Wow, it's been a while. Sorry guys! And so the story continues. Time to say good morning to our favorite rays of sunshine, hm? After all, it's about time they had a proper reunion... If you can call this proper.
**Okay, can I just talk to you guys for a little bit here? I don't do this often, and I'm sorry for the huge author's note this time around, but I wanted to clarify something. In no way is Maka playing damsel in distress in this fic. If you will remember, she didn't want Soul's help. She was taking matters into her own hands, not begging anyone to save her from herself. Besides, in their first fight with Medusa, Maka pretty much ended up saving Soul, who was having a bit of a tough time.
That being said, Soul's stubborness eventually forced Maka to see some kind of light and change her mind, and he recently took the blow for her. Then he went after her when she was taken by Medusa. This did not mean that Maka couldn't hold her own, because she's actually the better fighter of the two when she's fallen to insanity, putting her around the same level as him when she's coherent. However, she was handicapped by the paralysis and then ran into her father after she was already exhausted and couldn't force the madness to take over her again. Okay, rant over. I just didn't want anyone thinking this was the 'damsel-in-distress-knight-in-shining-armor' deal.**
Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater or it's fabulous characters.
Emerald eyes peeked open, the bit of darkness in the corners of her vision melting away to reveal a shockingly white ceiling. Cringing, the girl attempted to prop herself up on one arm, soon finding that her body was still extremely sore from the events of the day before, namely the poison and its temporary paralysis. She settled for lifting her head, squinting as she surveyed the small room.
"You're awake." The familiar voice reached her ears, and she turned her head slowly to look at whoever had spoken to her. "Good morning, Maka." Kid greeted, offering a small smile.
Maka nodded in response, finding her throat to be impossibly sore. Her hand found its way to her neck, fingers delicately running across her undoubtedly bruised skin. She wasn't exactly sure the condition of her body, but she couldn't find herself too concerned with it either.
Turning away from Kid, Maka glanced to her other side. Another bed sat next to hers, holding a white headed patient whose face seemed to be scrunched up in discomfort. Eyes widening slightly, the girl struggled to roll herself onto her side. Once there, she pushed herself up to a sitting position, biting the inside of her bottom lip to keep from grunting in pain. Her ash blonde locks, freed from their usual bands, fell around her shoulders neatly as she watched her partner's chest slowly rise and fall beneath the infirmary blanket. A shaky breath escaped her lips. She was relieved to find that he was still alive, seeing as the last she'd known he was bleeding out on the floor of a classroom.
"He's alive." She managed to rasp out, tone doing nothing to give away her happiness at the thought.
"You really shouldn't be sitting up just yet." Tsubaki commented warily, blue eyes full of worry. "You've got several wounds, and your shoulder and legs required stitching."
"And yet I still got off with less than I deserve." The girl muttered to herself, voice breaking hoarsely due to the condition of her throat. "It's my fault that Soul is here."
"Give it a rest." Liz chided, having just caught what the younger assassin had said. "Injuries like these are unavoidable in our line of work, so quit trying to blame yourself. Soul knows what he signed up for."
"Even a BIG STAR can end up like that." Black*Star added, jabbing a thumb in Soul's direction. "'Sides, I'd do the same for Tsubaki, and she for me. We all want to protect our partners."
"Right!" Patty giggled, swinging her legs in the chair she was currently occupying.
Maka said nothing, viridian gaze sweeping over the faces of the others in the room. They were all such nice people... Why? She didn't have much time to ponder the thought as the black and ivory haired boy began to speak again.
"If you would allow us, we'd like to be your friends, Maka." The young man stated, golden eyes softening. Upon seeing Maka's gaze shift to her lap, he quickly tacked on, "Take your time. The offer always stands."
Maka nodded, turning her head to share at the wall. Choking down the panic that was quick to rise at the thought of her father, she managed to croak out, "What happened to Spirit?"
"He's been detained in one of our organization's cells. My father has been filled in on the situation." Kid stated. "No need to worry about him."
