Noun; Latin for pause, delay, or respite.
A burning feeling lighting through Maka's neck rips the darkness away from her eyes. She lets out a groan, blinking at the still dark sky as she lifts her hands to her neck, pulling away to find her fingers covered in blood.
Soul enters her vision, gazing down anxiously at Maka. "Are you really awake this time?"
The laugh she gives makes her ribs ache. "If I was before, then I don't remember it." She wipes her hand on her pants, then attempts to sit up, intaking sharply when the pain in her neck intensifies.
"Careful." Soul cradles her head before helping her sit. "I think something cut you in the Rift."
"Yeah, that something had claws," she says. Soul's hand is warm against her skin as he braces her; there's something odd about it, picking at her as she leans on Soul, breathing in and out until realization crashes over her head.
She jerks away from Soul, then draws close again in the same instant, poking him in the chest. "You have a body!"
"I do." Soul's voice has a hoarse quality to it. He clears his throat, and blinks, like the action is foreign to him, which she supposes it is, after being dead for so long. "I'm not quite sure how it happened."
She couldn't care less about why Soul has a body; she scoots forward until she is right next to Soul and reaches out without thinking. Her fingers card through his hair, still white as snow, although his eyes have dimmed to a dark rusty brown. Soul doesn't move as her hand moves down to his neck.
Maka's throat closes as the thrum of Soul's pulse echoes against her fingers. "You're alive."
He speaks. "Yes." His breath ghosts over her lips, and she realizes how close her face is to his.
Moments tick by; she doesn't pull away, nor does Soul. Her hand is cupped around his neck now, fingers pressing gently into his skin to bring him closer, lips brushing against his ever so slightly. The pain in the back of her neck flares, and she gasps, jerking back, hand going to the back of her head.
Soul blanches at the blood on her hand, then tugs her forward. "Let me see."
The pain increases as Soul inspects her neck. "They're not too deep," he says, drawing back. "It might scar, though."
"I guess it's good that it'll be easy to hide then," she replies, looking down at the bag around her waist, looping the strap over her head carefully. "I packed some bandages in here somewhere."
"I'll do it." Soul takes the bag, digging for a moment as she twists around, brushing her hair forward. "Do you have any wipes?"
"They should be with the bandages." She tries not to wince when Soul presses the wipe to her skin, rubbing it across the cut gently, although she can't hold back her yelp when he fixes the bandage over it.
"Sorry," he murmurs, running a finger over the bandage once. "There, you're good."
Pushing her hair back, Maka makes sure that the bandage is in place, then moves to face Soul. "Thank you."
"I'm pretty sure I should be the one thanking you." His gaze lingers on her face for a moment, then he rises, holding out a hand.
A vague sense of disappointment flickers through Maka as she takes his hand. She looks around the canyon alley, then realizes suddenly that something is missing. "Where's Blair?"
"She said there were some poltergeists chasing after you before, though I didn't see any when I woke up," he says. "But she decided to go check anyways."
Maka nods, eyes trailing up to the sky. There are no longer as many stars out, the inky dark of the night lightning into day. "We should get going."
"Where are we?" Soul asks as he falls into step with her.
"Silver Canyon."
A frown crosses his face. "You mean the old canyon?"
She raises an eyebrow. "Was it new when you were around?"
"Not exactly." The spark of a grin plays on his lips. "It just didn't have a name, so that was what we called it. One of the local newspapers called it that once, I think."
"Interesting." Maka smiles as they exit the alley, back into the main canyon corridor. There's a giddiness spooling in her stomach that she can't hide. "My mother's into history, I'll have to ask-"
She breaks off suddenly, horror washing over.
Beside her, Soul tenses. "What is it?"
"My mother is with me," she says in a rush, eyes widening as she looks at him. "I never thought you'd be coming back with a body." She thinks quickly, thoughts going to Kami's trailer. "We came with a trailer-you could hide in there, but you won't be able to sneak in until we're done packing."
A different thought seizes her suddenly. "You want to come, right?"
Thorns seem to prick Maka from underneath her skin the longer it takes Soul to answer.
"Wanting was never the question," Soul says finally. She feels his eyes on her, but she can't bring herself to look at him. "Being alive does change my plans a bit, so it'd be nice to have somewhere to go."
He prods her when she doesn't answer. "Alright?"
Maka nods at the weak light breaking across the last of the night, feeling like her heart is about to overflow. "Okay."
Soul waits behind the rock where Maka left him, listening to the sound of her and her mother talking as he drinks in the sight of the sky. He missed the blue of the sky more than he realized, although he thought about that when his stomach rumbled earlier, too.
His hand goes to his chest, where he feels the steady beat of his heart. It's a strange sensation, one that will take time getting used to. He's distracted by the low grumble of his stomach, unsatisfied with the granola bar Maka snuck him.
It's almost funny the way he embrace the hunger. Normal, he thinks with relief.
Minutes tick by; he gets tired of crouching, and shifts to sit in the rock's shadow, daring to peek out after a moment.
The rock is not very close to Maka's camp, but it's on a low hill, giving him an overhead view. He spots Kami first; her hair is darker than Maka's and she is taller. There's a certain elegance to the way she walks, and although he can't make out much of her face, he can tell she is much happier than when he left for Abeyance, more at ease with Maka as they work together to take apart a tent.
It makes the tightness in his chest loosen, knowing there was something happy in Maka's life while he was in Abeyance. Her expression when she realized he was alive told Soul how much his leaving hurt Maka, even if it was the right thing to do. The pain is still something he has to make up for, but he has the time and opportunity for it now.
Thoughts of the future wind knots of worry in his stomach the longer Soul thinks about it. When Maka presented him with the scrapbook of Wes, she'd included his obituary. Wes had two children still living, along with nine grandchildren and one great grandchild, but none of them live in Orcus Hollow.
He tries to picture meeting one of Wes' children. Hi, I'm your grand uncle who used to be dead. I'm alive again because of a potion I got from a witch.
He doesn't have to imagine what their reaction would be.
The only option he can think of is going to school, although that would mean getting an ID, an obstacle he doesn't even have the faintest idea how to tackle. Vaguely, he wonders if the diploma from his boarding academy is still valid.
A tug coming from Maka's end of their link pulls Soul out of his head. Peering over the rock, he gets a glimpse of Maka and her mother starting to hike away with the first of their luggage before a weight dropping on his shoulder makes him start.
"Getting used to that new body yet?" Blair's tail flits in Soul's face as he moves away from the rock.
"Mostly, although I forgot how heavy things could be," he says pointedly, navigating down the hill with care. Blair settles on his shoulder, evidently rejecting the hint, and he sighs. "Why did you come?"
