah, paying no heed to the wicked blades that barely missed him. "Master Noah!"
Maka watched as Soul regained his footing after being shoved back, and she saw the way his eyes narrowed and fists clenched. Whatever had overcome him, demonic instincts or otherwise, this bloodthirsty Soul was not himself, and he was clearly not finished with his battered and bleeding opponent. Soul bared his teeth once again and lunged forward, arms pulled back with blades positioned for two killing blows–
"Dude, you need to get a hold of yourself!" In a blur of black and blue, Black*Star was on top of Soul, arms locked around Soul's to keep him from slashing down into Gopher and Noah. "They are beaten! You've won already!" Soul struggled, snarling and trying to lash out at his friend, but Black*Star kept his grip tight. "Soul, buddy, if you don't snap out of it, you're gonna do something in front of Maka that you told me you really didn't want to have to do!"
And just like that, Soul froze, and then a deep shudder wracked his body. It looked to Maka like he was gasping for air, eyes wide and mouth agape, but his chest heaved with shaky breaths. The markings that had spread across his body began to vanish, fading and then slithering back as they receded, and his claws shifted back into regular nails. And then, the last of the remnants of his battle, the curved blades on his arms wavered before falling to the ground with a sickening squelch, blood once again. Black*Star loosened his grip on Soul experimentally, ready to grab him back if he made too sudden of a movement, but Soul just slumped forward, eyes fluttering closed.
Sparing an apologetic glance at Maka, Tsubaki rushed to Soul's side while Black*Star restrained Gopher and Noah with the abundant shadows in the dark room. Tsubaki laid Soul out flat and pressed her hands against his chest, a faint purple glow surrounding where she touched. Soul's body convulsed once, eyes snapping open, but then he exhaled deeply and lifted one arm experimentally. He examined the already puckering skin where the blade of blood had once protruded, then pushed himself up and looked to Noah and Gopher.
"So," he grunted, voice sounding strained, as if just speaking was some colossal effort. "You two aren't going to breathe a single word about me being in Death City. Right?" Gopher looked to Soul with a convoluted mix of hatred and fear, holding Noah against him, and Noah held up one hand to Soul.
"I've learned enough about you to satisfy my own curiosities," he rasped, wincing as speaking strained the wound in his stomach. "You have my word, if you let us leave peacefully."
"But Master Noah–"
Noah ground his teeth together, glaring at his lackey. "We are done here, Gopher." And so it was; Gopher hung his head like a kicked puppy, then summoned his wings once again. "Goodbye for now," coughed Noah, and with that Gopher's wings surrounded them and they disappeared with a sickly sucking noise.
Just like that, it was over. Maka suddenly felt completely exhausted, despite having not moved at all; she slumped forward, letting her wrists against the wall hold her somewhat upright, and took a few deep and shaky breaths.
"Hey."
Maka looked up, and there in front of her stood Soul, looking a bit sheepishly down at her, hands shoved deep into his pockets. "Hey," she breathed back at him, watching his movements; he was obviously drained, and even though he was standing he still wavered slightly. "Ah... Thanks for coming for me."
A slight smile twitched the corners of his lips. "Of course," he replied, and something warm bubbled within Maka at the way he looked at her, as if his eyes were saying there's no way I wouldn't. "Couldn't leave you with those two sleazeballs, could I?"
It was Maka's turn to smile. "Not if you didn't want me chopping you into next year," she laughed. Soul chuckled in return, then crouched down to her level.
Ever so carefully he lifted his hands to the dark shackles that bound her. His thumb brushed gently against a band of pink and chafed skin that peeked out from beneath them, and Maka's breath hitched. Soul's eyes flickered to hers for an instant, but he quickly turned back to her wrists. Without hesitating any more Soul nipped at his index finger, drawing a small amount of blood forward. He quickly swiped his finger against the wall above Maka, and she craned her neck to see what he wrote.
Frailty, thy name is wall.
The wall trembled slightly, making Maka's breath hitch with surprise for a moment, and then the shaking became concentrated behind her wrists where the shackles made contact with the wall. Then her restraints vibrated around her wrists, and simply... disappeared. Maka's arms fell back down to her sides and she rolled her shoulders, stiff from being held in one position for so long.
