Soul Eater
I would really like to thank everyone for the support. I really don't know how to thank you all. I guess I was feeling a bit paranoid because I've never ended a fanfic. This would be my first and I was starting to freak out I guess. I've never finished a fanfic in my life, but it'll be okay. I'll find a way. If I need any ideas, I'll make sure to let you all know. :)
So, I read Soul Eater Chapter 108 and to be completely honest, I have no idea what happened. I was left speechless by my own confusion. Well, whatever. I hope the next chapter brings us some surprises.
Well, please excuse my grammatical errors and I hope this chapter meets your expectations.
Untouchable
Chapter 50 - Replacement
There was something strange going on, but Maka wasn't sure what it was. She stood in front of Soul's room, her hand pressing against the door lightly. He was in there. He had been there since he had come home from work. Without saying a single word, he walked right inside the house and straight into his room. He didn't look at her. He didn't talk to her. He didn't say anything to her. It was odd since she had just seen him okay a little while ago.
Then, she didn't know why Soul hadn't gotten home so early. It wasn't even six when he showed up. Why did he get home so early and why did he have such a disappointed face? Why did he lock himself in his room without telling her anything? What was going on? He told her he was going to come out of work at eight, so why was he already home? Something must have happened. That's the only explanation Maka could give herself.
Sighing, Maka began to pace in the hallway as she wondered what to do. She kept stopping in front of the door, wanting to go inside. Would that be okay? There were so many things that could have happened and every single thought was starting to make Maka feel unease. What if Soul's boss got mad at him because he was out of task in order to be with her? What if they fired him because of that? Maka shook her head as she stopped in front of the door again. There was only one way to find out.
Maka knocked on the door lightly, hoping she would get a response. When she heard nothing, Maka knocked a bit louder. "Soul?" She squeaked before clearing her throat. "Soul? What's wrong? Can I come in?"
She didn't get a reply from him, but she walked right inside anyway. She found him laying on his bed, his arm over his eyes as his body faced the ceiling. Maka looked at him curiously while her feet started walking toward him. She could see him breathing heavily, but no other sound or movement was made. She got closer to him, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Hey. Soul?" Maka said to him, placing her hand on top of his. "What's wrong? You've been in here since you got home from work and that was like two hours ago. Why? Did something happen?"
"Nothing. Nothing happened." He told her, but Maka wasn't convinced. She slowly removed his arm from his face to find his eyes closed, his face a bit red. He looked half asleep to her. Soul made an effort to open his eyes and Maka was surprised to see them a bit swollen. She brushed his hair with her fingers, hurt to see him that way. "I'm just tired."
"Why did you come home so early? Are you sure everything is okay?" Maka asked him and that's when she placed her hand over his forehead. She was surprised to find Soul's forehead hotter than normal. She gasped to herself as dropped her hands to the bed. "Oh my god, Soul. You have a fever! Is that why you came home? I should have known. Oh, Soul. How in the world did you get yourself sick? You were fine just a couple of hours ago. Ah, you must have caught it from a customer or something. That's probably it."
"Yeah, right." Soul tried to sit up, but Maka didn't let him. She pushed him back gently and he didn't bother to protest. "A guy like me doesn't get sick, Maka. It's just a headache. It'll go away soon."
"You don't get sick, huh?" Maka stated, crossing her hands as she stood up in front of him. She pushed his hair back before walking over to the window. "You don't get sick? Says the guy that stayed home for two days because of a fever last time. Ha! You don't get sick. Yeah, right. That's a good one. You're going to stay in bed until you feel better. I'm going to go make you something eat."
"So, what now? You think you're some kind of nurse or something?" Soul gave her a small smirk, but it was quickly washed away with a long sigh. He placed his arm over his eyes again like if he was trying to avoid her gaze. "It's just a headache, Maka. You don't have to go out of your way. I'll be okay."
"Well, either way," Maka said, opening the window to let in some fresh air since the room was a bit stuffy. She walked over to him and touched his forehead again. "Whether you're sick or not, you haven't eaten since you got home. That's not healthy for you and that could be part of the reason why you have a headache in the first place. Just stay right here. I'm going to go make you something to eat."
Giving him a kiss in the head, Maka smiled at him before she walked out the room. That was probably why he had gotten home so early. His boss probably sent him home because he was looking ill. Maka walked into the kitchen and began to look around. What could she make him? She opened the refrigerator, looked in cupboards, searched in the cabinets while she thought of something to make. She wasn't the best cook and she hoped her cooking didn't make Soul feel worse. Still, she was determined to do her best and after looking around for a couple of minutes, Maka decided to make a canned chicken broth. How hard could that be?
