Chapter two: Assassins

Maka had always assumed assassins would be serious and harsh, possibly even soulless. After all what kind of normal person could run out and kill someone in such a gruesome manner at a moment's notice? How did they live with it? Even if their victims had been accused of horrendous crimes how could they do it? Her only answer was that they didn't care about other people. They might say what they were doing was to protect others, but they had to just like killing. It seemed fitting enough. Especially with the pictures she'd seen of one of the assassin's kills. It'd been so disgusting to look at that she'd nearly thrown up. At first the mass hadn't looked human. On closer inspection she found it only appeared that way because the limbs had been twisted and bent. One arm had been turned as though it was a screw, snapping bones and tearing muscle until the skin had burst. The muscle resembled something like rice pudding as it slid out of the tears in the skin. Bones had been removed and sharpened into stakes before being used to impale the victim. The eyelids were even removed, forcing the victim to see everything that was happening to their body. Stamped on the wall behind the mangled body was the assassin's signature. The skull of a demon with shark like teeth and a set of twisted out turned horns painted in blood. While the name of the assassin was unknown people referred to him as the Devourer of Souls or Lucifer. The looks of horror on the victim's faces seemed to support the fact that their souls had actually been eaten by him.

Since Maka was sure all these assassins were similar to the Devourer, after all they came from the same place, she hadn't been expecting the scene in front of her. When one played with life and death the same way a child played with toys it was almost a given that they'd develop some sort of God complex. This, this however was just ridiculous. What kind of person breaks down someone's door, jumps on their table, and yells about the responsibilities of a God? It was so baffling that Maka could only sit there dumbfounded. She was rarely at a loss for words but, just how did someone deal with something like this? Her expectations on how they should be acting, which had been fractured by the white haired man, had been completely shattered by this screaming blue haired idiot.

When his speech ended he crossed his arms causing his impressive set of muscles to bulge. He had a giant stupid smile on his face and his green eyes we're dancing with a childish light. He seemed proud of himself from nearly bursting their ear drums. The white haired man didn't look even the least bit amused. "You do realize Tsubaki's gonna kill you when she sees you broke down the door, again."

The blue haired man paled and squatted down on the table to stare him in the eyes. "Come on man, cover for me, I don't want to eat canned soup for a week." The red eyed man grinned a little.

Before he could say anything a soft, gentle voice rang out. It wasn't incredibly loud but captured both men's attention immediately. "What happened to the door?" The voice didn't sound even the slightest bit surprised that it was no longer on the hinges but instead laying inside the building.

The blue haired moron smiled nervously but before he could say anything the white haired man spoke. "One of Stein's birds got loose again."

Maka wasn't sure how such an absurd statement would make any sense, especially since if something was leaving the door would be outside the building not in it, but the woman didn't press the matter anymore. Instead she said "Oh," and smiled. Maka got the feeling the woman knew he was lying but found it amusing.

The blue haired man jumped off the table and moved closer to the woman. Only then did she take in the man's height, which could only be described as freaking short. He probably only stood at about five and a half feet...maybe a little more. The woman was an entirely different matter. She was tall and had the type of curves that made men like her father drool like rabid wolves. Maka normally resented such women on principle however there was something about this one that made her hold back on such judgment. She couldn't quite put her finger on why but decided it didn't matter.

The white haired man turned back to her and suddenly frowned. She had no idea why he suddenly seemed so displeased with her, especially since she hadn't commented on his co-worker's behavior. She was just about to question him when he said "You look like a shriveled red pepper." Before she could find words to insult him, she must be exhausted because she normally came up with comebacks quickly, he stood and moved toward one of the doors to the right of the entrance. He turned back to her and, with the same bored tone he'd been using since she met him, said "come on I'd like to be able to get back and cook dinner sometime tonight."

"Don't worry about dinner Soul-Kun, I'll take care of it." She smiled softly at Maka almost to reassure her that it was ok to go with the newly christened Soul. She wasn't worried that he'd try anything. Especially given the way he'd reacted when her wiggling to get away from him had pressed certain parts of her against him. It'd taken her awhile to realize it though, another thing she blames on the heat, but he seemed to be one of the few men in the world that didn't like women pressed up against him. Why? She didn't know nor did she really want to know. She decided to take it as a blessing and followed closely behind the man's slouched back.

