Ripple effect

Promise

"Mom…" Soul pleaded, rolling his head toward his mother seated his bed. "I… call everybody back…"

"What?!" Maka exclaimed, shaking her head madly so her hair whipped her face. "You can't call everybody back— If you do they won't—"

"Maka." Wes placed his hand on Maka's shoulder, efficiently shutting her up but did nothing to stop the renewed set of tears leaving her eyes. "Soul wants them to stop."

Even though it was just one sentence, five tiny words, the meaning was loaded and spoke volumes. They all knew. Except for Maka. His time was up. Soul could feel it and now, he wanted all his friends and father to gather once again by his side for one final reunion. As his mother, her heart broke for him. For all the wrong things she had done in her life, for the errors she made to drive him away from his family for so long, she had promised herself she would spend the rest of her life making it up to him. To get to know her son and support and be by his side once again.

But… life was cruel.

Mrs. Evans nodded shakily, holding back her own tears as she patted her son's hand. "Okay. I'll call your friends and father."

Soul whispered a 'thank you' before his eyes grew too heavy and he fell once again back to sleep. Mrs. Evans left the room and retrieved her phone from her sweatpants. Never before had she thought sweatpants would be this comfortable. Definitively more comfortable than her casual denim jeans she usually walked around in, or her airy slacks.

She began dialling Black*Star's phone. Six tunes later he picked up.

"Almighty Black*Star speaking."

"Hello Black*Star, this is Soul's mother."

"Mrs. Evans? Is he okay?" his voice immediately turned concerned.

"I'm afraid he's not." She began and pinched her arm to numb the pain in her heart. "He's… his time is up."

"No." Black*Star growled. "No. He's not that weak. Come on! My man isn't going to drop dead now! He can hold on for another four months! Me and the witches are onto something! We're going to find Free—"

"Darling, Soul asked for you." Her voice wavered, sorrow clogging up her throat. "He wants you here."

Only silence came from the other side of the phone line. "That bad?"

"I'm afraid so. Please, come here. He wants to see you all one more time."

"… we'll head back to Death City." She was then met by the hang up tune. A sob escaped her vocal cords and she leaned against the fall, hugging herself as she slid down to the floor. One call done. The toughest one left.

Mrs. Evans pressed speed dial for her as she sobbed, not caring if he heard her hurt. He picked up almost immediately.

"How is he?" he asked immediately.

"Dear…" she sobbed into the phone. "He's… our baby… y-you need to come here."

"No… He's not…?"

She shook her head as if he could see her. "No… b-but… he's really bad."

"Just a couple of days more. I'm doing the paperwork for the hospital—just a few more days and I can fix a transplant. Just— just give me time." Her heart broke at the sound of her husband's pleads. He usually was the composed one to handle all sorts of situation, but for the first time, he was so flustered and exposed and vulnerable.

"I'm afraid we have given him all time we can." She bit her lower lip. "Please, our son wants you here, please, come."

A sob came from the other side of the line. "I will." He wailed in sorrow just before they hung up. Mrs. Evans sat on the cold floor by the stairway, just crying and hugging herself.

…

Soul groaned as his head slowly lulled from side to side. Maka patted his hand beside him as she wept silently. Mrs. Evans was bawling her eyes out as she buried her face in her eldest son, Wes's, neck while he stroked her hair. Mr. Evans was steaming with rage from the multiple declines from Stein to use his intestines to give them to his son. Black*Star couldn't hold back his feelings he had harboured since the downfall of Soul's health, tears fell from his eyes as he held himself. Tsubaki tried to sooth her meister by whispering it wasn't his fault in his ear as she rubbed his back. Liz held her crying sister as she rocked her in her arms.

The room reeked of rotten fish and tobacco, stronger than any scent he has ever felt. The scent of death, it was reeking from his friend worse than sweat would from Black*Star after a long day of hard work out. Soul's moaning was of a dead man. He was on the very ledge of death and they all knew it, even the most in denial Maka, felt this was the end. Stein had taken care of him as well as he could, given him as much time as he possibly could, but time was running out. There was truly nothing more they could do for Soul.

Kid stood by the end of the room, leaning against the wall still wearing his coat, knowing very well he was the last person Maka and Soul's family wanted to see. He was death after all. He would've honoured their wishes, left the room only to return when Soul had taken his last breath to collect his soul.

But he couldn't.

Hours before his friends and family were summoned, Wes entered his office, delivering a message that Soul wished to see him. With any regards to his meetings and paper work which needed to be done, he cancelled all of them and went with Wes to the clinic. Kid had no clue what Soul wanted, but as soon as he entered Stein's clinic, the overwhelming smell of rotten fish and tobacco assaulted his nose. He then knew, the end was near. Very, very near. The unbearable scent washed over him the moment the door to Soul's room opened and the urge to cover his nose ran strong.

"Kid…" Soul moaned and his head had lulled to Maka's side. "Can you… a moment alone… with him."

Maka had held back a sob and gingerly planted a kiss on his lips before she reluctantly separated from him. After Wes and Maka had shut the door, Kid took a seat on the chair beside Soul.

Soul had moaned and the black fumes reeked from his soul, almost devoured it all by this point. The gleam of life in his eyes was gone, if it weren't for the occasional blink, he would've taken him as dead.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" Kid had asked, deciding to skip passed all the formalities because Soul could drop dead any given moment.