"Maka wasn't sure if your link still existed," the cat answers as she licks her fur. "So she sent me as back-up."
"Well, you can go tell her that it is."
She sniffs. "I'm not your servant."
"You got me killed."
"And you have a new body now."
Rolling his eyes, Soul reaches out within the link, giving a small tug back. Their bond is not as clear as it was when he was a ghost, as if his body muffled it, but it's there. However, he can make out the eagerness in her return pull.
A part of him rests against their link during Soul's trek out of the canyon, while the other recalls the feel of Maka's lips on his, not quite a kiss. His train of thought breaks away temporarily when they reach the mouth of the canyon.
The Rift is invisible in the daylight, save for a dull shimmer against the sky, but Soul can still feel it in his bones as he turns around to gaze at the canyon. It feels strange to leave it, somehow.
Wrong.
Blair nudges his head with hers. "Are you not used to all this walking?"
He blinks, shaking his head. "Just wanted to see something."
"Well, hurry up." Her prodding becomes more insistent. "Maka promised me fish."
Giving one last look at the space stretching above the canyon, Soul turns away.
Maka's heart thuds in her ears as she nods along to whatever Kami is saying, gaze trailing out to the passenger mirror and fixing on the trailer. Impatience bubbles underneath her skin, but there's nothing she can do except wait until they arrive at her house.
She nods absently when Kami says her name, only looking up when her mother repeats it twice.
"Are you alright?" Kami glances anxiously at her. "You look like you're on another planet."
"I'm fine." It's been months since she meant those words. "Great, even."
Her mother regards her with the same look she gave Maka when she came back with scratches and bruises after taking a dare from Black Star to skateboard down a giant hill with no elbow or knee pads.
Kami clears her throat before she speaks. "Your father told me about the...relationship issue you've been having." For once, her mother looks completely out of her depth. "Does this," she gives Maka a onceover, "have anything to do with that issue?"
For a moment, Maka fights with herself. Then, in a careful voice, she says, "It's not an issue anymore, actually."
"I see," Kami says, although she clearly does not. A pause passes, and then she asks, "So is that a good thing?"
"It is." The same giddiness she felt in the canyon wells up.
Her mother nods slowly, and she gives Maka a small smile. "I'm happy for you," she says. "Can I know his name?"
Maka hesitates; this conversation is a way to introduce Soul in her life, but she hasn't thought of a good story for the many questions her parents are going to have about him.
Finally, she decides on the truth for this question. "Soul."
"Soul," Kami repeats, eyebrows quirking slightly. "That's a unique name."
"It's actually Solomon, but he hates it."
"I think I can see why." Moricio's skyline breaks into view as they round a bend, and Kami throws another glance at Maka. "Will I be able to meet Soul soon?"
"He's coming into town soon," she lies. It's too much to throw Soul into an abrupt meeting, even though she knows her mother is the easier parent to meet, between her and Spirit. "You can meet him when he arrives."
"Perfect." Kami gives Maka a wink as they pass into Moricio's city limits. "That gives me time to work on your father."
She matches her mother's smile. "Thanks, Mom."
Spirit is waiting for them on the porch, standing up and hurrying down the steps as Kami pulls into the driveway. He wraps Maka in a warm hug as soon as she gets out of the truck, while her mother lingers in her seat.
"Hey, Papa." Maka returns his hug with a quick squeeze before pulling away, anxious to get to the trailer before Kami.
Her father keeps a hand on her arm, however. "Did you have fun?"
"Yes, I took lots of pictures, Mom's going to print them out." She glances behind herself, heart leaping in her throat when she sees Kami heading for the back. Scrambling out of Spirit's grasp, she swerves in front of her mother. "I already got my backpack."
Kami frowns. "I was going to check on the tents too. There was a lot of noise from the trailer while we were driving."
"I can do that," she says quickly. She grows desperate when Kami hesitates, leaning in. "Could you start warming up Papa about what we talked about? I want to tell him while you're here."
Understanding dawns on her mother's face, then she nods. "It takes your father a while to get used to an idea."
"Exactly." Maka lets out a sigh of relief as Kami heads for Spirit, making sure they are engaged in conversation before going to the trailer. She opens the door, and Blair shoots out of the trailer, winding between Maka's legs.
"This is the first and last time I get into a car," the cat says, stretching out her front paws. "That thing feels like a coffin."
"I'll give you double the fish I promised," says Maka, watching Soul yawn as he rises from his place on the floor.
"That'll have to be later," the cat says, swatting Maka's leg in farewell. "I need to go to my forest."
Her footsteps fade quickly as she bounds away.
"I, on the other hand, am sick of forests," Soul says as he comes to the trailer's entrance, a confused look crossing his face when Maka presses a finger to his lips.
"Everyone can hear you now," she whispers, craning her head to make sure her parents are still talking before looking back at Soul, lowering her hand.
An apologetic look comes onto his face; he drops his voice to a whisper as well. "So now what?"
"Do you remember how we used to sit on my roof?" she asks. Soul nods, and she steps back to let him out of the trailer. "Climb up there, I leave my window open in the summer so you can get into my room."
"Your room?" he repeats.
"You can't stay out on the roof any more." She grabs her backpack from the trailer, and eyes him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Soul doesn't meet her eyes. "And how am I supposed to get past your parents?"
"Leave that to me." Maka claps a hand on his shoulder. "I'll signal you when you can go from here."
With that, she leaves.
Maka joins her parents, glancing at Spirit. By the look on his face, she can guess that Kami hasn't quite dropped the news yet. "There were some loose poles, but everything looks good in the trailer now."
"I knew I heard something." Kami gives Maka a meaningful look before turning to Spirit. "Is it alright if I have a glass of water before I go?"
"Of course," says Spirit immediately.
Maka waits until they're inside to tug at her and Soul's link, heart somewhere in her throat as she follows Spirit and Kami into the kitchen.
"I could make some lemonade if you want," Spirit offers as Kami sits down while Maka gathers three glasses from the dish rack, head nearly exploding with her desire to be done with this conversation already.
"Water's just fine," says Kami, looking over at Maka. "Besides, Maka has something she wants to tell you."
Spirit's eyes narrow suspiciously as he grabs the water pitcher from the refrigerator. "What is it?"
"Why don't you sit first?" Kami suggests as Maka takes her seat, hands going clammy as she wipes them on her pants.
The look on Spirit's face is the one of someone who is sure they are being led into a trap, but can't figure out what it is. Cautiously, Spirit sets down the pitcher, eyes darting back and forth between Kami and Maka. "What is it?" he asks again.
Maka struggles to find the same courage that pushed her to go into the Rift last night. "Well-"
Overhead, a thud sounds, barely audible, but Spirit's head snaps up. "Did you hear that?"
