SOUL EATER - SoMa Fanfiction - Tears of Ruby And Emerald

Chapter III: Knocking at doors

Two weeks have gone by since the news dropped like an atomic bomb.

Maka, pregnant. With Hiro's child. For both Soul and Maka, it was worse than fighting a million copies of Ashura.

Soul gasped in a shaky wake as the morning came. The same nightmare came over and over again in his mind: seeing Maka and Hiro making love and him paralyzed, forced to see everything: the lustful movements, the thrust of a man other than himself entering his beloved and her face shredded in sexual pleasure enjoying it.

The sun's rays entered his room and blinded him. His upper body was covered in thick sweat making his toned abs glittered to the solar light. His hair was in a heavier mess than usual and his eyes, though shining like red fire, were dulled, emptied, broken. It was obvious why.

Soul calmed his breathing steading it to normal. His head traveled in white hair. "Again…" He whispered. "I just can't get it out..."

He looked at his nightstand. His cellphone's screen flashed. As usual, Maka had called, texted and left countless messages. Soul looked at them, it was the usual: "I love you", "Please come back", "I'm sorry", those sorts of messages. After what happened, these words meant almost nothing to him.

Almost. Despite of all of it, he couldn't forget about Maka completely. He just couldn't.

There was one voice mail on his cellphone. He listened to it.

"Hey, it's me again…" Maka's voice was cracked and tearful. It looked that she, too, had a hard time to sleep. "I know that you hate me right now. And… it's okay. You have every right to. But… but I won't give up on us, Soul. I know I made the worst mistake of all-time and there's nothing I can do to gain your forgiveness. So that's what I'll… I'll go see Dr. Stein and ask for an abortion. If I want a baby, I want it to be from you, Soul." Tears flew from her eyes, Soul just knew it by the sound of her voice. "I want to be with you so bad. But... Liz won't let me visit you. I understand, though. Please call me. I… miss you. I love you. And I need you so much."

It ended. Soul's face was emotionless, but a veil of sadness was seen on it. He just couldn't forget about Maka, but neither about her sin. What was he supposed to do, he didn't know at all.

"Hey, Soul?" Liz entered the room without Soul noticing, but he just stared at his cellphone not caring about her presence. Liz followed his gaze. "Maka again?" Her voice had hate in it.

"She left me a message. She intends to have an abortion." Soul said with no emotion.

Liz was a bit taken aback. "Whoa… Well, that still doesn't excuse—"

"I'm going to take a shower." Soul got up with his jogging pants on and passed by her swiftly. A part of him didn't want to hear the same thing he's been hearing for the last two weeks in Gallows Mansion; insults regarded towards Maka.

"If you want breakfast, it's downstairs. Okay?"

"Thanks." He stopped and looked towards her. "Liz, thank you for your support. You're a true friend."

"Hey, that's what friends are for, Soul." She stepped towards him a little."

"I know. But…" He paused. "I know how much you hate Maka right now. And trust me when I say that anger, disgust, wrath, betrayal, all of those come up when I think of her because of what happened. Yet… There are also the good stuff and all of the great memories that I spent with her. You, too, had wonderful memories with her."

"Are you saying I should forgive her? Just like that?" A slight anger started rising in her voice.

Soul shook his head. "I'm saying it's not easy to move on and to forget someone you love for so long. If Kid cheated on you, I don't think you'd forget him overnight, right?"

On that note, Liz couldn't answer. Soul left her with a sad smile to get himself prepared while Liz was left in the guest room. Instead of thinking about how mad she was towards her sandy blond friend, now she was thinking about how yearning Soul felt. Truth be told, she now saw how badly Soul wanted to return to her. But he just couldn't. He'd just be reminded of the betrayal she did.

"Soul…"

***

"What?" Maka was shocked by the respond that Dr. Stein.

"I can't give you an abortion, Maka. I'm sorry." He said. The sunlight flooded his room. The walls seemed to shine more brightly.

"Why?" She seemed to be screaming with sadness.

"Because you need the approval of BOTH parents to do so. And considering how it went last time…"

Two weeks ago, when Soul left the hospital after learning the worst thing in his life, Hiro had met Maka afterwards trying to convince her that he'll take responsibilities and raise the child as a father. She knew his feelings for her never died, but his attempts to convince her only put more oil to the angered fire she felt towards Hiro and the fact she felt ashamed and like garbage for making her boyfriend suffer. Needless to say, it had ended in a fight with Maka beating up Hiro… and Blair pumpkin-blasting him away.

"But…!"

