Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. Sorry I wasn't able to personally respond; I was getting ready to fly back and only got back to my dorm yesterday. Things have been crazy. I was actually able to type this up before school started. I'm hopefully graduating this year, but I have this huge test I have to study for and if I don't get a certain grade I won't graduate with the degree I want. So I may be busy and unable to update for a while. I am not giving up on the story though and promise to continue it.
This chapter takes place a year after the Maka left. I'm mostly going to show how the gang is doing. Sorry for the long intro. I own nothing. On to the story.
"You sure about this?"
The young girl nodded at her albino companion. "Not like I can run from them forever." She laughed. "Is it okay if I invite them over?"
"Find by me. Just if anyone gives you a hard time let me know."
She gave the older man a hug. "Don't snowdrop, I'll be fine."
"I wish you would let that drop."
The girl just laughed and began to eat her gigantic plate of meat; this would probably be her biggest meal of the day.
Soul woke up with a yawn. He got himself out of bed took his daily shower, dried his hair, and went to his room to get dressed. After all that was done he reached under his bed and pulled out an old box.
Inside were all the pictures she had left behind, pictures of him and her. He reached for one of his favorites. She was sticking her tongue out and he was laughing at her doing so. She looked so happy. He still couldn't believe everything had happened just a year ago. Just a year ago they had been happy. Then he screwed it all up.
He looked at the letter also in the box.
Soul,
You are an ass, you know that right? I'm not sure I can forgive you for everything, not sure I ever will. Still I want you to know that I will come back and I'll be strong. I'll show you I'm not as weak as you thought I was. I hope you are happy with Rochelle and whoever your new partner is. Concentrate on them. Don't come looking for me or worry about me, though I doubt you will. If you do I won't come with you. I'm with Wes and he will keep me safe. I don't know what your problem with him was; he's really nice and loyal.
Maka
Soul sighed and left his room. He glanced at Maka's closed door as he made breakfast. He was able to keep the apartment using money he had saved up. He had asked for a loan from his parents much to his displeasure. He had no roommates, making the place so quiet.
Blair had moved out a few days after everything that happened and then someone had broken into the house and taken Maka's things. His relationship with Rochelle had ended the day she was expelled. Then his life had become uncool.
While Maka was running around with Wes in Europe or wherever, his friends had given him a taste of his own medicine. First, a younger student from the NOT class with pigtails like Maka's had kicked him in the balls. Then after school Black Star had beaten the crap out of him. While he was in the Dispensary Rochelle had broken up with him saying she was going back to New York. When he got home he found out that all Maka's stuff was gone. His friends stopped talking to him for the longest time. People started calling him a dud and rumors went around that he had cheated on Maka with Rochelle, so he was just like Spirit.
Of course it was his own fault that she had left with Wes.
Of course if it weren't for him she would have come back to you. Always playing second fiddle to your brother aren't you, Soul? Or should I say second rate musician?
Soul growled at the little ogre to shut up. He had returned not long after Maka left. Seemed she had kept him at bay.
Just face it; you'll always be the second best. The exiled son that failed as a musician and as a wolf. A mistake, a dud.
Soul shook his head, Maka couldn't replace him. She had loved him and he had protected her.
But who is protecting her now? Wes. I can see them now, alone on a cold night in the woods, they cuddle for warmth. Of course, if you were to take Wes out of the equation it would prove to her how strong you are. That was the thing she admired about that spoiled Shinigami brat right? She finds it attractive.
Soul tried to ignore the creature, but he had to admit he had a point. Maka found strength and power sexy. She respected Kid; he had seen the glances and smiles. She was alone with Wes a lot. Something was bound to happen.
She spent all that time with you, trusted you, and loved you. Right now he is protecting her, caring for her, willing to die for her. That is your job; he is trying to replace you. He likes to win and always does. Next time you should show him who is really the best, win her back. I can give you the strength to protect her.
Soul shook his head. Shut up!
He had no idea when he would see Maka again, but he would win her back.
Kid opened his eyes to Maka's smiling face. He sighed and began to get dressed. He wished it was the real Maka and not just a photo.
There had not been a single word from Maka since she left, who could blame her. Wait that was wrong. They had received letters individually when Spirit came back. The Thompsons had received a post card from Germany, Tsubaki and Black Star had received one from London, and then he had received one from Italy. All of them said the same thing, she missed them, she was happy, and she was sorry she hadn't said goodbye but she had to do this. They had come in the first three months, after that they had stopped.
