A/U: Ohgawrsh I'm going to get beaten for this ;o; *runs from angry mob*
How long has it been since I last updated? Like, 4 months? Ew. I'm disgusted with myself ;---;
I bet there's a lot of you reading this now who thought I'd abandoned this fanfic a long while ago. BUT FEAR NOT. I AM BACK.
This is just me making excuses, but… procrastination plus Writer's Block plus school work plus new obsessions (The World Ends With You game and Full Metal Alchemist) is NOT a good combination DDD:
I'm really sorry to all my reviewers, especially to those I haven't replied to. It's been so long, and yet I get positive reviews all the time. You guys keep me writing, definitely. It means so much that you still have hope in me updating. Thank you! 3
And now I'm sure you want to read the story, so I'll stop babbling and hide behind my shield to keep the angry people out. I hope you enjoy and it meets your expectations. I promise chapter 8 will be LOTS better and longer.
Disclaimer: Insert witty disclaimer here. (I don't own Soul Eater)
Four times the sun rose and fell during the week, and still Maka hadn't invited anyone over. By the Friday she'd completely forgotten about the suggestion, continuing with her weekly routine as if the words at the dinner table had never been spoken.
Maka no longer spent the whole lunch period sitting with the strange group that had accepted her the first day. Instead, she lied to them, telling them that she'd offered to help one of her teachers with something during the last twenty minutes of lunch. They'd all eyed her suspiciously for a second, but ultimately accepted it, assuming that, since her grades were high, she was a teacher's pet. Of course, that wasn't what she actually did.
Each day, Maka found Soul sitting in the same spot at lunch, and after the first two days, he seemed to expect her company. She would turn the corner and he'd greet her without looking up from the clipboard he constantly had. Each day he spoke more, responding to her with sentences instead of simple three-word phrases by the end of the week. She grew accustomed to his staring, as well. Each time he did, she'd stare back, smiling gently after a few moments. One thing bothered her, though.
He never smiled. Not once had he so much as twitched his mouth back at her. He'd simply look away after giving her a confused look. It troubled her, but she didn't want to offend him, so she refrained from asking about it.
But now, as she sat in Math class with the white-haired teen sitting next to her, her curiosity kept her from thinking properly.
"Remember that there's a unit test on Monday, class. Don't forget to study." The teacher announced with an echo of groans signaling through the class. Maka blinked steadily as she eyed the clock. It surprised her to see that only five minutes remained before the bell would ring, and with a sigh, she closed her book and began to pack up. I already know everything, but it wouldn't hurt to study…
That's when the conversation at the dinner table on Monday rang through her mind. The blonde glanced over at her seat partner, who, now more alert to her, at least, looked back. He blinked with curiosity. "What?" He asked absently. She blinked back, sputtering a few times, trying to find her voice.
"Oh… I was just wondering if… you'd like to come over and study for the test Monday…?" she asked nervously, raising her voice at the end in a question unnecessarily.
That was the first time since Monday that she'd seen panic in his eyes.
She shook her head quickly after seeing his expression. "Forget about it. Pretend I never asked." she sighed in a soothing but gloomy tone, swinging her bag over her shoulder and exiting the classroom just as the bell rang.
Throughout the rest of fourth period and the busride, Maka felt dazed and depressed. She should have expected the answer from her new companion, knowing his nature, but she was only human. Rejection of any sort could make someone unhappy.
But he hadn't rejected. She just hadn't waited for an answer.
He didn't get off on his bus stop.
---Smile---
Maka enjoyed the crisp air of the Fall and the floating of the leaves as the wind picked them from their branches. It was her favorite season of the year. The weather wasn't cold or hot, and the bees and mosquitoes were hiding, getting away from the world as the colder months slowly crept closer. The gentle scent of winter frost floating in the air made Maka smile faintly to herself. She forgot about her worries as she walked up the steps to her awaiting residence.
She suddenly snapped from her strange trance when someone coughed abruptly behind her. She let out a small 'eep', turning around and swinging her bag in the process. The assailant crouched and hid his head under his hands in fear. Maka, slowly calming down from her sudden burst, almost fainted when she realized whom it was.
"S-S-S-S-Soul!?" she sputtered, dropping her bag. The white-haired face of her fellow classmate looked up slowly with caution. His eyes did not show fear, but caution, still unsure whether she'd attack again.
"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she panicked, stepping closer slightly with her hands in front of herself, not sure what to do. His eyes grew less wary as the moments passed, and slowly he went back into a standing position.
