Sorry it took so ling guise! I've been busier than expected this school year! ^^". Leave me some love.
xxx
"Soul!" a singsong voice pulled him out of the darkness.
"Hm?" he sat up, inhaling deeply. He yawned, blinked a couple times.
"Get up, get up," Maka was pulling his arm, "we have to go soon," she was excited for this mission.
"Okay, okay," his voice laced heavily with sleep. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He had slept in his clothing from yesterday. He didn't have anything to change in to, "Maka?"
"Yeah?" she called from the kitchen.
"I don't have anything to wear," he answered.
"Check the closet," she sang, the smell of food wafting into his room. He opened his closet doors. Clothing upon clothing was hanging in this closet.
"Wow," he breathed, hearing Maka come in behind him.
"Like it? I had it brought in early this morning," she giggled. Soul turned around to her, smiling.
"Thank you," he chuckled, moving into the closet.
"You're welcome, Soul. When you're done, breakfast is ready, so come on out and eat with me," she smiled, leaving the room all to him. Quickly he got dressed, running to eat breakfast.
"I don't eat human food," Soul sniffed the air.
"Don't knock it till you try it," Maka smiled, offering the food. Soul sighed, plopping in the chair across from her. Tentatively he took a bite of the yellow stuff on his plate.
"Whoa, what is this?" he asked with a full mouth.
"They're eggs," Maka said seriously, "you've never heard of them?"
"No, I've only ever eaten souls," he inhaled the rest of the contents on his plate. Maka giggled at him.
"I told you," Maka said in a light voice, playfully making a face at him. Soul stuck his tongue out at her, "we have to go."
Soul and Maka stood up at the same time, he followed Maka to the sink With his plate. She started to scrub hers with a cloth.
"What are you doing?" he asked, watching intently as the remnants disappeared into the sink.
"I'm washing the dishes. Get a towel from that drawer," she pointed to a drawer close to the floor, "and dry this," she lifted the newly cleaned dish. It dripped water onto the ever clean counter.
"Okay," he pulled open the drawer, pulling out a...towel? He guessed it was a towel, for Maka didn't yell at him. Gingerly he took the warm plate from her grasp, "how do I dry it?"
"Take the towel and do this," she moved her hand in the air back and forth, "on the top of it, flip it over and do the same thing. Make sure it's super dry," she then turned back to the sink and busied herself with his plate. Soul did as he was told, wiping the plate with the soft towel in his hand.
He tested the plate, feeling that it was dry. He placed it on the counter, watching and waiting for Maka do give him the last plate. He took it, drying it like the first one, "now put them in here," she patted a door that was suspended in air. But with closer examination, Soul noticed that it was connected to the wall.
He opened the door, finding where exactly the plates went. He laid them, carefully for they were glass, upon the others.
"Thanks, Soul," Maka smiled wide at him. He returned it, swishing his tail involuntarily.
"Shouldn't we be going?" he asked, picking at the hem of his shirt.
"Oh, yes. Just let me get my cape," she scurried to the front door. He hasn't noticed before but she was wearing another variation of the green dress she wore yesterday. Her hair, of course, was like she wore yesterday. He followed after her, his hands buried deep in his pockets.
Upon finding her, she had her cape on and was lacing her shoes. They covered her ankles and were a dark black color. How else could he describe them? They did look cool though. Well, cool against his ratty tennis shoes. He didn't know what a 'tennis' was, just that his dad had gotten them for him when he was thirteen. Three years, he's had these.
His dad had told him that he got them from a village. Just before he was killed. He had also taught Soul to read. Said he lived in the village before he ran off with his mother into the woods.
"What are those?" he pointed at her shoes. His ear tickled, he flicked it, waiting intently for her answer.
"Oh these? They're called Converse," she smiled up at him, "I'll get you a pair after the mission."
"Alright," he nodded, opening the door for her. She skipped out, her cape flowing in her wake, "Maka?"
"Hm?" she turned around, her basket clutched in her hands, placed in front of her. She bent forward a bit, smiling softly at him.
"Why do you wear a cape?" he inquired, tilting his head slightly to the side. She giggled, but he could see something flickering in her eyes.
"Oh this old thing?" she pulled up the hem, "my father gave it to me before he became a cheating bastard," she said that cheerfully, conversation like. Soul could seriously feel the irritation rolling off of her.
"If you hate him that much, why do you still wear it?" he asked, afraid she would get pissed even more.
"It helps me remember a better time," she said softly, stroking the fabric between her fingers. Soul said nothing, just stared. Instantaneously she snapped her head up a smile on her face. soul was a little scared.
"Come on, Soul!" Maka waved him along, running down one of the roads, toward the end of the city where they entered. Soul followed quickly after her, hoping to god he didn't lose her in the crowd. Cool guys don't get lost.
xxx
The entire way through the forest, Maka chatted with him. About how she's been waiting for her partner, her mother, her mission. Well she got her partner and her mission, but he hadn't seen a woman around Spirit, well, not one that looked like Maka. Soul rolled his eyes at the story about Spirit. How the reason her mother left was because her father couldn't keep it in his pants.