The door led to what appeared to be a basement...or at least that's what she thought the dimly lit stair case lead to. Instead, they ended up at another door. Much like the front door it was metal and probably just as heavy. Scrawled over the front was some strange symbol, worn with age, and impossible to see clearly without better lighting. Soul reached into the pocket of his jacket and once more fished out his keys. He undid the series of locks and latches with several different keys. The amount of time taken to open the door made her rather nervous. What was in this room that needed so much security? She should have questioned him and not just followed after him like some blind puppy. She continued to chastise her exhausted brain until she heard a soft click. The door was slowly pushed open to reveal the last thing Maka expected...a bedroom.

It was an average sized room, not much bigger then the one in her apartment, with sparse furnishings. On one wall was an old style tv that sat on a dresser rather than an actually tv stand. A battered guitar was propped up against an equally battered desk. The bed was next to it and along the wall that held the door was a shelf with a wide assortment of knives. Most, she noticed, were ceramic and would therefore not trigger metal detectors.

Before she could ask why she was brought here he pushed the curtains above the desk aside. Despite being several feet underground the quickly fading sunlight shone through the small window. He pulled something out from underneath his jacket and busied himself with whatever was at the window. Once more she opened her mouth to speak only to be stopped. This time by Soul pressing something cold, and rather slimy, to her cheek. She jumped back, nearly tripping over her bag, and stared at him. "What the hell!" she barked before realizing exactly what he'd been holding.

"Well excuse me for trying to be helpful." He snapped, the slightest traces of hurt in his voice. In one of his, slightly shaking, black gloved hands was the leaf of an Aloe Vera plant. The skin on one side had been shaved off to expose the gooey pulp. She knew it was used for treating sunburns but she hadn't expected to be drug down here for that.

Maka huffed. "You shouldn't just randomly put stuff on people's faces," she then pursed her lips and looked away, her face heating up slightly. "but thank you."

Soul looked a little baffled, as though he wasn't used to being thanked, before his bored mask slid back into place. "Yeah, whatever," he grumbled before pushing the plant in her hands. Maka slid the little plant over the bridge of her small nose and over her slim cheeks. She couldn't help but let out a soft moan as the slimy pulp worked its magic. He turned his head and cleared his throat. The assassin's face was slightly pink bringing herself to realize what sounds she made. Her face flushed in response. Soul looked away and rubbed the back of his neck.

Once again Maka found herself staring at him. The pretty rose color that now lay over his cheekbones was captivating...and puzzling. There was no reason he should be blushing like a school boy since he probably heard such sounds in much more intimate settings. He was, Maka admitted grudgingly, attractive. Not to mention he was an assassin. She might be no expert on the shady murderers, but she suspected that they were well paid for the acts they committed. So it stood to reason that they could probably pay someone to have sex with them if they didn't have the time, or were too damned lazy, to seduce someone.

Angered by the idea that the man in front of her could be so lazy she looked away from him only to have her eyes fall to something she hadn't seen before. The room was divided in half and on one side was a giant cage. It immediately sent a shiver down her spine. Her hands shook softly and she licked her dry lips.

…...

Soul felt a change in the air the moment the young woman noticed the cage. He'd tried to put off her noticing his little holding cell for as long as he could while trying to come up with some way to explain what it was for without actually coming out and telling her that he was severely mentally damaged. If he did that he'd probably have to explain his past, that was one conversation he didn't want to have. The social stigma against his appearance was nothing compared to that against people, especially men, who had been in his situation. He honestly didn't want to be laughed at. There was little doubt that if someone laughed at him and down played exactly how traumatic those events had been he'd do worse things to them then he'd done to his targets.

While his past was a very important reason for trying to keep her from noticing it the other was because of the horrid sound souls made when wrapped in fear. It was an odd cross between nails on a chalkboard and children's scream. The sound could make him physically ill if exposed to it for too long, that was as long as it was from someone innocent. His targets had never triggered such a response.

Much to his surprise her fear quickly turned into anger. Her hands were still shaking but her head had turned so her vivid green eyes were locked on his. She had such a defiant look in her eyes, silently daring him to try something. Her little balled fists where at her side's, no doubt ready to strike him if he got closer. Having already experienced the amount of force her small body could produce he wasn't exactly keen on getting closer to her, not that he had a reason to anyway.

