Author's Note: It's nice to be updating again I appreciate all the support this story has been getting! The song Hiro and Maka play in this chapter is based off of Dave Stewart and Candy Dulfer's Lily was here
Chapter 10: Targeted
"What's going on, I can't even see my hand in front of my face!" One woman cried out in panic as everyone began to shuffle around the room in slight chaos.
Maka bit her lip as she set her cup down and tried to concentrate. While most people in the room had remained calm and just took out their cellphones in order to get some form of light in the blackout, others had become restless and were either pacing around back and forth or trying to run back outside before anything else happened.
Somewhere amidst all the noise everyone was making Maka was able to make out Kid's voice speaking again.
"Everyone, please just remain calm. I'm sure it was just a short circuit that occurred. The backup generator should be up and running any minute now." Kid spoke out smoothly.
'I don't think this was the cause of some short circuit. Someone must have known Kid was having this Gala event tonight and that there would be many important guests here. I'm sure they must be trying to go after Kid or some other prominent member of the DWMA.' Maka thought, still trying to block out all the sounds and focus.
Maka sighed after a few seconds and decided she needed to prioritize her thoughts now.
'I need to get back to my table where Soul is. I'm sure he's probably wondering why I haven't gotten back to him by now even with all this darkness surrounding us.' Maka mused.
Just as Maka was about to head back in the direction of her table she suddenly picked up on the soul of a relatively strong person she didn't recognize running off towards Kid's garden in the back.
Even though Maka didn't know every last guest Kid had invited to the party, she could at least recognize with her soul perception the souls of the more powerful guests amongst the crowd like Dr. Stein for example.
'So that must mean this person must be the assailant that started this blackout in the first place. The fact that they're now heading towards Kid's garden might mean they'll try to pull another stunt that will be way worse than a blackout.' Maka reasoned and without a second thought chased after them.
~X~
In retrospect, Maka wasn't sure why she hadn't given more thought to the fact she couldn't really run fast or particularly run at all while still wearing a dress with heels on, but it seemed like her foe wasn't really trying to escape her at all, in fact it seemed more like they were waiting for her to catch up to them.
Finally her opponent came to a stop, but still remained with their back towards Maka, allowing Maka to get a better look at them.
It seemed like whoever this was they were going for the mysterious look because all Maka could make out was that they were wearing a black overcoat with a matching black wool cap to cover their hair and most of their face.
"So, can I assume that you're the one who caused the power outage at Kid's party earlier?" Maka asked.
Her opponent only chuckled a bit. "I perhaps might have had a role in that, but I'm more curious to know what are you going to do about it?"
From what Maka gathered from just know hearing this person's voice it definitely seemed like it belonged to someone masculine.
Maka's eyes narrowed at the guy's question, narrowing her eyes to focus on him and their surroundings.
"What's that supposed to mean? You don't think I can take you on?" Maka growled out.
The guy's chuckling turned into full blown laughter. "I've faced many opponents over the years, but none of them ever fought me in a dress and high heels. Besides, can you really fight me weaponless?" He managed to say in between pauses of laughing.
Swiftly the guy's sniggering suddenly stopped and he turned around to face Maka.
"Well, you're brave I'll give you that, but I think it's time now I really put those skills everyone is always saying about you to the test." He said smirking as he turned his left arm into a sickle.
'Just like I assumed he's not an ordinary person he has weapons abilities.' Maka thought quickly to herself, dodging one his attacks that had been heading for her stomach.
For a few minutes this went on with Maka either dodging or sliding out of the way of his slashing movements, before landing a jab on his face.
The man sneered and spat away the blood from his bleeding lip. "Oh, you'll have to do better than Maka."
'Damn it how is he moving so fast? Even when I managed to land that one punch on his face, it did nothing to slow him down really.' Maka thought, beginning to feel out of breathe.
"I can see you're getting tired Maka. You can't dodge my attacks forever, especially not in the clothes you're wearing right now." He said before suddenly making the blade of sickle arm larger and rushing for Maka again.
Luckily, Maka was able to move out of the way quickly enough to only receive the blunt end of his sickle grazing slightly against her shoulder.
'Shit, he actually got me that time. I can't keep being on the defensive. I need to find some type of object I can use as weapon." Maka thought taking a brief glance around.
Unfortunately Maka didn't really see anything she could really use properly to attack and defend herself with that he wouldn't be able to slash through.
Maka gripped her injured shoulder in frustration. Blood was starting to leak from the small gash she had gotten earlier drawing a smirk onto her enemy's face.
"Well, is that really the best you got Maka Albarn? I truly expected more from someone known as one of DWMA best students, both academically and athletically." The guy sneered out, as he walked closer to her.
Maka remained silent, but stepped back as she watched him carefully to assess his next move.
"Really, I'm sure you can be a stronger opponent than this. Maybe it's because you don't have that scythe of yours with you, huh? Now that he's a death scythe he doesn't need you anymore. It could be why you're so weak right now." The guy continued on. grinning at the reaction he was getting from Maka.
