Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot.
NOTE: This XXX is the symbol that things are getting' a little naughty and this OOO signals when things are over. Mkay?
Intro Image:
Maka is seen sitting with her back against a mirror. She's wearing an all white tube top dress. Her knees are hugged to her chest while her chin rests atop them. Her hair is let down and is trickling over her shoulders, a few strands falling her face. She has a small, nervous little smile on her lips. Behind her stands a figure of herself wearing a demonic grin. The Maka in the mirror is wearing a dress identical of her own except in black. Her hair is also down but her bangs fall so as to hide her eyes in shadow.
Chapter Fourteen: Scissors and Strings
When Patty said that Shinigami-Sama was planning to fast track Maka's exams and training, she wasn't kidding. In the matter of two weeks Maka was all done and received her official agent's badge. She was currently sitting with Soul on his bed, staring at the glinting silver badge with a large grin. "This is so cool!" She giggled, instinctively using one of her beau's favorite words. He chuckled lightly at her.
"What was cool was when you sent Black*Star flying through that wall with a book!" He laughed loudly. In her exam with Black*Star, he'd set boxing gloves and brass knuckles in front of her, telling her to pick one as her tool of the trade. She picked her thick, leather-bound tome and said it was more effective than any of those weapons. When the blue-haired male had charged at her, she hit him with the side of the book and sent him spinning through the wall. It had resulted in Black*Star getting a concussion and Kid having a severe nervous breakdown due to the symmetry of the room being completely ruined. Liz had, surprisingly enough, clapped the other blonde on the shoulder and congratulated her on her first double whammy.
"That was pure luck!" She giggled lightly, flopping onto her side and looking at him. She looked pretty cute with her body curled up to her chest and her fingers still clutched to the silver badge as if it was something more precious to her than her own life. "I've been feeling pretty lucky ever since I came here, to be honest. I can see why my parent's loved this life so much." She hummed while stretching and turning onto her back. While her spread out, she set her badge down on the bedside table.
"Oh? Any particular reason?" Soul mused, leaning over so his face was right above hers. She grinned at him, one hand reaching up to cup the side of his face. She guided him down, leaning up a bit more herself, and their lips lightly brushed.
"Well, I got to meet all the girls that have been fantastic friends, I got to reunite with Blair… Oh, and I met this egotistical jerk who thinks he's Mr. Cool Dude," She said with a shrug and teasing grin. He smirked at her, leaning down and kissing her again.
"Sounds like a real winner to me," He mused lightly. She giggled again (God, she was cute when she did that) and quirked an eyebrow at him.
"You must have a weird definition for what a winner is then," She said with a laugh. He laughed back and leaned a little closer, letting his hands keep him propped up on either side of her.
"Then why are you dating him?" He asked smugly. She shrugged and her own grin turned into a somewhat challenging smirk.
"I have a thing for narcissists, I guess," She said before shaking her head, "that or I'm just an idiot. Or maybe – now, just hear me out since this will seem outlandish – he really isn't that bad a guy?" She suggested. Soul laughed at this before leaning in closer, his eyes locked with hers and their lips mere centimeters apart.
"My dear, I believe you overestimate his humanity just a touch," He hummed lightly.
"And what if I could prove there was more humanity to him than previously thought?" She whispered lightly.
"Well, then I'd have to give you a reward," He said casually, making sure to keep his own tone low as well.
"Bring on the presents, then," She whispered lightly before kissing him. He kissed back, enjoying the feel of her fingers beginning to slip into his hair.
"So what's your evidence to deserve a prize?" He asked while leaning back up a little.
"That's simple; I've won the heart of Soul Evans and, therefore, I am the ultimate winner," She said teasingly. He blinked then grinned wider.
"That's a very valid piece of evidence. I hear he's a pretty eligible young bachelor," He chuckled lightly. Maka used her fingers tangled in his hair to pull him back down for another heated kiss. Their teeth clattered a bit from the abrupt force she had put into it but soon, when tongue was pressing along tongue, they forgot all about the slight grievance that had been that little bumping.
"Not anymore he isn't," She hummed quietly, grinning against his lips before kissing him again. Tongues tangled rather quickly into the situation, awarding Soul with a contented cooing noise from Maka. He eased a bit closer to her, letting himself relax down so that he was resting on top of her. She didn't protest but he felt a bit unsure.
XXX
"How far exactly are we going to go?" He asked softly when they pulled away. She looked up at him through half lidded eyes and he felt suddenly very flustered and awkward. That question sounded a lot more like something a nervous young lady would say in this instance than the young gentlemen, leaving him to scold himself for taking a jab at his own ego.
"However far we want," Maka said simply, as if the question was something you got asked on a daily basis. She giggled at the bemused expression he displayed and kissed his cheek. "I understand why you asked and I'm saying I'm fine. We haven't been together long but I don't believe in regrets."
"What?" He asked flatly, not quite understanding what she was saying. She let out a small sigh and pressed against his shoulder, effective switching their positions. Once she was comfortably situated on his hips, she leaned down and rested her forehead against his.