The town was just ahead, Soul could see it, smell it too, "Town's up ahead," he muttered, when Maka calmed down enough to let Soul get a word out. He saw her visibly lighten.
"Great! I'm so excited!" she jumped, running ahead of him.
"Wait, you could get hurt!" he called after her, anxiety welling in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want a re-run of his mother's disappearance. Maka was giggling, looking over her shoulder at Soul. She turned around, stopping short. His heart hammered in his ears, he was afraid he wouldn't get there in time, but he did, Maka not in any danger. She was staring at the state of the neighboring town. It was in shambles, most likely from the kishin.
"Wow," Soul breathed, he turned his attention to Maka, "maybe after we defeat the kishin, we could help them repair their village," Soul offered. Maka eyed him with so much affection, his heart sped up.
"That sounds like a great idea. Let me call Lord Death, tell him we'll be longer than expected," she pulled out her hologram phone thing walking to the edge of the forest path. Soul kept his eyes on the girl, listening for danger, sniffing the breeze as it rolled by. She hung up, smiling up at him.
"He say yes?" Soul already knew the answer, but he decided to ask anyways, humor Maka.
"Yes," she squeaked, looking like a fan girl. He had no idea she wanted this mission so badly. He smiled at her, tilting his chin to the town, motioning her along without his hands. She scurried to his side, walking with him as they entered the head of the town's building. It was worn down.
"Hello, how may I help you?" the woman at the desk inquired, not pausing, as if she's seen something like Soul before.
"We're here to destroy the kishin," Maka spoke. Soul stayed quiet, not his place to talk. Let the meister, the one that knows what she's doing, talk. The lady beamed at them.
"The kishin is in the forest. Not the one near the entry. You're going to go passed this building, toward the far end of the town, as if you are leaving to the next town over; there'll be an exit with a forest beyond. It's in there," she explained with a cheery smile. She was talking as if they were looking for a library book.
"Thank you, ma'am," Soul spoke up, making way for the door. He heard Maka speak up after him.
"Thank you," she said with an animated smile, running to Soul's side.
xxx
They were almost to the forest beyond the town. The further they went into the town, the more haggard the town looked. Soul smelled something strong, foul, like decay. He wrinkled his nose, "it is close," he choked out.
"What's the matter?" Maka inquired her green eyes boring into his red ones. He twitched his nose, making a disgusted face.
"Don't you smell that?" he countered, trying to repress the smell from his sensitive nostrils. Maka shook her head, her eyes wide.
"You smell it?" her voice hard with excitement. She grinned wide when Soul nodded his head at her, "onward, slave!" she yelled obnoxiously, laughing loud. Soul sighed, leading the way to the foul smelling thing. The odor got so strong; he even thought he wouldn't make it any further. He coughed.
"Does it really smell that bad?" she shrugged, following closely behind him.
"It does, seriously. It smells like something has died and is now decomposing," he stuck his tongue out, disgusted that he was actually breathing this crap in.
"Ew, thanks Soul for the beautiful image," she cringed, her nose wrinkling. She shook her head, trying futilely to destroy the image Soul had planted.
"You're very welcome," Soul smiled smugly, continuing. Ultimately, they found it. It was sleeping. Soul guessed it only attacked at night. Maka started to whisper.
"Soul," she offered her hand, he took it, feeling no different, but soon, he saw trees flying passed him as Maka ran toward the sleeping creature. With one fatal swoop of her arms, the creature was sliced in half, disintegrating, in its place, another red soul. Maka throws him, and he hits the ground running. He swipes the soul from the air, swallowing it, his mouth being taken over by cherries once again. Wow they just met, what, yesterday, and they already had a system going.
"Yum," he licked his lips, smirking at Maka. She smiled back, waving him back in the direction of the town.
"Wow, you defeated it already?" the lady behind the desk asked incredulously. Her eyes were wide behind the glasses she wore.
"Yeah," Maka answered, "it was sleeping. Does it normally attack at night?"
"It did," the lady giggled, "thank you, so much."
"Not a problem, say we've been meaning to ask you. Mind if we help you rebuild your town? We're staying an extra couple of days," Maka asked. She was staring intently at the lady, waiting for her answer.
"We can't pay you for it. We are a very poor town—"
"You don't have to pay us for the rebuilding, that's all volunteer," Maka quickly reassured her. Soul twitched his ear, swished his tail. The lady smiled in relief. They did look like a poor town. Soul didn't need the money, and Maka seemed well off.
"All right," she nodded, still smiling.
"We will need somewhere to sleep though," Maka threw out. The lady seemed taken aback.
"Oh, yes," she exclaimed, standing out of her chair. She waved for them to follow her. They did, at a respectable pace. She showed them to a small room with two beds.