Soul lifted his hands in an international sign for surrender before letting out a soft agitated sigh. "Damn, tiny tits, if I was going to do something to you I would have done it already."

For some reason the statement only angered the girl more. "My name is Maka, not tiny tits." she snapped "And what am I supposed to think when you drag me into a room with a cage in it? That you just have it for shits and giggles? For all I know you never had any intention of helping me. You could have just been pretending to get me down here and ask who, or what, ever you work for if you could torture me to death or something equally gruesome."

Maka stood there staring him down while her side's heaved, trying to catch her breath after her tirade. Soul could do little more then stand there and stare dumbfounded at her. It seemed she didn't think he wanted to force himself on her, but instead cut her into little pieces while she was still alive. His shoulders shook slightly and he pressed his lips into a thin line, trying to keep himself from laughing. Her reaction was so...different. He had grown use to women (those who didn't know he was Death City's most bloodthirsty assassin) immediately thinking that he was going to tear of their clothes and have his wicked way with them. It wasn't just annoying but rather crushing to his self image, not that he had the best one but still. Who wanted members of the opposite sex to flee the moment they saw him? This woman however just though he wanted to kill her. Her reaction should not have made him laugh nor should it cause a warm funny feeling to fill his chest.

After a moment he managed to calm himself. He hadn't quite gotten his indifferent mask back into place but wasn't worried about it for now. "I only ever intended to help...which is also the reason I brought you down here. If Stein gets home early and finds you wandering around he'll dissect first and ask questions later. He won't come in my room though so you're safe here." He paused, allowing his words to sink in. Maka stopped shaking and was staring intently at his face, no doubt looking for some sign of deception. Apparently not finding any she relaxed a bit. Soul took it as a sign to continue. "As long as you don't try to kill in me my sleep I won't lock the door." He stopped again and stepped to the side. "You can put your stuff in there and then we'll go back." She frowned a bit, probably not liking the idea of being separated from her belongings, but walked over and placed the suitcase next to the bed. She then returned to his side, keeping about a foot of space between them.

With that done he started walking back up to the main room with Maka hot on his heels

…...

The scent of food hit the duo the moment they exited Soul's basement bedroom. Maka's stomach growled loud enough for him to hear without using his super senses causing her to blush. Her sunburn seemed to be fading rather quickly, much faster than a normal humans would, which caused him not only to be able to see her blush but also to wonder if she was normal. She claimed her father had sent her here, if so then the man had to have worked in the city. Normally those who lived in Death city did so until they died unless they went rouge (there was currently only two and neither was old enough to be her father) or left to pursue a life that didn't consist of killing. As far as Soul knew only one man left Death city and Soul owed that man for everything he had now.

Spirit had been one of the cities assassin's and one of the first to let Stein screw with his DNA. He'd ended up becoming one of the rarest types of assassins, a Syn. Stein had once explained to him the various types of assassins and how one could tell if someone was compatible with being converted.

The most common type was Kenetic. Normally people with an affinity for a certain element made good candidates for that type. There were many, many different branches on the Kenetic "tree". Pyrokenetic and Cyrokenetic were two of the most well known types. A Kenetic had the ability to control their element. For example someone who was Hydrokenetic could control water with only a thought. The limits of their control was set by their understanding of their element. That understanding grew the more the ability was used. Very few came off Stein's table able to use their ability flawlessly (though that was true for all the experiments).

The next type was called Manifest. Anyone who summon weapons or tools at will fell into this category. Those who became Manifests had to have a large amount of knowledge about weapons. They had to know the type of weapon they were going to summon inside and out. Outside of people trained as weapons experts there was almost no one who could become a Manifest. The number of weapons that could be summoned at once varied from person to person. No one was quite sure what caused some to be able to summon more than others. Many Manifests had a specific type of weapon they liked (daggers for example) and would study that type extensively. There was a very rare type of Manifest, so rare in fact that there were only two. These people could change their entire body into a weapon. The first had only been able to change into a katana. The second could turn into whatever weapon she wished, as long as she knew all the details about it. He was lucky enough to count her as one of his friends.

