Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater
-Chapter Seven-
Through the gusting wind and flying leaves, Soul eyed the Night Stalker bitterly as she kept her hold on Maka. The female Reaper didn't let up on her grip, even after standing motionless for an agonizing few minutes. Maka was forced to remain in her uncomfortable position for what seemed like an eternity, her legs buckling underneath her weight as her back arched. Cold steel flirted dangerously with the woman's neck, the blade's sharp tip teasing her skin as it brushed against her every so often. So close was it in fact that Maka didn't say a word, too afraid that sucking in air would cause the assassin known as Tsubaki to accidentally slice her open. Soul feared the same thing, and silently he pleaded for her to remain absolutely still.
She could see it in his eyes. Fighting back tears, the young blonde caught the sight of her protector's forlorn. Even in pitch dark, Maka watched the man's red eyes twist in the moonlight as he gripped the scythe in his hands tightly. Though suddenly rattled by Tsubaki for no apparent reason, she wouldn't let their shared gaze falter as they continued their stares. Meant only for Maka, Soul nodded grimly to her under the cover of darkness. She realized her captor probably noticed as well, but the woman didn't care. It was his way of saying he was going to fix everything. He was going to save her.
Despite the Reaper's silent warning, however, she couldn't fight back her plea. "Soul..."
"Maka..." he replied hoarsely, slowly bringing his scythe up towards the two women. "...Don't you dare move."
Tsubaki tightened her grip around Maka's stomach suddenly, causing the woman to yelp as the blade suddenly caught her smooth skin when she shifted. Her neck opened ever so slightly, leaving behind a shallow cut that barely drew blood. Despite the superficial wound however, Soul immediately lost his wary calm at the sight. An inhuman, almost beastly growl rumbled from his chest as his eyes flashed dark with blood lust. Maka's eyes widened at the terrifying sight of him disappearing into the dark, both women left standing there at the sudden disappearance of the white haired Reaper.
"What happened to him...?" Maka whispered aloud, still frozen by Tsubaki's grasp.
"He took the bait." the Night Stalker replied coolly, for some reason easing up on her grip. "Now let's see what he does."
The wind picked up yet again, this time rustling the trees to a point where the entire night air was filled with the sounds of shaking leaves. Maka's heart skipped constantly at the feverish thought of what exactly Soul was going to do. Tsubaki too seemed a bit on edge, the Reaper's collected presence growing slightly stiff as the countless seconds past of her enemy's absence. Under the silver moonlight, they scanned the brush and woods in tense anticipation for what was about to occur. Maka could feel it in the pit of her stomach that the white Reaper was eyeing her. Somewhere, in the darkness, he was waiting to strike.
Then the hiss of screeching metal filled their ears. It came unexpectedly as the gusts died down and the air became calm, leaving both Tsubaki and Maka to become wide eyed as the sound drew closer and closer. In an instant, the Night Stalker spun around with Maka in tow. The young blonde was rattled again as she was dragged into a twirl, forced to watch as the blurry image of Soul falling towards them shifted into her view. Underneath Tsubaki's veiled mask she could hear the Reaper give a hollow breath as shades of white and red came flying closer, Soul himself remaining silent as his scythe let out it's bone chilling call.
"You can't attack us, Eater!" Tsubaki called out, making sure to hold Maka directly in front of her. "If you slash, you're going to hit Ms. Albarn as we-!"
Silence. Bitter silence as the shaft of Soul's scythe collided with Tsubaki's face like a metal pole being hammered into the ground. Maka reeled as the force came within inches of her face, hair thrown out in all directions as the Night Stalker immediately released her vice-like grip on her. She watched with open eyes as the blade against her throat was flung away by the attack, brushing against her nose as it flew off somewhere into the distance. Tsubaki was sent fumbling backwards, skidding along the ground as she landed with the full brunt of the assault against her. That only left Soul to crouch on the ground where the Night Stalker had once been, still holding the butt of his scythe like a spear as he watched the scene play out with menacing red eyes.
