Chapter 9… epic…
God this story is getting heavy. Anyway I hope this chapter provides you with the entertainment value that you guys have come to expect from me at this point. I had a lot of fun working on it XD.
Oh! Before I forget! I want you all to give me a hug for last chapter for being OVER 3000 Words. I've been shooting for that goal for a while now and I finally made it YES!
-Does a little dance (^o^)-
O.o *clears throat* umm let's get on with the chapter…
The song that plays at the dance is here www (dot) youtube (dot) com / watch?v=GfY67_qkgOs
I really suggest you listen to it when the story prompts it, this song is amazing. XD
Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater but I don't think they'll mind handing over Excalibur XD
"Sir, sir, are you alright?" a concerned nurse said running to me. She helped me to my feet and placed the back of her hand on my forehead. She seemed relived to find out that nothing was wrong with me but I wasn't feeling well at all. I was able to ask her to take me back to my room and she agreed with a smile. It was hard to walk and I felt winded but I had to make it back to my room, I had to be sure Liz was ok.
We finally made our way back to my room and I told the nurse I would be ok from here and for her to call Professor Stein. As she walked away I opened the door and saw Liz lying on her side, I guessed even people in a coma could roll over. I was glad that she hadn't been hurt and I felt a chill run down my spine as I remembered what happened to Maka. Medusa was serious when she said she would kill us and she started with her. I sat on my bed and started thinking, why Maka and why now. There had to be a reason but I wasn't able figure anything out. A few minutes later Stein stepped into our room. He let out a long drawn out yawn and asked me what was wrong.
"Maka is dead." I whispered with my head down.
He gave me a blank stare and started turning the screw in his head. I hated how calm he was acting while I had been so shaken up. I concluded it was because he wasn't there to see her die.
"So… how exactly do you know this?" he asked in an almost accusing tone.
"Because I saw it happen!" I yelled. He clicked his screw into place and took off his glasses. His almost stabbing glare made me turn my head and he took a deep breath.
"So you saw your friend being killed and did nothing to stop it, what's going on here Kid?" he asked seemingly trying to pry out of me a truth that wasn't there. I told him how I left the room and started exploring the hospital. Then I told him about my vision and how I saw Maka die. He pulled up a chair and put his glasses back on. Then he pulled a phone out of his lab coat and threw it over to me. I clumsily caught it, partly because of my surprise.
"What do you want me to do with this?" I asked genuinely curious.
"I want you to call Maka, we need to know if what you saw was a vision or if it was real. If they answer everything should be ok." He responded.
I looked at his red and black stitched up phone and nervously dialed Soul's number. The phone rung three times before Soul picked up. I could hear sirens blaring in the background while a crying and angry Soul blurted out an assortment of incoherent words. I told him to calm down but it was no use as he apparently dropped his phone and the sirens slowly faded away. I threw Steins phone on the floor breaking it into several pieces. I pulled on my hair as I bent over shouting all sorts of swears. I damned my own incompetence and for not being able to protect everyone. I wanted to stop existing right then, to stop being so useless so as to benefit everyone else. I felt like a truly despicable person all the while stein sat there twisting the screw in his head.
"Kid, you're scheduled to be released from the hospital tomorrow. Given the current situation I'm not sure exactly what to do. However what I suggest you do right now is get some rest. I'll see what I can accomplish on my end about keeping you kids out of harm's way."
After his speech he stood from his chair and proceeded to leave the room. Right before he closed the door he turned to look at my saddened yet heated expression.
"Arachne can be relentless and whoever she's working with are apparently ten times more dangerous than she ever was. So be certain… just make sure that you're watching each others backs." He said pitifully.
When he closed the door I moved to look out our window again. The city looked different, before it was peppered with florescent lights and the occasional flash of a cars headlight. Now it looked completely dark with only the blue and red flashes of police cars that were more than likely looking for Maka's killer. I crawled into bed, laid on my back and stared at the ceiling.
It was the first night in my life that didn't get a wink of sleep
The sun was high in the sky before I was given back my clothes and told that I was able to leave the hospital. As I stood in our room taking in Liz's pale face I couldn't help but think about how I would feel if I lost her or Patti. It was too horrifying to keep in my mind for long so I just planted a soft kiss on her cheek and told her that I would keep her safe, no matter the cost.