He had demanded answers from his father and to know where she was from Spirit. Both had told him to just accept her decision and that she was fine. How could he accept the fact that she was gone? She had been important to him.
He hated that because of Soul they had lost her. His symmetrical angel was gone. He never even got to tell her that he loved her. While some people in the group forgave him a little, Kid never would.
His OCD attacks had lessened. That was part of the reason she was gone, if he had paid more attention to her and less to symmetry he might have been able to stop the bulling. A part of him had hoped that it would bring her back though deep down he had known it was impossible.
It was the opposite of the last time he had to be away from her. When he was little and his father said he had to do Shinigami training. That was when his OCD had gone to the extreme level people associated him with. He had wanted to be as perfect as her.
He still dressed the same though.
He paused and pulled the letter from the drawer. Other than the postcards they had so little contact. So he had saved it of course.
Kid,
You were probably the most normal out of all of us you know that? I'm going to miss you. Please do not think any of this is your fault or that you could have stopped it. I've always admired you so much and think you are perfect the way you are. Do you remember when we first met? I miss those days. When you came back to the school I was so happy. Don't stop being friends with Black Star and the others. Watch out for Crona. If you need me, I promise to be there. Don't change too much while I'm gone. Sorry if this seems rushed, I save your letter for last because it is the hardest to write. There is so much I want to write.
Don't come looking for me, I know you'll all want to, but don't. You need to be strong for them. I promise when I come back I'll be a lot stronger, not as weak. I know that you'll be a great reaper and can't wait to see it happen.
Till Death,
Maka
He smiled. Till Death had been a promise between them, he just wished he could do more. He just wished he could tell her that he never thought she was weak.
He smiled at the memory of when they first met. Spirit had brought her to the Death Room. He had hid behind his father and she had just come up to him and asked him who he was, if he wanted to play and be her friend. Then they went to the park and played. She was the first person to not be afraid of him and want to play with him as a kid. Outside of her he hadn't had many friends till he came to school because kids were afraid of him or afraid they would get hurt. Who wanted to play with death?
He sighed. Time to begin another day, without his angel.
Black Star stepped into his room from his shower after his morning workout. He got dressed and made the bed, if he didn't Tsubaki would be upset with him. He paused and opened the drawer that hid the letter he had received from Maka. Tsubaki thought it had gone missing, he wasn't about to let her think that he had kept it for sentimental reasons.
Dear Black Star and Tsubaki,
I hope your mission in Japan went well. I'm sorry I wasn't able to greet you in person. I know you both feel betrayed and angry. Don't be too upset with Soul. Just know I am safe and happy. I will come back someday, just not sure when. Know I had my reasons; I never wanted to abandon you guys. I miss you all very much.
Black Star, I'll miss you a lot. You were always like a brother to me and I promise to keep in contact. I'm sorry that you had to find out like this. I know that you'll probably take this the hardest. Just don't kill Soul and try not to get into too much trouble. Can't wait to see how strong you are when I get back. I have enclosed short letters for the others. If you don't mind giving them out. Love you Black Star.
Tsubaki, you are the kindest person I have ever met. Take care of Black Star for me, we both know how he can get sometimes, really depressed and deep. In a way you were the mother of our group, holding us together. I hope you can still be that while I'm gone, they'll need you now more than ever. Know there was nothing you could do to stop this, so don't blame yourself or think about what could have been. You were my best friend and I'll miss you.
Maka.
He smirked, he hadn't killed Soul. He frowned as he looked at his bed. Where was Flopsy?
He let out a low growl as he began to destroy the room looking for it and calling for it. Finally he found the stuffed bunny under the bed.
Black Star placed that and the stuffed bunny that had once belonged to Maka on his made bed. After the night that she left he had beat the hell out of Soul and then broken into Maka's room at the dead of night and taken all her stuff. He stored it away. The bunny had been a gift to him from Maka when they were younger.
He missed her so much. They had never kept secrets or boundaries from each other. They knew everything about each other and had been friends since they were little. He really missed her.
He got some updates from Spirit about her. She refused to call because she was afraid hearing their voices would make her want to come back and lose her focus. Spirit never seemed to leave Lord Death's side lately.
"Black Star breakfast!"
He knew Tsubaki was worried about her. Truth was so was he. She hadn't sent any news for a while.
Liz was getting ready, making sure she was perfectly symmetrical for Kid. Patty was playing with a new giraffe while Liz put on her make up. Liz glanced at the photo of Maka and the rest of the girls laughing. Liz sighed and pulled a letter out from her draw.