"It's fine." He mumbled. With a sigh of relief, she went to pick up her back. She saw Soul flinch back from the corner of her eye. With a slight grimace of regret, Maka tried opening the front door. It was locked.
They told me they'd be home today… She thought as she took out her house key. As she jingled the key in the lock, she looked at Soul."Soul… why'd you follow me home…?" she asked bluntly.
"You asked me to come over."
"But…"
"You never let me answer." Maka was taken aback slightly, even as he looked at her with an almost tired gaze. It had been the first time he'd cut off one of her sentences.
"Oh…" she breathed after a few moments of standing and blinking. Despite feeling guilty for misunderstanding and his sudden interruption, Maka smiled. "Sorry." It was his turn to be surprised. He blinked back at her a few times before looking away, unsure of how to reply. Maka's smile widened slightly, and with a last turn with the key, the door was open.
As Maka walked into her home and turned to wait for Soul to enter, she stopped. He wasn't in the doorframe, or even in her sight, for that matter. With a sigh, she peeked out, looking at the white-haired teen that stood unmoving where he was. She raised an eyebrow curiously, gesturing with her head for him to come inside.
"Well, aren't you coming?" she asked cautiously. Again Maka saw his panicked expression, and she waited for him to relax. It took him a few moments, but his shoulders finally drooped from their tensed position.
"Y-Yeah…" he mumbled, and, every so slowly, he stepped forward and entered her foreign home.
---Smile---
Soul had only ever entered two residences in his lifetime. Both had been his own. Stepping into someone else's home was like stepping into another dimension. He didn't know what it was like or if there was something to be cautious of.
But somehow, he felt… comfortable. The atmosphere was quiet and soothing, but somehow kept an energetic feel to it. It felt as though he'd entered this house countless of times before.
He snapped out of his short trance when a certain blonde erupted with sound beside him. He looked at her in surprise. She was doing that strange thing with her mouth and making that shrill sound again, staring at the floor. Specifically, by his feet.
Soul couldn't help but look down in curiosity, and as soon as he did, he froze. A strange purple animal rubbed against his jeans while making a low purr sound in the back of its throat. He could feel sweat begin to drip from his forehead. He heard Maka make the shrill sound again.
"Don't worry, Soul. It's just my cat. Shoo, Blair, shoo!" she explained while making hand-gestures at the little creature. Cat…?
Soul watched as the little being scampered off into another room, not taking his eyes off of the doorframe even as it left his sight. He'd never really given attention to his surroundings. It was only now that he wondered if there were other such animals people kept in their homes…
He snapped back into reality when Maka started fumbling with her bag on the couch. It didn't take her long to notice discomfort.
"Well? Sit down." she suggested, patting the seat next to her. Despite feeling comfortable in her home, he wasn't sure what to do. He still felt as if this was another dimension, so 'sit down' could have meant anything. A strike of panic flashed through his expression again, but, despite his worry, he stepped forward. The blonde didn't move, waiting patiently where she was for him to come closer. When he didn't move for a few minutes, to test her, she sighed with something like humour in her hinted in her breath.
"Come on, Soul, I won't bite. Trust me." She said, and, though she meant it sarcastically, he took it literally. The last part, at least.
Trust Me.
Those words were like a trance to him. When someone, or maybe it was just this person, said that phrase, he wanted to trust.
Within the moment that she'd said it, he'd walked over to the couch and sat down next to her, placing his bag on the floor. He didn't catch the indication of bewilderment on her face.
"Ah… a-anyway, let's get started on studying…" she mumbled beside him, pulling out a red binder from her bag. Soul didn't make a move for is own, instead intently watching as the girl flipped through her pages with a pencil in hand. "Alright!" she announced enthusiastically, her previous confusion no longer evident in her confident tone, "First question! If x equals four multiplied by the square root of sixty-four, and y equals x divided by sixteen, what is the value of y?" Soul hadn't heard the question. His eyes were simply focused on her face as she studied the test review, the corner of her lips turned upward.
After a few moments of utter silence, she looked up. This time there was no shocked reaction from her when she caught him staring. She simply looked back, as if trying to read what he was thinking, and, as though she found what she was looking for, the girl did that strange thing with her mouth again.
That's when the question he'd been meaning to ask for what seemed like eternity slipped out.
"What is that?"
---Smile---
Maka couldn't comprehend what he'd meant. She couldn't recall doing anything to make him ask the question, and yet there those three words were, hanging in the air with confusion weighing it down. She waited a few more moments for him to explain, but no words escaped his mouth.
"Wh-What do you mean? What's what?" she asked, her voice stuttering.
