..::TEN::..
Clan meetings really are a bore, Soul thought to himself as he stared out the nearest window at freedom. The table had been removed and now Soul sat next to the west wall; Black*Star and the others not too far away. He was hardly listening as Stein debated with Mifune over something or other; he wasn't quite paying attention. Soul rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, cutting his eyes toward Black*Star who only scowled. Soul didn't have to venture into his mind to know he was thinking the same thing about Mifune. They hated him.
Mifune was a swindler and he was damn good at it too. Quiet and controlled, he was protector and guardian of the Lady Angela. She was the watcher of Aokigahara, also known as the Suicide Forest. Mifune was an old one. Born during the Edo Period, he had been an early soldier for Tokugawa Sogunate when he had been captured and turned by a rogue, who had left him for dead. Soul and Black*Star had only met Mifune once before, Black*Star not really faring well against the skilled swordsman.
Stein walked around dispersed chairs, still in serious conversation. Soul stare out into the beautiful night sky, wishing to be done with this nonsense. He knew he should be more involved. All of this mess was his fault after all; hell, Stein had been practically giving him the stink eye all night. Soul knew he should take lead instead of Franken Stein, but there was just no fight left in him. No will to be the next Shinigami, like there had been before. Yes, he had been accepted under Lord Death's wing and treated like a son, but Soul had also believe he had centuries more to learn and grow from his mentor. It shouldn't have been this quick. He shouldn't be dead! Soul clenched his fist, and he felt his fangs extend as rage overcame him. He felt his eyes beginning to burn as they faded to black. Soul blinked a few times and took a breath, trying to calm himself down. He had to get a grip on his emotions.
He knew the entire group could sense his anger as it washed over them in the dining hall, but no one even dared to look in his direction. He knew they all felt the same about Lord Death's death. It wasn't fair, and someone needed to pay. Soul suppressed his thoughts as the meeting progressed to other things and a chill shot down his spine when Mifune glared over in his direction.
"Ghost pass over your grave, Soul?" Mifune sneered as he spoke under Steins voice, false concern on his face.
Soul sat up and glared over at Mifune, finally snapping out of his drifting thoughts. "No, quite fine, Mifune," he answered coolly, his voice barely a whisper.
"How do we even know Spirit will retaliate with the help of the rogues?" interjected Azusa as she stood, speaking to the crowd. "Until then, I refuse to even consider a plan of action."
Soul sighed and massaged his temples. They'd been over this a thousand times already. Back and forth. Back and forth. The room was divided.
"I say we just kill her," said Myra. "That way all our troubles are over." A few others nodded in agreement.
"No. That will only make our problems worse. We have to be diplomatic," replied Stein as he paced in front of them all.
"Surely-" began Azusa but Myra stood up and cut her off.
"Forgive me, Azusa, but I don't understand why we are risking our lives for the sake of one human girl? She is not worth a fight with the slayers or Asura, is she?"
Out the corner of his eye, Soul noticed Eibon, the elder and great sorcerer, move for the first time since they began their debate. He had not spoken a word since arriving and it made Soul quite nervous. He wore a mask, as Lord Death once did, so there was no way in telling how he was taking this information.
"This is the family of one of the greatest slayers vampire kind has ever faced. We cannot afford to be rash for fear of starting something we will long regret," Stein explained, making a point to look at each vampire present.
That one crucial fact, who she was, or rather, who her father was, still did not seem to have sunk in to their thick skulls and Soul hung his head at their stupidity.
Stein turned to Marie, his mate, and said, "Marie has been in Tokyo monitoring the governments' movements for the past few days. Please, tell them what you have learned."
Marie nodded and stood, giving the room a once over before beginning. "The Prime Minister's stance on us is a non-intervention policy; in other words, he turns a blind eye to our existence. He is taking extra precautions to assure the investigation into the Tokyo Bloodbath will be quietly dealt with and closed. Though I can't say that he will be so compliant in the events of a similar incident." She looked pointedly at Soul and he quickly darted his eyes elsewhere. "But he is not our problem. Spirit Albarn is.