Liz and Patty,
Sorry that I didn't get to say goodbye, everything happened so fast. I only have a brief amount of time to write these before Papa leaves with them. Liz take care of Kid, we both know that you two mean so much to him and he you. Most people would look at you two and see nothing more than thugs, but I know you are so much more. Patty stay your innocent self and I hope you see a giraffe someday.
Liz, you were like a big sister to me, one I never had. For that I thank you. I'm guessing you beat the crap out of the group who bullied me. Thanks. You were always so tough, that is one of the things I love about you. Just be patient with Black Star and Kid. I'll see you soon and promise to bring back some things.
Miss you,
Maka
She missed Maka. Things had been bad since she left. Thanksgiving had been hard for them all, they usually went to Kid's house and Maka would help make dinner. This year there was no Maka or Soul.
Then when Christmas had rolled around things had become ten times worse. The party at Kid's had only made them all sad. Kid had sulked; even Black Star had lost his merriness. Liz had tried to cheer everyone up at New Year, she and Tsubaki made a New Year's resolution to try to move on.
Kid on the other hand had never really moved on. At first he had freaked out and then he went into a depression where he wasn't obsessed with symmetry for a while. He was better, symmetry was less important to him now, but when he had his OCD attacks they were terrible. At one point during his freak out, he had destroyed the mansion. Liz wasn't sure if it had to do with OCD or what. They just called it one of his attacks.
He was still his formal gentleman self, but things were different. He never smiled anymore and was always serious. She wished things would go back to normal.
Tsubaki and Black Star neared the school. They had barely said anything to each other, both lost in thought. It had been almost a year since they had heard from Maka. She missed her friend dearly and hoped she was okay.
Everyone had changed when the blonde left their lives. Black Star had trained more and became more mature. That was nice, but he also had been really depressed and angry when Maka left. He had not only beaten up Soul but destroyed the training gym. Then he locked himself in his room and refused to come out for a few days. When Tsubaki had managed to break in he threw a throwing star at her. After he returned to school he had been quiet at first.
After a few months he had gotten better, acting normal around the others and at school. But he was quiet at home. Tsubaki hadn't realized how close he and Maka were. Sure she knew they were friends as kids, but not that it went this deep. She knew he pretended to be strong for her, but he missed Maka more than he said. She knew he had taken the letter and had it hidden in his room. She thought it was sweet.
She also knew about the bunny. He had torn the house apart one day when he couldn't find it. Maka had given it to him when he was sad about his parents, to show him someone loved him.
The others had changed too. Kid had become more serious, if that was possible. She hadn't known the two had been that close. Sure she knew about his crush on Maka, which she had to admit she had been a little jealous. But the two never spent that much time together. She was shocked to find out that they had known each other before he came to school. Then she recalled the glances they shared, the secret smiles and how his OCD would lessen around Maka. It was sweet. Now she was gone and he just seemed to give up caring about symmetry, or he would have random attack that caused him to go crazy.
Liz had tried to put on a brave face, but Tsubaki knew she really missed Maka. Patty and Liz had cried after Maka left. Liz had kept crying at night for months. She gossiped less. She became very focused on her sister and making sure things were okay for Kid. She was less mean to her meister.
Patty had probably changed the least. She used her childlike personality to hide her true pain. But when she got violent, on the rare times Tsubaki had seen it, those times had gotten worse. She had been very cruel to Soul.
He deserved it though. Everyone thought Tsubaki was a kind and forgiving person who was patient and unselfish. Truth was she had a big mean streak and was selfish. Maka had been her best friend and Soul had taken her away. He had used her in ways that not even he remembered.
Truth was she hadn't been really happy when they started dating. Tsubaki had a slight crush on Soul and knew he wouldn't stay with someone without a big chest. She had gotten over her crush before the fight on the moon, so it was mostly that she was worried that Soul would hurt Maka more than he already did.
Tsubaki knew that Maka had insecurities about her looks and truth was she knew she was the better looking out of the two. But no one hurt her friends. Weapons were supposed to protect and remain loyal to their partners. This often led to relationships, but Soul had abused that partnership. His teasing and actions had slowly worked away at Maka's self-esteem. Maka had been unhappy.
It had taken a while at first but Tsubaki realized shortly after Soul and Maka started dating that she wasn't upset because they were happy, she was jealous of Soul for having Maka. Maka was sweet and kind, patient and forgiving. She deserved better and she was afraid of losing her best friend. It had been the first time Maka had a relationship with a guy.