"What I mean is that I know this isn't just about sex," She said calmly, making sure to keep her eyes on his. She wanted to make sure he got the point of what she was saying. "I have always held insecurity in regards to relationships and being intimate, since my parent's relationship was always so unstable. I always agonized over whether or not a boy would be using me to get a quick piece of ass and then dismiss me as if I never really existed. But I trust you and I think it's about time I put a little more faith in my judgment. After all, you aren't my Papa and I am not my Mama."
"And you've come to this realization in just the last few minutes?" He asked slowly, one brow raised. Maka rolled her eyes at him before leaning into his lips while her hands crept under his shirt. Any possible protests he may have had died at the feel of her warm, soft fingers treading lightly over the muscles beneath the cotton of his shirt.
"I came to this realization over the last few months since I realized I liked you. I've just been thinking of it more in actually possibility since we started dating," She explained before her hands slipped back down and set to pressing his shirt up a little more. He caught on to what she was doing and easily enough tugged it over his head, giving her a better few as well as letting her hands have easier guiding access.
"You really like to think about things in great detail, don't you?" He chuckled lightly. She leaned up and gave his neck a playful nip, followed shortly by an affectionate little lick, that made him groan low in the back of his throat.
"I like to have all my options planned out. Now stop talking," She mumbled against the shell of his ear before setting to marking up his neck with little love bites. Although Maka wouldn't say it aloud, she liked being in control and she liked it when she could get a rise from Soul. If she could shatter that cool guy face he wore all the time and strip him to the bare bones she felt a little bit cocky. He could usually get a reaction from her with the greatest of ease; making Soul Evans react in an amusing way, however? Not as easy a task as one may think.
She felt, however, with how his breath was becoming labored, that she was off to a fantastic start.
Soul was honestly starting to wonder where Maka had learned these little tricks she was suddenly pulling from her metaphorical hat when she lightly nibbled his earlobe. "Is this from the training you… Got from Blair?" He said, pausing to let out a loud moan when she pressed an open mouth kiss to his pulse point. She was going to be the death of him as this rate!
"What did I just tell you to stop doing?" She mumbled while sitting back up, looking down at him with a raised eyebrow. He smirked, taking this chance to let his hands settle on his hips. He wasn't sure why he set them there (especially given he probably could have gotten away with putting them in other, more eventful places) but it seemed comfortable enough. After all, he didn't want to come off as some sex-hungry lunatic. "And yes. She told me a few little secrets about how to keep a man reduced to putty in your hands. Never thought they'd work so well." Ah, he wasn't sure if he liked that smug tone to her voice.
"Ho hum?" His fingers were starting to slide up the side of Maka's shirt. He suddenly pivoted his hips and switched their positions again, leaving Maka blinking in alarm. "Did you forget that I'm an assassin too?" He teased, pressing her shirt up just far enough to reveal her flat midriff.
"I would never do something that would damage your ego so much," She sneered. He scowled at her before leaning down and kissing her again, his fingertips just ghosting over the warm flesh of her belly. He was awarded with little mewls of delight from the blonde haired girl beneath him.
He pulled away slowly, grinning deviously at the faint pink dust adorning her cheeks now. He liked this fickle being that was Maka Albarn; one minute she could be so damn alluring and dominating, in yet be so innocent and submissive in the next. He decided that he'd have taken issue with this matter if it had been anyone else but her. "Now shush," He said lightly, pressing a finger to her lips.
"Sure thing," She laughed lightly, rolling her eyes at him. He grinned wider at her response before slipping down a little more and lacing a few feathery kisses to her soft stomach. He liked the sound of her shuddered breath and pressed a little more insistently, his fingers lightly caressing her sides. He adored the cute little noises she let out but he could already feel himself becoming greedier.
Getting her to call his name, he decided, would be the feather in his cap.
He began to lick, kiss and nibble all around Maka's stomach before leaning back a bit to tug her shirt over her head. She let it go willingly and he had to smirk at the front hooking pink bra with little white hearts splashed here and there his girlfriend had picked for the day. "Did you get this in a set?" He asked in a teasing tone. She pouted a bit at this before shrugging.
"I guess you'll have to figure that out on your own," She said simply. He smirked and leaned down, his eyes still locked with hers, before lightly kissing the flesh between her breasts. She moaned a touch louder.
"I intend to," He purred before easily popping open the little hook in the front of her bra. He decided to later thank whatever man (because this innovation could only be the work of a man) it was that came up with the concept of bras that hooked in the front. To think that no one had thought of these sooner was simply astonishing to him; for how long had men been forced to fumble with those damned hooks while their girlfriends/ wives mocked them for their inability to unlatch them?
'And thus my cool personality gets to remain intact longer,' Soul mused to himself while assaulting Maka's left breast with the combined efforts of his teeth and tongue. He gave himself a pat on the back when she gasped his name and smirked against her flesh when she whined for more. 'So cute.' He thought while his hands went to her hips and slid down along the side of her little plaid skirt.
His mind suddenly went on full locked down for a brief second when one of Maka's hands was suddenly at his crouch, gripping at his awakening member through the fabric of his denim jeans. "Damn!" He hissed out lowly, pulling away from her skin and pressing his forehead to her sternum. He felt the giggle she released at this, more pressure being applied to his tender appendage.