"I have a boyfriend," Maka lies quickly.
The air in the kitchen turns taut as Spirit looks away from the ceiling, and to Maka. His voice is faint. "What?"
"A boyfriend," Kami says, intervening. "Which is what you were before we got married."
"His name is Soul," adds Maka as her father continues to stare at her. "He plays the piano, and has a cat."
Spirit says nothing, but his eyes goes to the table, as if it will give him a way to unhear this conversation. He gazes at the table for a long time, and Maka opens her mouth, but Kami waves her down.
"Wait," her mother mouths.
So she does, and eventually, her father looks up. "When?"
"We had a long conversation last night."
He looks slightly mollified at that. "I want to meet him." His finger lifts when Maka begins to protest. "You agreed."
She blinks; yesterday feels like an eternity ago. It takes a moment for her to remember what Spirit told her, though when she does, she wants to slam her head against the table.
"Meeting him will happen in time," says Kami. "We should be happy that Maka told us about Soul."
Happy is the last thing Spirit looks, but when he looks back at Maka, the fog clouding his expression has cleared somewhat. "Are you happy?" he asks.
Maka nods harder than she ever has-Soul being back was more than enough, no matter what they were. "Yes."
Spirit's face is slightly pained, but there is relief there as well. He sighs, a sign he is on the path to acceptance. "Alright."
A buzzing breaks the silence; Kami apologizes as she looks at her phone and frowns. "I forgot I have to be in Moricio."
"It's okay," Maka says, rising to give her mother a hug. "Have a safe drive."
Kami's eyebrows raise as she releases Maka and looks at Spirit, eyes narrowing. "Is it okay?"
His face works for a moment. "It will be."
"Good." She gives him a nod, turning to go.
Spirit's chair scrapes back. "I'll walk you out," he says, giving Maka a glance as he and Kami disappear through the hallway.
Maka waits until she hears the front door close before shooting out of the kitchen, taking the stairs to her room two at a time. Her door bounces off the wall slightly as she enters her room, finding Soul standing awkwardly in the middle. She frowns, pushing her door closed with her foot and moving forward. "Why are you standing there?"
"I heard your father when I came in, and panicked," he says, although he still doesn't move. "Plus, I didn't know where to sit."
Rolling her eyes, Maka reaches out and grabs Soul's hand, pulling him over to sit on her bed. "Here is fine," she says, before realizing what she's basically invited him on her bed and pointing to her desk. "So is the chair over there; the floor is hard, but also acceptable."
"Good to know."
"Yes." Belatedly, it dawns on Maka that if Soul heard what Spirit said, then he probably heard what she said too. His hand is still in hers; she lets go of it rapidly to push her hair behind her shoulder and scratches the back of her neck without thinking, causing the cut from the Rift monster to sting violently.
Soul notices immediately. "How bad is the pain?"
"Hardly there when I remember not to touch it," she answers. She gives him a curious look. "Does anything on you hurt?"
"Not really." He gives a shrug. "I just feel alive."
"That's good."
A silence falls, but it's comfortable. Maka watches Soul look around her room, even though he's been in it countless times. The look on his face as he experiences the world while alive is similar to how she feels when looking at him. Her eyes light over his hair and the slight flush resting in his cheeks, although her gaze is drawn tos his lips, lingering as the feeling of his lips echo in hers again.
Heat rises in her body, creeping into her face-she hadn't been thinking when she'd almost kissed Soul, and now that he's here in front of her, she doesn't know where they stand. Doubt works swiftly; she thought she was sure was of his feelings, but he's never said anything about them directly-admitting he wanted to stay with her was not the same as asking for a relationship. But he hadn't pulled away in the canyon, her mind points out, to which her doubt immediately attributes to the shock of being alive again.
Her body grows hotter as frustration flares, and she shifts, her knees brushing with Soul's as she does. By the way Soul stiffens, she knows he noticed; she wants to crawl underneath her bed, but searches for something to say instead.
"So, I guess we should think about what's next, since we can't stay in my room forever," she says, looking at her bedspread. "Black Star's house has an empty room, and I think I could convince him to ask his parents to let you stay there. They have soft spot for taking in strangers." She says this all quickly, gaze still rooted on her bed. "The high school doesn't look very closely at records, so you could say you're from overseas, and that your records…"
The rest of her words die away as she forces herself to look up, and sees Soul smiling at her. It breaks her heart a little, although she doesn't know why. "What is it?"
"Nothing," he says, then shakes his head. "Just happy, I guess."
She isn't quite thinking again when she leans over and kisses Soul. It's a short kiss, questioning; her heart is hammering in her chest as she pulls away from Soul and raises her eyes to his.
Surprise dances in his eyes, but there's something else there, too.
They close the gap between them at the same time; Maka gasps into Soul's mouth as she scrambles into his lap, hooking a leg around his waiiast. A groan escapes from his mouth, lips working against hers furiously as his hands wind around her body-pulling her close, but not close enough. Tugging at the collar of his shirt, she guides him on top of her as she lies back on the bed, wrapping her arm around his back so there is no space between them.
Tears prick at the corner of her eyes even though this is the happiest she's been in a long time, trickling down as she continues to kiss Soul. He tries to lift his head when he feels the wetness on her face, but her grip on his shirt is like iron. One of his hands pulls free from beneath her, moving upwards to cradle her face, his thumb wiping away the tears.
Their link is burning, souls pulsing in time with each other. She wants more, something Soul seems to hear as his lips move from her mouth, mapping a trail up her jawline while his hand moves from her face and down the side of her body. His teeth graze against her skin when he reaches her neck, and she breathes in sharply, the hand holding onto his shirt slipping to his chest, pressing against his heartbeat.
"So," he murmurs into her skin after a moment. "I'm your boyfriend?"
Maka groans, covering her face with her hand. "You heard."
"I did," Soul confirms, head lifting up as he pulls her hand away. He grins at her. "It was very cute."
She scowls. "You're laughing at me."
His lips find hers again, muffling his reply. "'M not."
At first, she kisses back, but then she freezes, pushing his face away. "Why didn't you say anything?"
A sheepish look comes onto his expression. "I said I panicked. I was trying to find a way to tell you when you beat me to it." His breath ghosts over her lips. "You did it much better than how I was going to."
She raises an eyebrow. "And that is?"
"Asking you on a date." Soul's eyes glint with amusement as her mouth opens, though nothing comes out.
Finally, she manages to find her voice. "You could ask me now."
It surprises her when he moves away, rising from the bed and pulling Maka up to her feet. Soul smoothes her hair, clasping her fingers with one hand while the other cups her face. "Will you go on a date with me?"
She huffs a laugh at his seriousness as her throat closes, though she is able to whisper, "Yes."