Maka cracked her knuckles prepared to punch that stupid grin off this guy's face even it if meant risking a more serious injury potentially. 'I'm not going to stand for any more people mocking me like this. Not Soul's fangirls or this guy!'
"You bastard I'll show you who's weak!" Maka snapped pulling back her fist until a noise startled the both of them. Both of them stopped their fighting and turned their attention back towards the Manor.
It seemed like Kid had been right about getting the power back quickly enough, because the lights were back on and everyone seemed to have calmed down.
The man placed a hand on Maka's shoulder causing Maka to quickly focus back on him and prepare to finish punching him.
"Relax; I'm done fighting you for now." To prove his point the he turned his sickle arm back to its original form and smoothed out his coat.
"So what was your point in coming here then? Were you trying to gather information on Kid just because he is the new Shinigami or attack one of the death scythes in surprise?" Maka asked bitterly.
"No, I had no desire to go after any death scythe or even Kid. My intentions tonight were to get to you and I did."
'Me? What the hell could this guy want with me?' Maka's facial expression must have shown puzzlement because he spoke up again.
"You really don't remember me do you? And to think I helped you out with those crazy fan-girls too." He said making a pout.
"Fan-girls? Wait a minute; don't tell me you were that guy from before that stopped that one girl." Maka questioned in surprise.
"Yup and you never did get my name before that weapon of yours dragged you off. My name is Travis and I'm sure you'll be seeing me again." Travis stated finally revealing his face by taking off his cover.
"So what do you want with me? Why would you just randomly attack me at this party?" Maka asked, quickly becoming pissed that this all was for nothing except to mess with her.
Travis smiled oddly making Maka frustrated when he wouldn't automatically give her an answer.
"Well guess what I still have that photo of you and Hiro that Rachel took. Don't worry I'm not going to go spreading it all over the school like she wanted to, but I do have a proposition in mind." Travis explained coolly.
"Hell no, I'm done with making secretive agreements with people! It's bad enough having this one on my hands." Maka said beginning to walk away.
"You didn't even let me say it. It's not like my agreement would be causing you any harm like whatever you're doing with Hiro. In fact, I'm willing to bet my deal is even better than the one you got from Hiro." Travis said in amusement.
"I really don't give a crap." Maka said starting to get further away at this point.
"Alright, I figured you were going to be stubborn, but that's why I like you so much." Travis stated catching up to Maka so fast and forcefully grabbing her back by her injured shoulder.
"What do you want with me?" Maka managed to hiss out as she tried to break out of his grip to no avail.
"Nothing much really, but I want you to be my meister. When he noticed Maka's eyes widen in horror and confusion he added on.
"Now you don't have to answer me right this second, but I do expect an answer by next week or I really may just do something about that photo I still have of you and Hiro." Travis finished smoothly.
Maka rolled her eyes. "That's still blackmailing me. You're no better than Rachel and her damn posse who still bug me with their dumb threats. Besides, you're in the NOT class you should find a meister in that class."
Travis only laughed lightly. "Why be with a student from the NOT class when I could be with one of the best students in the entire school?" Travis reasoned.
Maka blushed slightly at the compliment, but still remained angry. "I'm not going to be your partner no matter how good you might be. I'm still Soul's meister."
Travis snorted in disagreement. "Actually that's where you're wrong. You used to be Soul's meister, but know he's Kid's weapon. Not only can I get Rachel and her friends off your back, I can help you with stuff that maybe Hiro isn't helping you with already."
Maka arched an eyebrow. "How do you even know Hiro is helping me with anything?" 'And why would I even want his help when this is way of trying to get my attention?!'
"Well it's kind of obvious, I mean the fact that you don't want any of your friends knowing you're meeting up with him seems like you two must have some sort of agreement going on."
"Anyways, I'll let you think it over before I need to make any other actions." Travis stated, letting her go and walking away before Maka could retort.
'I'm sure Maka found me so fast by using her Soul Perception ability that I've heard some of the faculty mention before. I still need to collect more research on her that Soul Eater before I make any other moves.'
~X~
Maka tried to give chase to Travis, but as soon as he disappeared through some bushes, Maka was able to find no trace of him even with her Soul perception.
Sighing, Maka sluggishly walked back towards the manor feeling defeated.
'How am I supposed to explain my appearance? My dress is all tattered up and I still have this wound on my shoulder too.' Maka thought anxiously, getting a brief glance of herself in one of Kid's outdoor ponds.
As Maka approached the main hallway that would lead back to the party, a voice stopped her.
"There you are; geez I've been looking all over for you!" A voice snapped from behind Maka.
Maka took a brief glance behind her and realized that it was Hiro to her disappointment. 'It just had to be Hiro who would find me looking like this, but I guess that's better than Soul.' Maka thought in exhaustion.
