Author's Note: Thanks for all the continued feedback as usual! I'm glad people are enjoying how the story is going so far.
Dawnispeace- David and Victor will make an appearance again, they can't stand the fact that Maka didn't fall for their plans!
Nightowl880-I appreciate the constructive criticism, it's always good to hear of ways to improve my story for my readers so thank you. I'm going to try those ideas out as best as I can.
Chapter 10: Stuck With You
Maka sighed as the buzzing of her phone woke her up. After turning over lazily for a few minutes, Maka finally drowsily opened her eyes and glanced at her phone to see what message she had gotten.
Hi Maka, sorry I'm sending this message on such short notice again, but Black Star wanted to take me out to the Sonar Festival today. We should be back between 8 or 9 pm, so we can all meet up to eat dinner around then. In the meantime, go out and explore the city with Soul! ;)
-Tsubaki
'What? Tsubaki, you ditched me again for Black Star! Geez, I didn't think when we finally found some summer flings that meant we were just going to desert each other for them. And why is she assuming I'll go spend the day with Soul; I can spend time with other people besides him.' Maka thought to herself with a huff, as she finally go out of bed and got ready.
"I'm surprised they left so early though, I guess I should be used to it by now though since it has been happening for the past 2 weeks." Maka mumbled to herself, as she ate breakfast alone for a few minutes when she suddenly heard the sound of a plate and chair moving across from her.
Maka looked up and met Soul's crimson eyes with a small smile. Even though she didn't like how Tsubaki assumed she was spending time around Soul, it was exactly what she had been doing ever since she started doing daytrips with Black Star. Maka wasn't sure how to describe her relationship with Soul at the moment, but she knew her feelings for him were inevitably getting stronger the more they hung out together, even if their fling wasn't supposed to be serious.
Soul yawned and plopped down in the chair and sent Maka a smirk. "So, you got ditched again, huh?"
Maka scoffed and took a sip from her orange juice to avoid his knowing eyes. "The same thing happened to you."
Soul shrugged and brushed a hand through his snow white hair. "I don't care if Black Star ditches me, but I'm getting tired of just spending so much time in the hotel. Let's go out into the city today."
Maka blinked and set her glass down. "Professor Stein has work today though, so I can't call on him to take us around."
Soul grinned and shook his head. "We don't need him. I noticed some people borrowing motorcycles out front. We can use that."
Maka frowned and squirmed uncomfortably in her chair. "I've never been on a motorcycle though."
Soul sighed and made a fake pout with his lips. "You don't trust me Maka?"
"I didn't mean it that way! It's just there's still so much I don't know about you and well-"Maka sighed and trailed off when she realized she didn't really have any good excuses.
Soul reached out and lightly grasped her hand. "The only way to get to know me better is if we spend time together, don't you think so?"
Maka blushed lightly and nodded her head. "Okay, I hope you know where you're going." Maka grumbled out, as she threw her trash away and followed Soul over to the motorcycle rental.
"We'll be fine; at least we know that they drive on the same side of the road in Spain as they do in America." Soul stated, as he paid the rental fee.
Maka sighed and rolled her eyes. "That's a poor attempt to make me feel better."
Soul walked over to the motorcycles and got on one of them and pulled it out. "Come on Maka, time is wasting."
Maka gazed over the dark red motorcycle before looking back at Soul and nervously getting on.
"Wrap your arms around me so you won't fall off." Soul whispered to her, as he handed her a helmet and started to drive off into the busy streets. As Soul drove off, David and Victor watched them from the hotel's parking lot.
"We still haven't gotten our revenge on that pigtailed girl for what she did to us back at the club." David sneered out coldly.
Victor only smirked as he watched them go further and further out of view. "Don't worry, when they get back, we'll make sure she knows she picked the wrong guys to mess with."
~X~
"You can let go of me now, unless you want to keep hugging me." Soul stated with a smirk, as he turned the engine off and properly secured the motorcycle.
Maka blushed and quickly let go of him and looked around. The scent of the sea permeated the air as Maka gazed at the dark blue waters and watched some seagulls fly overhead.
"Where are we?" Maka questioned Soul.
Soul grinned and pointed towards a sign. "We're at Las Golondrinas; they have boat tours that will take us along the coast of Barcelona."
Maka's emerald green eyes lit up in excitement. "Oh, that sounds neat! How long will the tour be?"
"It depends on what option we pick. I want to go on the Harbor and Coast tour that's 90 minutes long since the price of that is included in Barcelona city pass card I bought." Soul described.