Her arms wrap around him, and she buries her face into his neck, feeling how fast his heart is beating.
It is at that moment that Spirit chooses to walk into her room.
Soul feels his new lifespan shorten considerably when Maka leaves the living room to go to the bathroom, Spirit's eyes turning on him for the first time since he walked in on them. He doesn't explode, like Soul expected him to, only going even more silent than he already was.
He doesn't have the right to speak so he waits for Spirit to talk, keeping his eyes on the coffee table in front of him, jumping slightly when Spirit finally speaks.
"Is your hair dyed?" he asks.
His head shakes. "My mother always said I was albino."
Spirit's lips purse. "Where are your parents?"
It's easiest to go with the truth. "They died."
"Oh." The mask drops from Spirit's face drops temporarily. "Who is taking care of you now?"
"My brother, but he died in a car accident last year." His lie is only partial. According to the obituary, Wes had died very peacefully after a near-death accident.
Spirit now regards him with an awkward sympathy. "I'm sorry."
"It's all right." Soul wishes his expression would go back to hostility. "I'm dealing with it."
"Good." For a moment, it seems like Spirit might go back to not talking, but then he speaks again. "How well do you know my daughter?"
He is intensely grateful Spirit hadn't walked in earlier. "We've been friends for almost three years."
"I was the first one to hold her when Maka was born." The careful way Spirit talks keeps his words from sounding competitive or overprotective. "I also took care of Maka when her mother left, though not as well as I could have.
"So I know when she is sad," Spirit continues, shifting in his seat. "And she has been sad most of the past few months because of you." He thinks for a moment. "Well, mostly because of you."
Guilt sweeps over Soul like a deluge of rain. "I know, I-"
"I'm not the one you should be giving your apology, though it's better if you show it," Spirit's words are not entirely unkind. He lifts a finger when Soul starts to speak again. "However.
"I also know when Maka is happy." Spirit's tone turns reluctant. "And she's very happy, being with you."
Soul waits.
"Whatever happened, I can let go of it," Spirit says, scrunching his nose as he talks. "Eventually," he adds after a moment. His face becomes serious again. "What I'm asking you to do is keep her happy."
Spirit leans back in his chair then, and Soul deems it safe to speak. "That's what I want to do-it's all I want," he says. "I'd do anything so Maka is happy."
A long pauses follows before Spirit nods, deciding his words are genuine enough. "Then I think we'll get along, at least."
Maka reenters the living room. "Are you done interrogating my boyfriend?"
Spirit winces. "My ears are still too delicate for that word."
"Get used to it," she says, patting his shoulder as her eyes widen in apology to Soul, though she relaxes when he gives her a tiny nod.
"I still haven't decided what to do about you sneaking a boy in your room," Spirit threatens, although his words are hollow. He glances at the watch on his wrist. "Looks like it's time for lunch."
"About lunch." Maka's voice becomes nervous as a car honks outside. "I called Tsubaki and Black Star to pick us up."
Spirit shakes his head. "No."
"I want to introduce Soul to them. It's his first day back," she pleads as Spirit's eyes go back to Soul, who tries to make himself look as innocent as possible. "They haven't met Soul yet."
"In three years?"
"It was a slow-building friendship." Soul is impressed by how quickly she recovers. "Please, Papa."
Spirit shakes his head again, although less firmly this time. "And what about introducing me?" he asks.
"You were going to be the first to meet him." Her words are sincere. "I wanted you to get to know him before anyone else."
"Well, that certainly happened," he says, snorting. Spirit is quiet, and then relents. "I want you home by nine-thirty."
Her arms envelope Spirit in a hug, excitement filling her voice. "Thank you," she says, squeezing him once. Then, she straightens, reaching out to grab Soul by the hand.
Soul holds out his hand to Spirit as she pulls him to his feet. "It was nice meeting you, sir."
"You'll need to call me Spirit if you want to date my daughter," he says, blanching as he clasps Soul's hand. "And don't forget what I said."
He nods. Maka whispers to him as she leads him out of the living room, "What did he say to you?"
"Nothing bad." Soul glances behind himself before Spirit disappears from view. "The usual father things."
Maka holds Soul's hand tightly as she glares at Black Star, who pays her no attention as he ogles at Soul from the front seat.
"So, are you alive alive?" he asks.
"I think there's only one way to be alive," Soul says.
Black Star cedes his point with a tip of his head. "Are your teeth real or did you get those while you were in Witchesville?"
Fortunately for him, Tsubaki smacks Black Star before Maka can reach him. "That's enough," she says, taking her eyes off the road for a second to glance at Black Star.
"Fine," he sighs, deflating.
"They're real," Soul answers, making Black Star's head pop up to stare at the back of the jeep again. "But my eyes were redder when I was dead."
Black Star is flabbergasted, then he whispers, "Cool."
"You're only encouraging him," Maka says to him as he begins to rub circles around her palm, lingering over the places where calluses have formed during her work as a reaper.
"It's alright," he replies, wending his fingers through hers. "Curiosity is better than fear."
She can't argue with that, so she leans her head on his shoulder instead, the exhaustion from the past day finally catching up, falling into a doze. When the jeep stops, Soul whispers her name, and she rouses, blinking.
"Dream about anything?" he asks as he helps her down from the jeep.
"I don't think so." The edges of a dream had been close to catching her, but she can't remember what it was about. She glances around, and sees the sign to Sid's diner flashing in front of them, feeling her stomach rumble.
"Hurry up, I'm starving." Black Star dances in place, his eyes flicking to Soul every few seconds.
"I'm sure you know some of Black Star's good qualities, but patience is not one of them," Tsubaki says to Soul as she comes from the other side of the jeep. She holds out a hand, giving him a smile. "Thank you for helping defeat my brother when he attacked me."
"That was mostly Maka and you," Soul replies, taking her hand.
Maka shakes her head in disagreement while Tsubaki's smile remains. "Thank you, nonetheless."
"Touching," Black Star comments. "Can we go now?"
"I'm going to kill him," Maka mutters as they enter the diner.
"He just needs sugar," replies Soul.
She laughs. "You're probably right."
Sid greets them from the window in the kitchen, doing a double take when his eyes fall onto Soul. He recovers by the time he walks out into area behind the counter, though Sid continues to glance at Soul's hair with an uncertain expression as he greets him. "I don't believe I've seen you in Orcus Hollow," he says. "I'm Sid, Black Star's father. Are you new in town?"
"My family used to live here, but they moved a long time ago." Soul beats Maka in answering.
A flicker of sympathy flashes on Sid's face. "I'm sorry…" he trails off, looking at Soul expectantly.
"Soul," he says. "My last name is Evans."
"I feel like I've heard that name before." Sid says, frowning as Maka's stomach lurches. "I'll have to ask my wife. She's a history teacher."