"There," said Soul, and he stood up. One arm reached down towards Maka, and when she took his hand he pulled her upright. "Couldn't get my writing small enough to fit on the shackles, so I had to do it in a bit of a roundabout way," he grumbled, gnawing a bit on his lip. "Since the spell was to create shackles bound to the wall, I figured that getting the wall to reject them would make 'em disappear. Glad that worked out." Soul watched as Maka brushed off herself, clearing away any dust that had gathered on the seat of her clothes, and his eyes locked onto her wrists. Two angry looking bands of pink stood out starkly against her pale flesh, and he winced just looking at them. "Your wrists. Are they alright?"
"Ah..." Maka stopped to examine them for the first time. "I'm sure they'll be fine," she said, smiling wryly. "They should heal in a few days. I've had worse!"
Soul narrowed his eyes a bit. "Won't your old man want to know what happened? What're you gonna tell him?" He glanced over his shoulder at Tsubaki, who was checking Black*Star over for damage from his fight with Gopher. "I'm sure Tsubaki could give you some sort of ointment to heal 'em up right now."
Maka shook her head, pigtails whipping around. "Oh, no," she said. "I'm really okay. Promise! I'll come up with something if my papa asks."
"If you say so." Ever so gently, careful to avoid brushing against Maka's wrist, Soul reached down and twined his fingers with hers and lightly squeezed. Maka squeezed back, and they stepped through the doorway.
"Hey, uh..." Soul did not look her in the eyes, but kept his gaze trained forward. A light brushing of pink brightened his cheeks. "I'm glad you're alright. I mean, you're tough, so I knew you'd be fine, but–" He groaned, screwing his eyes shut. "God, this sounds stupid. Sorry. Forget it."
The warmth that his look had stirred up within Maka earlier came back in full force, and her cheeks quickly matched Soul's. "I– Thanks for coming for me," she stammered, trying to keep her response as basic as she could to avoid embarrassment. "I knew you would, but... really, thank you."
This time Soul did lock eyes with Maka, smiling down at her. "No problem, dorkus. I'm glad to."
The nighttime air was crisp and cold, with the sort of chill that stung. After having rested up at Soul's hideaway house, Soul was walking Maka home. Initially Maka had protested, trying to convince Soul that she was okay, it was only ten or so minutes, she had walked home alone plenty of times before. Soul was having none of that, though; he had shook his head and put on a coat, and that was that. He reasoned that maybe Gopher would be out for revenge for what happened to Noah, although the informant was probably almost fully healed by that time. It was simply a risk that he was unwilling to take, he told her, and Maka did not have it in her to fight him.
Their walk was pleasant, if a bit quiet. Maka watched Soul's breath, or lack thereof; hers came out in white foggy puffs, but Soul's was invisible, his body naturally cooler than her human one. And she thought about what Noah had told her. The possibility that Soul had cast a spell on her weighed heavily on her mind. If what Noah had said was true, it was certainly done out of worry, out of caring for her safety in a world of magic and demons, but the secretive way it had been put on her was concerning. Noah had called it a byproduct of Soul coveting her; if that was true, Maka was not completely sure how she felt about it. Some part of her was defiant, sure, unhappy at being treated like an object to be desired, but at the same time she felt a bit of satisfaction. Soul had recently been shutting her out, keeping her at arm's distance, and the resurgence of familiarity between them as a result of her kidnapping was pleasant. If he coveted her, that meant that he was not trying to push her away and out of his life, that he was simply trying to keep her safe. It was a roundabout and uncommunicative way of going about it, but all the same it felt nice to be wanted.
Still, he could have told her about the spell. Past the satisfaction, past the warm feelings that she shoved back down for another time, there was a stinging feeling of betrayal and distrust. Maka glanced at Soul from the corner of her eyes, watching as he looked up at the cloudy night sky. He was a demon, not a human, and perhaps it was that fact that led him to deceit. It hurt, but there was just something that kept her from being truly angry.
Maybe he just felt obligated to protect her because she couldn't do it herself.
"Soul, could I learn how to use magic?" Her question was in earnest, and Maka stopped walking to watch Soul's reaction.
He stiffened and eyed her warily. "What's with that question?" he asked. "It's not like I'm gonna let anything like that happen again."
