SOUL EATER: ~AFTERMATH~

Chapter 5 - Awkward Dreams... Could there be a Deeper Meaning?

The sand on the beach was warm. Jake sat still in the sun's light running his finger through it. He hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. He laid his head back and closed his eyes. He would have fallen asleep if it hadn't been for Dani's voice slowly intruding the silence.

"It's a beautiful day isn't it?" she said.

"Yeah it's really someth-" Jake began to speak but stopped when he opened his eyes. Dani was wearing a two-piece swim suit. He stared at her for a moment before she blushed and starting giggling.

"Stop... you're making me embarrassed." she told him in a tone different from her usual.

"It's just... I haven't seen you without... um... wow." Jake stuttered as he spoke.

"Teehee. Jake, do you know why we're partners?" Dani asked him maintaining her soft tone.

"Yeah it's because... well, I think it's because you were too insecure to work with anyone else and I didn't like the other weapons attitudes. Right?" Jake answered to the best of his ability. Dani only shook her head and sat next to him.

"No... I mean, do you know the real reason?"

"I thought that was the real reason..."

"No... you don't seem to get it." Dani began to scoot closer to him and speak even softer.

"What am I not getting?" Jake asked confused and beginning to turn red in the face.

"Look at me." Dani was just as red as he was.

"I just thought-"

"Shh..." she slowly moved her face closer to his as the sun began to set in the distance...

"YAHOOOOOOOOOO!" Black Star shouted at the top of his lungs jerking Jake from his sleep.

"AHHHH! WHAT THE HELL MAN?" said Jake irritatedly.

"You were going to be late for school! Dani said she would come wake you up but I told her the only person you would want to do that is the one and only man who surpassed god!" he was speaking in an overly loud, overly confident tone.

"Yeah... thanks Black Star, except Stein gave us the day off... Why would Dani be getting up for school?" Jake was nearly throwing his words at him.

"Oh... well... um... maybe she didn't tell me to wake you up... but it was still an awesome gesture right!"

"No... get the hell out of my house..." Jake was shoving him towards the door.

"Okay then! I'll come back tomorrow and give you an even better wake up call! LATER JAKE!" and with that Black Star disappeared out the door.

"Ugh... what a dumb ass." Jake said before putting his head down and returning to sleep.

Dani was walking down a dark alley. The sun had suddenly dropped from the sky as if it was being held up by wires that had snapped under the strain of its weight. She continued down the alley, feeling as though someone was watching her. A voice broke the silence.

"You know why your parents abandoned you don't you." spoke the mysterious voice.

"No... I... I don't know why they did." Dani said to the darkness.

"It's because you were a monster... A hideous child and they were sickened by you." responded the voice.

"What? That's not true... it can't be..." Dani was fighting back the urge to cry.

"Oh, but it is. When you were born your parents had no choice but to leave you in this alley and get away as fast as possible."

Dani knew this place looked familiar. Tears were beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. She quickly brought a sleeve to her eyes.

"You're wrong! That's not why they left!" Dani shouted.

"I'm wrong am I? Then tell me... why did they?"

"I already told you I don't know!" she couldn't help it anymore. Dani was crying so hard that her vision became abnormally blurry.

"They left you and they're going to return on your next birthday to kill you... The only reason they didn't do it before is because they couldn't handle killing an infant." the voice's words were cold and struck Dani straight to the bone.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! YOU'RE WRONG! I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE BUT I'LL KILL YOU! When Jake gets here we'll-"

"I'm already here Dani... She's right you know..." Jake interrupted her. He walked slowly from the shadows with a beautiful young woman behind him. She was wearing all black and the instant Dani saw her hat she knew.

"The witch Cecilia is only telling you this so that you can prepare yourself for when they finally come for you." Jake continued.

"Yes Dani. I'm not evil... I'm just trying to warn you in advance. You take my words all wrong." Cecilia tried to explain through twisted logic.

"Jake... how could you...?" Dani was trembling, her tears were staining her coat and she no longer felt the strength to stand. She collapsed to her knees and began sobbing uncontrollably.

"It's okay Dani... there's a simple solution to all this." said Jake. When her vision had cleared slightly she didn't know what she was looking at... It was Jake, but he was holding her in her weapon form. He quickly raised her and swung. Dani woke in a cold sweat. Apparently she wasn't only crying in her dream because her pillow was soaked with tears. She sat for a moment trying to figure out what all had happened. Who was that strange woman and why had she said those things about her parents? Patty knocked at the guest room door.

"Heyyyy, Dani! Jake is here. He says he wants to talk to you about your birthday. Which reminds me, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOUR BIRTHDAY WAS NEXT WEEK! Now I'll have to plan things twice as fast!." Patty was shouting at the door. Dani wiped her eyes with her pajamas sleeve. She quickly dressed, layering on a t-shirt, long sleeved shirt, pants, and her coat which she zipped twice as hard as she usually did. When she opened the door Jake was standing there smiling.

"Patty ran off to begin planning for your party, but I'm not supposed to tell you that... Oops. Did you sleep well your eyes look puffy." he said in a caring voice.

"Huh... yeah. I slept fine." She lied not having the nerve to tell him about her horrible nightmare and the witch Cecilia who had told her all those terrible things. Her and Jake walked towards the front door.

"So Patty said you wanted to talk to me about my birthday?" Dani asked cautiously.

"Yeah... I didn't know what to get you as a present but I thought that... maybe you could start living with me." Jake said in a friendly tone.

Chapter 5- FIN