"Albarn cannot afford to make a move." She shrugged. "At least not yet. He is afraid that any attempt on our lives will result in retaliation and the consequential loss of innocent life by either us or the rogues he has allied himself with. So that's good at least. Buys us some time. To disobey that order would ultimately end his career."
"And no job, means no power," Soul interjected, following her train of thought.
"Exactly!" Marie exclaimed. "We must remember that Spirit doesn't just want his daughter back; he wants to bring about our downfall." That was no secret. Ever since Spirit had come to power within the government, Spirit had made his intentions towards their kind quite clear. "The Prime Minister's orders for Spirit are to not intervene unless we make any threat or show of violence first. And if we do, Spirit will be ready." A blanket of silence descended upon the room. "We need to avoid confrontation at all costs. We can't kill the girl or force her to turn against her will and we cannot threaten Spirit or his government, or presumably the rogues in with him as well."
"So what do we do then?" asked Kidd, who had been very quiet the whole evening. Others looked longingly at Stein for an answer to the question Soul was sure was on everyone's mind.
"We will do nothing and try to get the girl to turn on her own free will," Stein said, then sat in the throne.
There was a badly hidden gasp of shock and the chatter within the room instantly picked up. The idea of doing nothing was not one anybody in the room had entertained. And getting her to turn? Soul had to struggle to contain a laugh. If Stein thought she was going to turn anytime soon, and freely, he had another thing coming.
"Quite agreed," Ebion said, finally breaking his silence as his voice carried and echoed throughout the dining hall causing everyone to instantly hush. "We will carry on as normal and give them no reason to suspect we know of their plans, which gives them no reason to attack. I suggest we keep the slayer's child as sheltered as possible. She doesn't need to know about the plan her father intends to implement. A human knowing more than she needs to is the last thing we need." He waved his hand dismissively. "I also propose that, to ensure her life and her blood are not threatened, you place a Protection over her."
Stein nodded. "It will be implemented with immediate effect." Stein cleared his throat and stood, addressing the crowd once more. "As you all know, nothing that we spoke of tonight leaves this room. But for now, this meeting is adjourned until we receive further news."
Soul sighed again, exasperated, but finally glad the meeting was over. Chairs scraped, and people began to leave the room, talking quietly amongst themselves.
"Try to stay focused next time, Soul," Stein said as he wandered over to where he was sitting.
Soul clamped his jaw shut, trying to keep from exploding on Stein. The meeting had taken three hours and there still wasn't a plan of action. Were they to just sit around and twiddle their thumbs while Spirit gathered new rogues and other machinery to combat against them while they did nothing?! With a growl, Soul stood and turned, heading toward the doors.
Though, he couldn't leave without having the last word. Soul eyed Stein before saying, "You do know what's going to happen, don't you? Her turning on her own whim is stupid. She'll never do it."
"That is where you will come in," Ebion said from the shadows of the dining hall, making everyone who was still waiting behind jump. Soul was sure he hadn't been standing there a second before but shrugged it off. Ebion was a mysterious vampire.
Ebion glided from the shadows to the center of the room, his long robes trailing gracefully behind him along the polished floor. Soul frowned. Anytime the great Ebion talked, you better listen, and this time he was addressing him.
"You interact with the human?" he questioned once he was beside Soul. Soul only nodded.
"Us too!" replied Patti as she scampered over to where the two were standing. Ebion only nodded once, addressing her; and the others slowly came near as well.
"Then you are what she sees of our kind. Give her a reason to believe this is a life she could lead. A life she could choose," Ebion intructed.
Patti nodded, almost eager, but Soul scowled. He did not want to be roped into this but didn't want to defy Ebion either.
"It will take more than nice words and friendship to persuade her to turn," Soul stated sourly, clearly not liking this conversation one bit.
"When she has lost hope, it will take far less leverage."
"I won't do it," Soul said, defiant.
"You will," interjected Stein as he made his way over toward them. "It's time you took responsibility for your actions."
Oh, this spiel again. . .
"I have accepted the consequences!" Soul snapped, turning on his heel and leaving the room and everyone behind him. He slammed the door with a satisfying bang and ventured outside in need of some fresh air.
..::::..