Still rattled, Maka was left standing there to stare off into space, trying to sort through what had just happened. She snapped out of it when another arm wrapped itself around her waist, thinking for a moment it was her would-be killer again. When another body crashed against her however, Maka could tell from the way he held her that it was Soul. The Reaper's side brushed against her back, his arm holding on so tight that it almost hurt. Despite that, the young woman couldn't help but to clutch his hand as it grasped her stomach protectively. Soul in turn leaned in, his breath wary against her left ear.
"I'm sorry." he whispered to her, his grip tightening around the right-side-up scythe.
Maka could feel her eyes start to well. "Don't Soul...it's not your fault."
Even though she couldn't see, Maka knew the Reaper was shaking his head at her comment. She could feel it as he placed his forehead against the nape of her neck, soft white hair rubbing against her skin. Without words he told her of his bitter thoughts, thinking it was his fault she was captured in the first place. Unable to turn around because of his tight grip, Maka was forced to stand there and accept the unspoken apology. She eyed the floor, almost in a trance-like state as his breath ran down the entire top half of her back.
Soul's next words were quiet, but firm. "It won't ever happen again. I promise."
"I know." she replied absently, almost at a loss for words.
"Just stay right here. I'll handle the rest."
Maka nodded without hesitation. Her heart sank slightly as Soul's comforting arm snaked itself away from her hold, but she knew it was for good reason. Already, the woman could hear the faint shuffling of Tsubaki as she picked herself off the ground. Soul quickly shifted back into his tense posture, sharpened teeth peaking through his lips to give him the appearance of a dog defending his territory. Maka stood close to him, watching intently as the Night Stalker rose to her feet against the backdrop of a crescent moon. The Reaper's black garb made her body disappear, save for those bright indigo eyes.
"I know The Grim wouldn't send someone to kill a Grigori!" Soul barked, muscles tightening in preparation to strike again. "So just what the hell are you here for!"
Tsubaki tilted her head to the side. "Very smart hitting me with the butt of your weapon, Eater. You spared Ms. Albarn being sliced in half."
"Answer the question, dammit!" he ordered adamantly, almost fighting back the urge to try and rush at her again.
"If you fight me..." the Night Stalker replied exceedingly calmly. "...Then I'll tell you everything."
A dark sneer marred Soul's usually cool face. "With pleasure."
Quicker than lightning, Tsubaki threw up her hand and held out her palm. A bolt of dark light flashed from her arm downwards, resulting in a clump of energy that soon fixed itself into the shape of another sharp blade. Maka's chest tightened as the killing intent returned in the female Reaper's eyes, matching Soul's own red ones as the two stared at each other deathly. Under the howl of another gust of wind, she almost expected it as the two fighters disappeared into the cover of the night. No sounds were left behind. No clues as to their existence anywhere in sight. Only the residual feel of Soul's arm around her let the woman know she wasn't really alone in the clearing. For a moment though, even that seemed to give way to the thought of being the only one there.
Until the pangs of metal striking against itself suddenly rang out.
It was random at first, the sounds being few and far between. But as seconds past and Maka threw her head in every direction to try and catch a glimpse of a source, the sounds became louder and more frequent. The speed picked up, sending her heart thumping as the pangs started to occur one right after the other. Unable to see anything, Maka quickly shrunk in her spot. Fear mounted inside of her from not being able to tell where the attacks were coming from, let alone if they were near her or not. In her head, she kept trying to reassure herself that Soul wouldn't let anything happen to her.
Then, after moments of not being able to see anything, they appeared. Like a gunshot they came out of nowhere, suddenly materializing at the same time their blades smashed into each other full force. Maka stood, mouth agape, as Soul and Tsubaki slashed with everything they had not even twenty feet away from her. The look in their eyes as they fought couldn't even be called human, with levels of both calm and killing intent never before seen in any mortal before them. Their sudden halt as their blades stopped each other made Maka jump, completely at a loss for how to respond as both Reapers glared into the other's eyes. Soul's scythe shook as it wrestled with Tsubaki's short blade for control, neither letting up for any reason.