Her free hand shifted his head back up, guiding him by the chin, in order to get another kiss. Her arm wrapped around his neck, hand tangling in his hair, while the other continued to get him even hotter and more bothered. One of his own hands found itself gliding up her skirt, stroking her cloth-covered nether regions, while the other was now keeping him a bit higher above her. They kept up a flurry of short kisses, panting against each other's mouth during the short breaks, while still trying to gain the upper hand on the other.
After what was mere moments but felt like several hours, the unthinkable happened; one of them relented and it wasn't Soul.
"Soul… Please," Maka whined finally, her hand pausing in its movements. He stilled as well, locking eyes with her. He was looking for any sign she was second guessing this, any sign she was starting to falter in her confidence. He didn't want this to ruin their relationship, didn't want her to feel like she was being pressured. All he saw beneath the mist of desire was love and, more importantly, trust. He nodded and kissed her again, his hands now working at getting them both free of their last articles of clothing. She made sure to assist him in getting everything discarded.
They laid there for a moment, hearts racing and still breathing hard, and just looked at one another's nude form. They were memorizing, studying, delighting in the mysteries just answered for them. They took their time drinking in the foreign sights until finally, gulping, Maka made a small noise that alerted her to Soul's attention. "Kiss?" She asked meekly, again becoming shy and flustered. He smiled lightly and kissed her as their bodies shifted on instinct, settling into the position simply known by all humans in these times.
He was careful, to say the least. Soul knew it was her first time, as well as his own, and had been told the first time was always painful for the girl. He went slow, pressing forward cautiously, and made sure to keep her preoccupied with kisses to her lips, eyes and forehead. She had tensed up and released a small cry when he finally broke past her barrier. He waited for her, forcing himself to resist the incredible warm that was her clenching around him.
She shifted a bit when she was ready, indicating him to start moving. He started pulling out slowly, keeping his eyes and ears focused on every last detail of her, before pressing back in. She let out a breath but it didn't sound pained. He kept going at this languid, cautious pace for a while simply out of fear of hurting her. "Soul," She panted out lightly, awarding him with her attention. She was blushing slightly, hair splayed about wildly on the pillows, and her lips were parted oh so alluringly. "Fas… Faster?" She asked meekly.
He nodded, at a loss of words, but adjusted his tempo to match her request. She moaned lightly, eyes closing tightly. He groaned himself, her walls clenching a bit more around him. He tried to hold on longer, tried to keep him in control as his speed and force gradually picked up. He lost it when she started crying out for more and calling his name in that tone of voice.
It was irresistibly sexy in his opinion. They were both holding fast, trying so hard to last as long as possible. It was sweet to think they simply wanted to please one another, though it didn't last as long as they'd hoped. There was an upside, however; they had let go at the same time. Maka arched, gasping his name in broken syllables while he let a feral growl of her name come out against the skin of her neck.
They stayed there for a while, catching their breath before Soul leaned up and grinned at her. "Damn," He hummed before kissing her lightly. She giggled and let her hands slip from his hair and rest along his shoulders.
OOO
"Oh, Wes-Kun, you are incredible! I can't believe you found a way to make it work!" Blair gushed excitedly, latched onto the arm her boyfriend wasn't wielding his cane in. She was leading him to his younger brother's room since she knew Maka and Soul would both be there; they were practically conjoined at the hip. "And you're going to just love Maka-Chan! She's smart, cute but also knows how to stand her ground when she knows she's right! She's the perfect match for Soulie-Kun nyah~!" She hummed before pausing in front of the door and flinging it open without a thought.
They were greeted by a nice view of Soul's ass.
"Well, hello to you too, little brother," Wes said casually, causing the other albino to let out an alarmed noise and turn to face him. Maka squeaked and yanked at the blankets until they were covering her body. Soul shoved a pillow over his own crotch while his face reddened.
"Wha- Wes, what are you doing here? And have you ever heard of knocking?" He snapped accusingly, pointing first at Wes and then the giggling woman beside him.
"You two did the mattress mambo! Bu-Tan is so proud~!" Blair squealed, spinning in happy circles. Soul's eye twitched, his teeth grinding together, while Maka crawled deeper into the blankets. Was this really going to be Soul's brother's first impression of her; seeing herplaying tonsil hockey with his baby brother while they were both in their birthday suits? How embarrassing!
"GET OUT!" Soul bellowed wrathfully, resisting the urge to launch at them. Given his brother had a weapon (since Soul knew Wes could turn his simple cane into a lethal tool) and he had no clothes on he didn't think that would end very well for him. That seemed to work well enough because Wesley turned around.
"Get dressed and then meet us in the cafeteria, okay?" He said before disappearing. Blair looked back at them, a large grin that would make any of the shit-eating grins Black*Star had ever flashed pale in comparison. She then waggled her fingers at them and shut the door. The two teens exchanged glances before hurrying to gather their clothes and get put back together.