"That… thing… You do with your mouth." Was his only explanation. It took her about a minute to register what he was saying. As soon as she realized, sorrow filled her heart.
"It's… a smile."
"Smile?"
"Yeah… you do it when you're happy." Her voice was timid, but, despite it, she managed to fake one of her own smiles, as best she could. It was only now that she questioned to herself what Soul's past was truly like. Sure, it must have been something horrible, but… to not know what a smile was… "Can you try it? Think of something happy."
His eyebrows furrowed slightly, as though he were looking for the answer to a hard question. After what seemed like an hour, he tried to smile.
And Maka laughed.
Her sorrow disappeared with the face he made. He was trying with all his effort to do what she had done, to the point that he was straining his face to create a smile half the size of his face. She didn't notice the numerous sharp teeth.
"No, no! You're trying too hard! What were you thinking of, anyway?" Maka grinned at his slightly disappointed face.
"Uh… Rainbows… Flowers… Candy…" and his face was totally and completely serious. She let out a small snort as she shook her head.
"No, Soul… don't think of something that makes others happy. It's what makes you happy." She tried clarifying. Surprisingly, something happened. It was only for a split second, but it happened.
The corner of his mouth twitched upward.
They sat silently, as if in shock. All that could be heard was their breathing. Maka broke the silence.
"… What did you think about?" she breathed, almost only a wisp of air. And then he answered, just as quietly.
"You."
A bang of mismatched piano keys filled the house. Without hesitation, Maka went to the piano room, trying to hide her flustered expression from the boy who probably didn't think much of his statement. Why? Why had he automatically thought of her?
"S-Stupid Blair… always making so much noise…" she mumbled, lifting the purple cat into her arms and holding her tightly. "Don't scare me like that!"
The floor creaked at the doorframe suddenly, catching both Maka's and the furry creature's attention. It was Soul, of course. But… he seemed… foreign. There was a sudden aura about him that wasn't familiar to her. It seemed almost strained. It was a mix of foreboding and temptation; a mix of opposites. She moved from the piano slightly, noticing what his gaze was focused on.
"Soul…?" she mumbled, a bit perplexed by his frozen form. Blair struggled in her arms as he started to move forward, her ghostly eyes locked on his face. It seemed like eternity had passed when he finally rested his feet at the front of the piano and his fingers gently caressed the solid white keys. Maka was about to ask if he could play, but she was silenced by the deep sound of the grand instrument.
G…
The first note was almost capturing as his fingers gently swept over the keys. His eyes were closed, and it looked as though he could be pressing random keys for the fun of it, but… a song played at his fingertips.
The song was slow and soothing at first, almost like a lullaby, or more like an awakening; like the start of a sunrise or the first breath of a child. His fingers continued, and slowly the song escalated into a happy song. This portion seemed to have the power to absorb someone's sorrow, like a sunny day. Maka felt a smile creep upon her face for a moment, and then…
Stop.
The last note resonated awkwardly through the air, waiting desperately for something to follow… but nothing did.
Maka focused her eyes on the keys again, and she noticed immediately that Soul was stuck. His hand hovered over the keys anxiously, the last key still pressed down by his index finger. His face was contorted with the thought of the next key, his eyes squinted as tightly as he could manage, desperately searching for the next note in his mind…
But it never came.
His hand relaxed at his side again, a sorrowful expression painting his face like a beautiful canvas sheared straight down the middle. It pained Maka to see it, and without thinking, she spoke.
"Soul, you…" there were no other words. He looked up at her in surprise, as though he'd forgotten she'd been in the room. He looked horror-stricken. Was it that she wasn't supposed to hear? His mouth opened to protest…
The doorbell rang.
Maka, giving him a look of understanding, rushed out of the room, placing an unusually quiet Blair on the floor before answering the door. Almost sure it was her parents, she sighed with annoyance at their lateness and was prepared to complain.
Who she saw froze her into ice. The color drained from her face. Normally this wouldn't happen when she saw this certain person, but…
Soul was here.
How could she have forgotten her monthly visitor? The lavender-haired girl stood in the front doorway, rubbing her arm while she waited for her only friend to speak. And she did.
"C-Crona…"
A/U: DUHNUHNUUUUUUH.
…
Yeah. I know. Not a very dramatic ending BUT. Her visit will means a lot more in the next chapter, and I guarantee you that I have LOTS of stuff planned! The ending of chapter 8 will be a great cliffhanger… I hope xD;;;
So. Yeah. If you're mad at me for the late update, go ahead and rant in a review or something. I deserve iiiit…