"I've found food," announces Black Star as he emerges from the kitchen with a tray full of fries, though Maka never saw him go into the kitchen. The patrons at the counter are uninterested as he struggles with the barrier separating the kitchen from the dining area, long used to his presence.
"Which you will be paying for with an afternoon shift," calls Sid as Black Star heads to the back of the diner, where it's mostly empty. To the other three, he says in a lower voice, "I'll bring you real food in a minute."
Maka forces a smile, then mutters to Soul as they go to join Black Star, "You shouldn't have told him your last name, Sid's wife is big on local history."
"It was the only name I could think of." His hands squeezes her reassuringly. "And if she knows what happened, I can just says it's a coincidence."
The answer doesn't satisfy her completely, but she drops the subject as they reach the booth.
Although Black Star's mouth is chock full with fries, he manages to talk somehow. "Can you eat?"
Soul takes a fry from the tray, and bites into it. "Yes."
A laugh escapes from Maka as she settles into the booth, but she can't escape the nervousness needling her stomach. She's not sure where it came from, maybe it's something residual from the dream she can't remember, only that it sticks to the walls of her mind with stubborn determination.
She's distracted by the sight of Soul still standing outside of the booth, a strange look on his face. It disappears before she can ask him what's wrong, and Soul holds the fry away from him. "I don't think I'm used to food yet," he says. "Excuse me."
His step is steady as he heads towards the bathroom; Maka shakes the worry from herself before she can overthink, seeing Black Star and Tsubaki's faces going serious at the same time.
"So." Black Star's hands fold in front of him like a police officer who claims they're the good cop. He swallows the last of his fries with a large gulp. "Everything went well last night."
Her eyes narrow. "Is that a question or a statement?"
Black Star's gaze swivels to Tsubaki. "Could you clarify that?"
"What he-we-are curious about," she sighs, "is how Soul came back with a body when he was, well-" She gestures vaguely.
"We don't know how it happened." Maka answers, keeping her voice low. "We went through the Rift, and when we came out, Soul had a body. There was nothing else," she says. "He wasn't conscious when we left the Rift, so he didn't even feel it happen, but it's not something either of us expected."
Her head tilts to the side. "Why are you asking about this?"
"That kind of leads to our next question," Tsubaki says, awkwardness cutting across her face.
"Are you together?" blurts out Black Star.
She has no idea where these questions are going. "I'd have thought the hand-holding would have made it obvious."
Tsubaki's elbow digs into Black Star's stomach. "I told you." She looks back at them. "I'm sorry, we just thought it'd be a better way than asking if this was permanent."
"You mean Soul being alive?" Her heart beats so fast she thinks it might leap out of her chest as she banishes Tsubaki's implication. "It's permanent."
As Maka repeats herself, Tsubaki reaches across the table, patting her hand. "Sorry for bringing it up," she says apologetically. "It was just a worry. We're happy for you."
"Right," Black Star says, looking guilty. "If you say it's permanent, then we believe you."
Maka nods, eating a fry, even though she's lost her appetite.
I believe it.
Soul's hands unclench around the bathroom sink as the wave of nausea that hit him when he ate the fry suddenly dissipates, leaving him gasping and hunched over.
Come.
His head snaps up at the sound of the voice, thinking someone walked into the bathroom, but he sees no one. Breathing deeply, he waits until he is sure the nausea won't return, then scrutinizes himself in the mirror. A sheen of sweat covers his face, and he looks drained, although he attributes that to not sleeping. His gaze trails to his chest, where the scar from Giriko's blades stretches across his torso in a knotted rope of raised skin; he'd discovered it while leaving the trailer to sneak into Maka's room, but he's had no time since to think about what the scar means. It means nothing, he tells himself as he switches on the faucet, rinsing his face. He scrubs hard at his skin, shaking away the echo of the voice-it had have come from someone outside.
After he finishes drying his face, he studies his reflection in the mirror again, and decides that he looks better enough to go back out into the diner; he refuses to consider the nausea, scar or voice as anything abnormal-he'd be able to tell if anything was wrong, but there isn't.
He has to tell himself this a few times before he believes it.
One of the plate of french fries is half-gone when he arrives back at the booth. Black Star welcomes him back by offering him a piece of french toast that Sid must have brought when he was in the bathroom. He accepts, mainly to ease the worry on Maka's face.
She leans towards him as he sits down. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just think my body can't handle grease that well yet." He takes a bite of the french toast, surprised to find it tastes good, and starts to believe his own words.
Relief erases the anxiousness from her expression. "We'll make sure to keep you away from the bacon."
"Maka says that you used to live in the old town," Tsubaki says to Soul as he takes another bite of the french toast, which tastes as good as the first bite. "And that you used to play the piano?"
"I played in some recitals, I wasn't always as popular as my brother Wes, but I liked writing my own music," he says. "I would play that at concerts sometimes, and he would always clap the loudest." Death has taken away the feeling of inadequacy and anxiety that would rise up every time he talked about his music. He wonders if Wes kept his composition notebooks after he died, though he doubts any of his children would have held onto it after Wes passed.
"That's very sweet, my older brother was like that too, before he got sick." Her smile is bittersweet. "Which part did you live in?"
"Shibusen," he answers, blinking his thoughts away as he finishes the french toast in another two bites and accepts the second piece Maka prods into his hand. "It was outside of the town because my parents wanted to show how much space they needed for their mansion."
Black Star's eyebrows lift. "You're rich?"
"My parents were rich," he corrects. "Then, their money went to Wes after they died. I don't think they accounted for their other son coming back from the dead."
"Oh." Black Star pauses. "I have some clothes in my closet that'll probably fit you. Nygus is using our spare room as a home office, but I have a sleeping bag, if you want to camp out on in my room."
"I have an actual room," interjects Tsubaki. "Although it was Masamune's, so I don't know if you object to that," she adds. "But it would probably take me some time to convince my parents for you to stay."
"In return, you could show us all the secret places in the old town," Black Star says as he chomps down on a piece of bacon.
Soul's not sure exactly what he did to be welcomed so quickly; he supposes it's mostly for Maka, but he's at ease with the two, and senses the same feeling coming from them. Outside of Wes, friends weren't something he'd really been familiar with before he died. It changed with Maka, and a bit with Liz and Patti, although he had left before he could become better friends with the sisters.
"Sure, that sounds like fun." He feels Maka's smile through their link, and is glad to be keeping his promise to Spirit.
"Awesome." Black Star drums the table with grease-coated fingers. "It'll be a literal ghost tour."
"Whatever you're cheering about will have to wait until after your shift," Sid says as he comes around to pick finished plates, eyeing Black Star. "You're on the schedule."