After a quick dressing session, Maka was sitting in the cafeteria with Soul, Wes and Blair drinking tea and eating little pastries. They had picked one of the smaller round tables so as to take up less room and be better situated to speak. Soul sat on one side of her and Wes on the other. Blair sat between the two brothers, smiling and looking between them both eagerly. Wes was smiling patiently, watching his younger sibling shift. Soul would glance up, meet his gaze, then looked back down.
The young blonde had to give Wes credit; she'd never seen Soul so very twitchy before.
"So what exactly are you doing here?" Soul asked while leaning back in his seat, finally seeming to recollect his wits about him. "I somehow doubt that it just has to do with a nice family visit."
"I came to speak with Shinigami-Sama about Miss Albarn's placement, little brother," He explained with a small chuckle. The two teens exchanged worried looks at this. "Is it alright if I call you Miss Albarn?"
"Just Maka will suffice," She said with a quick smile. He chuckled lightly at this.
"You're very sweet," He said sincerely. Maka watched as he took a sip from his tea before continuing, his mannerisms reminding her of an 18th century noble. Compare him to his aloof and occasionally off-putting sibling and they seemed to be polar opposites. "Shinigami-Sama requested that I place Maka in either California or find a way to keep her in this base. Turns out that wasn't as hard as anticipated; she'll be able to remain here."
"But our squad already has six members," Soul pointed out, surprised. He wasn't going to complain if Maka got to stay but they couldn't keep her here if she was needed elsewhere.
"Yes, but you have two gunners and are missing a temptress," Wesley said with a small chuckle. Maka gasped with bright eyes while Soul felt a bitterness sinking into his belly. He knew exactly where this was going and wasn't sure if he liked it. "And by the time Maka's information was channeled into my office for placement it was one of the only two positions she was eligible for. Taking into account she had slightly higher marks in regards to that area, I decided on that as her title and already cleared the rest with Shinigami-Sama. Congratulations, Maka, on getting to stay in the Nevada base of operations."
"Thank you so much!" She gasped happily, flashing him a large, excited smile. He smiled back and nodded his head while turning back to his brother.
"Are you left wordless, Soul? That's a first since a long time," Wes commented with a small chuckle. Blair giggled and leaned into him, nuzzling into his shoulder.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you all meet?" Maka asked suddenly, causing three sets of eyes to lock in on her. She blushed a bit, embarrassed at the newfound attention, and frowned at them. "I mean, Soul told me you two were adopted by Shibusen but I was wondering how exactly you came to be so close to Blair." She explained further.
The older Evans sibling smiled and glanced at Blair, whom batted her lashes at him. "Well, I guess I can explain it a touch. It's not too long a story, after all," He chuckled lightly. He looked down at the tea cup as he picked the place to begin at.
XxX
Wesley had been the first to spot the unfamiliar man and young girl hovering a few feet from the funeral procession. One of his hands was securely inked with his brother's and the opposite arm was draped over his shoulders, helping to guide him. The doctors had Soul was severely traumatized and, despite his age, Wes knew what that meant. With everything Soul witnessed his appetite was practically gone, he rarely slept and he no longer spoke. His older sibling was trying his best to take care of him, trying to help heal him a little at a time. So far it proved useless and he knew it wouldn't last. Their family was pawning them off on some group called Shibusen because no one wanted to deal with Soul.
'They must be with the group,' Wes thought, glaring and tightening his grip on his brother a bit. He had always been a mild natured child with a good head on his shoulders; responsible and respectable, but also cheerful and fun to be around. He had hoped that he could charm their relatives into seeing the good of helping poor damaged Soul but none of them cared. It would cost too much time, too much money, too much love to get him the help he needed. 'Filthy, lying bastards, the whole lot of them.' He thought crudely as the caskets were lowered.
He could feel Soul shifting, as if he wanted to run to the coffins, but he held him firmly in place against him throughout the remainder of the service. Once their relatives started to disperse, the foreign figures approached. "T'was a lov'ly sorts a ceremony, if ya' ain't bothered fer me ta say," The man said, his accent making Wes flinch a bit. The other people in their social class had a word for his type of individual.
If he recalled correctly, it was hick.
"Not at all. Thank you for your compliment," Wes said with a weak smile. He had never thought himself to be the judgmental sort but the idea of being raised by… Well, "hicks" was not his ideal situation.
"Grandpa Steven doesn't mean to offend," The girl giggled, large amber orbs glinting with a mirth that seemed inappropriate in the given instance. The corner of his lips twitched, his smile almost faltering in that instance, while Soul peered up at them anxiously. "I'm Blair, by the way. And this is Grandpa Steven, one of the older individuals offering his assistance even though he should be retired."
"Retirement ain't fer the young'a heart, like meself," The man said, pounding himself on the chest. He then started to wheeze and cough violently, which made Soul cringe into his brother and release a startled noise.
"Maybe you should let your body do more of the thinking, rather than your bull-headed heart," Blair teased lightly. He chuckled and then knelt down, getting a better look at the two boys. Soul hid into his brother's side, not wanting to be seen.
