Chapter 2: An Unexpected Guest
The banquet was filled. Friends of the accomplished girl seemed to fill every inch of the building. Seeing as she wanted it to be a large celebration, she'd opened it up beyond just her friends alone, too. Among the additions were namely Marie, Kid, Patty, Liz, Kale, Mina and Jade. Banners hung about each corner of the large room with small groups of two and three balloons in various colors tied in between each rise.
Just at the right back corner was a table with many fancy hot snacks and foods, including sushi rolls, won tons, and a large tray of cracker assortments accompanied by cheese, ham and turkey, and more. Beside it was red disposable cups filled with a home-made fruit punch. Last, but not least was a large, single white layer cake with Shibusen's skull in darker frosting.
"Geez, Chrona is late, isn't she?" commented Mina. She always posed to be the impatient one of the clique. However, in this case, everyone could agree that it was not like Chrona to arrive in such a fashionably late style, much less for her own party. Mina's black punk-style top complimented her tight blue jeans that she hoped would draw attention, even though she planned on simply turning every interested pursuer down.
Jade, on the other hand, preferred to carry on a whole different appearance. Her elegant slender figure fit perfectly in a sophisticated top and fitted skirt. "Oh, don't worry; I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason."
Kale nodded in agreement. Dressed in his usual attire, he rose his hands up to indicate to the girls that he would return shortly. He was off to the beverage table to get a drink.
"Heh, you wanna make a bet on how many words he will say tonight?" A snicker fell upon Mina's face. The girls shifted their eyes back to Kale, who was taking his sweet time to balance three cups of punch back.
"Are you serious? I bet he will leave early, even. Knowing him, the only reason he's here now is because Chrona begged him. Sometimes I don't understand his lack of social skills…"
Laughter came upon the two. Just then Soul presented himself in front of the two plotting girls. "And what mischief are you two up to this early?" the father asked.
Mina and Jade returned a warm gesture back. "Nothing, Mr. Evans!" they responded simultaneously, trying to give him respectful greeting.
An embarrassed and hesitant impression came over Soul's face. "Aww really? I'm not that old already, am I?" He threw a hand behind his head, not sure of what to think of the comment. "I told you, just call me Soul-San..."
"Sorry Mr. E- I mean… Soul-San. Anyways, where is Chrona?" Jade felt awkward asking, but something had to satisfy the curiosity that filled their minds.
Suddenly, several people scattered from one side as there was a crash through the wall. Kid stopped and stood in front of it, petrified, his mouth froze in a dropped expression. "T-t-the wall….! The perfect symmetry, ruined! Whatever will I do now!" He frantically began to scramble up the rubble in a futile effort to put it all back in its place.
"Heh, what's the big deal? It's just a wall. Anyway, a party's not a party without Black Star around! If it weren't for a certain deathscythe, I'd be the main star around here now! Hahahahaha!" Black star gloated, standing back up in a rather confident position, his fists at his hips and his head held high. The lone clan member had not lost a bit of his pride or energy, and still rather loved dressing in his ninja-clan attire. It was as if he had just graduated from Shibusen.
Soul brought himself to the scene, but not in such an upset manner as Kid. "Well, Black Star, making a grand entrance as usual?" He smiled, knowing that his best friend wouldn't miss the day. Shaking his head, he continued. "Kid, you're never going to give up your obsession with symmetry are you, even as an official Shinigami?" he asked in humor.
Black Star burst out in his obnoxious voice "What kind of Shinigami would he be if he didn't? A boring one! You just keep freaking out, Kid… I'm going to check out what the DJ is playing!"
"Before you go, do you know where my daughter is?" Soul asked in concern before Black Star departed from the two.
"Ha, like I know right now?" Then she walked in. Black Star squinted toward the glass entrance. Soul couldn't help but to shift his attention quickly, too. "Yup! You need not worry, buddy! The party star finally arrived! Well, that is, besides myself! You guys can stand around all you want. Only losers stand around doing nothing!" With this, Black Star departed from his two friends to join the excitement of the crowd jumping to the beat.
As Chrona walked in, memories flooded into his head. She was wearing the same dress that Maka had worn so long ago to the Shibusen ball. The purple colored dress held up by two thin straps, complimented with a choker of the same shade, still remained in a great condition yet.
"Daddy! Over here! Look what I found!" She leaped with joy to where he was standing, still in an optimistic shock of her discovery. "Well, you can stop staring now! What do you think? I found it while looking through old clothes!" Chrona giggled in glee. She felt as though she had found a pot of gold!
"Wow…" Soul nearly found himself breathless. "It… fits you perfectly!" A true joy from his heart couldn't help but bring a smile to his face, for this, he knew she would have been very happy about. "It couldn't look any better on anybody else, Chrona."
"Oh! Daddy! Where's Mina and Ka- oh! Never mind! I found them! Thanks dad!" Chrona gave Soul a quick hug and ran off into the crowd. She always was a quite energetic one, but he was thankful for that. Somebody had to break the silence around the house.
Now Soul sought a spot alone. Once outside again, the night air was refreshing and listening to the melody of crickets chirping was soothing. However, there was a rustling near about. He definitely was not alone. His attention quickly turned ahead of him. An unrecognized figure was approaching, running down the road.