Hiro looked at her up and down. "What the hell happened to you? Did you get into some fight? Well, it doesn't matter; you can just change into the dress Jessica let you borrow. It's time for us to perform." Hiro said handing Maka her sax, dress, and mask.
"Wait, what are you talking about; what about Kid's speech and stuff. Doesn't he still need to finish doing that first?" Maka questioned.
"While you were gone, Kid finished the gist of basically what he called this whole meeting for and because of that weird power outage earlier he wanted to calm everyone's nerves by having us perform to finish off the night. I've been trying to look for you for the past 30 minutes now." Hiro explained in a rush before pushing her towards a bathroom.
"Now hurry up and get changed and cover up those scratches and stuff with some make-up and concealer!"
Maka frowned gazing over her sax and dress before turning her attention back towards the mirror. From the way Hiro spoke, it seemed like everyone was waiting on her now to make an appearance and she barely had any time to gather her thoughts together.
Maka groaned quietly under her breath as she quickly got out of her jade colored dress and into the dark blue gown. After she finished applying proper first aid (disinfectant and a small band aid she had found in the bottom cabinet would have to suffice for now to cover her main wound) and concealer to her scratches, Maka applied the finishing touches to her hair and face and put on her emerald mask.
'Perhaps performing will help take my mind off everything that's been happening tonight.' Maka mused to herself as she walked back out of the bathroom and found Hiro at the end of the hallway.
~X~
"Thank you everyone for waiting patiently. I'm sorry there have been so many pauses in tonight's party, but to end things on a high note, I've brought the group Masquerade here to perform. Let's give them a big round of applause!" Kid stated cheerfully as he let Hiro and Maka take the stage.
Soul briefly glanced at them from the audience, looking agitated and distracted as he went back to staring at his phone. Ever since the power outage had occurred, no one seemed to be able to find Maka or even noticed that she was gone. She had left her phone in her purse so he had no way of contacting her either.
Soul eyed Diamond and Emerald warily as they started. Diamond started things off slowly with his guitar with Emerald matching his tune as the song continued on. They even included the sound of a drummer playing along as their background noise with the help of an audio CD.
Soul glanced around, the whole audience seemed mesmerized with their playing and even Soul had to admit they were pretty good duet.
'Still, I've heard better in the past, they're not playing all the notes at the highest level some of them could be played at.'
When the song was over, everyone applauded the duo cheerfully with Diamond even showing off a bit by doing a mini encore. Soul looked back over at Emerald who seemed dazed and was staring quietly down at her sax.
'It looks like she really doesn't want to be here right now since she isn't even looking at the audience. Odd, I would think she would just as happy as Diamond would be.' Soul thought watching her for a second longer before focusing back on his main concern: finding where Maka went.
Maka peeked back up when she noticed Soul finally wasn't staring at her anymore.
'Thank goodness he stopped looking my way. I don't want him to make any connections between Emerald and Maka." Maka thought, sighing a bit in relief.
~X~
"You two are welcome to mingle with the guests for a bit before leaving out or enjoy some food. And thanks again for performing on such short notice." Kid stated, as he shook both Diamond and Emerald's hands.
"You are quite welcome and don't mind if I do help myself to some food." Diamond chuckled, heading over to the buffet table.
Maka groaned at Hiro's behavior. 'Unlike me, he's not in a rush to go anywhere.' What she really needed to do now was hurry and change back into her emerald dress before more people really noticed she was missing.
Maka squeezed her way through the crowds and politely thanked those who stated that they appreciated her performance until she made it back into the hallway.
"Wait your telling me you can't find my where my precious Maka has gone!" Spirit cried in shock, shaking his shoulders roughly until Soul pushed him off.
"Would you calm down already, ugh. I'm sure she's around here somewhere, she was by the punch bowl when the blackout happened, but I haven't seen her since then so I was just wondering if you had seen her." Soul stated grouchily.
"Maybe Maka went home because she didn't want to deal with you anymore." Spirit retorted back with a snort.
Maka watched the two of them argue and quietly slipped down the hallway into a corner where they wouldn't see her. 'I'm surprised they didn't notice me when I first walked out, it's a good thing their too caught up in their own conversation. Maka thought, feeling a bit more that maybe this night wasn't going to end too badly.
"Anyways, I've been wondering lately what your relationship with Maka is? Do you like her or something; is that why you asked her to be your date?" Spirit questioned glancing down at Soul suspiciously.
Maka could feel her face start to flush beneath her mask. 'Stupid papa, don't ask embarrassing questions like that! I told you we were just friends!" Maka thought, almost wanting to break up their argument herself.
Instead to Maka and even Spirit's surprise Soul replied back to Spirit's question without hesitation.
"And what if I do like Maka that way, what exactly would you do about it?" Soul asked coolly.
Maka froze and before she could even think to cover her mouth, let out a loud gasp that unluckily caused both Spirit and Soul to look in her direction.
Author's Note: That's it for Chapter 10, feedback is always appreciated and welcomed and as always thanks for reading.