Before she could get to work, an image of her homework suddenly came to mind. She had a stack load of homework, but she didn't have time to worry about something like that. Taking care of Soul was her top priority and she wasn't going to let a couple of papers block her priorities. Maka nodded to herself, lifting her small fists in the air with determination. She grabbed the can and started looking around for the can opener.
"Didn't I already tell you?" Soul suddenly startled her and she quickly lifted her head to find him leaning against the wall. His face was still a bit flushed, but not as much as before. He wasn't coughing either and he seemed to be pretty conscious. "I'm fine, Maka. It's just a headache. It'll go away soon."
He was serious and his voice was stiff. Maka didn't like the fact that he was avoiding her gaze. She watched him as he sat himself down on the sofa. He leaned his head back, looking up at the ceiling with another sigh. What was wrong with him? He seemed different from usual. Maka placed the can down, but she remained where she was, staring at Soul from the distance. "Soul?" She whispered. "What's wrong? You're not acting like your usual self."
She was starting to get scared. She had seen him act that way before. He was being distant, conserved, silent. She had seen him like that before. She remembered seeing him like that when he was in the hospital after the Asura incident. He tried to push her away from his problems and that's what Maka felt he was doing to her in that moment. He wasn't telling her what was troubling him, making her a bit worried. She wondered what in the world could possibly happening now. Did they not have have enough experience already?
Maka didn't want the problems to come surging toward them again. They had gone through enough already and Soul was already set in weak state. Still, didn't he know that she was there for him? Why didn't he just tell her what was wrong instead of drowning himself in his own problems? It made her sad to think that after all the time they've been together, he was still pushing her away from his problems. That was the reason why Maka was living there with him. She was suppose to be there to support him and to comfort him. She was suppose to be his pillar. He was suppose to know that he could count on her.
For the next minute or so, silence filled the house and it would have been that way if it wasn't for her cell phone ringing. Surprised, Maka flinched a little before she started looking around for it. She found it on top of the counter. She quickly grabbed it, but was surprised to see that it was unknown number calling her. She wondered who it could be. Probably her mother? Then, she heard Soul's grumpy voice. "Who is it?"
"I have no idea." Maka told him and, without thinking about it twice, she decided to answer it. "Hello? Who is this?" There was silence, but she could hear someone gasp on the other side. "Who's there?"
"Hey, Maka. It's been awhile, hasn't it? I wasn't expecting you to answer. I guess that's why I was a bit surprised. Anyways, how have you been? How are you and Soul doing?"
Maka's body stiffen as she gripped tightly on her cellphone. Why? Why was he calling her? Didn't he say he was going to leave her alone? Didn't he move to New York in order to forget about her? She didn't understand why he was bothering her. She didn't want to have any problems with Soul. What would he think if he figured out that she was talking to his brother? He would get mad without a doubt. Gulping to herself, Maka walked over to the kitchen, hoping Soul hadn't noticed her sudden shock. She tried to pretend like nothing was wrong.
Of course, everything was wrong. It wasn't right. How could she exclaim to Soul that he was hiding things when she was hiding things from him as well? How would things ever work out like that? "How?" Maka said, but not too loud and in normal sounding voice. She was glad Wes couldn't see her quivering hands. "How did you get my number?"
"I've had it for a while now. I memorized it when I was looking through Soul's phone some day." He told her. His voice was pretty serious and Maka could hear his sincerity. "I know. I probably know what you're thinking. You're probably wondering why I called you after I was suppose to leave you for good. It's just...I just wanted to hear your voice."
"Don't. Don't ever say that again." Maka wanted to hang up on him in that very moment. She could feel herself getting angry and annoyed. This wasn't suppose to happen. She was suppose to be with Soul, not talking to his brother. It was wrong. Everything she was doing wrong. "So, you heard me already and I have things to do. I'll talk to you never. Have a nice life and please don't call me. Don't call me ever again."
"That's harsh, Maka." His voice sounded so hurt, but Maka didn't know what else to say. If she was nice to him, he would only try to call her again and again. She didn't want this. She didn't want this to get out of hand. "Is it true you're going to go meet that woman and my dad?"
"Wait, how do you know about that?" Maka asked him a bit surprised. She blinked several times in confusion as she turned to look at Soul. She wondered if he had fallen asleep or something. "Did Soul tell you that?"
"I haven't talked to Soul since I left Death City. How is that boy doing anyways? Is he doing okay?" Maka sighed to herself, hoping Wes would just hang up already. This wasn't right. She had to tell Soul what was going on. "You should go check on him every once in awhile. He might get lonely."
"Yeah, don't worry. I will." Maka told him, not bothering to tell him that she was living with him. "Well, if that's all you have to say then please don't call me again. I don't want you to bother me anymore, so please let this be the last time you do something like this."