"So yer the Evans boys, eh? I 'sume ya' must be Wesley, since ya' clearly got some height on the lil' bean sprout 'ere," He hummed lightly. The girl made a small noise in the back of her throat and shook her head, walking over and squatting down so she was eye level with Soul. He peered out at them cautiously and she smiled brightly.
"Grandpa Steven doesn't know what he's talking about. You're just a shy, sweet little man (1), aren't you?" She asked sweetly. Matching sets of ruby orbs widened in horror. She didn't know it, but Blair had just opened a can of worms.
At that moment, Wesley feared he'd have to make the pair his enemies.
Soul let out a few strange, strangling noises and tears pooled at his eyes. His grip on his brother's shirt slackened and his curled little fists went toward his face in hopes of hiding himself. Yellow eyes widened then softened before the young girl pulled the younger sibling to her, tucking his head under her chin. "Hey now, you're okay, see? Bu-Tan's got you now and you'll be safe with her nyah," She whispered in a delicate coo.
Needless to say, the older albino was stunned at the whole situation. He watched as his little brother wrapped his arms tightly around the girl's neck and let her coddle him. It baffled him and smacked all his logic to the wayside. He had tried saying these things and being this way with Soul, in yet his younger sibling had remained completely vacant and unresponsive. No matter how much he tried to reassure his brother, remind his brother that he would always love and support him, nothing worked. And then this weird girl says something that triggers memories in him, and he falls to become putty in her hands?
"Well, guess every now an' 'gain, it takes a young lady's delicate touch ta soothe an achin' heart," Steven chimed in with a small chuckle. The younger male blinked and stared at the two, realizing that he had a point. Soul had always been closer to their mother; it actually made sense that it would take a girl's maternal instincts to help him start to come around with his grieving process.
Blair held Soul for a very long time until, finally, the poor boy had cried himself into a dreamless sleep. She scooped him up carefully, seeming unbalanced and about to stumble backwards at first, but quickly fixed herself and started walking. Wesley followed behind her, walking beside Steven and discussing what they'd be doing. The older man explained that, for now, he and Soul would be staying with him at Shibusen's replenishment location. He didn't really understand what he was saying but he chose to shrug and brush it off. He assumed all his questions would be answered in the near future anyway.
The entire car ride to Nevada he watched as Blair held his brother, reminding him of a little girl with a baby doll. He wouldn't say it then, but it bothered him quite a bit; it made him feel as if his brother was just a toy for her.
Steven rarely spoke during the drive, apparently more focused on the road. It made things easier for Wesley in the long run but it was when he saw what would be their new home that his stomach did a somersault inside him. It was a run-down old store like the ones he'd seen in Western growing up. 'This… This has to be a very cruel joke the fates are playing on us,' He thought as Steven set to unlocking the door.
He led them through the store, explaining which aisle held which items. Soul had roused from his sleep at this point and walked, one hand linked with each other the two older kids. Wesley put on a smile and pretended not to mind while Steven struggled with the door hidden behind the counter. Both Evans boys flinched at the loud thump created by the wooden door crashing into the floor. "Sorry bout that; slips outta my grasp ever now and again," He laughed nervously before beginning to descend the stairs. Blair led the other two down, gushing excitedly about how cool things were down below.
"How old are you, anyway?" Wes suddenly barked, his tone sounding a bit harsher than he intended. She paused and glanced back at him before giggling lightly.
"I'm not that much older than you; just turned thirteen two weeks ago, actually!" She beamed happily before continuing to lead the two boys along.
'She clearly didn't understand what I meant,' He thought with a small sigh. He froze at the end of the staircase, however, when faced with the huge rows of crates. A forklift rushed past, the top of the box opened to reveal tons of various types of guns. 'Oh, God! Did they really give us to a group of arms dealers?' He thought in horror.
"Cool," Soul said in a ghost of a whisper, earning the attention of all three individuals. Grandpa Steven laughed at this, slapping his knee and shaking his head.
"Ya' got a good eye, fer a lil' bean sprout!" He said merrily. He then set one hand on his hip while the other indicated the aisles. It was then Wesley noticed the scars visible on the old, weathered palms of their new caretaker. "This'll be yer home fer the next couple'a years. Well, longer fer the bean sprout than the snobby one."
"What are you talking about?" Wes pressed with a frown. Blair took a few steps ahead and then turned on her heels, grinning at the two boys.
"Well, once you turn thirteen you have the option of joining the field operatives and being stationed somewhere else!" She mused lightly. She gave her own chest a little pat. "Bu-Tan will be starting her training here shortly! However, I'm going to be working here for a few months to help assure you two settle in alright."
"You still aren't answering my question!" He snarled out lowly. His grip on Soul's hand tightened a bit as a small amount of fear gripped at him. What kind of danger had he and his younger brother been placed in? The two strangers exchanged glances but then stared at him as if it should be obvious. "What exactly do you do here? What is Shibusen all about?"
"Oh, that's easy~!" Blair giggled. She held her arms out wide, gesturing to the building as a whole, her eyes alive with a joy that highly surpassed what she'd expressed previously. "This is a supple location but Shibusen is a group of government-hired assassins~!"