Maka nodded her head in agreement and approached one of the fleet members to get a pamphlet and a life jacket.
After the captain gave them proper boat safety protocol, they proceeded to dock from the port and out into the sea.
Soul glanced at a few fish swimming close to the boat before turning towards Maka. "So, what do you want to know about me?"
Maka blinked in confusion before rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Well, I guess we can start out small. What kind of hobbies do you have?"
Soul shrugged and gazed up into the sky. "I like to sleep and eat mostly, but I also enjoy playing video games."
Maka stared at him blankly and rubbed her eyes as she realized how difficult this might be. "Okay then. Um, well as you know I like to read, but I also like to do puzzles."
Soul snickered and grinned toothily. "Well, aren't you an exciting person?!"
Maka scoffed and turned away from him to gaze back out at the sea. "It's not like your hobbies are that interesting!"
Soul was about to speak up again when the tour guide interrupted him. "Hey you two; take a look to your right and you can see the Olympic Village towers and the Sports Stadium!"
Soul and Maka both looked over and grinned. Maka took out her phone and snapped a few photos as the tour guide continued to discuss the history of travel and exports using the port as a main hub.
"I love how great the weather is today!" Maka stated with a sigh, as a cool breeze hit them and the sun passed over them.
Soul nodded his head in agreement as he sat up more comfortably on the small seats. "It's even nicer that it's just us two on the boat."
Maka laughed and blushed at his joking. "Hey Soul, what's your last name?"
Soul arched an eyebrow in confusion as he turned towards Maka. "Why do you ask?"
Maka shrugged, but continued to smile. "I'm just curious. My last name is Albarn."
'I don't want to tell her my real last name just yet; she might be able to associate Evans with my parents and my brother.' Soul mused to himself before speaking up.
"My last name is Eater." Soul stated with a grin.
Maka rolled her eyes and chuckled again. "No it isn't."
"Yes it is. Don't make fun of my last name." Soul retorted back.
Maka stared at him skeptically before looking back down at her phone. "So, you're trying to tell me your full name is Soul Eater?"
Soul grinned and nodded his head with a yawn. "That's correct, but in all honesty, Eater is the nickname I went by in high school so I prefer it over my actual last name."
Maka sighed and nodded her head. "Sometimes I hate having the last name Albarn. People always associate it with my Papa. I should just change my last name to my mother's maiden name, but then that would probably take a long time for it to properly go into effect."
"What did you father do that was so bad?" Soul asked in interest.
Maka scowled at the thought and looked back towards Soul. "Constantly cheat. He would rather lead a single life than be married."
Soul said nothing back as he mulled over Maka's words. 'Hmm, I guess Maka's family life isn't perfect either. That's a bit of surprise.'
"Oh, thanks for the gelato. I always wanted to see if there really is a difference in taste between this and regular ice cream." Maka stated, interrupting Soul's thoughts as she accepted a small colorful bowl from one of the crew members.
Soul frowned and arched an eyebrow. "How come I didn't get any offers for gelato?"
Maka turned towards him and smirked. "You didn't ask for any! I asked if I could have a small snack before we even got on the boat."
Soul sighed and watched as Maka ate the gelato tauntingly beside him. "So, you're not planning to share any of that?"
Maka smiled and shook her head. "Nope! Go ask one of the crew members if you really want some."
Soul gazed intently at Maka and noticed a bit of the gelato drip down from her lips. After thinking it over for a bit, Soul reached out and pulled Maka in close enough to brush his lips against hers and lick away some of the drops before pulling back.
Maka's face immediately heated up in shock before she punched Soul in shoulder and scooted back to where she was sitting originally.
Soul frowned and rubbed his sore shoulder. "Ouch, what are you hitting me for? I just wanted to taste some of it also!"
Maka huffed and looked away as she tried to calm her racing heart and nerves. "That was for just kissing me out of the blue; I wasn't even ready for it!"
Soul smirked and grabbed Maka gently by the arm before she could move further away from him. "Oh, so if you were ready for it, then it would be okay for me to kiss you?"
Maka blushed as she realized what she said, but didn't back down from Soul's challenging red eyes.
"Yes, it would be fine then." Maka stated with a smirk back as Soul grinned and brought her closer to him again.
"I'm going to hold you to that statement." Soul whispered softly against her lips, as he gave her an even rougher kiss that Maka returned as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
~X~
"Do you think it was okay to just leave behind Maka and Soul again?" Tsubaki asked Black Star, as they both walked through the crowded streets together.