With that, Maka allowed herself to, slowly, lay back down on the bed. Liz was right, it was a dangerous business they'd all gotten wrapped up in. Before, the thought of dying on the job had never frightened her. Actually, she was more than delighted by it. Finally, she realized that she didn't want to go out like that, nor by her own hand. As much as she hated to admit it, she had someone she cared about now. Someone who also cared about her.
A stirring in the bed beside her caused her to turn her attention towards it. Soul's face, before scrunched up in pain, seemed to have relaxed as his eyes fluttered open. It took a few seconds for the boy to realize where exactly he was. Once everything had finally registered and the events of the previous day filled his thoughts, his scarlet eyes went wide.
"Maka." He mumbled, head turning to either side of him. His gaze fell on the girl in the bed beside him and his voice became more frantic as he all but shouted, "Maka!"
Seeing his evident distress, she rolled to her side, reaching over and struggling to grasp Soul's hand. "I'm here." Maka assured him. "I'm okay."
He sighed in relief, relaxing almost instantly. The ivory haired teen gripped her hand as if to reassure himself that she was actually there. Crimson eyes fluttered closed, momentary bliss quickly forgotten as the throb in his chest reminded him why he had been put in the infirmary in the first place. Sharp teeth chewed on the inside of his cheek while he forced himself to keep the pained look off of his face. He couldn't have them all worrying over him more than they already had, after all.
"Soul!" Black*Star shouted, rushing to his best friend's side with a ridiculous grin plastered across his face. "It's about time you woke up to greet such a BIG MAN like ME!"
"Keep it down, 'Star. You'll end up waking the patients on the floor below us." Soul grinned, slapping hands with the other.
Tsubaki laughed nervously, obviously embarrassed by her eccentric partner's behavior. She, as well as everyone else, was elated to see that Soul was alright. He'd been severely injured, and yet he still ran back into battle to make sure his partner made it out alive. The dark haired girl shook her head, smiling fondly. What an odd bunch they were.
"Stop being so reckless." Liz scolded. Normally she wasn't the one to be chastising the others, but someone had to say it. "You can ask for our help, you know. Don't let your stupid pride get in the way anymore, you hear me Eater?"
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you." He responded, scowling a bit. Sighing, his expression suddenly became more serious. "Thanks guys, for all of your help."
"That's what friends are for." Tsubaki chirped with a smile, momentarily glancing towards Maka who seemed to be deep in thought.
Currently, said girl was thinking about Kid's 'offer', as he had called it. Friends, huh? She wasn't entirely sure what to think of it. Was Soul her friend? He was friends with the others, but their interactions were different. Her brow scrunched up in confusion, and the chatter of the others in the background seemed to dull. What exactly was their relationship?
"Maka?" Tsubaki called, catching her attention. "Are you alright?"
The ash blonde nodded in response, looking up to meet the other's gaze. Maka's eyes, once dull and nearly lifeless, seemed to be regaining their shine. Glancing to her right, she realized that her hand was still locked with Soul's. Strangely enough, she didn't pull away. In fact, she found herself calmed by it. Was that... friendship?
"Well, since you're both awake and safe..." Kid began, getting up from his seat across the room and coming to stand symmetrically between the ends of both beds. His calculating golden eyes skimmed over both partners as if to assess them before he continued. "I want to talk about an order father has given me."
"What order?" Soul asked, raising a pale brow at the boy.
"Well, with the recent falling of Spirit, I had to explain that you had teamed up with Maka in secret. Because of that, she has now been made an official member of the organization. Neither of you will receive penalties for it, thanks to our current situation with Medusa." Kid explained. "You have also been made an official team."
"And the order?" Soul asked.
"You're to have a weapon reassignment."
Woohoo another chapter down. This one was a lot lighter than the past few chapters. I figured we could all use a breather.
Fun Fact: Soul's weapon is a single pistol because he often worked with Kid's team when he first started the organization. Kid had required he carry twin pistols like the others. Once Soul began solo missions, he decided to use one pistol rather than two.