"That's not fair," he protests.
"You're the one who chose to do what you did to my truck," says Sid unsympathetically. "See you in the kitchen in five minutes."
Black Star gives a shrug as Sid walks away. "We'll go when I get off at seven, it'll be cooler at night."
"So long as I'm back home by nine-thirty," Maka sighs. "I'm on curfew."
"What did you do this time?" Black Star asks.
"What'd you do to Sid's truck?"
Tsubaki rolls her eyes as they start to go back and forth, and a smile tugs on Soul's lips. He lifts the piece of french toast to his mouth, then pauses, nearly gagging.
The french toast smells rancid.
Come.
Putting the stick down on his plate, Soul wipes his hand on a napkin, and looks around, sure he didn't miss the voice this time. He catches Tsubaki watching him as he settles back in his seat. She doesn't say anything as he freezes, looking away.
He tilts his head towards Maka and Black Star as if he's listening to them, but his attention is somewhere else, fighting the worry starting to coil in his stomach.
Maka peers through the window as she and Soul walk past the diner, seeing Sid plop a cook's hat on Black Star while Tsubaki sits at the counter, reading a book. Her gaze moves away, and she forces herself to swallow the knot of anxiety in her throat, tightening her hold on Soul's hand. It's been built into her nature to mistrust before anything else, and she can't keep from replaying her conversation with Tsubaki and Black Star over and over.
"You're quiet." She looks at Soul, and sees that they're nearly at the movie theater, realizing she hasn't spoken for at least five minutes.
"I'm sorry." It makes her feel better to look at him. "Got caught up in my thoughts."
He doesn't say anything, and she knows he won't press if she doesn't say anything else, but the idea of holding onto her fear makes loneliness stir to life in her chest. "Tsubaki and Black Star asked me if this was permanent," she says finally, stopping in the shadow of the theater. A shiver crawls down her spine. "If you were permanent.
"And the truth is, I don't know, and I wish I did." She leans against the stone building, her free hand taking his, staring down at the ground. "I'm scared."
It's been years since she admitted that out loud; she feels raw, vulnerable. Soul doesn't say anything for a long time, and then he pulls a hand away. Gently, he tips her chin up. "What do you see?" he asks.
She looks up, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from escaping. "You."
"I'm here." His forehead presses against hers. "I'm staying, okay?"
It takes a minute before her voice is steady enough to answer. "Alright."
He holds Maka for a long time, even after her body stops shaking.
The sun is a little past the halfway point in the sky when Soul and Maka move away from the theater. Soul sees her wiping her eyes in his periphery sometimes, but the fear that was choking her side of their link is dwindling.
Guilt jabs at him for not sensing it earlier, too busy worrying over feeling nauseous for a few minutes. He wants to see a smile curl on her lips again, and an idea springs to mind as he thinks.
"Do you remember what I asked you earlier?" he asks, glancing over. "When we were in your room?"
Her gaze drifts upward as she thinks, then a blush blooms across her face. "If I wanted to go on a date."
"There's somewhere in the old town that I want to show you," Soul says. "Do you want to go?"
Her brow furrows together. "Aren't we going with Black Star and Tsubaki later?"
He shakes his head. "I just want you to see this."
The last of her fear dissolves. "Okay."
It takes a little less than an hour to trek back to Maka's house, Spirit's police cruiser absent from the driveway. He waits by the truck while Maka goes inside to get her keys. His reflection stares back at him nervously in the window, her anticipation bleeding over to him. The person he used to be would have never dreamed of doing this, but Maka's confession earlier reminds him that he wants to be better than who he was. He doesn't know if he can be as brave as her, but he's going to try.
She comes out of the house a few minutes later, keys in one hand and a picnic basket in the other. She's also wearing a different shirt. "It had blood on the collar," she says as they get into the cab, setting the basket in the middle. Her face is bright pink. "I think the cut opened while we were upstairs."
Heat blazes in Soul's face as well, but he hides it by leaning towards her, pressing a kiss to the side of her jaw. Maka turns to him, lips finding his for a moment, shivering when she moves away.
"Anyways, you should be more careful," she says as she attempts to put the key in the ignition, missing once before she gets it.
A snort escapes from him. "I think you should be telling yourself that."
Her lips purse together to hide her smile. "I don't know what you mean."
Soul studies how she puts her truck in gear, easing it out of the driveway before shifting gears again to start driving towards the remains of the old town.
She catches him watching. "Do you want to try?"
"I don't want to die again just yet."
"It's not that hard." The truck moves to the side of the road, and Maka shifts gears again, looking at him. "This road is mostly a straight shot," she says. "I can sit in the middle and guide your hands, if you want."
For a moment, Soul hesitates, then he nods. He gets out of the truck and goes to the driver's side while Maka moves to the center seat.
It's nerve-wracking to be in the driver's seat; the road suddenly appears as deadly as the Rift. His hands perch on the sides of the steering wheel, though Maka's fingers move them gently, adjusting his grip.
Her fingers stay on the hand closer to her. "You need to bend your elbows a bit."
He does as she says, and feels her nod. "Good."
Pointing to the pedals, she asks, "You know which is the gas and brake pedal, right?"
"Left is the brake, right is the gas."
Maka nods again, and guides his hand to the gearshift, tapping against the plastic shield of the dashboard, to the column of letters on the side, to a tiny square with 'D' in the middle. "Press down the brake, move the gearshift there, and make sure to keep your foot on the brake."
His heart pounds as he follows her directions, and feels the engine quicken in its rumbling, like a beast ready to charge. He looks out at the road again. "Do you always feel like you're about to die before you drive?"
"Only consistently in the beginning," she answers. "And only occasionally afterwards."
"Great."
"Just start by taking your foot off the brake." Her hand curls around his. "Then you can go faster if you want."
He takes a deep breath before he pulls his foot away, holding it as Maka moves his hand and he merges the truck back onto the road. It moves at less than a snail's crawl, but Maka's voice fills with excitement. "You got it."
Soul's foot edges to the gas pedal, pushing down. He jumps as the truck lurches forward, then slows as he pulls his foot away. Meanwhile, Maka keeps the steering wheeling steady, words slightly breathless. "You have to push the pedal gradually."
His laugh is shaky. "Yeah, I think I figured that out."
When he tries again, the truck moves forward much more smoothly, although it's nowhere close to how Maka drives. Eventually, Maka removes her hand, and he's really driving, heart hammering in his chest, although the needle on the odometer never breaks over twenty five miles per hour.
He moves onto the dirt next to the road when they arrive at the edges of the old town, letting out a breath of relief as he parks the truck. "I am never doing that again."
Maka's laugh is warm and sweet as she presses a quick kiss to his cheek. "That's what almost everyone says when they drive for the first time."