Black Star shrugged, but nodded his head with a grin. "It's fine; I'm sure those two are enjoying each other's company. And if they continue to constantly taunt and bicker with each other, we can just threaten to send that photo we took of them sleeping on each other to all of our friends!"
Tsubaki laughed and shook her head. "If they knew about those photos, I'm sure they would try to secretly take our phones and delete them."
"No way Soul would be able to stop me; I made multiple copies of that photo for just in case scenarios like the one you described!" Black Star yelled out proudly.
Tsubaki grinned and looked around as she watched people crowd around and watch different musicians play on stage.
"How did you find out about this music festival?" Tsubaki asked Black Star once they were in a quieter area of the city center.
"The hotel offers city passes for different events happening throughout the months. I'm pretty sure Soul bought one also; you can use them as discounts or possibly get into some areas for free." Black Star explained.
Tsubaki nodded her head in understanding as the two of them listened to a few more electronic bands before heading over to some vendors.
Tsubaki gazed at some of the art exhibits in admiration as Black Star watched her with amusement.
"You want me to buy you something in one of these places?" He asked.
Tsubaki blinked and immediately started to shake her head. "You don't have to do that. If I see something I like, I can just buy it with my own money."
Black Star scoffed and shook his head before he suddenly noticed some carnival games on the side and grinned.
"I know; I'll go win you one of those carnival prizes, come on!" Black Star cheered out, as he grabbed Tsubaki by the arm and led them to the milk bottle pyramid.
The vendor watched as Black Star and Tsubaki approached his stand and smirked as he recognized them as tourists. 'Oh this is good; I have another opportunity to sucker some unsuspecting tourists out of their money.' The man thought wickedly to himself, before standing up to properly greet them.
"Hello, welcome to my bottle pyramid stands game. I'm sure you've heard or seen of this before, but I'll explain the rules just in case. To get one of the grand prizes, all you have to do is knock down all the bottles with a limit of 6 tries per customer." The man explained.
Tsubaki gazed up and smiled at one of the top prizes offered: A simple light pink teddy bear with a purple ribbon wrapped around its neck.
"Well this should be easy; I can probably knock them down with just one shot." Black Star stated confidently when Tsubaki suddenly stopped him from walking up by gently grabbing his hand.
"I don't know if you should waste money doing this. Aren't carnival games like this usually rigged?" Tsubaki whispered to him.
Black Star grinned and shrugged. "Maybe so, but knowing how strong I am, I'm sure I can do this!"
Tsubaki sighed and nodded her head and stepped back and watched as Black Star paid and was handed a tennis ball.
Black Star frowned as he gripped the tennis ball tightly in his hand. 'Damn, this tennis ball feels light. Tsubaki might be right about this guy trying to trick us, but that's not going to stop me.' Black Star mused to himself, as he tossed the ball towards the pyramid and caused nothing to happen.
The vendor frowned and shook his head. "Ooh, you didn't hit it hard enough that time. Try again."
Black Star scowled at the man's teasing and tightened his grip on the next tennis ball and launched it again, still not causing any of the milk bottles to move.
"What the hell?" Black Star hissed out, as he tossed out the fourth and fifth balls and still caused the pyramid to remain motionless.
Tsubaki sighed and walked up to Black Star and calmed him down by patting him on the shoulders. "I told you that this game was probably rigged. It's not a big deal if we don't win anything."
Black Star growled and shook his head as he moved out of Tsubaki's grip. "Tsubaki, have you already forgotten what I said? God's don't give on things important to them!"
'Whenever he says that, a fire always lights up in his eyes that makes him look unstoppable. Can Black Star really do this though? I don't really care whether or not he wins…' Tsubaki thought to herself.
"Alright sir, this is your last shot. Make sure it counts." The vendor said with a smirk, as he handed Black Star his last tennis ball.
Black Star only nodded his head and stepped back slightly to properly aim. After squeezing the ball tightly enough, Black Star threw it so hard into the pyramid that it smashed all the milk bottles into pieces.
Tsubaki's eyes widened as she gazed over the broken bottles while Black Star grinned proudly next to her.
"I told you I would be able to break those bottles eventually! Now vendor, give me my prize before I smash your face in next!" Black Star snapped out.
The vendor immediately stopped his gaping and nervously backed away from Black Star.
"What prize would you like sir?" He asked quickly.
"What prize do you want Tsubaki?" Black Star questioned, turning towards her.
