He tried to enjoy himself. He really did. Everyone else had a great time, mixing, mingling, chattering away to their own amusement. He really tried.
He just couldn't.
His parents had stuck him in a boring tuxedo, and sent him to the stupid party. It's supposed to celebrate his coming home, but it only boosted his parents own ego. If that was even possible, at this point he'd say compared to his parents, Black*Star was the god of modesty.
"Soul?"
He looked up from his drink he'd been swirling in his hand, and caught sight of his brother. He cocked his head curiously.
"What's wrong Soul? Come here.", he held a hand out, urging him forward.
He remained still, "Why? What is it?"
"...How have you been enjoying this evening?"
He looked at his brother, glancing at the violin case in his hand.
"Oh.", he sighed, "Yeah, your performance was..Great."
Wes chuckled, "That's good, but not quite what I meant. I meant, how have you been enjoying this evening, Soul? Have you been here all night?"
He nodded.
He'd been standing on the farthest corner of the wall, avoiding eye-contact with those who walked by.
"Soul, this is your party. Why don't you go chat with a few guests?"
"No thanks."
"Are you sure? I know a few people who've been dying to meet you. Besides, it might get your mind off the piano for a while."
He cringed at the mention of the demon tool, "...I'm fine. Really, I just don't want to."
"Soul."
"..."
Tap tap tap.
"What the hell?", Soul looked around, startled by the distant noise.
"..It appears your needed at the window."
"...What.", he turned around, greeted by blue, spiky hair.
...Oh that was one dead assassin.
"What the hell are you doing here?!", he growled through grit teeth, trying not to attract attention.
To his surprise, nobody seemed to notice. Either that or no one cared. He'd go with the latter.
"Hey Soul!", he called, his voice partially muffled by the shut window, "We're here to pick you up!"
"You're here to what?"
"I said, we're here to pick you up!"
"Black*Star, why the hell are you here? More importantly, why are you upside down!?"
"There's a gargoyle hanging above this window, I didn't feel like climbing so Tsubaki and Kidd are holding me up! I'm using the gargoyle for you know, some extra-support!"
"Tsubaki and Kidd..Wait, the others are here too?!"
He nodded with a wide grin spread upon his face, "Of course! It was a lot of work tracking you down, Soul. But we found you, hide and seek is over so you can come back now, alright?!"
"You weren't supposed to track me down! I wasn't planning on coming back..", he trailed off.
"Huh? Not coming back? Why the hell not!", he tapped on the window again, demanding entrance.
"Black*Star shut the hell up and I'll let you in!"
He laughed, "Alright!"
"Shut up!", he growled, "I'm in big trouble if my parents find out you're here, do you understand?! The bastards will kill both of us!"
"...Black*Star? Is that you..My, I never thought I'd see you here.", chuckled Wes, approaching the odd sight.
Soul groaned, "You've met each other?"
They nodded, "Well Black*Star, I suppose you're here for a reason?"
He crossed his arms, turning his head as he pointed to the window.
"...Excuse me?"
"The idiot wants in."
"..I see. Make it quick and take him to..The music room. Yes, I believe the rooms unoccupied for the night. That'll be a good place to chat, just try not to draw too much attention to yourselves on the way there. I recommend weapons stay in their human forms for the time being..No need to alarm anyone."
He unlocked the window, silently opening it as the assassin fell inside. Wes and Soul used their bodies to create a thin, human wall blocking the unexpected guest. Most of the guests kept quiet, some gawked for a while, trying to see through the barrier.
"YAH-mph!"
"Shut your damn mouth Black*Star!", shouted Soul, covering Black*Star's mouth in a head-lock.
"Soul, I think you're attracting attention.."
"Mph! Let go!"
"Shut your mouth! Be quiet and follow me."
"I'll fetch..Tsubaki was it?", they nodded, "And the others."
Wes threw a pair of keys in Soul's hand, and re-opened the window.
To his luck, one had a flying skate-board. That explained allot. The other allowed Wes to help her, guiding her safely into the building. She was silent, unlike the idiot assassin who'd stormed in the damn room like it was some big "show".
"Kidd, Liz, Patty, and Tsubaki I believe?"
They nodded.
"Great, you're all friends of Soul and Black*Star, as I recall?"
