Maka felt very warm and secure. Something she rarely had the pleasure of recently. To her, it seemed that she could never be hurt as long as she stayed where she was; unmoving. She half-wished that she would never have to leave this safe and cozy place…
"Time to wake up…" After being disturbed from her contented sleep, Maka nuzzled closer to the source of comfort; unwilling to get up. But then, she felt someone's breath in her ear, "Maka…" She jumped away from it and her eyes instantly shot open. "Nice to see you awake," Kid smiled cheekily as Maka blushed crimson. "Why do I always wake up like this?"
Kid chuckled as he stood up, "We have some business to take care of, Maka." After recovering from the embarrassing scene, Maka tilted her head in confusion which Kid found very cute, "Huh?" She then spotted her phone, in clear sight, on the couch. It was still vibrating every few minutes. "My father wants to see you," Kid informed as Maka's eyes kept darting to where the phone was. "What is it…?" Kid was about to search for what she kept looking at when Maka panicked, "NO!"
To keep Kid from seeing her phone, Maka had pressed her hands on his chest. And, like a charm, Kid's focus directed entirely on her. Suddenly flustered, Maka stuttered, "Um, I…Er…Why don't you wait for me over there? I'll be ready soon." She moved her hands away immediately out of humiliation. He looked disappointed, but still went to wait.
As soon as Maka was sure Kid was far enough away, she grabbed her phone and snapped it open. A notification read, Two New Messages! Two? Maka wondered who could've sent her a text. All she was expecting was a single one from Soul. She pressed the list button and gasped. Two names were shown, Soul Evans and Black*Star. Maka thought, I didn't even give him my phone number! What could he possibly have said…?
Finding more interest in Black*Star's text than Soul's, she opened it. The message read, Maka, Soul told me all about what's been going on. We need to meet somehow. Sneak out or something, and come to the Park at 8PM on Saturday. Me and Soul'll be there. Maka reread the text several times. Was he serious? How could she possibly sneak out under this kind of surveillance? Saturday was today, too…
Wondering what Soul's message could've been, she clicked on it next. It interpreted, Yeah, I've got it under control. Can you try to escape? We need to talk. If these people kidnapped you you're gonna need more than just the will to leave. Soul was being logical. If she did make it out of the mansion, they'd definitely just abduct her again. She'd have to think of a plan… Just how could she escape them without being noticed?
"Maka? Are you almost done?" Kid inquired from the other room. She stuffed the phone back into her jeans pocket. "Er, what should I wear?" She asked awkwardly. "Ah, right. You can change into what I left out for you." Maka searched around for a moment and found the clothes sitting (perfectly symmetrical) on the table. "Oh, thanks," she said sheepishly. She started lifting her shirt to change, but dropped it instead. She grabbed the clothes and went into the bathroom. What a pervert… Watching me change through the keyhole…
Once Maka finished changing, she met Kid at the door. She was wearing a white, long-sleeved button-up shirt with a yellow sweater over it. She had a black coat over this that had a very long tail. A short, red and black skirt that was well above her knees came next. A few remaining touches, such as the white gloves and the big, strap-up boots finished her look. (A/N: Imagine Maka's usual look...) Kid's eyes widened considerably.
"I don't know if this fits me…" Maka squirmed uncomfortably. "No…It's perfect…" Kid seemed to be speaking to himself as he stared at her. Not wanting to be caught in the act, Kid quickly got his composure back and stood a little straighter, "This is…What you used to wear…" Maka looked at him incredulously, "Why do you have something like this?"
Kid blushed despite his calm demeanor, "I'm sure you'd like to be getting on to meeting my father." He held her hand gingerly and summoned the skateboard. "I don't…Er… Are we going to be travelling on that?" Maka gestured to the floating skateboard. "What, Beelzebub? Of course!" He picked her up just as he had the first time despite her protest, "It's a lot of fun, I assure you." Maka shook her head; she was scared. The last time was different; she was distracted because she was being taken away and therefore did not pay attention to the heights or wind rushing past…
As Maka thought about everything she hadn't been paying attention to, Beelzebub had already taken off. She accidentally looked down. "!" She started wriggling around; trying to get out of his grip. The trees had to have been at least ten thousand miles below, in Maka's opinion. "It's okay," Kid's voice soothed her and caused her to relax involuntarily. It'll be fine…He'll protect you… A voice spoke in the back of Maka's mind.
Toward the end of the ride, Maka had started enjoying it and commenting on how beautiful the scenery was. Kid was happy that she enjoyed it, and went faster or slower when she wanted it. "Wait…Is that the Academy?" Indeed, the structure of her school was in the distance. Kid nodded as they landed in front of the school. Confused, Maka followed Kid through the hallways of her school. I thought we were going to meet Kid's dad…?