"Why are you here!" Soul hissed, putting his all into the weapon.
Tsubaki's indigo eyes flashed as she struggled with her own blade. "You'll know soon enough!"
At the same time, both kicked off each other and retreated for a moment to catch their breaths. Soul sucked in air, his shoulders rising and falling by the sheer amount he drew into his lungs. Tsubaki remained much less affected, only a few steady pants making it past her veiled lips. Both, Maka could tell from her viewing area, were obviously tired. Such supernatural displays of strength must have their limits, she thought to herself. Still, the young woman couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Those two had just disappeared to God knows where, only to return and continue their epic battle in front of her-!
"-Ms. Albarn, let me ask you a question."
Maka was wrenched back into reality. She threw her attention at the only person who called her Ms. Albarn. Tsubaki looked back at her, ignoring Soul's evil glare as she gave Maka her full attention. Warily, the young woman wondered if she should even pay attention to the Reaper in the first place. Before she could convince herself otherwise however, the Night Stalker went ahead with her question.
"Do you trust this Reaper with your life?" Tsubaki asked carefully, noticing Maka's shocked expression. "Or do you fear for your soul in his presence?"
Soul's eyes narrowed as he gave a bitter growl. "What kind of sick game are you playing Tsu-!"
"-Let her answer the question, Eater!"
Again, the young woman didn't know how to respond. She looked to Soul, who looked back at her. He gave nothing but a plain face like he was so good at doing. Searching his eyes, she found nothing telling her to answer one way or the other, as if genuinely letting her decide on her own. Maka's stomach turned to knots as Tsubaki's prying gaze bore through her, the latter seeming desperate for an answer. Unable to think of anything, she clutched her stomach in a halfhearted attempt to ease the queasy feeling mounting inside her. Soul looked on, hiding his anticipation for Maka's response.
The answer came unexpectedly. Though it was her own touch, Maka couldn't help but be reminded of Soul's hand along her stomach as she tried to ease her sickness. Not even minutes before, he had held onto her with such determination that it felt like she would always be safe around him. His touch had made the uneasiness melt from her like nothing else could, and bitterly Maka shook her head to herself for forgetting that in such a short amount of time. The night he'd explained things to her, she accepted the fact her soul made him act strange. She accepted the risks. And, she in turn accepted him.
"I trust Soul!" Maka barked, fists curling as she glared at Tsubaki. "He'll always be there for me!"
Unable to fight it, Soul's eyes widened for a moment before letting out a snort. That sharp toothed grin of his plastered wide across his face, drawing the Night Stalker's attention as she caught the expression from the corner of her eye. Tsubaki then looked back to Maka, noticing a small smirk along her lips as well. For a moment she remained silent, letting the two enjoy their moment.
It wasn't meant to last, however. "We'll see about that, Ms. Albarn."
Too fast even for Soul, Tsubaki's arm flashed yet again to reveal another blade in her opposite hand. Before the white Reaper had time to blink, the Night Stalker was already cocking her arm back to throw the weapon straight forward. By the time Soul noticed, the short sword had already left Tsubaki's hand on a direct path towards Maka Albarn. In gaping horror, the man watched for a moment as the sword inched ever closer to the helpless woman in what seemed like slow motion. Time stood still for him as instinct took over, causing the Reaper to suddenly disappear like he had done earlier in the fight.
It wasn't until the weapon came halfway towards her that Maka realized what was going on. Barely able to register in her mind just how fast the chunk of steel was going, it look even more time for her body to react. Her cold, emerald eyes simply widened as the tip of the blade flew closer, inevitably reaching her skull within seconds. For that split second before Soul arrived in front of her, she truly feared for her life. But as her protector materialized in front of her out of nowhere, her thoughts quickly shifted to his safety. Instead of her forehead in the line of fire, it was his neck.
"Soul!" she managed to scream out before it was too late.