Then, she heard him groan and she could hear him slamming his fist on something. Maka bit her lip as she tried to calm down herself down. "I swear, Maka! I've tried! I've tried so hard to forget about you, but now that I'm farther away for you, everything just got worse. There isn't a day you don't cross my mind. There isn't a day I don't think about you. There isn't a day I don't wonder what you're doing. Ugh, I feel so pathetic acting like this. A twenty one year old falling for a high schooler? Don't you think that's stupid? I hate it and I want to stop liking you, but I don't know how. I don't know how to get you out of my mind."
"I'm already taken." Maka told him truthfully even though she could feel a little guilt forming in her chest. "It will never happen. I'm sorry. Please try to get that clear in your mind. You have to understand that. You just have too. I don't know what else to say to you. This isn't right. So please forget about me and find yourself nice girlfriend. I'm sure she's out there somewhere."
"You make it sound so easy." Wes told her and Maka could feel a knot forming in her throat. If she didn't hang up soon, she was going to end up crying from frustration. Why? Why was this happening now? After she and Soul had been living for so many peaceful weeks, why did that have to happen now? "Did you know, that it's impossible to find a replacement for you?"
And that was it. He hung up, leaving Maka in a state of shock. She closed her phone as she stared down at the floor. Out of the people to like her, why did it have to be Soul's brother? If she told him about, not only would he be mad at her, he would also be mad at his brother. They were barely starting to get along and now, because of her, another drift was close to forming.
"Are you done?" Soul suddenly asked her, startling her. She looked at him to find him standing against the counter. "Who was it? Why were you talking so quietly?"
Maka didn't say anything and let out a long sigh instead. What was she suppose to say? She couldn't tell him it was no one because it was his brother. She couldn't tell him it was a friend because it wasn't. She couldn't dare lie to him because he would probably be able to see through it. Why did she have to make things so difficult? It was true that she didn't want to have problems with Soul, but still, was that a strong enough reason to hide the fact that his brother was infatuated with her?
"C'mon, Maka." Soul extended his hand for her to grab. "Let's go for a walk. There's something I need to talk about."
…
For some reason, they ended up in a park or more like a playground. It was empty and they could see the sun setting in the background, leaving the sky a beautiful orange color. He was leaning against the pole while Maka sat down in a swing. She was still and her eyes were focused on the ground. Something was bothering her now. Soul could tell just by looking at her.
Soul looked up at the sky as he felt a breeze hit his face. He was feeling much better and he managed to cool down somehow. Of course, if he saw that bastard again, his blood would probably start to boil again. He still couldn't believe that Hiro would say something like that to him. He was probably more insane than Asura since Hiro's insanity didn't have any good motive. Still, how was Soul suppose to deal with him? How was he suppose to stay calm after he had been threatened? He wanted to hurt the one person he cared about. He couldn't just stand back and let it happen.
It was always like that. Ever since he can remember, ever since he appeared in Maka's life, her life was always at risk. They were always after her and it was always his fault. How was he not suppose to not feel tormented? It was always the same. Whether she lived with him or not, there were things that were always trying to separate them. Soul didn't want that to happen. He didn't want to be parted from the one person that actually mattered to him, but then again, her safety always came first.
He wasn't going to commit the same stupidity he had committed before. Not even with a gun in his head would he ever break up with Maka. She was the one that gave him a reason to live. Even so, where did he go wrong? Why was he magnet to problems and why was he always making enemies?
"Maka," Soul suddenly said after long minutes of silence. "Are you sure about this? There's still time for you to change your mind and go back with your dad. I don't want you to go, but I want you to decide. I'm not perfect, Maka. I'm not even close to perfection, but still, do you want to be with me? Tell me. Do you want to be with me even if nothing good ever comes?"
"I don't know why you're asking me this." Maka told him, giving him a stern glare. He could see her gripping tightly on the swing before she kicked a pile of dirt. "I'm with you, aren't I? Why would I leave you now? Geez, Soul. Sometimes you don't make any sense."
"Alright, then. You said it." Soul told her. He suddenly got in front of her, sitting down on his knees. He gave her a smirk as he placed his hands on her face. "I'm never going to let you go now. You had chance to leave. Now, you're officially stuck with me forever. No matter what comes at us."
"Soul," Maka said, shaking her head back and forth. Soul gave her a kiss in the forehead before getting behind her. "Just tell me what's bothering you. Why are you telling me all of this? Didn't we already have that clear? Since the moment I stepped into your house, I knew I was going to stay with you forever. I thought you knew that too. Could it be that you're starting to have doubts?"