…
Wesley wasn't sure how he felt, despite being in Shibusen's care for almost a year. Soul had started to recover from their parent's death better than expected and Shibusen seemed to have no problems with having one of their professionals come check in on him every now and again. In these last months, Wesley had been introduced to Shinigami-Sama, the leader of the whole group, and was surprised to find him to be a fun-loving man in a mask. What had he been expecting? Well, certainly something more terrifying than what appeared to be a wacky inflatable tube man with a skull instead of a grinning face, to say the least.
When he went in, he discussed the concept of becoming a field operative once his thirteenth birthday rolled around in about another year or so. He had concerns in regards to Soul being left alone. Shinigami-Sama had made it clear to him that his training would be conducted at the Nevada base, but he may be reassigned later and could not continue his residency in the supplies base if he was found to have a field talent. He said they were in dire need of good field operatives and they'd take anyone who could handle it.
"How did your meeting go?" Blair asked, walking up and jostling him from his thoughts. Right now he was seated on his bed in the bunker, staring at the wall as he tried to sort out his thoughts. His gaze shifted to the purple haired woman he had formed a shaky acquaintanceship with; his reason for their relationship, in his opinion, was because of his younger brother needing some sort of pseudo-parents.
"As well as to be expected, I guess," He shrugged, turning back to face the wall. He felt a shift in the mattress as she crawled over to him, resting her hands on his shoulders so she could hoist her head to be facing him upside down. "What is it, Blair?"
"You're stressed out about Soul, aren't you?" She asked, causing him to flinch and look at her in surprise. She grinned and stuck out her tongue. "You're really easy for Bu-Tan to read~! She reads you like a book~!" She sing-songed lightly. She then sat back up, took his hand, and led him out.
In the main room, Soul was standing with a few of the older men. He was saying something, clearly frustrated and blushing a smidge, while the men lightly teased him. "What's your point?" Wes asked with a raised brow. All they were doing was being ni… Ah, that was it. "You're trying to say he'll be safe here by himself."
"Yes. And you can always come visit him like I come visit you two," She hummed lightly. Her hands were laced behind her back and her eyes softened, a sincere glint of affection lighting them up as she watched the other pale haired boy. "Soul will have to eventually stand on his own two feet if he aims to survive in this world or the real world; it's a fact you have to realize too. What you went through was terrible and I could never imagine it, since I don't really have parents to remember, but I do remember what my caretaker always taught me. She said to do what feels right for not only yourself but those around you too."
He was silent for a moment, just watching her as she watched his brother. Soul suddenly perked up, noticing them, and grinned widely. "Blair's back!" He cheered while rushing over. The young girl immediately scooped him up, showering him with cuddles and kisses. As Wes watched them, he smiled and came to his final decision.
A year later, on his birthday, he started his training in the Nevada Shibusen base.
XxX
"And that's how Wes-Kun became an agent! From there, he and Bu-Tan worked together and just sorta became an item~!" Blair giggled happily, leaning onto her boyfriend and eagerly cuddling him. Soul had his arms crossed over his chest, glaring off to the side with a blush, while Maka smiled.
"Wow! So you two basically raised him, huh?" She smiled, eyes on the older Evans sibling.
"Pretty much, yeah," He chuckled with a smile. Blair released him and suddenly grabbed Soul, pressing his face into her chest in a crushing bear hug, and giggled loudly.
"You'll always be Bu-Tan's little Soul-Kun nyah~!" She laughed while he tried to break free. The ashy haired female watched while biting her lip to keep from laughing. She had a growing suspicion if she laughed loud enough for him to hear, there would be Hell to pay later. Was it her fault the thought of a child Soul following Blair around like a lost duckling appealed to her sweet spot for cuteness as well as the fact the image was humiliating to the adult he had become?
"Stop it, would ya?" He yelped when he finally broke free, face red from a mix of humiliation and the effort of getting away from Blair. She was still grinning and giggling at him. "Geez, you're so embarrassing!"
"Ah, before I forget," Wes said, suddenly growing somber. Soul blinked, an annoyed frown marring his face while he stared at his brother's serious expression. "Soul, I feel I must advise you that if you are to be sexual active with Maka, you should be sure to use proper protection."
"Oh, my God! Wesley, shut up!" Again, poor Soul was sent into a blushing mass of yelps and squeaks. The key element this time was that even Maka's giggles had been silenced and replaced with a blush of her own.
"Soul, this is a serious matter! You don't want to get her pregnant, do you?" He pressed forward. Maka's eye started twitching and she turned a red that rivaled on being purple. Were they really going to have this conversation right now? "I mean, you two have not been together long and you aren't engaged or anything. An unplanned pregnancy could be a rather difficult thing for the pair of you."
"You and Blair aren't engaged or married and you have sex like rabbits!" The younger sibling roared out, feeling as if his head was about to explode. Why did Wesley always have to be so damn… well, right and yet so blunt? Or, more precisely, why couldn't they be having this conversation behind closed doors somewhere safe, where Soul's girlfriend wasn't present?
"That is completely different," Wes said calmly, "because she and I are in a committed relationship and are both consenting adults who are old enough to drink and rent cars. Look, I'm not saying you have to never have sex again but I do think condoms or birth control would be a good investment for the pair of you."