Kid nodded, "Speaking of which, do you know where they've gone? Soul and Black*Star."
"Yes, I've sent them to the music room. I'd sent them on their way immediately..Our parents aren't too kind toward uninvited guests, especially ones as..Out there, as Black*Star. I was afraid if they'd caught Black*Star, Soul would get the raw end of the deal..", he trailed off.
"Say no more. Completely understandable. We know how..Irritating, the pair can be. I take it they don't do well in the high society? Have they caused any trouble.."
He chuckled, "Soul? Absolutely not. He was born in and raised in the upper class house-hold, he's lived and breathed elegance for as long as either of us could remember."
They gasped, "Soul?! Really? You're joking, right?!", said Liz.
"That's so cool!", marveled Patty, "No wonder he's always pretending to be -guy. Right big sis?!"
"..Sure Patty."
She clapped and giggled in triumph.
"Well,", coughed Wes, "Follow me. I'll take you to the music room. That's where they'll be waiting for you."
"Right. Lead the way.", said Kidd, shoving his hands in his pocket.
They walked past the crowd of well-dressed, rich families. No one paid too much attention to them, besides the younger children who pointed at Wes, gasping at his presence. Wes didn't mind, and neither did the teenagers following him.
They followed Wes until he led them down a large corridor, room after room, hall after hall. Each room was heavily decorated with elegant scenery, and lovely grand portraits lining the walls.
"Holy crap! This place is huge!", gasped Liz.
"Everything is so pretty! Who knew Soul was so rich!~"
"Oh my..This house is..Amazing. I'd never have guessed Soul was the Soul Evan's.."
"My..This is..Perfectly symmetrical!", gasped Kidd, "Not a single portrait out-of-place!"
Wes chuckled, "That's correct. My parents have always believed in perfection, nothing less..Though, I think they'd made an exception for hair.", he spoke quietly, glancing up at his uneven bangs.
Kidd didn't catch it. That was good, for a second, he was afraid he'd set the boy off on another symmetry attack.
Once they arrived, Wes lightly tapped on the door.
As it opened, they were greeted by the furious face of the one and only, Soul Evan's.
"Great. You're all here.", he growled, "Get inside."
They obeyed, paying no mind to Soul's harsh attitude.
"Black*Star? Are you here?", asked Kidd.
"YAHOO! LOOK AT ALL THIS STUFF! SOUL IS LOADED!", shouted Black*Star, hanging off of the hovering chandelier.
"GET DOWN FROM THERE, YOU IDIOT!", roared Soul.
"BLACK*STAR!", panicked Tsubaki.
"NYAHAHAHA!~", laughed Patty.
"Typical..", sweat-dropped Liz.
"Well this is..Interesting..", sweat-dropped Wes.
Soul was seething. These idiots were going to be the death of him.
"EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP!"
They silenced themselves, drawing all eyes on Soul.
At least, they thought it was Soul. This man definitely did not look like the Soul Eater they knew in Death City..Where was his leather jacket? His T-shirt? His jeans?! His headband!
This man's dressed in an elegant, black tuxedo with nothing holding his hair back. Not a sweat-band, not a headband. It was a strange sight. His white hair so wild, yet so well-kept.
"Who the hell are you?!", exclaimed Black*Star, "You're not Soul! Soul hasn't worn a suit since...Since.."
"I wore a suit on the day I met Maka, you idiot. That stupid social gathering."
"Oh yeah! Now I remember, but that one was red, wasn't it?! This one's way boring, Soul!", he laughed, "Who finally got you in a monkey suit?!"
"Ahem.", coughed Kidd, "As Soul's suit's indeed, a curious subject, I think we have a bit more pressing matters to attend to."
"Oh yeah.", said Black*Star, finding his way to the floor with a semi-loud bang, "We're here to take you home!"
"This is my home.", he lied.
"Perhaps it was your home..Some time ago..", sighed Kidd, "But you've an obligation to the academy now. Therefore, by order of my Father, we're here to take you back to Death City."
"Perhaps we're being too harsh..", sighed Tsubaki.
"Maybe.", sighed Liz, "I just don't understand why Soul would suddenly want to leave. Tell us what happened, Soul!"
"Yeah! Tell us!~", sang Patty.