"I just don't want to be helpless," Maka pressed. "I want to be able to defend myself, so if you show me how to do it–"
"Maka," Soul interrupted, voice stiff and detached. "Don't mess with magic. You're a human with a human soul and a human body. It's... technically possible," he spared a glance at Maka, who looked eagerly at him when he said that, "but it's dangerous. Your soul could collapse under the strain, since most spells are pulled innately from demons' souls, and the strain on your body could easily kill you." He sighed and looked into her eyes. "I can't stop you if you plan on trying anyways, you're hard-headed and stubborn and I can't control you, but I'm not helping you. I'm not gonna help you destroy yourself."
Maka pondered that for a moment, running all of that through her mind. "Is that why earlier you...?" She trailed off, unsure of how to describe Soul's frenzy while fighting Noah.
He winced and nodded. "Yeah," he sighed, gnawing on his lip once again. "It's not like I understand it completely," he admitted. "It's probably because of how I was made; my magic isn't standard, just like my creation. Best guess I have is that it strains my soul a little too much if I overuse any of my magic, and I start to lose me in it." With that he fell silent and started walking again, and Maka jogged to catch up.
It wasn't her place to intervene, but... "You know, I can help you find yourself again," she began, and then cringed. How odd did that sound? Maybe she was overestimating their friendship. But... "If you get lost, I mean. If you'll let me." Soul met her gaze, and it raised goosebumps along Maka's skin. "I don't believe that you can just disappear. I'll pull you back. I won't let you fall into it alone."
For a moment, Maka thought that Soul was going to yell at her, to call her an idiot and leave her alone on the spot. He certainly looked torn up enough to warrant that sort of reaction. But instead, he pulled her close, one arm around her waist and one hand behind her head, cradling her against him. His voice was quiet, a cool breeze brushing against her ear. "I'll leave that to you, then." He hesitated, his arms a bit looser around her, and then squeezed her tightly before stepping away. He coughed into his hand, looking away with pink tinging his cheeks. "Uh, sorry. Thanks, I guess. Let's get going again, your pops is gonna be pissed if you're any later."
And he certainly was; Maka's father, Spirit Albarn, was incensed with as much rage as he could muster at his daughter when she came home at 11:35. Soul had left her about a block away from her house, as per usual, since Maka insisted that her father would not take her coming home with a boy well. It was especially nice tonight, she thought as Spirit lectured her on the danger of being a girl alone at night. Adding a "good-for-nothing bastard" into the equation, as male friends in the past had been labeled, would have done nothing but add fuel to the fire.
"You just can't expect to be safe all the time, sweetheart, and you didn't even call, of course I'd worry! If anything happened to you, princess–" Spirit cut his tirade short, eyes widening. "What happened to your wrists?" he squeaked, anger dissipating instantly. "Sweetheart, let me see that! What did you do to them?"
Maka winced as Spirit examined the sore skin of her wrists. Soul had been right; maybe she should have let Tsubaki patch her up more than just healing the cuts from Gopher's feathers. "Ah...," she searched for an excuse. "I was out shopping today with Tsugumi, that girl from one year below me, and a few other friends and I found some really cute bracelets... I think something in the paint or varnish or something gave me a weird reaction though. I must be allergic to whatever it is." The excuse was delivered smoothly, save for the hesitation at the start, and Spirit seemed to buy it. He fretted a bit longer over Maka, mumbling something about suing whatever vile company dared to mar his daughter's skin, but soon she was free to return to her room.
Just as Maka was turning to go down the hall, Spirit called out for her once more. "You should bring your friends by sometime, sweetheart. It feels like you're never home lately. I know I'm not the coolest papa out there, but I'd love to meet the friends you love spending time with so much. They sound like great people with solid heads on their shoulders."
Maka struggled not to giggle at the thought of Spirit meeting Tsubaki, Black*Star, and Soul. 'Great people' wasn't too in question, but thinking of Black*Star's cocky superiority complex and Soul's unique situation and lack of knowledge of some human gestures (really, with how long he had been hiding out around humans, how did he not know what a handshake was?), 'solid head on their shoulders' was a funny way to think of them. "Sure, papa. Maybe I will sometime."