"There are some things that are better to not know, Maka." Soul told her. He grabbed the swing and he began to pull it back. He heard her squeal which brought him some laughter. Then, he pushed her lightly, making the swing go back and forth. "I can't keep you locked up forever and I don't want to overprotect you. I want you to live your life. I want you to be happy and I want you to enjoy yourself. I just- I just want you to be careful, Maka. Don't let any weirdos get close to you. Leave the rest to me. I'll beat their asses if they try to do something to you. Can you promise me that? Can you promise me that you'll be careful?"
"Yeah, sure." Maka replied, but with some doubt. She stopped the swing with her feet and turned back to look at him, her green eyes sparkling under the weak sunlight. Then, she placed her knees on the swing, her eyes never leaving him. "Why are you telling me all of this? Did something happen at work or something? You've been acting weird all day. You know you can trust me, right? I'll try my best to help you."
"I just don't like people touching what's mine." Soul told her, stepping closer to her, forming only a small gap between them. He could smell her. He could smell that sweet scent all over her. "I hate it when people try to hurt you. Damn right. It pisses me off. Why can't they learn? Why can't they leave us alone? Why do they always try to tear us apart?"
Her face suddenly went pale and she completely got off the swing, facing away from him. Her head was bent toward the ground, her hands suddenly curling up into fists. "It frustrates me too. I know how you feel. I don't understand it either. I wish time would just stop even if it was for just a minute. I guess we'll always live with problems and I know we should be used to it by now, but still, it's not fair. It's not fair that there are people out there who have it all good and normal. Us on the other hand, we're far from normal. We're probably one of the most abnormal couple out there."
Soul was about to say something, but Maka kept on going. "Still," She turned to look at him with a smile, putting all his insecurities away. "Let's stay together. Let's not let them have there way."
"You know what," Soul said, pretending to act a bit serious. He walked toward her and wrapped his hands around her waist before placing his head on her neck. She was just too perfect. "I could just eat you right now."
"Ah, Soul. You're too crazy!" Maka giggled pushing him away playfully. "By the way, are we still going to go to your parents house on Sunday? I can't stop thinking about that. What if your parents don't like me? What if they think I'm not good enough for you? What if my parents end up scaring them? Ah! That's going to be so embarrassing! I swear, both them together act like children. I'm going to have to lecture them before we take one step inside your old home."
"Everything's gonna fine. Don't think too much about that." Soul told her since he had also managed to put all his father's thoughts behind him. He wasn't sure what he would when he had his father right in front of him. Soul watched as Maka started walking around the slide with some curiosity. "You better not even think about getting on that. If anybody sees you, I swear they'll confuse you with a 9 year old. They'll probably think I'm your brother or something."
"Whatever. I do not look like a 9 year old. See." She grabbed her hair as she pouted. "I don't even wear my pigtails anymore. So stop making fun of me already. I look right for my age, right?"
"If you say so." Soul told her as he placed his hands in his pockets. He walked toward her and then, he stood next to her. They both looked out at the empty playground, the swing silently swinging back and forth because of the wind. "Can you imagine it, Maka? Just think what it's going to be like in five, ten years from now. How will we be? How will things have changed? I wonder how many of our kids are going to be running out here."
"Say what?!" Maka suddenly panicked, taking a step back. He could see her face blushing, just the way he liked to see her. Pretty soon, he had Maka cornered between the slide and himself. "How can you even think so far ahead?! I haven't even thought of something like that! Geez, Soul! Why do you say things like that?!"
"We should have a little girl that looks like you." He told her, caressing her cheeks as he stared at her dreamingly. "A little girl with strong green eyes and soft light brown hair. She'll be innocent, smart and beautiful like her mother. She'll be a kind girl with a big heart like her mother. Of course, her daddy isn't going to let those scoundrels get to her. She's not going to have a boyfriend until she's twenty. The boyfriend she picks is going to have convince me and oh, if he makes her cry, I'll just bury him alive. Sounds pretty good, huh?"
"Good?! You sound worse than my dad?!" Maka exclaimed at him and Soul couldn't help but laugh. "What if we have a boy? You're going to let him date until he's twenty, too? He'll probably be just like you, too. He'll have that devilish smirk of yours and those scary crimson eyes that can intimidate the toughest of guys. He'll probably have a good fist like you and he'll probably have girls chasing him all over like you."
"I'll just make sure he doesn't turn out like me. I'll give that boy some good discipline." Soul said sarcastically, placing his hand on his chin. "Still, I don't want a Jr.! I want a baby girl."
"Well, it's not like we can decide that." Maka pushed him gently away as she started walking on the grass. "Besides, that's still a long way from now, isn't it? We still have to graduate, go to college, get a good career, etc. By the way, if you ever want to be a daddy, we have to get married first. I have principles I would like to follow if you don't mind."
Soul smirked before he took hold of her hand. If only she knew what he had planned.
…