All eyes on Soul, once again. He sighed in defeat, "Why the hell do you want to know?"
Black*Star slapped a hand on Soul's shoulder, "You hurt Maka pretty bad dude, we weren't gonna get involved..We figured..You know, personal quest or something..But then, Maka stopped showing up to classes...So now we have to do something, she won't leave her stupid apartment!"
"...She what?"
Maka, skip classes? Unheard of. That's not Maka.
Then again..This isn't Soul.
"She..Stopped showing up?"
Kidd sighed, "I'm afraid so. We've tried to get her out of the house, but she won't budge. How did you do it?"
He recalled the many times he'd literally dragged her out of the house, prying her away from whatever book had captivated her imagination.
"..I just..Talked her into it.", he lied.
"Well Maka won't listen to us.", sighed Liz, "Why are we beating around the bush? She needs her weapon, Soul. She refuses to accept a new partner.
That made him happier than it should have, "...I don't understand."
"SOUL! STOP BEING SO DAMN DENSE!", Black*Star announced, right in his ear.
Once he regained his hearing, he heard Kidd's voice, "Yes, Soul, you are being a bit of a moron. So let's get to the point, shall we?"
He narrowed his eyebrows, "As a reaper, it's my job to insure order is kept in this world. When the balance's thrown off, it's my job to fix it. Now, Maka is a big part of the academy, and a big part of our little..Group. Maka won't leave the house, and she won't come to school. Not without a weapon. Her weapon. If the only way to restore order, is to forcefully drag you back to Death City, by all means, we're prepared to do it."
Wes chuckled, "I was hoping you'd come sooner or later."
"Wes? You're in on this?!", growled Soul, "What part of "I can't go back" do you not understand?!"
"Soul, my dear brother, please don't be an idiot. If I have to smack the sense into you, I won't hesitate to do it.", he sighed.
"..."
"Well Soul, it looks like you have a choice.", chuckled Liz, "Come home on your own free will, or come home tied to the bottom of Kidd's skate-board.
All eyes on him, for the umpteenth time.
"..."
"Soul.", sighed Wes, "You know what you have to do, don't you?"
Damnit. He hated it when Wes was right.
He nodded.
"Good.", chuckled Wes, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I trust you'll take care of my brother then?", he looked up at the group of teenagers.
They smiled expectantly, nodding.
"Great. Now, what was your mode of transportation?"
"Skate-board.", stated Kidd.
"I ran here!", exclaimed Black*Star.
"Kidd's pocket."
"Kidd's pocket!~"
"I ran along with Black*Star..", sighed Tsubaki.
"..Would you by any chance like to ride home in a limo?"
"A limo?!"
"Seriously?!"
"Awesome!"
"We'd love to!"
"Yeah!~"
"Well then.", Wes smiled, "You know where the limo's parked, Soul. Have the driver escort you home safely. I'll break the news to Mother and Father, some other time.."
Soul nodded, accepting the keys.
He led the group of friends into the garage, undetected, thankfully. On the way, he made a quick pit-stop. One last look at his bed-room. It wasn't much to see, he realized. But he took the liberty of changing into his familiar oh-so-comfortable jeans, T-shirt, and leather jacket.
...He also made it a point, to take the one picture that actually mattered. Him and his older brother. The picture taken so long ago..Still held some sort of value..
It was nice to know there was one family member he didn't hate.
They piled into the back-seat, and Soul informed the driver of their next destination. He paid the driver to keep quiet about the little trip, as he assumed Wes had the night before.
They were silent, just for a moment, as the driver started the car. If you could even call it that. It was long, narrow, it was a limo. A limo of all things.
"Soul!"
He looked out the window.
His brother stood on the front porch, panting and waving, "Soul!"
He rolled down the window, "Wes?"
"Have fun! Know your place, alright? I don't want to see you back here again!"
Soul smirked, "You can count on that."
For once, Wes smirked as well, "Take care of my little brother! And you!", he pointed at Soul and shouted, "Stay cool, Soul Eater Evan's!"
Soul broke into laughter, as did the rest of the group, "No problem! Visit more often, will ya?!"
Wes laughed, nodded, and waved goodbye as the limo drove away.
"Will do, dear little brother.", he chuckled silently to himself, as the limo disappeared from sight.