"Hiii!" a positive and familiar voice rang in the night air. The unexpected guest stopped in front of him, panting from exhaustion. "I'm sorry I… hah… Oh! How rude of me! Ah… can I join you?" A smile beamed from her face. Her double-layered dress, which revealed a white flowing skirt underneath a black vest, was topped with an odd, but recognizable design of yellow and black swirled eyes and a swirled tongue sticking out of the mouth below them. Neither had her hair changed, remaining as a brunette shoulder length bob with short bangs that complimented her hazel eyes.
"Angela! How have you been? How did you know about this?" Much time had passed since they each departed to their own worlds. Times had been peaceful, but that had not changed the fact that witches preferred to remain in their own world. This should only be natural, however, as it was the place where each received their proper training and teachings, or rather new teachings, at that.
Angela held up a worn, wrinkled flyer. "She gave me this! Well, I don't know if she meant to, or knew what I am, but… I just thought I could at least come say hi while I'm in the area." Lately, Angela had spent more time in her own kind's world, learning the control of her witchcraft that no meister or weapon could have possibly taught her. The training had been so intense, and she enjoyed visiting where she came from, so it'd been a few years since they'd actually been able to really talk.
"Oh, right, of course… come have a seat!" Soul waved for her to come inside. Certainly it would have been rude to leave her standing outside. She was as close to them as any other student in Shibusen, having practically grown up around them. Since the peace treaty, she was so understanding about the balance they so frailly maintained.
Angela nodded pleasantly in acceptance. The two walked back into the building, making their way to the snack table, where each grabbed a cup of punch, and found an available seat at a nearby table. "To peace!" the witch said. "There's been about two decades of agreement now. It seems that the peace treaty Kid made went well, even if it did have its rough edges time to time! He has proven to make an excellent Shinigami, after all!"
"Wait, so… you're not… aggravated about it? Or… feeling awkward about being here?"
The witch knew what he was referring too. "Why would I be aggravated? It's just a party. And besides, Lena was… well let's just say our world feels more at ease now with her gone. And now that's one more weapon against the kishins! Why would I be mad about something that benefits us both?"
Both looked toward the snack table containing the individually made cups of punch. Here, Kid could now be found constantly arranging the cups as others grabbed them so every number of rows and columns were even and straight.
"Agreed. We're thankful for the opportunity to work with you at last." This was a conversation he could participate in semi-intellectually without looking like an idiot for too long since he had been there for the events. In fact, it was an honor just to be speaking as a Death Scythe, since not many existed after the unexpected attacks. The only other Deathscythes as of now were Soul, Spirit, and Marie. "So, I have to ask… how do the other witches handle it?"
"Well, to be honest, not as bad as it could have been. Some refuse to speak of it, and give a foul look when the subject is brought up. Otherwise most are very happy just to not be hunted anymore! I'd say it pays off very well in the end, but that's just my personal opinion." Angela took a sip of punch they'd picked up earlier and gave an assuring smile in response. "So, this could be a touchy subject, but… about Maka…"
Just before she could finish, Soul cut her off abruptly. "Don't worry about it…." His smile shook off slightly. Soul could not hide the uneasiness. It has been nearly fifteen years since the incident. "I'd rather not go into the ordeal. At any rate, I'm thankful to still have Chrona, at least…" His gaze shifted back to Chrona, who was having a rather good time dancing with Mina and Jade.
As usual, it was up to Chrona to pull Kale into the slightest sociable spirit. His daughter seemed to grow up into a happy individual, despite her mother's leave. This made Soul laugh for a bit. However, just as he had turned back, Angela was no longer in her seat. He spotted her just at the door, her flimsy black hat nearly falling off as she had to catch it.
"So sorry!" Angela shouted his way. "I really have to go! I completely forgot about something important! Oh, and, congratulate Chrona for me!" Off with those last words, she zoomed out the exit. She was never known for formal entries or exits. Despite, it was nice just knowing she had grown up witnessing the good virtues between the two parties.
"That girl…. I'm glad the sway never got to her." With this, Soul gulped down the small last bit of his punch. A sour look came upon his face almost immediately. The last bit did not taste as he had expected it to. He muttered to himself for a moment in confusion. Standing up, he gave a shout out to the Shinigami. "Kid, I'm shocked! Your serving perfection has at last found a flaw!"
A panicked look came upon Kid's face, which only brought the much needed laughter to Soul's spirit after the rekindling conversation. "What! I did it perfectly! Six cups of fruit punch… One cup of… wait…. This is not symmetrical at all! Twelve cups of fruit punch… two cups of carbonated water… It's useless! What horrible, disgusting mixture!"
Soul laughed at the scene. Two more familiar figures approached him at the table. "Ah, do I see a real smile? This kind of miracle also calls for a dance!" Pattie's short blonde hair flipped into Soul's eyes as she shouted within less than a foot's range in his face with glee. She grabbed his hands and dragged him quickly to the floor.
Liz followed just behind him to push him along. "It's a party, Soul! Get out there and have some fun for once!" The sisters were more than ecstatic for the opportunity to do something other than teach. Their fates turned them into Shibusen instructors. It wasn't something that they minded, but their thoughts were always churning on finding something fun to do when duty did not call, and this was the perfect opportunity! Liz threw out a few moves and wiggles of her hips, giving Soul a little side-bump. "See, it's not that hard to enjoy yourself! You just gotta get out more!" Liz continued.
He had to admit, this was fun actually celebrating something for once…