The white Reaper simply stared out in front of him, not having enough time to turn around as see Maka's face one last time before the blade had the chance to sink into his throat. As he watched it approach and could feel the very tip of the steel touch a single space of his neck, Soul's mind became at ease knowing that he'd fulfilled his short lived promise. In the end, he accepted death and welcomed it, despite Maka's heart sinking scream from out behind him. Still, it was to keep her safe. And, as the sword started to sink deeper into his neck, he couldn't help but grin.
But before Tsubaki's weapon could go any farther into the Reaper's flesh, it suddenly came as quickly as it went. In another dark flash of light, the short chunk of steel disappeared without leaving a clue as to why. Soul's eyes widened as the tiny cut in his skin was the only thing that remained of the deadly blade, with Maka from out behind him giving a terrified heave over what could've been. The white haired man sucked in air at the thought of still being alive, very quickly becoming confused as to what exactly just happened. His answer came strangely.
"You passed the test!" Tsubaki's voice rang out, causing Soul and Maka's eyes to widen even more. "I expected no less from you, Eater!"
Maka, in complete shock, tossed her head over her protector's shoulder. Soul watched with her, mouth agape, as the Night Stalker across the clearing took off her mask. For the first time, the young woman could see the Reaper's face clearly under the moonlight. Completely opposite of what a cold blooded killer should look like, the female Reaper's skin was as soft as cream and looked like it too. Her indigo eyes shone much brighter than before, as if suddenly having a lens removed from them. And to top it all off, a bright smile that looked so out of place with everything else that was happening around them.
"Tsubaki...just what the fuck is going on?" Soul said numbly, dumbfounded.
The female Reaper's smile seemed to grow even more. "I needed to make sure you were the right one for protecting her! And you passed!"
A slight twitch grew in the white Reaper's muscles. "What the fuck are you testing me for!"
"Orders from The Grim, of course!" Tsubaki beamed.
"That doesn't tell me anything!"
Soul ran a hand through his messy hair as a terse groan rumbled from the back of his throat. Completely unsure whether to be happy or furious, the red eyed man just let the air escape his lungs as he tried to sort through everything. That damn perky smile of Tsubaki's kept eating at him, almost taunting him with how bright and genuine it was. How someone could be so nice and kill for a living was beyond him, even after having known her for quite some time. Bitterly Soul scowled at the woman, not knowing what else to do other than vent his frustration. Maka, however, brought him back around to his usual self.
Having remained quiet during their conversation, she let herself slink against him tiredly. Soul's brows perked as arms laced underneath his own, wrapping themselves around his stomach in the same way he had done to her before. Maka let her head fall against the nape of his neck, her breath brushing past his skin as she closed her eyes in exhaustion. Tsubaki watched, touched, as Soul obliged by reaching behind him and rustling up Maka's hair. She shook her head in resistance, causing the Reaper to give an amused snort as his muscles relaxed.
"Tsubaki. You're going to explain everything tonight. But, I want to get her home first."
"Of course." the Night Stalker replied understandingly.
Despite the fact she was being treated like a four year old, Maka couldn't complain. In that instant, she was just happy to be able to hold onto Soul without worry. He had risked his life to save her, and from the bottom of her heart she knew there was nothing she could do to pay him back. A smile formed at the thought however, with Maka knowing full well that he would never want her to return the favor. She played with the thought of her life in Soul's hands as her grip on him tightened, the words he spoke earlier quickly filling the recesses of her mind. It won't ever happen again. I promise.
Maka wasn't lying when she said she knew. Only now, she truly believed it.
A.N.
You didn't actually think you-know-who was going to go through with it, did you? Come on! Even in an AU, that's too much of a stretch :P
I rewrote this chapter not once, not twice, but three times. I wasn't satisfied with it, but now that it's 4 a.m and I put blood, sweat, and tears into it, I can say I'm happy with it now lol
Chapter 8 won't take nearly as long and I won't rewrite it as much. I promise.