As soon as I exited the reception area I was greeted by the boiling sun and an exuberant Patti. She jumped on me wrapping me in a loving embrace that, for some reason, made me feel sick to my stomach. When she let me go she wanted us to walk home hand in hand. I wanted to refuse her but the look in her eyes told me that she really needed me to clasp my palm to hers. The walk home felt like it took a million years. Patti and I didn't talk at all on the way home at I was relived when she let me go so I could unlock the door. I walked in and sat down on the couch and Patti sat next to me. When I looked her over it seemed she had lost some of her beauty. She used to look like the most gorgeous of diamonds hidden in a field of golden flowers. Her radiance was once surpassed only by the sun and she always seemed to be cloaked in a gown consisting of the moon and the stars. Now she just seemed so… ordinary. What happened? When did I stop viewing her as the queen of my universe, as an ethereal lily drenched in a sea of red roses?
"Umm… hey Kid, do you think big sis is gonna be ok?" Patti asked twiddling her thumbs.
"Yeah, Liz is strong so I'm sure she'll pull through!" I said reassuring her.
I turned on the TV and it instantly flipped to an all day horror movie-thon. I cruised through the channels but apparently it was playing on every station. It was strange to see all the scary movies that were playing as it was nowhere near Halloween. Recently I hadn't particularly cared for any service my cable company provided me, if any at all. It truly was a depressing site.
I really needed to switch over to Time Warner.
I started to turn off the television but before I could hit the power button I heard my cell phone start ringing from my room. I excused myself and quickly ran over to the source of the sound. When I picked up my phone I saw that Tsubaki was calling me. I had almost forgotten about Tsubaki and Black*Star. It was a good thing that she was calling because I needed to tell them about what happened to Maka. I was sure Soul was too distraught to tell them anything.
The voice that welcomed me was the buoyant tone of an obviously happy Tsubaki.
"Hey Kid! Since you picked up that must mean you out of the hospital!" she enthusiastically hummed.
"Yeah, I guess. So what did you want to talk about?" I sullenly asked.
"Well Black*Star and I are at the aquarium and we wanted to know if you and Patti wanted to double…but, umm, Kid is there something you need to tell me? She asked the bounce in her voice replaced with a worried pitch.
I hesitated but mustered up what little courage I could and told her about my vision and Maka's death. She was about to hang up the phone while assuring me that they would be at my house in no time at all but I stopped her and told her that it was safer at the aquarium. I told her that we would be there soon and we could talk about what we were going to do then. She reluctantly agreed and hung up.
I threw my phone on the bed and yelled down the hall for Patti to get ready. I pulled off my clothes and rummaged through my closest to look for something different to wear. I came across an odd looking Hawaiian shirt that I hadn't seen in a long time. I couldn't remember where I got it from but seconds later the memories came flooding back.
Liz and Patti had been placed in charge of decorating for the school dance. They both quickly agreed on a Hawaiian/Tropical theme not accepting any input on my part. Which was completely unacceptable at first, but I calmed down when I saw how hard they worked and what a neat and tidy job they were doing. It was a relief to know I had taught them well. On the night of the dance the gym looked as if we were on an actual tropical island. The outside of the auditorium was lined with torches and miniature palm trees. Inside the floor was covered in a thin layer of sand and the left side of the gym was painted to look like the ocean. All the while a small enclosed pond with peacefully flowing water bordered the painted scene. The roof had somehow been removed and reframed so that the only thing that provided us with light was the stars that dotted the night sky. A volcano framed the stage where the DJ was happily posted, playing out a smooth oceanic beat while fake, illuminated lava oozed and swirled inside a long tube that wrapped around the edge of the erupting mountain. I was please with the results of Liz and Patti's hard work and I was sure they were happy as well. The attire for the affair was casual so Liz took the opportunity to buy me a blue shirt covered with decorative red flowers and some shorts. We had so much fun that night and I was surprised that I had forgotten about it.
The best part about that night was watching Soul drag Maka through the gym doors. She normally preferred to stay home and read whenever the school held a dance but Soul must have insisted, in more ways in one, that she attend this dance. I could see why too, because that night was the night he asked her out. Ah soul, he always came up with the coolest ways to get a girls attention.
Halfway into the night, when the music really started to ramp up, I had to take a seat due to the fact that I was exhausted. I tried to keep up with Patti on the dance floor but she was just so full of energy that if anyone else tried to dance the way she did they would probably pass out. I was shocked that I lasted as long as I did with her. I was covered head to toe in sweat when Liz came to sit next to me at our table.
"She can be a real handful sometimes." Liz said smiling.
I nodded in agreement unable to answer her before I caught my breath. I congratulated her on putting together such an awesome dance and she blushed at my comment saying it was nothing at all. I smiled and wiped the sweat from my brow. Leaning back in my chair I looked at the middle of the gym and noticed that Tsubaki and Black*Star were off in a corner making out. I had to stifle my fervent laughter as I pointed out the new couple out to Liz.
"Well knowing those two I'm sure Tsubaki had to ask him with a hammer to get it through his thick head." Liz said with a devilish grin.