The night of November 10th brought Maka's eighteenth birthday, and with it, little reason to cheer. It had been over a week since the dinner with the vampires and many had dispersed from the mansion back to their home, or sewers, or gutters, or graves. . . But some stayed. There were plenty of rooms to go around, anyways. She should have been out enjoying drinks and fellowship with her friends; but instead she was stuck in a living room. A living room full of dead beings.
The fire flickered lazily in the hearth, the warmth burning her legs as she sat in the chair closest to it. The long drapes were pulled across the windows and a faint whistling could be heard outside as the wind whipped against the house. She listened as Liz and Patti played chess in the corner, with occasional exclamations of 'Cheater!' breaking through the quiet. Tsubaki and Black*Star had already retreated from the room, and Soul sat at the piano in the corner, mindlessly pecking at the keys.
Though sitting right next to the fire, a chill ran down her spine. She felt as if eyes were on her. Maka wrapped her arms around her legs and she stared down into the fire, seeking solace from the hot tongues that lapped at the grate. The feeling subsided for only a moment. She turned her head slightly and noticed Kiriku watching her from the doorway.
When her eyes met his, he walked over toward her and sat down in the chair opposite hers. She kept her eyes on the roaring fire, as he stared at her through curious eyes.
"Haven't had a very good birthday, have you?" he asked, keeping his voice low.
Her eyes widened and she quickly removed her gaze from the fire to settle down on him. "How do you know that?" she said hastily.
He smiled, his eyes twinkling with mischief behind his dark rimmed glasses. "Looked you up online."
She slumped back into the chair, which molded to her back, speaking after a moment to collect her thoughts. "Since you ask, no, I haven't."
A grin remained plastered on his face. "I think I might know what will cheer you up."
"What?" she questioned flatly.
He chuckled. "Care to take a walk outside?" Kiriku asked.
Maka raised an eyebrow, suspicious; she had not ventured out since the night they had brought her here. "You mean go with you?" she clarified, wanting to make sure.
"Well. . . yeah," he said, shrugging as if a little shy. "You don't have to if you don't want to."
"She doesn't want to," a loud voice boomed.
Both Maka and Kiriku turned to see Soul rising from the piano.
"Oh, c'mon Soul," Kiriku pleaded. "It's just a walk."
"No," he said plainly as he walked over toward them.
"Okay. . . okay." Kiriku rose from the chair and disappeared through the door of the living room without another word. Maka was a little sad to see him go. She then turned her attention back to Soul and he frowned, then grabbed her wrist, pulling her into a standing position. Without a word, Soul pulled her out of the living room and into the foyer.
"Go to your room," he said quietly, and let go of her wrist.
She grimaced. "Do I have a choice?"
"No," he said, then turned around and left her there.
Maka was almost close to tears by the time she made her way up the winding staircase. She felt eyes on her back, as some of the passing vampires drifted into the kitchen, but she just didn't have the energy to care anymore. Maka reached the landing and took one last look down at the foyer, remembering the first time she had passed through those great double doors, wondering when her father would finally come to her rescue.
Ignorant. She had been just plain ignorant.
Two female vampires came in from outside, talking to each other with large smiles on their faces. For a brief moment, Maka wondered what it would be like to become a vampire. Aside from the killing and the drinking of the blood, they could pass for humans at least. Maybe if she would just let them turn her, then she could go home. But it would never be that easy.
With a sigh she turned and slowly ventured down the darkened hallway toward her room. The lamps that usually lit up the hallway were out, but she shrugged, dismissing it; too tired to care. She walked the last few steps towards the room as a single tear finally fell down her cheek.
Happy Birthday to me. . .
Reaching her door, Maka rested her forehead against it as she tried to get her breathing under control. She knew she was about to lose it. She was usually a lot stronger than this, but it's not everyday your kidnapped by vampires and held hostage in their mansion. Maka closed her eyes and took deep, shaky breaths. She pressed her hands up against the door, about to push herself off of it, when something cool brushed up against the back of her neck.
Maka immediately wrenched her whole body around as quickly as she could, her heart beating at an impossible rate. She leaned back up against the door, fumbling behind her for the door handle, as her eyes swept up and down the dark hallway.
A figure stepped out from the shadows and into the small sliver of light that filtered in from downstairs and Maka let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding.
"Oh, it's only you, Mifune."