The pair stopped in front of a large door that Maka had never been through before. She read the sign, Chairman's Office. Maka gasped as she remembered what Stein had told her before when she asked to speak to him. "I'm sorry, but the chairman does not speak to anyone other than his son and most trusted friend. I apologize, but I cannot help you."
Maka suddenly felt a twinge of nervousness. "Wait…Doesn't the chairman only speak to his son and friend?" Kid's hand grasped the handle of the door, "Yes, but no need to worry. This is my father…Oh! And, Maka…" He turned to her, his hand still on the knob, "Spirit is going to be here, be on your guard. Don't trust anything he says." What? Spirit?
Kid opened the door and pulled Maka along. The room had little light; Maka could barely make out a couple of figures in the shadows. It wasn't completely dark, however. "Father," Kid kneeled down. Maka wasn't sure what to do, so she kneeled down too. "This is Maka Albarn, as you have requested." One of the bodies shifted a bit as a voice resonated, "Close the door and turn the lights on, if you will." It sounded harsh and a bit scary. "Yes sir." Kid strode to the door and closed it gently. He then turned to the light switch and flicked it on.
What Maka saw was alarming. There was a man (was it even human?) with a skull mask. He didn't look like a person at all; almost like some kind of ghost. Kid's father was definitely intimidating and frightening. Even though she couldn't really see his eyes, Maka could tell that he was staring straight at her and it was very unnerving. As the tension grew between the two, Maka felt like running and not looking back.
Suddenly, the evil looking person said, "Yo! It's been awhile, Maka~!" Taken aback by the unexpected change in attitude, all Maka could utter was, "Wha…?" Kid had returned to Maka's side which seemed to make her feel a lot more comfortable. Spirit laughed at her facial expression but quieted down when Kid's father had told him to "Keep it down." When he turned back to face Maka he said airily, "Oh, you look just like your mother did…"
Maka inquired, "Excuse me, sir. But, what's your name? I'm afraid I don't know who you are, or don't remember…" She could not tell what his facial expression was because of the mask, but was sure he wasn't smiling anymore (If he was). "It's quite alright. You can call me Shinigami-sama~!" Maka couldn't keep herself from asking, "Er, Shinigami-sama, someone told me that you only spoke to your son," she gestured to Kid, "And your trusted friend," she motioned to Spirit. He nodded understandingly, "Well, I couldn't talk to anyone else; they'd all be too scared and would let everyone know, and we don't want that~!"
"I see…" It was something as simple as that? Maka thought disbelievingly. "What do you remember? Oh, and Kiddo, get her a seat!" Shinigami-sama said. My very first memory… "I remember…A forest. The sun had just risen, and someone was helping me to leave the woods. That person was…Soul…" Maka whispered the last sentence.
Her first memory? He was in her first memory? How dare he… Kid thought bitterly despite his serene look. "How long ago was this? Do you know?" Shinigami-sama urged. "I think it was a year ago," Maka admitted awkwardly. "That makes sense," Spirit said loudly, "Goes with what you did, actually." Kid snapped angrily, "Keep it to yourself!" Spirit's face turned as red as his hair, "I don't mind fighting you! This girl isn't worth a damn!" Spirit looked ready to kill. Shinigami-sama intervened, "Spirit! Kid!" He raised his large hand threateningly. Spirit shouted, "Why don't you just leave?" Fuming, he stormed past Maka and shoved her shoulder in the process.
Kid looked pumped; Maka could tell that he would rather be beating Spirit than chatting with his father. Shinigami-sama sighed, "I'm sorry, Maka. He's just…He hasn't been in a good mood lately." After a moment of silence, Maka asked quietly, "Why do all of you know me? Just what is going on here?" Kid stared at her oddly. Shinigami-sama replied, "I would've thought Kiddo told you all of this from the get-go." Kid shrunk back, ashamed.
"I can't tell you this story, Maka, because I know nothing of it. All I know is that for some reason that you left us. I have no further information to give you. Kiddo knows more of the story than anyone, and I'm sure he'd be more than willing to tell you what he knows." Maka turned her attention to Kid, who looked away from her stubbornly.
"Please…?" Maka begged and put a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened from the contact but would not face her. "No," he insisted."I guess there's nothing we can do then…" Shinigami-sama sighed, "You might as well go back to the house. If you need to speak to me, Kiddo can either take a message or bring you to me. Okay~?"He made a thumbs-up with his huge glove-like hands. "Yes sir. Thank you," She bowed respectfully as Kid said, "Have a good day, Father."
Kid left the room and started down the hallway as Maka tried to follow. "Wait up!" Maka shouted. He was walking really fast. "Kid!" He finally stopped moving which gave Maka a chance to catch up. "Hey, are you okay…?" She glanced at his face to see if something was wrong. He looked close to tears. "What's wrong?" Maka had concern written on her face.