The last type was Syn. It was by far the rarest...and not generally affective in combat. Outside of an amazing healing ability and the ability to track down those who committed terrible crimes (only of their Syn type) they weren't much different from regular people. The only reason Syn were hard to make was because to become one you had to have a very skewed moral system. Spirit had been perfect because the man would sleep with any willing party that had the right parts and he saw nothing wrong with it, even if he was in a committed relationship.

After Soul joined their ranks Stein had made a new type that only four people knew about. Stein, Spirit, Lord Death, and himself. Due to Soul's already fucked up genetics Stein had been able to manipulate it so he had traits of all three types. He was Sonokenetic, allowing him to control sound. He could summon up whips, chains, and all manner of torture devices. He could also track down wicked souls. All these powers took large quantities of energy. As a result he needed to eat souls. The only way to remove a soul from a body (unless you were a Death God) was to torture the person to death. So he had to torture his targets to get their souls So he could fuel his abilities until the next target came up that he would torture and kill. It was just a continuous cycle of Kill and Eat. Which is why the type was aptly named SoulEater.

His friends had assumed it was a name, and he let them believe it, mainly because he'd long since forgotten his actual name. It was fine though because the little boy who once owned that name was now dead and gone...or so he'd thought right up until he allowed Maka down into his room and pressed the sticky pulp of one of his beloved plants to her sunburned cheeks.

Soul had received the plant as a Christmas/Birthday present from Tsubaki shortly after arriving in the city. They had met only a few weeks prior. He probably hadn't said more than two words to her. The fact that she'd thought to get him something and wanted nothing in return had been incredibly foreign. Needless to say it'd become instantly important to him and, even though she got it for him because she was worried his pale skin would burn, he never used the plant when he got sunburns. The fact that he was willing to use it on some girl he just met was...well if someone had told him that morning that he'd do such a thing he would have thought they were insane. He could rationalize that he had only done it because he owed her dad for the life he had now, but That realization had only come to him in the last two minutes.

Incredibly confused he led Maka back towards the kitchen. Tsubaki was leaning over a large pot with the ever hyperactive BlackStar hovering over her shoulder...or rather around her shoulder. Soul had never quite figured out why BlackStar was so short, though Tsubaki had once alluded to a fall that had severely damaged his spine with a rather heartbroken expression. He hadn't asked any questions about BlackStar's height since then. Being vertically challenged never seemed to bother him any though. In fact he didn't even seem to notice. Even though Soul towered over him by about a foot BlackStar often said that he was the bigger of the two...then again BlackStar thought he was bigger then everyone.

The moment the blue haired man noticed the duo he bounded up to them with a grin on his face. "So, Soul are you going to introduce your God?"

Maka appeared more than a little confused by his statement. Soul wasn't worried about it though, she'd figure out soon enough that he considered himself everyone's God. He took in a deep breath before letting it out, causing it to whistle past his teeth. "BlackStar this is Maka. Maka the blue haired idiot is BlackStar."

BlackStar frowned a bit, obviously dissatisfied with his introduction. From the counter Tsubaki called out softly. "Hello Maka I'm Tsubaki, BlackStar's partner." She stepped back from the stove and began removing plates from the cabinets. "Dinner's ready." The words removed the frown from BlackStar's face and caused him to move back to his partner's side. He then began to help her only to ensure the food was served quickly (and that he'd get a larger portion then everyone else). Looking at him now even Soul had had a hard time believing that he was an incredibly talented assassin.

An~ Sorry for such a long wait. I wanted to have this up the weekend of my birthday but...well it obviously didn't work out that way. There were so many bumps in the road to getting this written. I had actually written two or three pages before deciding it sucked and started all over. It turned out much better the second time (I could just think this because I'm in the grips of allergies and have no idea what's going on), of course I still have some issues with it. Apparently I need to end every chapter with BlackStar...why? I don't have the foggiest.

I'm going to take this time to thank you all for your favorites, follows, and reviews. I honestly loved them all and they made me so ecstatic every time my email told me I had another. I'm sorry if I didn't respond to yours (I honestly didn't know what to say). Anywho I hope you enjoyed this chapter...and that my explanations on the types of modified assassins was not too confusing.

~Beast