Tsubaki smiled and pointed to the teddy bear. The vendor nodded his head and handed her the teddy bear as the two proceeded to walk away.
"You really didn't have to do all that, but thank you though." Tsubaki stated with a laugh, as they both took a seat on the bench.
Black Star grinned and put his hands behind his neck. "I think this calls for a victory kiss to celebrate how great I am!"
Tsubaki blushed and said nothing back before smiling and nodded her head. Black Star smirked and closed his eyes as he leaned in to kiss her before he shortly realized that Tsubaki had placed the teddy bear between them.
Black Star frowned as he spat out the teddy bear's fur. "What did you do that for?!"
Tsubaki only grinned and shook her head. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."
Black Star sighed was about to look away, but Tsubaki scooted in closer and gave him light peck on lips.
"Thanks for taking me out here today. I really have enjoyed all the places we've been going to over the past few days." Tsubaki stated sincerely with a smile.
Black Star blushed slightly before gaining back his usual confident grin. "It's no problem. Hey, there are still some more stands we can check out. Let's go try the ring toss next before getting some lunch!"
Tsubaki was about to disagree, but Black Star had already stood up and ran over to the next stand without her.
Tsubaki sighed and shook her head with a chuckle. 'There's no stopping him once he sets his mind to something.'
~X~
"I think I'm getting used to being on a motorcycle now." Maka said with a grin, as they both stepped off the bike and stretched their arms out.
"So that means I can use it to take us around then, right?" Soul asked.
Maka shrugged and nodded her head with a smile as she took a quick glance at her watch. "I guess we're going to be having a late lunch today since it's almost 2 pm now."
Soul nodded his head and walked back up the bike rental to return the motorcycle keys and helmets.
"Which restaurant do you want to eat at?" Soul asked, as he walked over to where Maka was standing at waiting.
"I haven't tried Frank's yet. Do you want to eat there?" Maka suggested.
Soul shrugged and nodded his head. "Anywhere is fine by me. After this, I just want to chill and take a nap though."
Maka nodded her head in agreement and grabbed Soul's hand as the two of them walked comfortably down the hallway.
"They've finally come back." David stated to Victor with a smirk, as they watched the two of them leave the lobby together.
"So I see. It's about time." Victor grumbled out, before they both stood up from the sofas in the lobby and followed behind them quietly.
David and Victor watched as Soul and Maka took a seat at the restaurant by the window and waited patiently while a waiter came up to take their orders.
"Do you want to just share a plate of chicken wings and fries?" Soul asked.
Maka nodded her head with a smile and the waiter took their menus away and came back with two glasses of water to start them off.
"I'm going to head to the bathroom; I'll be right back." Soul grumbled out, as he got up from his seat and walked down the hall, but not before glancing towards the entrance and seeing David and Victor.
'Aren't those the same two guys that tried to drug Maka before back at the club? Are they still trying to bother her?' Soul thought to himself, as he decided to crouch down behind the wall and keep himself hidden.
"He got up; it's time to make our move." David whispered to Victor, as the two got up and approached Maka.
Maka had been gazing out the window absentmindedly when she noticed David and Victor and frowned.
"What are you two doing bothering me again? I thought you said you could find other girls to hang out with besides me?" Maka asked coldly.
Victor only smirked and shook his head. "You think you're so great don't you? You may have gotten the better of us beforehand, but that's not going to happen again."
Maka arched an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes. "Oh really, I'm not going to fight you in the middle of a restaurant though."
David scoffed and pulled out a dagger from his pocket, causing Maka's eyes to widen in shock. "See if your fists will be able to handle a knife."
As David finished his statement, he stepped forward quickly and prepared to strike Maka in her stomach, when Soul suddenly blocked him and instead got stabbed.
"Soul! Why did you get in the way you idiot?!" Maka snapped out, panic stricken as she jumped out of her seat and watched in horror as blood started to seep onto Soul's gray's shirt.
"Get away from here before they attack you next." Soul grumbled out weakly, as he tried to cover up the wound with his hand.
Maka shook her head and turned back to David and Victor who were luckily being held back by security and some other guests who had heard and seen the commotion.
"This isn't over yet." David mouthed to her, as he and Victor were taken away from the area.
"Someone call for an ambulance quick!" Maka yelled out, as she used some napkins to try and cover Soul's wound as best as possible for the time being.
~X~
Maka sighed as she paced back and forth nervously in the waiting room of the hospital. 'This is my fault. If I had never punched that guy, he wouldn't have come after me again. Now Soul has been injured because of something I did.'