Soul's fan girl letters had really hurt Maka, so Tsubaki had cheered her friend up. Still the undeserving bastard was too much on his high horse. So Tsubaki had written some less faltering letters and put them in his locker.
So when she had found out that Soul had been bulling Maka she lost it. While she didn't physically injure Soul like Black Star did, she had helped Patty spread rumors about him. She had also managed to get news out to the school about what he did and that he was a dud.
Maka had been the only person who knew about Tsubaki's slightly selfish and nasty side. She had helped keep it in control. Though it was rare, she told Tsubaki that it was okay to have that side, just not to let it out too much.
Tsubaki thought of Soul and her fists tightened on her books. They had eventually let Soul have limited access back to the group, but Tsubaki knew that none of them had really forgiven him completely or trusted him completely. She, Kid and Black Star were the worst.
Soul and Kid had never been close, but the Maka thing had taken them back to square one. They barely spoke and didn't like each other much. They were rivals and Kid blamed Soul for the Maka thing.
Black Star would never be as close to Soul as he once was and would always blame him for Maka leaving. Though he didn't want to kill him anymore there was coldness between them.
Tsubaki on the other hand couldn't trust or fully accept him back. She never really wanted to accept Maka may not come back, none of them did. She refused to tell Soul secrets and only pretended to be nice. She was slowly forgiving him, but she would never fully do so till Maka came back if then. He had paid for most of what he had done.
Soul had changed too. He hadn't dated since Rochelle and Tsubaki could tell he truly felt guilty. Still something wasn't right about him. He moped and pretended not to care. Still he had been less obsessed with being cool since Maka left. He had moped around his house, barely said anything to anyone. Then he had destroyed his house once. He wasn't the same easy going, care free, happy guy he had once been.
She had promised to take care of the group and she would do so for Maka.
"Hey," Soul greeted as they walked toward class.
Tsubaki forced as smile and Black Star nodded.
"Did you guys hear about the new student?" Tsubaki asked.
"YES I WILL HAVE A NEW FOLLOER TODAY!" Black Star declared.
"I hear it is going to be a girl," Tsubaki told them.
"Wonder what she'll look and be like." Soul muttered.
Tsubaki resisted the desire to smack him. Was looks all he cared about? Shallow bastard. She looked at Black Star, who was glaring at Soul; he wasn't hiding his anger well.
"What are you guys talking about?" Liz asked as she, Patty and Kid joined them.
"The new girl," Tsubaki said. "Do you guys know anything about her?"
"She's supposed to be in our class!" Patty declared.
"I HEAR SHE IS A WEAPON!" Black Star yelled. He looked at Soul. "Looks like no meister opportunity for you."
"She's a death scythe actually," Kid corrected. "Like Justin Law she did this without a meister."
"Lord Death seemed happy when we asked him about it," Liz told Tsubaki.
At that moment the bell rang and Stein wheeled in on his chair.
"As you all have heard we will have another student joining us today." Stein smiled, he seemed excited. Tsubaki couldn't help but notice that he hadn't said new. Odd. Why was he amused by this?
A girl walked in and the whole class gasped. Tsubaki felt her heart beat faster, Liz felt tears come to her eyes. Soul felt something drop in the pit of his stomach, his eyes widened, his mouth hung open and felt dry, his heart fluttered. He couldn't believe his eyes.
Black Star felt like throwing his arms in the air and cheering. Then he felt a slight twinge of annoyance.
Kid felt his heart stop, he could barely breathe, "Maka."
Patty squealed, feeling a surge of happiness and giggled. "She's back bitches!"
I felt Tsubaki should have a secret mean and selfish streak. Don't worry I'll explain what else Soul did to Maka later. I'll also have some flashbacks with Kid and Maka as children. I thought the bunny was a cute idea, sort of like a bond between Black Star and Maka. Since he didn't have parents I imagine that he was secretly upset as a child and thought Maka giving him her favorite bunny to show she cared and loved him would be cute. I couldn't help but let Oni (the little ogre) taunt Soul. I wanted Soul to come out as cocky but remorseful. What do you guys think, did I get that across. Also I want Maka to not come off as cruel, but she does have a mean streak so I saved the meaner taunts for Oni. Thank you Black-Elephant for giving me some more names to insult Soul with.
We will get to see Maka's powers in later chapters.