"I'm going to be the one that means it," he says as he gets out of the truck. He meets her in front of the truck and gives her the keys. "Never again."
Her hand laces in his. "You'll change your mind."
They face the old town; the buildings still look like faces with broken teeth and missing eyes, but the imaginary ghosts Soul saw when they came here last time no longer exist. He blinks in surprise when he hears the whispers of actual ghosts.
"What is it?" Maka asks as he guides her through the streets.
"I didn't think I'd still be able to see ghosts," he says, curiously eyeing one of the ghosts peeking through the second story window of the building they pass. "I guess it's because I was dead."
"Probably," she agrees. A pause goes by, and she asks, "Are you going to tell me where we're going yet?"
"Not until we're there," he says, grinning at the tiny scowl on her lips. "Be patient."
She wrinkles her nose. "I have been."
"Almost there."
Soul.
"What is it?" He glances at Maka.
Her head shakes once. "I didn't say anything."
For a moment, panic swells up, then the wind blowing through the old town groans loudly, morphing into a high-pitched whistle.
He lets out a sigh of relief, rubbing his thumb over Maka's knuckles.
Memories drift up in a gauzy haze in Soul's head as they reach his family's storehouse. It's a shell, walls and roof ripped away, but what he's looking for isn't above ground. He lets go of Maka's hand, stepping on the wooden floor, all that remains of their instrument storehouse, finding the door to the basement where he remembers it.
"This is where our family would keep all of our old instruments," he says. "I insisted on keeping all my pianos in the basement."
"Pianos?" Maka repeats as she approaches. "You were rich."
"I hated it when I was growing up." Running his hands along the wooden door, he finds the handle, which turns remarkably easy in his hand for being so old and damaged. "But if I hadn't been, then I wouldn't be able to show you this."
Sunlight filters through the dark of the basement, illuminating the stairs leading down. They look creaky, but stable. Soul tests one with his weight before offering Maka his hand. She takes it, the anticipation on her face rising as she follows him down the stairs.
The basement is caked with dust; Soul's heart leaps when he sees the tops of a half dozen pianos covered in white sheets, lined up like a row of tombstones and just as silent. Turning to Maka, he says, "This was my life before I died."
Her gaze trails to each piano, one by one, before going back to him. "Tell me about it?"
He takes her to the first one, a tiny piano slightly higher than his knees, pulling off the sheet. It preserved the piano remarkably well, given that the piano was stuck in a rotting town for decades. "This one was more of a toy," he says as her fingers graze the top of the cover. "My parents got it for my second birthday, and I didn't stop banging on it until I was five.
"These both got worn out in about two years," he says, gesturing to the next two pianos, watching as she takes the sheets off of them and fingers the scratches on the keys.
"What are these?" she asks.
"I started getting anxious for recitals." The bitter memories prick against his mind, but the years have taken away their sting.
Letting go of her hand, he goes to the next piano, stately and elegant even ninety years later. "I had my first panic attack onstage with this one." That memory is harder to shake, but he goes to the second to last piano, pulling off the sheet and lifting the lid to show her the etchings where he carved some of the notes for one of his songs. "My parents got really angry at me for that, but I hated music for a while then, so I didn't care."
Maka is quiet, watching his face. Her footsteps are nearly inaudible as she walks to the last piano. "And this one?"
"I never played it," he answers. The top of this piano still has a dull gleam to it, ivory keys clear of smudged fingerprints. "It was going to be for me to practice with in college, but I died."
Several moments tick by until Maka speaks, gaze flicking down the row of pianos before returning to the last one. "Could you show me how to play?"
"They're all out of tune." He points to the first four pianos. "Those ones probably won't even work."
"I don't care," she says. The green of her eyes shines in the half-darkness as she looks at him. "I want to see life the way you did."
His heart hammers in his chest, refusal suddenly impossible. He points to the last piano. "That one will probably work the best."
Maka heads to the other side of the row as Soul follows, sitting in the middle of the piano seat and resting her hands on the keys. "How's my posture?"
"Not bad." He moves to stand behind her, and presses a hand to her lower back. She straightens, and his hands drift to gently wrap around her wrists and lift her arms. "Pretend the keys are something that will break if you touch it too hard." His head brushes against the side of her face as he moves closer to watch.
Maka shivers like how she did when he kissed her in the truck, doing as he says.
For a moment, he thinks about what she should play, then moves his hands to rest over hers, positioning her fingers on the keys. "I'm going to play out a rhythm on your fingers, and you can follow along."
"Okay." She nods, her face brushing against Soul's.
He taps out a few keys.
Immediately, Maka presses down on the keys, and a discordant melody garbles out of the piano. She cringes, lifting her hands. "That was bad,"
"You hit the keys a little too hard," Soul says, once he's sure his hearing is intact. He takes a seat next to her. "But it's mostly not your fault."
"Thanks." She makes a face, freezing as he presses a light kiss to her lips.
A flush creeps up her neck as Maka turns back to the keys. "I did get a sense for the notes, I think." She pushes down on a key; it's dissonant, but the chime of its note is clear. "I liked this one best."
"That's the G key," he says. "It's strong and soft at the same time." His eyes meet hers. "It reminds me of your soul."
He freezes when she moves closer to him; Maka senses his hesitation, and pauses. "What is it?"
"I have something to tell you."
"What is it?"
He looks down at the keys, then raises his head. Maka had looked him in the eyes when he'd asked her to in front of the theater. "I took a potion that would keep me awake from a witch named Medusa," he says quietly. "When I was trying to stay away from you, I was scared of hurting you, and of you seeing what I was...
"The potion made me… more into what I was." Maka's expression isn't readable, but her eyes are still on Soul's face. "When I found out, I decided to go back, but not before I drank a potion from a different witch who hated Medusa. That's what gave me a body."
His hands are trembling when he finishes; he feels terrified and lighter at the same time.
Finally, Maka speaks. "Who do you see?"
His throat closes. "You."
"Me," she says fiercely. "People do a lot of things they shouldn't to protect who they care about." Her hands clench around his. "And if it brought you back, then I don't care. I'm staying."
Soul is careful not to put his arm around Maka's neck as she curves her face towards him, letting out a sigh when his lips move against hers.
Black Star closes the door to Tsubaki's jeep, waiting for Tsubaki before they approach Maka and Soul. "Thanks for waiting."
"I called to tell you that we were here, didn't I?" says Maka. "We didn't explore around too much."
Soul squeezes her hand, and she avoids looking at him to keep the smile off her face. They really hadn't walked around much when they emerged from the basement, eating the snacks she threw into the picnic basket, although Soul had only drank water after nibbling on a cracker.