Maka huffed and tighten her fists in anger and was about to start pacing again when she saw Black Star and Tsubaki approach her and ran up to them.
"We came as soon as we got your text. What exactly happened?" Tsubaki mumbled out, as she gave Maka a soothing hug and tried to calm her down.
"It was those two guys who we met on the beach. David was about to stab me, but Soul got in the way." Maka stated tiredly and wiped a few tears away from her cheek.
Black Star growled cracked his knuckles. "Where are those bastards now? I'll show them what happens to people who mess with my friends!"
Maka sighed and shook her head. "I think the hotel security is handling the situation. And besides, getting into a fight with them is what caused this whole mess to happen in the first place."
"How long have you been waiting out here?" Tsubaki asked.
Maka shrugged and sat back down in one of the chairs. "About 2 hours now. It seems like the stab wound was pretty deep because he had to have surgery to help stop the bleeding."
Tsubaki sighed and nodded her head and sat down in the chair next to her as silence fell over all 3 of them. Another agonizing hour passed before Stein stepped out of the doors of the emergency room and greeted them.
"How is he doing?" Maka asked timidly.
Stein smiled and nodded his head. "The surgery was successful, but he's going to need to stay here overnight for observing. It's possible there might have been some bacteria or germs on the knife that could make Soul sick."
Maka grimaced at thought of Soul getting sicker and pouted slightly. "Would it at least be okay for me to see him?"
Stein shrugged. "I'm sure that's fine with him. Just make sure to keep your voices down."
Maka nodded her head and went in through the doors to find Soul.
"I think we should let them be alone for a while." Tsubaki stated to Black Star with a smile.
Black Star frowned, but nodded his head in agreement. "It's a good thing at least that Stein was the on call doctor for today. I guess we can go grab a quick drink from the vending machine before we go barging in."
Maka let out a sigh a relief as she took a seat in chair next to Soul and took in his sleeping form.
"I'm sorry I caused this to happen to you Soul. It was me he was trying to stab, not you." Maka mumbled out, as she gently gripped his hand.
Soul opened his eyes sleepily and gazed towards Maka. "Maka? What are you doing here; how did I end up here?"
"I got harassed by those two jerks before David stabbed you. Luckily, you got taken to the hospital in time before the wound became serious." Maka explained.
Soul frowned and rubbed his forehead as the memories started coming back. "How long have you been waiting here for me to wake up?"
Maka glanced at her watch before looking back at Soul. "It's been a little over 3 hours now if you include the time you were in surgery and in recovery."
"You didn't need to wait around for me here for that long; you could have been spending time back at the hotel relaxing." Soul stated quietly. 'Why would she stay here for that long? We barely know each other that well and yet she still stuck around…'
Maka shook her head and fiddled with Soul's bed sheets. "I wouldn't have felt right if I just left you here after you protected me like that. I don't mind staying here with you."
Soul grinned and tried to sit up in bed a bit, but winced in pain as he moved. "Well, thanks for keeping me company. You being here with me will at least make it feel like time is going by faster."
Maka beamed and nodded her head as she scooted her chair closer to Soul. The two of them sat in peaceful silence until they heard a knocking on the door and Black Star came in with Tsubaki trying to tell him to quiet down behind him.
"Hey Soul, I hope you and Maka aren't doing anything indecent!" Black Star yelled out, but then frowned when he realized all they were doing was holding hands.
"Wow, you guys aren't even kissing or anything? How long is it going to take for one of you to make a move?" He asked with a yawn.
Maka huffed and threw a magazine at his head before crossing her arms. "It's none of your business!"
Black Star scowled and rubbed his head as Tsubaki smiled next to him. "How are you feeling right now Soul?"
Soul shrugged. "I feel alright, but hopefully with the medicine Stein prescribed, I'll feel better in the morning. "
Tsubaki nodded her head in understanding and sent Maka a secretive smirk that caused her to blush.
"I think we should plan another full daytrip all together again once Soul gets better." Maka suggested aloud.
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. "It's another opportunity for you to take more pictures together with Soul!" Black Star stated with a grin.
"Yeah, well it's another opportunity for you to impress Tsubaki also." Maka countered with a smirk.
Black Star surprisingly had nothing to say to that. "Well, you definitely got me there. I guess we can start looking up stuff once we get back to the hotel."
~x~
This ends Chapter 10! Let me know what you think with a review and as always, thanks for reading!