So I was finally able to pull myself away from Harlem Shake videos, Vic Mignogna panels, and AMV's of Roy Mustang to the song 'Snap Yo' Fingers' by Lil' Jon so that I could type this chapter. Let me tell you, all of those things are hilariously entertaining... Not to mention distracting. Anyways, on with chapta' 8.
The girl froze, letting the backpack slip from her shoulder and onto the balcony's floor. Her face lit up red with embarrassment as she kicked it under a nearby table. Needless to say, her attempt at being discreet wasn't at all successful. She slapped on a fake smile and clasped her hands behind her back. "Soul? What're you doing here?"
He quirked a brow at her ridiculous antics. "Um, I needed some stuff from the store..." Soul trailed off, scratching the back of his neck. "What are you doing out this late?"
Maka paled. She kicked at an invisible spot on the ground. She avoided his crimson gaze as she spoke, "Oh, y'know... Just getting some fresh air."
Soul looked around at the dark apartment complex, surveying the area. He looked back to Maka. "At three in the morning?" He asked skeptically.
Her only reply was an exhasperated sigh. She leaned over the balcony's rail, using her elbow to prop her head up. Soul took notice of how radiant her pale skin seemed in the moonlight. Her viridian eyes had some sort of glow to them that he found he could stare at all day. Her ash-blonde hair was down from its usual pigtails, making her look even more beautiful.
"So what are you really up to?" He prodded. "What was with the backpack?"
She dipped her head, mumbling something incomprehensively.
"Excuse me, what was that?"
"I'm leaving home." She repeated, this time a bit louder.
Soul stared at her for a long moment. He thought about telling her not to be ridiculous, that she should go back inside before she got caught. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her for being a fool... But at the same time, he could sympathize. Hell, he had run away from home himself. He knew what it was like to just want to leave, to get as far away as you possibly could. He let a sigh escape his soft lips. It was true that he didn't know a thing about this Maka chick, but she seemed cool enough to hang with him.
"Then hop on, Pigtails." He patted the seat of his pitbike, scooting up a bit to where she would have room to sit down behind him.
She looked timid at first, but eventually shrugged it off. Maka grabbed the backpack she had shoved under one of their patio chairs before slinging her legs over the rail. She climbed down from the balcony, dropping from it and landing with grace. Soul smirked at her as she jogged to jump on the backseat. He cranked up the engine with one kick, revving the gas a bit before speeding off down the road.
Soul resisted a smirk as Maka clung to him. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his stomach and her face was buried into his back. He thought about teasing her, but resisted for fear of ruining the moment. As he took a left turn from the apartment complex, he remembered what he had gone out for in the first place. He let out a low chuckle at how ridiculous this night had turned out to be. The fuel station was just up ahead.
He took a sharp right, momentarily forgetting that he had a passenger. He kicked his leg out as he leaned into the turn, mildly surprised to see Maka do the same. He shrugged it off as falling instinct. The bike straightened out coming out of the turn. Soul was relishing in the feeling of the cool wind whipping against his face. He smirked to himself, taking in a deep breath of the fresh morning air.
The large neon gas station sign was visible now. The trip was quick given the fact that the streets were dead. Soul slowed down a bit to turn and pull into the gas station. He 'parked' his pitbike in one of the many available spaces and cut the engine. Maka jumped off of the back and waited patiently for Soul to lead the way.
"So where exactly were you planning on going?" Soul questioned as he pushed the store's doors open. The cashier, who had previously been half-asleep and draped over the check-out register, perked up at the sound of the door's bells jingling. He scrambled to get into place, knocking a few things off the counter in the process. Maka stifled a giggle at the poor boy. Soul gave the scrawny red-headed guy a nod, which was groggily returned.
"Anywhere that Papa wasn't." Maka grumbled, mostly to herself.
Soul sighed, slapping a hand to his forehead. What was he going to do with this crazy girl? He thought about Tsubaki's living arrangements. She didn't have any spare rooms. He thought about Liz and Patty. No, they were full too. This led him to think about his own place. He had a guest bedroom and his house wasn't too far from Shibusen. It would be okay for her to stay there until she found something else out, right? He figured it to be the best choice considering the only other options were the symmetry obsessed Death The Kid and that blue-headed hyperactive maniac.
"I have an extra room at my place. You can stay with me until you figure everything out." He navigated through aisles of snacks until he reached the freezers. There was a six-pack of Monster Energy Drinks up for grabs in one of the end coolers.
The petite girl's face grew clouded with worry. "Oh, no. There's no way that I could stay! I've already been such a burden and-"
He cut her off with a hand signal. "Save it. It's really no problem. Besides, cool guys don't let girls live on the streets." He smirked at her, swerving back through the aisles and to the register. He grabbed a bag of Beef Jerky on the way.
Maka fidgetted uncomfortably. "I don't know, Soul..."
"Hey, I wouldn't offer if I were against you staying there." He pointed out. The cashier groggily rang up Soul's items, shoving them into a bag. "Just until you figure things out."
"Have a... good day, sir. We hope you come... again..." The cashier spoke between yawns, giving some kind of odd salute before collapsing back into the counter.
"Why are you getting energy drinks at three in the morning anyways?" The green-eyed girl asked, eyeing Soul's plastic bag full of energy drinks and Beef Jerky.
He let out a chuckle. "I was out of them... Duh."
Maka stared at him blankly. He laughed at her expression before shoving the bag into her hands and climbing onto the front of the bike to drive them back home. Maka situated the bag between the two of them and wrapped her arms around Soul's midsection once again. He started the bike in two kicks, speeding off down the road in the direction they came from.
Soul zoomed back through his little short-cut, past the apartments, and beside the open road again. It was around four in the morning and everything seemed still aside from the 110 speeding down the side of the highway. The small bike's roar seemed extremely loud compare to the dull silence of the early morning.
He made a sharp left down a dirt road, following it until he found a gravel driveway. He smiled at the sight of his home, track and all. He slowed down a bit as he neared the house, pulling the pitbike beneath one of the carports and killing the engine. Maka hopped off, studying her feet intensely rather than looking around at the track. He thought it quite odd and stowed it away in his mind for later.
"Home sweet home." Soul sang sarcastically. Maka followed him to his door. He fumbled with the keys for a bit before he finally found the correct one. Maka giggled at the string of curses that ever so elegantly flew out of the boy's mouth in his frustration.
The front door swung open, revealing the large living room area and kitchen. Down the hallway were the two bedrooms and the bathroom. Soul quickly explained to Maka where everything was and where she would be staying. He suggested that she try to sleep before school started as that was what he would be doing.
He shuffled off into his room and stripped himself back to his boxers. He fell into the soft mattress on his bed and sighed in contentment. His face snuggled deep into his pillow as the early morning exhaustion hit him with the force of a bus. He drifted off into a peaceful sleep, this time without the nightmares.
I apologize for not posting yesterday like I said I would. I was sick as hell and pretty much slept all day. Anyways, who all expected this chapter to end up like this? I'm sure at least one of you guessed it. Yes, it was rather predictable. I'm sorry. But hey, we're getting to the fun part :D. And more mystery rider is soon to come!