"Maka…" her name left Soul's mouth as if it was the most natural response. "I believe… even when my soul has left my body… she will… keep me here."

He wouldn't have been surprised. The downfall of the mighty Last Death Scythe Soul Eater Evans had been a very ugly one, one Kid preferably wouldn't have to ever see, but he was the new Lord Death and with that came with certain responsibilities. While he was immortal, Soul along with his other friends were mortals, he would eventually have to collect their souls. The painful task of collecting Soul's was just sooner rather than later. Maka… she just loved Soul. Loved him so much it blinded her perception. Her love for Soul had become a dangerous one for Soul's eternal resting place. He… he couldn't allow her to hold on to his soul. Not as the new Lord Death or as a friend, he had to collect his soul and grant him his final resting place.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure your soul passes on peacefully."

"'s not all." Soul breathed heavily. "Where… will I go… when I die?"

He answered honestly. "I don't know. I may be the God of Death, but I don't even know."

The conversation had ceased to exist when Soul acknowledged the fact and peacefully fell asleep. Maka and Wes returned inside and only a few hours, all Soul's friends and family was gathered for the inevitable passing.

It was… beautiful. All his friends and loved ones were with him. All gathered in the same room to spend his last hours with him, giving him all their love and comfort, showing him he was loved and he would forever be with them, in their hearts and memories. The young man who used to flee from the spotlight and hide at balconies was now in the spotlight and for the first and last time, Soul seemed to like and appreciate the attention.

"This is my son!" Mr. Evan raised his voice at Stein, waving his finger in his face. "You call yourself a doctor, save him!"

"Father." Wes pulled at his father's arm in a poor attempt at calming his fuming father. "He has already done everything he could—"

"Bloody hell he hasn't!"

"Dad." It was barely a murmur, but the whole room turned quiet as a grave and the anger seemingly rolled off of him at the sound of his sickly son. "No… don't fight."

"Please, just give him some peace and quiet." Maka pleaded as she patted Soul's hand.

Mr. Evans tried to smooth out the wrinkles on his suit and ran his hand through his short messy hair. Immediately accepting his words as if they were the law. Everything that came out from Soul's mouth was taken as a law, as an absolute, nothing that could ever be broken. "Alright, son."

"I'm sorry."

Maka's eyes widened at the words coming out from Soul's mouth. "Don't apologize. You've don't nothing wrong."

"Not now… just… everything I've done wrong… throughout my life."

"Don't think about it." Wes said by his father. "It's all forgiven. You don't have to think about anything of that anymore. None of us will hold any grudges toward you for anything you have done."

"It's me who should apologize." Black*Star spoke up. "I couldn't find Free. I let you down, man."

"No… 's cool dude." Soul inhaled sharply and ripped his hand from Maka's and clutched his stomach.

"Soul!" Maka shrieked and as carefully as she could, helped him hold himself up so he wouldn't break any more bones from his pain fits. His mother and father gathered by the bed and Stein quickly pushed them away to the sound of Mr. Evan's phone ringing. He ignored it as Soul moaned in agony. Maka wept and begged him silently not to leave her as Mr. Evans phone rang once again. This time he cursed and turned it off.

Kid could see it. The darkness around his soul, slowly wrapping and twisting and turning around his soul and the dull glow of it barely shone through it. Kid stood up properly from his spot, knowing soon, it was time.

A different phone began to play its melody and Mr. Evans cursed loudly as he pulled it up from his pocket and shouted into the phone. "What is it?" Kid almost halted in his steps at Mr. Evan's face going blank and paling. "You got a transplant?!"

"What?" Maka shrieked.

"Where is it?" Mrs. Evans's eagerly asked.

"I see." Mr. Evans said into the phone. "That's a state away! We'll be there in two hours. Prepare for the transplant."

Kid grabbed Mr. Evan's wrist. "Make it ten minutes."

"Ten minutes or two hours, Soul needs to be stabilized before he's ready to travel through the mirrors." Stein said as he quickly grabbed a syringe and filled it with a transparent liquid before he injected it into his stomach. "The morphine should start kicking in any minute. It should give us enough time to get you to surgery."

Everything became a blur. Before the morphine had a chance to really take effect, Mr. Evans heaved Soul into his arms and shouted to Kid to lead the way. Maka and the Evans family were quick on their tail. Kid led them to the nearest mirror where he opened it and entered. Mr. Evans hesitated slightly before he entered the mirror.

They came out from a window just in front of the hospital where nurses and a doctor were waiting for him. Before they knew it, Soul was hooked to machines and taken down the corridor toward the surgery room.

Maka held onto Soul's hand for dear life. "I told you." she sniffled. "I told you it would come. You're going to be okay."

"Maka… wait." The doctors stopped right by the door so Soul could talk to her. "If I survive… ask me again… in two months… this time with a… a ring… okay?"

Maka nodded eagerly and leaned down to kiss him one more time, sealing the promise between.

Kid was left gawking at the two kissing. Not because of the excessive PDA, but the smell… the black mist around his soul… it was evaporating. The claws of death were shrieking loudly and retreating from his soul because of— because of— Maka. He could barely believe it. They had resonated after his accident in the classroom, their souls had touched on daily basis, but never had the dark reacted like this. She… she was driving it away with her light.

The moment their lips parted, the darkness was eradicated and the nurses wheeled him into the surgery room.