And while it worries her that he's eaten only a granola bar and a couple pieces of French toast, her happiness is bigger than any other emotion inside of her now. Their talk in the basement had dispelled the last of the strange nervousness sticking to her mind.
"We should start in the middle of the town." Soul cranes his head at the darkening sky, the sun a red orb nesting on the line of the horizon. "There's a tunnel running between the fire and police stations; kids used to dare each other to sneak from one end to other without getting caught."
"That'll be good for the house jumping competition on Halloween," Black Star says, rubbing his hands together. "I'm going to hunker down there and pick off the other teams without them having a clue who's doing it."
"Given that you yell out your name before you attack, I'm pretty sure someone will figure it out," says Tsubaki.
"Not this year, I'm going to become a ninja." Black Star turns to jab a finger at Maka and Soul. "You're going to come this year, you've been holding out with your soul sensing stuff."
Soul wears a confused frown. "What's house jumping?"
"It's like catch the flag. High schoolers play it here on Halloween," Tsubaki explains. "Only it's in the dark, and takes place in structurally unsound buildings."
"My father tries to stop it every year, and he never can," Maka adds. "He says it's one of his retirement goals."
"Sounds fun." Soul looks to Maka. "Have you ever played?"
"Halloween doesn't have a good track record for me," she says. "But this year could be different."
He opens his mouth to answer when a ghost veers out into the street. Black Star and Tsubaki keep walking, but Soul and Maka grind to a halt.
Dread spikes in Maka's belly when she spies the phantom water dripping down from the ghost.
"I don't think that was quite it," calls out a familiar voice from a building. Kid jogs into view, Liz and Patti at his side. His jaw drops open as his eyes fall on Maka and Soul, although Patti shoots forward to greet them.
Black Star and Tsubaki have stopped now, eyes wide as they turn back. Briefly, Maka wonders how she could salvage the situation.
Then, Marie, Azusa and Stein walk into view.
Soul fights down the wave of nausea threatening to send the contents of his stomach back up his throat. One of the small children sitting in the front of the van is eating something sweet, its aroma wafting to the back seat where Soul sits and fueling his nausea, although a hunger stirs in his stomach.
But it's not the scent of food that kindles the hunger.
Leaning his head against the headrest, Soul breathes in and out of his mouth, trying to settle his racing heart. He had left that behind in Abeyance, he thinks. There was no other option.
The door to the van slides open, and Stein stares at Soul calmly as he straightens, resisting the urge to ask where Maka is. He can feel her anger swelling in their link.
"You've looked better," the scientist says, stepping to the side to let Soul out of the van. "Which is saying something, considering you used to be dead."
"Am I supposed to say thank you?" He masks the trembling in his legs with difficulty, feeling a lightness flow up to his head.
Stein shrugs. "Take it how you want."
Soul glances around as he follows Stein; he doesn't see Tsubaki or Black Star; although he can hear Black Star's voice echoing from the building Kid took him and Tsubaki to nearby. However, Stein does not take him to them, instead leading Soul to one of the storefronts on the main street. The scientist holds the door open for Soul as he moves up the brick steps of the store.
Come to me.
Soul's head whips around, searching for the voice that's been stalking him all day, seeing nothing. His eyes fix on the Rift in the distance as a strange longing that he does not want rises in him.
"Soul?"
Maka leaps to her feet from the table she's sitting at, veering around Marie. "Are you okay?" she asks as she reaches him.
He nods. "I'm all right."
Relief breaks across her face, then she whirls around to glare at Azusa and Marie. "I gave you your answers," she says. "Now let us go."
Marie tries to soothe her with gentle words. "Maka, you know we have to get Soul's version of the story."
"Fine," she says after a moment. "But I'm staying."
"Okay," Azusa speaks finally, gesturing to the table. "Just take a seat."
Soul's head feels like it's separated from his body as he approaches the table. There is something very wrong, his mind whispers. But he has no time to think about it as Azusa and Marie sit down, Stein resting his hands on the back of Marie's chair.
"So," says Marie, clearing her throat. She looks to Soul. "You're alive now."
He nods, Maka's presence thrumming through his link. "I am."
"How?" Azusa says shortly.
"Maka came for me," he answers, trying to stay as vague as possible. "We crossed the Rift together. I was unconscious at the end of the crossing, so I don't know how it happened, just that I woke up alive."
"It just happened?" Stein asks.
"That's what seems like," he says, holding back a shrug.
Azusa's stare is sharper than a laser. "Why did you go into Abeyance?"
It's precisely the question that doesn't want to answer. "I was trying to do the right thing," he says finally.
Stein adjusts his glasses. "Right thing for whom?"
Soul stays silent, because there is nothing he can say.
"I think we should focus on what Soul found while he was in Abeyance." Maka's gaze is as steely as Azusa's; through their link, she nudges him to speak.
"There aren't many witches over there, only a dozen," he says. "They're surviving, but slowly starving.
"The Rift isn't separate from death," Soul continues, looking at Stein. It's getting more and more difficult to concentrate. "It's part of it, there's a boundary running around it, funneling souls to Abeyance."
Interest flickers on all three of the DWMA members' faces.
"We would have never discovered that until we died ourselves," says Stein.
Azusa frowns, obviously agreeing, but reluctant to say so. "You can still see ghosts?"
"Yes." There is a fever heat spreading across his body; he can hardly focus on anything outside of it-his and Maka's bond grounds him, but just barely.
There is a long silence.
"Can you come to the DWMA right now?" Marie asks.
Maka answers for him. "Yes," she says. "We can go right now."
"You might have kept some of your abilities from your time as a ghost." A strange look crosses Marie's face, and she looks at Stein as she stands, whispering, "That is so odd to say."
Soul searches blindly for Maka's hand as they rise as well.
It's good, he tells himself as he walks outside of the store. This is good.
The Rift is the only thing he can make out; it stretches out to him, whispering for him.
But he is not.
Tightly, Maka holds Soul's hand as they get up from the table. Tonight hasn't gone the way she imagined, but they've narrowly avoided disaster. She can tell that Azusa still doesn't trust Soul, but Marie and Stein are starting to.
Everything will build from there. The wind has a bite to it, but Soul's hand is incredibly warm.
She twists to him and, in the span of a breath, everything goes wrong.
Dark lines run in spidery veins down Soul's face, traveling rapidly down to his neck. Then, a violent shaking rocks the hollowed out remains of the old town, ripping her hand out of Soul's.
Maka's head knocks against one of the posts; stars explode in her vision.
When the earthquake finally stops and Maka opens her eyes, Soul is gone.
Soul runs through the forest as the Rift continues to call to him; he can't control his body anymore-it drags him along until he is nearly upon the Rift.
It opens wide in front of Soul, welcoming him in.