The forever piece
Chapter 10: Selfish or selfless

Soul returned and he apologized for leaving me behind. He returned to addressing my wound and when it was done, I changed into a t-shirt. Soul didn't even try to bring up his phone call with the mysterious person. Instead he walked over to Noah, Gopher and Joe and helped Joe out by giving him some clean and whole clothes. Then he provided clothes to Noah and Gopher while I ordered some food. Noah, Gopher and Joe weren't able to stay since they needed to return to the paddy fields and they were fine with walking back. They already knew the way back and therefore they didn't need our help finding back.

Soul and I end up eating alone and I had a nagging feeling something is terribly wrong. He seemed to upset and sounded so angry. I need to know what is going on.

"Soul?" I say while I lay down my chopsticks on the edge of my bowl with noodles.

"Yeah?" Soul says while he takes a salmon sushi and eats it.

"You know that phone call you got, what was it about? It is very unusual for you to walk into a different room." I say and I look at Soul carefully.

Soul sighs loudly and he shakes his head a little while he murmurs something inaudible. "I don't want to talk about it. It isn't important."

"It did sound important."

Soul freezes in his chair and he looks up from his sushi. "Did you eavesdrop on me?" He puts down his chopsticks and now I have his full attention. "What did you hear?"

I shrug my shoulders while I caress the edge of my bowl with my index finger. "Not much." I admit. "I heard something about you refusing to come and do something. You wanted them to send it instead of you coming there." I look at Soul and I look seriously at him. "What is it? It is unfair for you to keep this a secret from me."

Soul growls loudly while he runs his hand through his hair. "You do deserve to know but―"

"No!" I say while I shoot up from my chair, the force makes the chair to fall down on the ground. "No buts! I want to know what is going on! Why don't you trust me?!"

I bit my lower lip feeling insecure

Is this the reason my mama didn't want me to get married to Soul? I already know we have our fights and we are good at keeping things a secret from each other and we aren't that good at communicating. That has been proven in the past when I went and bought the publishing company without Soul even knowing about it. I was the one at wrong that time and I know it. Soul has kept his share of secrets from me as well, like that time when Soul had secretly met his brother Wes Evans without telling me about it. Soul said he didn't want me to meet him but he is Soul's brother and I would like to meet him. Soul has met my family and I would like to meet his but no, he keeps hiding me from his family and keeping me in the dark.

"Soul," I say worriedly and my serious façade drops. Soul promised me he wasn't hiding anything but he has been hiding something. "Is this why my mama didn't want us to get married because we―"

Soul growls loudly and his chair crashes down on the ground. "Don't finish your sentence. Don't even think something like that." Soul rips his phone up from his pocket. "I'm not going to let something like this get you all paranoid and thinking that it is better to break off the engagement because I fucking love you and you are right." Soul then hands me his phone and I see a whole conversation between Soul and this woman who goes by Arisa "You deserve to know the truth." Soul walks around the table and takes a seat next to me.

I scroll through the conversation and it is a very heated conversation between Soul and Arisa. She keeps almost threatening him to come to this award dinner or else she will be slamming him as a songwriter. Soul had showed very clearly he wasn't going to come since he was doing other businesses which I know is being here in Japan with me.

"I wanted to tell you." Soul says and moves closer to me. "But I didn't want to burden you with this. This trip is supposed to be all about you and not about me. I never even considered going to this stupid award dinner just so I could receive an award. Getting you ready for the next step is much more important."

I can't read the conversation anymore. It drives me crazy to read all Arisa's threats and Soul's obvious uninterested texts. I put the phone away and I wrap my arms around Soul. "I'm sorry."

Soul sighs and wraps his arms around me. "Don't apologize. You don't have to apologize to anyone and I'm not going to go. She can do whatever and I'm still going to be here with you because it is your time. Not my time."

I feel so bad for even suggesting the idea that we wouldn't get married. I really do want to get married and start a family with Soul. He is my first and I would want him to be my last as well. I may not have been Soul's first, but I was his first serious relationship and that is enough for me. Just being with Soul is enough but I want more. The thing is I want to be close to my mother and learn how to be as good as my mother. For that to happen I need to finish what she started.

