Soul awoke the next morning to the sun heating up his face. He groaned and threw his arm across his eyes, hoping to block out the light. Unfortunately, this didn't help but a little, and he cursed under his breath. Sometimes, he honestly wished the sun would take its happy ass and disappear into some pitch black void. He hated being woken up by something other than his Meister.
He fidgeted around for a moment before he realized that there was a feeling of slight warmth on the center of his chest. He lifted his arm slightly, and saw the happy, drool-covered smile of Madeline. This of course, made him break out into a toothy grin of his own. He had fallen asleep with Madeline on his chest, and to him, that was the second best way to awaken in the morning.
He brought himself into a sitting position, and grabbed the small girl in his hands. He sniffed, and felt himself begin to drool when he recognized the scent of his two favorite foods; bacon and pancakes. He ran the back of his hand across his mouth, wiping the spit from the corner of his mouth.
"Soul! Hurry up and come to the table! Breakfast is almost ready!"
Soul recognized the sound of his Meister's voice, and he grunted as he rose to his feet. He held Madeline gently against his chest and padded into the kitchen, where the smell grew even stronger. He saw Maka standing in front of the stove, several strips of bacon sizzling lightly in the iron pan in front of her.
"Damn, Maka. You really know what I like. You've made the same breakfast two days in a row now."
Maka shook her head at the comment and gave a slight smile.
"Of course I do, Soul. We've been partners for years now. I know almost everything about you, except for who you like and such."
Soul felt his cheeks heat up slightly, and he scoffed.
"And you won't ever find that out, Maka. Geez."
Maka rolled her eyes, and pulled the bacon onto a small plate. She then swiftly moved it to the table, and grabbed a bottle of syrup as she walked past it.
"Just shut up and come eat, okay?"
Soul smirked and took his place at the table, little Madeline sitting up on his lap. She tilted her head at the food in front of her, and Soul cocked his eyebrow.
"Hey, Maka? Do you think that Maddie can eat solid foods yet? I want her to try some of this."
Maka sat down at the table, her fingers fixing some stray hairs that were loose on her head.
"I told you this yesterday, Soul. She can't continue drinking formula forever, so we might as well introduce her to real food now. She's already tried pancakes anyway, so go ahead and give her some more."
Soul gave a slight nod and he grabbed the still warm pancake between his thumb and forefinger, a small piece of it ripping off as he pulled it gently.
"Alright, you. Open up, squirt."
Soul grinned as the little girl opened her mouth, and he placed the sweet bread into her awaiting cavern. He watched as she gnawed on it for a moment, her tiny fingers wrapping around what she could of it. She seemed to like it, seeing as how nearly a moment later, she had managed to devour the piece that Soul had given to her.
Soul smirked and grabbed a piece of bacon for himself, tearing off the end of it with his teeth.
"Sweet. Seems like the little squirt still likes it."
Maka scoffed quietly, gracefully cutting her syrup-covered pancake with the side of her fork before placing the newly cut piece into her mouth.
"Just be careful, Soul. We can't too attached to it, remember? Lord Death may or may not find a new home for it if he deems us incapable of taking care of it."
Soul looked at his partner, and the corners of his lips curled downwards into a frown. He pulled Madeline further up onto his lap, and made sure she wouldn't fall.
"Maka, why are you calling her an 'it' now? You've been perfectly fine up until now with calling her, well, her. Why the sudden change in attitude towards her?"
Maka stopped cutting her pancake, and a low sigh left her lips.
"Soul, why do you always have to be so nosy?"
This took Soul aback, and his frown deepened. Why was Maka acting so serious all of a sudden?
"Maka, c'mon. Talk to me. What the hell is going on?"
She didn't reply to him as she rose to her feet, her hand gripping the plate as she carried it over to the counter beside the sink. She placed it down with a slight bang, one that made Madeline jump on Soul's lap. After calming the near-crying child, Soul glared at his Meister.
"I dunno what the hell is going on with you, Maka, but I suggest that you change that damn attitude of yours. Neither of us did anything that could have pissed you off."
She glanced over at him before walking past the table and grabbing her jacket. She threw it on, and opened the door.
"I'm going out for a walk. Stay here and watch it."
With that, she left the room, the lingering feeling of depression hanging over the house like a dense fog. Soul scoffed quietly and held the sniffling girl close to his chest.
"What the hell is going on with her?"
Maka wandered the streets, the sunlight illuminating her body each time she walked out from underneath one of the awnings that hung from the fronts of the buildings she passed.
"I really wish Soul wouldn't get so attached to that kid…"
She sighed deeply and stuffed her hands deep into the pockets of her coat. She was jealous; however, she didn't see it. More like, she didn't want to see it. She was jealous that in the small amount of time Soul had known this new child, he was more interested in her than he was in his Meister that he had known for years.
She huffed as she rounded a corner, but she stopped mid-step.
"Why am I acting like this? Soul was right… neither of them did anything to hurt me in any way, shape, or form… so why am I acting like this?"
What she would never realize is that she was jealous. She didn't want to see it; she wouldn't let herself see it. Why?
Because there was one rule she would never break. The one rule her father had broken that brought her into this world.
She wouldn't let herself fall in love.
Hey guys, sorry for this chapter seeming really similar to the last one. I needed to explain what Maka was feeling, and how her inner self was pretty much at war with the feelings she's experiencing. I'm so very sorry for the similarity... ; - ; ~Athena