"It's nothing…Just…Old memories," Kid blinked a few times before walking again; though a bit slower. "Alright…" Maka felt guilty for not being able to comfort Kid like he always did for her. He wouldn't even tell her what was wrong…
Sadly, Kid had been silent the entire trip back; making Maka feel uneasy. Once they arrived at the mansion, it was about 5:30 P.M. Patty ran to Maka the minute she walked through the doors screaming, "Maka, Maka~! Dinner's ready! Liz and I made it 'specially for you~!" And without much of a warning, Maka was being dragged by the younger Thompson sister again; Kid reluctantly following.
Dinner wasn't…the greatest meal in the world. There was chicken that was still raw, cold corn, burnt toast, dirty potatoes, and bananas that looked like they went bad months ago. "It took us all day to make it!" Patty giggled as she peeled one of the brown bananas. "Er, yeah! It looks great…" Being polite, Maka took a bite out of a burnt piece of toast. She forced herself to swallow and said, "Thank you…"
The rest of the group (Liz, Patty, and Kid), were wolfing the food down as if it were a Thanksgiving Feast that was prepared by a five-star chef. Maka couldn't understand why, since it all tasted like a TV dinner that wasn't in the microwave long enough; with the exception of the taste of dirt.
Once all of the food was gone, (to Maka's relief) they all bid each other goodnight. Maka lay in her bed comfortably. Maybe this would be thenight that she went to sleep normally? As was about to fall asleep, she remembered something very important. Come to the Park at 8PM on Saturday. She sat bolt upright. What time is it now?
Maka peeked at the digital alarm clock to the side. It read: 7:30. I'm going to be late! How am I supposed to get out of here? She looked around frantically. She didn't want to keep them, her friends, waiting. Her eyes laid upon the window. Perfect…! She glanced to where her door was. No one watching. She then made her way to the glass. Don't leave him again, he'll be devastated! A strong shout echoed in her mind.
Maka continued anyway. She jumped out of the window although she was a few flights from the ground; it didn't hurt at all. Once she landed safely, she double-checked that no one had seen her. So far, so good. She broke off into a run to where the Park was. Under any normal circumstances, she would have no idea where to go, but after riding on Beelzebub a couple of times she had a pretty good idea of where it was.
There were a lot of trees at this point. Maka was surprised at her own endurance; she had never run this long before and still not be tired. She figured that she must've been nearing the Park, it seemed like she'd been running for hours. She wondered fleetingly if anyone back at the Mansion knew if she was missing yet.
Just as soon as she thought this, Maka started seeing familiar trees with marks like, Black*Star was her! and I AM GOD! Maka smiled inwardly at these as she thought, Black*Star is such an idiot… As she came into the clearing that she assumed that they'd been referring to, she slowed down into a walk. To her delight, there they were, standing in the area. Maka beamed at them, "It's been a while!"
Soul and Black*Star whirled around to greet her. "Maka!" Soul looked absolutely ecstatic to see her alright. "Thought you weren't coming," Black*Star chuckled. "Er, what time is it?" Maka felt suddenly nervous. How long did it take for her to get here? "Almost 10 O'clock." Maka took a big breath, "I left at 7:30 though…" Soul's eyes widened, "Wow! You've been running for that long…? What a faraway place…"
"Now, Maka. Tell us everything about these people and this place. No one will hear us here," Black*Star said loudly. "Okay, so …"
I should go make sure Maka is okay… Kid thought as he put a bookmark in his book and set it to the side. As he strolled to where Maka's bedroom was, he saw Spirit stalk off somewhere, looking mighty suspicious. Kid decided to ignore him for the moment and knocked on her door, "Maka, can I come in?" No response. He opened the door to see an empty bed and an open window. Odd, he thought, Maybe she's with Liz and Patty?
Kid moved with purpose through the hallways this time. He didn't bother with knocking on their doors, and just barged into Liz's room. Both Liz and Patty were watching some kind of drama and turned to Kid; they seemed excited but when they noticed that it was him their smiles faded. "What are you doing in here, Kid?" Kid's eyes darted around the room, "Is Maka in here with you?" Liz looked confused. "No, what's wrong?" Kid said quickly, "I can't find her anywhere!" He ran out of the room in search of her. Liz and Patty glanced at each other before jumping up and running out of the vicinity.
Kid racked his brain for any ideas of where she could be. Kitchen? No, we just ate…In search of Stein? No, Stein's out…Spirit? No, I told her not to trust him… Bathroom? He saw a door left ajar which he recognized as a bathroom. He immediately opened the door and looked for any clues. Maka's clothes…Maybe…? Kid reached for her clothes and felt something vibrate. "Huh?" He investigated the attire for any evidence.
The boy pulled out a phone from the jeans pocket and instantly knew what it was. He flipped it open and read the New Message! "Soul? Who is that…?" Wait a sec, the guy that was in her memory…and, the good for nothing guy that I told her was using her…She's missing him…What were they talking about? Kid read the messages from both Soul and Black*Star. The Park? No…She couldn't have possibly…! Kid then sprinted off.