A/N: SORRY GUYS! I HAD TO REDO THIS CHAPTER; I GAVE AWAY SOME MAJOR SPOILERS TOO *facepalms* OH WELL :P
Soul went back home to eat some of his instant noodles and when his belly was filled up, he made an attempt to take a nap, which was unsuccessful. He somehow felt drawn to the park and returned after a few hours. Now he sat on the same bench he had sat in earlier, lost in his thoughts and music pouring through his headphones. It was nighttime and the street lights were on, giving the park a slight glow of yellow. Deserted and alone, Soul leaned back on the bench to gaze at the night sky speckled with faint glittering stars. Knowing that the rest of his days would be as lonely as this one, he sighed and turned the music off, closed his eyes and let the darkness and numb his mind. Yesterday he confirmed with himself that Maka was not coming back, and that he should just forget about her ever coming back.
It had already been a few days; what are the chances that she'd come back today? There was no sense in waiting and wasting time.
There was going to be no more Maka.
Soul... The sound of his name being called in the distance made his eyes open. Soul ripped the headphones out looked around for a sign of anyone around, but there was no one there. He double-checked the volume, but it was already muted. It was just the wind- or maybe he was just going crazy. He heard the same voice calling for him again, only closer and more distinct. Okay, now he was really going crazy. This time he left the bench to look around, but still there was no one. "This is so stupid," Soul muttered to himself and went back to the bench.
OooooooooO
"Good morning, class. Today, I want to introduce you to a new student; her name is Maka Albarn."
Maka confidently walked in, hands tucked behind her back, emerald eyes glinting with excitement. The classroom was filled with awe and curiosity as she bowed in the front of the classroom and greeted everyone. She took a seat near the window and acknowledged the girl sitting next to her. The girl had black hair that barely touched her shoulders and short bangs that touched just above her pale blue eyes. She wore a black top and black skirt with a white scarf.
"Hi!" She leaned over and whispered to Maka. "My name is Tsugumi. Welcome to our school." Tsugumi offered a modest smile from her cute round face and returned to her desk, pretending that she had been paying attention the whole time.
After the first bell rang, Maka felt a light tap on her shoulder and looked up. Tsugumi stood happily next to her and asked if she would like to meet her friends, to which Maka thankfully replied "yes."
"This is Anya, and this is Meme," she said, pointing to a strict-looking blond-haired girl with a slight scowl on her face. She puffed up her chest and reluctantly shook Maka's hand. Then, she pointed to another girl whose looks were in stark contrast to Anya's. Meme's deep amber eyes had already drifted off into space dreamily, and she was twiddling with her fingers in front of her. Her brown hair was cut even shorter than Tsugumi's; it only fell down to her ears and on the top of her head was one small pigtail that seemed to be sticking out of nowhere.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, but was still in a daze. "Hello…my name is…um…Me…Meme?"
"You can't even remember your own name?" Maka asked quizzically.
"Meme's a little…off," Tsugumi explained. "She tends to forget things a lot and she's a bit ditzy, but Meme's always nice to anyone." The classroom started to empty as more and more student went off to their next class. "What class do you have next?"
Maka glanced down at her schedule and answered, "I have math with Ms. Marie."
"Aw, I don't have math next, so I guess we'll see you at lunch?"
OooooooooO
Tsugumi led her to the lunch table, saying that she was welcome to join them anytime. Sitting in between Meme and Anya, Maka felt accepted among her new friends, even thought they had never known each other until this day. She talked along with them, laughed with them, and enjoyed being together with them; but something was still lacking.
She missed those hardened hands that held her tight at night as they slept, and caught her tears when she cried. Maka even missed his droopy and nonchalant crimson stare that watched carefully over her in times of danger, and the outstretched arms she ran into when everything felt apart.
This new home was not home at all.