"Stop talking!" Soul whined out loudly, letting his head start hitting the table over and over again. Maybe if he hit himself enough times he'd forget this conversation really happened.
Wes merely smiled at his younger sibling; Soul really needed to learn to be less fun to tease.
…
Chrona was watching Patty as she worked on hacking into Kid's laptop using some software on her own. They were sitting with their backs against the training room walls, with Patty sitting between him and the outlet her computer was attached to. "Going to mess with Kid~! Going to mess with Kid~!" She sang merrily, nodding her head while clacking away.
He peered over her shoulder, deep violet orbs watching as window after window popped open and then shut back down in a matter of seconds. He was alarmed to find he was relaxed by it; the process reminded him of how his own mind worked. "H-How is th-this me-messing with him?" He asked shyly. She grinned up at him impishly.
"Kid really likes things being nice and tidy so I'm going to rearrange his documents so that they aren't the way he likes them!" She laughed happily. After another few flashes of little screens, a medium sized window that blocked half of Patty's background (of giraffe's in the wild) from view appeared and they were greeted by Kid's nice and tidy desktop. Her eyes widened in delight and she squealed. "Yay! We cracked the codes!"
He continued to watched her, interested, as she started moving tabs here and there, leaving it in a state of disarray. "W-Why do y-you li-like to tease Kid s-s-so much?"
She paused and looked at him then looked back at the screen. "I'm afraid that he'll take her away," She said meekly. It was the first time Chrona had ever seen something other than mirth bubbling up in those sky blue spheres in the few weeks he'd been around her. It felt strange, having grown accustom to it, and was unsure how to handle this issue.
"W-Who is s-s-sh-she?" He asked timidly, watching her with one eye. His fingers started to fidget in his lap, trying to calm both himself and the ball of fury that had been twisting inside of him since his arrival. All he had to do was last long enough for Ragnarok to make his move, for a plan to be realized, to get Maka to come with them willingly. Willingly, yes; Medusa had been particularly clear about that element to the plan. So why was he paling around with Patty Thompson instead of getting Maka on his side? He didn't have an answer for it.
"Liz," She said in that same frightened tone. He blinked a few times, trying to drag up a face to match the name. Ah, yes, the girl with the dark blonde hair and stormy blue-grey eyes. He remembered that she and Patty had been introduced to his as being sisters. "She has always been with me, taking care of me. Mom didn't care much and was always too busy and never really wanted to… We weren't loved much by her. And Dad… Dad didn't exist as anything other than the missing piece to our genetic puzzle. And when Mom disappeared, we only had each other. And Liz always watched me, and loved me, and went without to give me everything. Then Kid found us and we've been okay ever since. But they are close, and they're closer than I'm comfortable with."
Chrona remained silent, awkward and unsure what to say. He never knew how to handle a situation well and in this instance he wished for it more than he had before. She seemed so terribly distraught and he wished he had something to say. After all, this girl always offered him her strange version of help and he wished to return the favor.
Instead, he stammered out, "I-I d-don't know how to h-handle t-t-this."
She stared at him for a moment before smiling lightly at him. "I know," She said with a little giggle. She leaned over and pressed her lips to his cheek lightly, causing him to blush and tense up. She then dropped her head to his shoulder and sighed happily, clacking away at her computer screen again. "Now to change Kid's passwords to seven-letter words!" She hummed mischievously.
For once, despite not knowing what to do, Chrona simply let himself live in the moment. And he really enjoyed it.
…
It was two more nights before Ragnarok was able to beat Chrona's consciousness into submission and take charge. He went to the roof at midnight, making sure to be wary of any possible security cameras. If anyone had been passing by they would have felt the almost electric twinge of his insanity and blood-lust breaking from him like lightening from the clouds. He made sure, however, to pass Soul's room, where he knew Maka was sleeping blissfully.
As if a switch had been flicked on, her eyes snapped open, her pupils dilated to tiny black dots in the center of her eyes. Her face was blank, vacant, as she slipped out of Soul's arms carefully. He didn't seem to notice, really, and she slipped out. She made sure to follow the path of her processor to T; how she knew the way even she was unsure. She simply assumed it had to do something with magnets. Yeah, magnets were cool.
She didn't realize it, however, but she was seen and tailed.
She took the elevator to the roof, staring at the cool metal doors until they parted. When they did, she was greeted by the sight of Chrona wearing an insane grin. She looked him up and down for a minute, still devoid of expression, as she stepped out. The cold breeze blew her hair and thin night gown about wildly. "So you're finally awake, useless bitch," Ragnarok chuckled out darkly, his voice not carrying a note of Chrona's usual pitch.
The corners of her mouth twitched before they twisted up into a berserk grin. She threw her head back and began cackling at the moon, eyes wide and transfixed on it shortly, before she rushed forward and punched him in the jaw. He stumbled back a bit before snickering and dishing her a blow in response. She let out a yelped laugh before smashing her elbow into his nose. There was a loud cracking sound and a black liquid that was as thick as blood gushed from the now broken appendage.