"Soul, I―"

There is a knock on the door and I sigh loudly. "I will get it." I untangle myself from Soul and I twist the doorknob and open it.

"Finally you answered." Akane smirks wide. "Don't look so shocked. I have people keeping an eye on you. I knew where you would live as soon as you booked this room." Akane takes a step inside of the hotel room and he smirks wide at Soul who sees him from his seat. "Hello there."

"You?!" Soul growls loudly while he stands roughly up from his chair. Chair number three hits the floor. "What are you doing here?!" If stares could kill, then Akane would have been without vital organs along with having every bone in his body broken.

Akane raises his hand and gracefully gestures him to take a seat. "I'm not here to tease. I'm here to inform you about the upcoming party."

"We aren't interested!" Soul roars and storms up to Akane and stands in front of me. "Now leave before I tear your head off!"

"Soul." I say and grab his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Let's hear him out."

Soul quickly shot around and looks at me both hurt and angry. "What?! Why should we let this creep speak his mind?! Don't you remember what he said the last time?!"

I cup his face but Soul quickly rips my hand off of his cheeks. I look at him a little hurt while my hands return to my sides. "Remember what we need to do."

"Whatever." Soul turns around. "I'm not going to hear him out! I'm not going to let him play with my fucking mind again!" Soul walks inside of our bedroom and closes the door behind him.

"Just say what you want and then leave." I say while I run my hand through my hair. I'm very hurt. For a moment ago Soul said he was going to stay beside me no matter what and even abandon an award dinner which must be very important. Now he just walked away, just like that. So all that talk was just empty words? He did come here to Japan with me but could he just leave me like this? Just walking out of my life?

He wouldn't, wouldn't he? I mean, he has been with me this whole time, so he wouldn't leave me just like this? Right?

"For once, I'm going to do as you say." Akane says and leans on the wall, crossing his arms. "The party will take place in two days. Wear that black dress you have with you. The party will be taking place at the Hoshi family's mansion. It is a party for the Hoshi family along with the Albarn so it is essential that you come. You can bring someone as company." Akane smirks wide. "But I guess that fiancé of yours won't come."

"For your information," The door is ripped open and on the other side stands Soul. "I'm going to come. I'm not going to let her be alone with you."

A weight is lifted from my shoulders. So Soul wouldn't leave me. He just stood behind the door. He would truly never leave me.

Soul walks up to me and wraps his arm protectively around me. "You can bet I will be there." Soul says while glaring wholes at Akane.

I smile wide and put my hand over his.

"I don't mind." Akane stops leaning against the wall and stands upright. "My job here is done, I will see you at the party, Miss Albarn." Akane then walks out of the door and Soul is quick to lock it behind him.

"The nerves of that prick." Soul growls. "Who does he think he is just waltzing here without being invited?"

My arms snake around Soul's waist and I hug him from behind. "I'm going to be upright with you." I rest my forehead on his shoulder blade. "You are going to go home and attend that award dinner."

"What?!"Soul spins around in my arms and he looks at me with shock and confusion plastered on his face. "This is all about you! I'm not going to go back! Why are you even saying it?!"

I sigh and rest my head on his chest. "Because that is an important dinner. You said it yourself. If Arisa is serious about ruining you if you don't come, you are going to go. I know how much making music means to you and I'm not going to risk it. You need to go back because you aren't going to lose your music. I'm not going to forgive you if you do."

Soul growls and rests his head on mine. "I'm going to risk my career because you are more important."

"No, no, no, no, Soul." I shake my head a little so I won't accidentally head butt him or hurt him. "If we are going to start a family you need to keep your job. Remember, we still need to make money and I know we already make plenty of money but I want our kids to grow up with opportunities like I never had. I want them to be able to play instruments if they want to or if they want to dance I want to be able to afford them dance classes. I want our kids to grow up to become what they want and become the person they are."

Soul bursts out laughing and now I snap my head upward and accidentally knocks my head into his nose. Soul stumbles backwards by the shock while he clutches his nose even though he hurt his nose, he can't stop laughing. "You keep saying you won't be a good mother if you don't find some advice from your mother." Soul says through his laughs. "But obviously you will be a great mother! You already know exactly how to raise our kids and everything!"