"I don't know, Black*Star can be thick sometimes but it's not completely unimaginable for him to ask her." I said with reserve in my voice.
We both shared a good laugh before the DJ slowed down the music and announced that the next song was for couples only. The room soon cleared as people went back to their seats to chat with their friends and the floor was dotted with about eight people. Soul and Maka, Tsubaki and Black*Star, Kim and Ox and two other people whom I had seen around school before but had never taken the time to learn their names. Patti stumbled back to our table just as sweaty as I was and collapsed into her chair like a ton of bricks. She let her head droop back over the back of the chair and muttered something about her feet before tossing off her shoes. The DJ started to play, I Don't Want To Miss A Thing, by Aerosmith. As soon as I heard that song I felt all sorts of emotions well up in my chest. An unexpected hand on my shoulder made me look up and I was surprised to see that it was Liz who was touching me.
"Hey I love this song, so… I wanted to know if you would give me this dance, even though were not technacely dating?" she cheerfully asked.
"I would be delighted Ms. Thompson." I said standing up and gently taking her hand.
"Ha, ha, big sis likes Kid." Patti groggily snickered.
Liz blushed and covered her face with her free hand but I moved it away too reveal her profusely red visage. I led her to the floor and wrapped my hands around her waist while she cradled my neck in hers. We started gently swaying, side to side, in time with the music. Before then I had never noticed the fullness of her hips or the shape of her body. It was the first time I viewed her not as Elizabeth Thompson, but as a woman. It was scary but I maintained my composure while we continued our slow dance.
As we moved to the music she looked at me with her lovely blue eyes and I heard a slight hum emit from my soul. The hum seemed to bounce against a wall and when it hit that barrier it seemed to be joined by another simultaneous sound. That low, monotonous hum was coming from Liz. She laid her head on my chest and the sound of the humming increased. Our souls were singing with each other and the way their song vibrated between our chests felt so good, so natural.
I had heard about something that my father called Soul Resonance. It only happened when two people experienced a true connection with each other. Their souls would resonate and bring the two people closer together than any words could express. To experience this sensation was considered an act of true love, one that shouldn't be overlooked or ignored.
Our breathing became unhurried, smooth, and synchronized. We closed our eyes and let any lines that separated us blur. I could feel our heartbeats slowing, beating together as one. I brought her closer to me and she squeezed my neck a bit tighter. The humming of our souls and the beating of our hearts sung with the music. Each word rang through my being and further drowned me in the sea of powerful emotions that I was desperately trying to stay afloat in. I couldn't help but wrap my arms around her and bring her as close as I could, trying franticly to find a way to express to her what I was feeling. My throat knotted up and a bead of sweat traveled down my neck. I brought my hand up and ran it through her glossy hair and she leaned deeper into me, her soft breath the only sound ringing clearly through the music and the echo of our resonating souls. She stood on her toes and moved her body to the left side of mine. She took in a slight breath and whispered in my ear with her voice sounding like a consortium of angels.
"I love you."
Her confession surprised me a bit and when I turned to face her I saw… Patti.
I snapped back to reality when I considered what I just remembered.
"Ok, so Liz and Patti were put in charge of the dance… I went with them… Soul, Maka, Tsubaki, and Black*Star was there…. I Sat down to tired from dancing… I talked with Liz… and then… I danced with Liz… or was it Patti…" I said trying to pry apart my memory.
My thoughts were a jumbled mess and I shook my head to try to clear it out but it was no use. I felt a sharp pain stab the back of my neck then rise to the center of my head. I started rubbing my temples but that just made it worse. My skull felt like it was on fire and my eyes started to burn. Everything around me began to adopt a red coating. I fell to my knees as my room was replaced by a somewhat full parking lot. I was back in this woman's body and I could feel the cold steel of a pistol in my hand. About twenty feet in front of me were a sad looking Tsubaki and Black*Star. Those idiots! I told them not to leave the aquarium, now they were being stalked by Medusa. I tried and fought and struggled to gain control of this body but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't influence the moves I was making. She pointed the gun at Tsubaki's head and before I saw what happened I was brought back to my own body by Patti who was roughly shaking me, telling me to wake up. I was back to normal but I knew I had to act fast. I grabbed Patti by the wrist and ran us both out the back door. I grabbed the car keys out from under the welcome mat and we jumped into my father's car. I explained to Patti that we had to get to Black*Star and Tsubaki right now or they were both going to die as we backed out of the driveway and sped down the street. The only thing running through my mind was that I wasn't planning on losing anyone else anytime soon. Patti placed her quivering hand on my thigh and I pushed harder on the gas.
Medusa wasn't going to take Tsubaki or Black*Star from me and I was hell-bent on stopping her.