They set into a savage, vicious and wild romp that involved tons of crunches and maniacal laughter. The individual in the shadows clapped a hand over their mouth, eyes widen in horror. 'Black… They're bleeding black! And their wounds… Are they healing? What the hell is going on?' Despite the horror they felt at this whole bizarre, animalistic ritual they could not tear their eyes away the whole time.
After almost an hour of beating each other, the two figures slumped down in front of one another with wide grins on their faces. "How does it feel to finally get to be in charge after all these years?" Ragnarok laughed lightly.
"Blondie don't even know I exist! She's so damn happy with everything that her presence is still asleep!" The voice was similar to Maka's but it held a more psychotic sound to it. The pitch was slightly higher and tottered on the edge of being down-right hysterical. She suddenly hummed lightly with no real stimuli, snapping her fingers in beat with some song she was apparently hearing in her head. "So what about you?"
"Chrona knows I exist and he knows that I'm the boss," He smirked. He then jerked his thumb toward his chest. "I'm Ragnarok, by the way. I'm the clearly superior figure."
"I don't have a name; do I need one? Well, yeah, I guess I do! How stupid to ask!" She laughed, slapping herself hard across the face after her sentence. Their secret observer flinched at this. This strange creature wearing Maka's skin glanced up at the stars before looking back down and letting out a laugh that cracked on the last note. "I know! Call me Mars (2)!"
"That's a dumb name," Ragnarok said flatly after a long moment of silence. She responded by punching him in the neck, causing him to let out a rattling cough.
"Your name's dumb too, retard!" She snapped out angrily. She stood up and started dancing in little circles, spinning about with her arms extended and still letting out that strange laugh. "So what's the plan?"
"Lady Medusa wants us to return to her immediately," Ragnarok said while standing up. The observer swallowed hard at the mention of the name. They remembered the briefing that Professor Stein had given them a few months back on how to handle this traitorous woman.
"I don't have that kind of control yet," Mars snapped back before blinking and giggling again. She started opening and shutting her jaw rapidly, adding in the occasional bark and snarl. "And Maka doesn't sleep peacefully frequently enough for me to take control enough to get her away. She's a tormented little girl on the inside! Quick, get her some therapy and a cookie!"
"She already knew that and we've got a plan in action. I just needed to tell you since we'll be executing it shortly," He said with a smirk. She blinked then grinned wider again and giggled.
"Tell me! Tell me! I promise not to tell anyone our secret!" She gushed excitedly.
'What do I do?' The spy thought frantically, looking to the ground while pressing a hand to their heart. They couldn't get away; the elevator was closer to them and would take too long to start moving. Top that off with the loud ding it always released and that meant cover would be blown. Not only that, but they were unsure if they should try to hear more. This information would have to be shared with someone – anyone, really – and somehow relayed to Shinigami-Sama. Medusa had something up her sleeve and it needed to be nipped in the bud now.
It wasn't until they heard poorly muffled laughter and glanced up that they realized that cover mattered not; Ragnarok and Mars were standing right in front of them.
"Oh, look! It's a big fat rat!" Mars laughed excitedly, clapping her hands together in delight. She then turned to Ragnarok. "Let's play some games! We can rip off her nails one at a time just to see how much it hurts!"
"We could also hold her head under water until she's about to pass out, pull her back out, and then dunk her back in to see how long it takes her to finally drowned," Ragnarok agreed with a wide, sinister grin that matched Mars' on his lips.
"Or we could scalp her with a big shard of broken glass!" Mars laughed excitedly, getting closer to their target and effective cutting her off.
Death City remained disturbingly undisturbed by the tortured screams released on the rooftop that night.
End
(1) In chapter six, Soul's mother calls him "her little man"; therefore, Blair's word choice causes this reaction. Blair's response (something she picked up on from Kami, given Blair's own back story) is just the main reason it turned out better and didn't sabotage her relationship with the Evans boys.
(2) Mars – Mars was the Roman God of war, hence why crazy Maka chose that title. This is also a somewhat symbolic choice because, as I'm sure you all know, her presence will cause lots of turmoil in the story later. Also, I gave her a name because I figured it'd be easier than saying Maka and Loco!Maka all the time. Hope that's cool with ya'll. :3
Notes:
Pretty sure that lemon sucked and not sure I did Loco!Maka justice in this. :T I will try to improve on both in the near future.
Long chapter is long. Why did I make this one so loonnggg? Oh, yeah; Wesley. Please direct all complaints to him~! :D I want a baby Soul as a pet. Anyone else?
Also, I'm aiming to break this story into "seasons", if you will. The next chapter is the end of the first season and, as a celebration, I want to have chapter sixteen as a Q&A with the cast and crew if you'd all be on board for that. You can post/ PM me questions for any/all (meaning you can send me a question for each character from you) of the following characters: Soul, Maka, Tsubaki, Black*Star (though questions for him will be answered at my own discretion so as to avoid spoilers), Spirit, Kami, Blair, Wes and Yumi (again, hers will be taken at discretion to avoid spoilers). You can also ask me questions of any kind if you wish (though, again, no spoilers). :3
Next Chapter: Shit gets real yo. :D