I wrinkle my nose and look at Soul cynically. "I don't think I will be that great of a mother if I don't get advice. This isn't just about being a mother but being a wife too. I want to learn Soul."

Soul chuckles and he grabs my hands. "Do you want to know what I think?"

Do I want to know? "Sure."

"I think," Soul smiles toward me, "I don't think this is about being a good mother or wife because being a good wife is about communicating with your husband. For you to be a good wife you need to talk to me and we will both achieve our goals of being a good wife and a husband. It is exactly the same thing we do right now in order of being a good boyfriend and girlfriend and you are a very good girlfriend even though we have our moments. If you want to be a good parent you could just take parenting classes and talk to me. We would learn together how to raise our kids." Soul squeezes my hands. "So I think this is about your past with your mother. I think you want that connection with her and discover her. I don't know if your nightmares and the engagement could have triggered this, but it is possible."

My eyes are left wide. What he is saying is so true. I could be a good parent by taking parenting classes and reading books. I could be a good wife by communicating with Soul. I could get all of those things, but finding out my mother's past and origins is a thing I can't do when we are married and have kids. I won't have the time for it.

"You are right." I say and look away from Soul. "The proposal just caused me so much stress and then the nightmares with my mother came, I just," I say while I shake my head. "I don't know. I just had to do this. If I get married now without knowing more about my mother, I will always wonder. I can't just go and wonder the whole time."

"I agree with you." Soul releases my hands and he cups my face. "This is your time. We are going to discover your mother's past together and make sure you are satisfied before we get married. That is what is important now."

I put my hands over his. "And that is why I want you to go back home and attend the award dinner." I change the subject. "If you don't want me to go alone to the party, then I will ask Kilik to come here and I will have him with me. He could keep an eye on me and make sure Akane doesn't do anything funny."

Soul growls loudly. "Maka. You know I don't like leaving you alone."

Since I graduated high school, Kilik did drift away from me a little. We didn't talk for months until it because unbearable. I contacted him and we ended up talking again. What Kilik needed was some time alone and by the time I contacted him, he was over his feelings toward me and he was going to contact me. Our bond grew again and we visited each other when we were in the area and it was all like we were in high school again. We did take trips to the beach to play volleyball, have picnics and go to the carnival; the only difference was that we were a much larger group. The whole band would tag along and we ended up having a great time.

Soul's and Kilik's relationship was just as rocky as it was when Soul and I met. Soul was very suspicious with Kilik and he kept telling me he had a feeling Kilik wasn't over me when he damn well was. I could feel Kilik and mine relationship was different since Kilik's romantic feelings toward me were gone. I could feel it and it took a long time for Soul to start relaxing around him and they actually became good friends which I'm very proud of. Kilik and Soul would play videogames while I made dinner or they would talk about other typical guy stuff.

"You trust Kilik to take care of me, don't you?"

"Yes―"

"And you do know that he would never let anyone put their hands on me?"

"Yes―"

"I don't see where the problem is then. You go to the award dinner and Kilik will be with me and taking care of me." I say and Soul runs his hands in annoyance.

"Listen." He sighs loudly while he put his hand on my shoulder. "I love you and I do trust Kilik to take care of you. I know he will do a great job. It's just… I won't be there and you won't be with me. Being on the other side of the world bug me quite a bit."

"You know you have to go and we have a solution. I will fire everyone from the Hoshi family at the party and I will put Noah in charge of getting the fields to work. I can go home then and take care of the rest form the distance. I promise you as soon as the party is over, I will take the first flight in the morning and I will be home with you."

Soul sighs and he can't reject my plan. "Okay, but I want you to call me before and after the party. I want to make sure you are safe and I want to be here when Kilik comes. I want to make sure he comes here in time so nothing can happen to you."

I can't help but smile wide. "Yes! Yes I will!"

How could I resist Soul when he just acknowledged my plan? I threw my arms around his neck and jumped up and wrap my legs around his waist. Soul quickly caught up on what I wanted from him and he immediately thrust his tongue inside of my mind while he squeezes my behind. He carries me inside of the bedroom and he closes the door with his foot. One thing is for sure; being with Soul will never get boring or lose its charm. He is perfect and he will always be able to satisfy me.