"There's no buts, Maka. I'm sorry, but you'll have to live with this mistake on your own." There was a harsh tone in Stein's voice. I guess even him was disappointed about what happened. He knew Spirit's was a heavy player in the game of love. He never expected to see his daughter who loathed him for that to follow his footsteps.

She bowed her head and shame and disappointment. She got up and left his room quietly.

"Make sure to eat properly." He held Maka with these words. "It may be a mistake, but this child you're carrying has every right to live, Maka. He's not supposed to pay for your mistakes."

Maka was walking back home. Tears had newly cherished her cheeks. She was just lost. She wanted Soul to be at her side. She wanted him to be there. But she lost him. And now, she was stuck with a child not from him.

"Maka, wait!" She turned around and knew that voice. And it wasn't one she wanted to hear, ever again.

"What the hell do you want?" She barked at Hiro. "If it's another beating, you're welcome to get more!"

"Wait…!" He rose his hands up. "You can't agitated yourself with our baby—"

On that note, Maka punched him in the face so hard that he landed on the sidewalk ground. "Don't! Ever! Say! That!"

Hiro got up again, but wiped the blood out of his nose. "You know, you can say whatever you want. I won't let you abort this child. He didn't do anything!"

"But you did!"

"Me? WE made that 'mistake', not just me!"

"And you're right!" Maka's anger had reached a new level, but it mixed with sorrow and sadness and shame. "WE did this! But you know something? I was mad at Soul, I admit! I was drunk as Hell, I admit! And God knows you could have stopped me! You weren't as intoxicated as I was! You only have one glass! And instead, you let your 'feelings' for me take control to give me a burden and you expect me that we can be one big happy family when my love for Soul will never vanish or die?"

Hiro was speechless. And it hit him like stone. He could have stopped Maka. He was quite sober when it happened after all. Yet, he didn't. And now this; a broken relationship, a man having nightmares of his loved one's betrayal and a woman desperate to make amends to have him back. He knew he didn't have his place in the equation. In fact he was the element that was too much.

"Look, Maka, I…" He paused. "I never meant to hurt you like this…"

"But you did…" Tears flowed again from her eyes. "And you expect me to believe you'll be the best father of all? 'Hey baby, you want to know how you were conceived? Well, Mama was drunk and Daddy who was just a friend decided to fuck her instead of stopping her from making the biggest mistake of her life. That's how you were born; as an accident, sweetie'. I'd rather much raise this child alone!"

This time, Hiro was completely speechless. Maka had hit where it hurt the most: into the truth.

"I hate you, Hiro and I don't ever want to see you again and I'll never forgive you for what you did." She turned away, but she looked at him one last time. "But don't worry… I hate myself more than I hate you. I'll probably never cast forgiveness onto me."

***

She was at her kitchen. While she was cooking something to eat, everything around the house reminded her of Soul. The funny messes they did together in it, him lying back on the couch watching TV, etc. Usually, he'd sneak up behind her and grabbed her by lacing his arms around her waist and kiss her. She'd just drop everything she'd hold on the counter and make out with him, or just continue on the kitchen's table. But not anymore. She missed everything of him: his touch, his scent, his body, his fanged smile, his attitude, everything.

The doorbell rang. Blair was at work, so she went to the door quickly. Maybe it could have been Soul, she thought. She opened it and saw a tall man with red hair and a dark suit with an upside down cross as a tie. His blue eyes were filled with compassion towards her daughter.

"Hey, Maka…"

"Oh, it's you…" She said bluntly and in a boring way.

"Can I come in? We need to talk."

"About what? How proud you are of me? I ended up on the same path as you as a cheater?"

Spirit kept his stare with her daughter. But it was cold and stern. It was as if he didn't have time to take any bullshit from anyone today, not even from his daughter. Maka, even stubborn in her eyes, submitted and let her father entered after all. She was just too exhausted in reality.

Both of them sat in the living room, tea served on the middle table. Everything was clean, but it seemed like a thin layer of dust was taking place on some spot. Without Soul around, it seemed like the house had lost its energy. And it affected it, just as much it affected Maka.

"It's a nice house." Spirit said. In his eyes, he was nostalgic. Perhaps he remembered the days when he was happy with Maka and Kami.

"Why did you come, Papa?" She said emotionless.

"Stein told me what happened." He said. Maka couldn't look at him in his eyes, hidden into shame. "It seemed too vague, so I went to the source and got the complete story."

Maka couldn't help noticing her father rubbing his knuckles. There were light red marks on them. It was as if he had beaten someone and blood got on his hands.

"You went to see Hiro?" He nodded. "What happened?"

"Let's just say I… expressed how I felt about all of this, and how he took advantage of you."

Maka dressed a smile at the corner her lips. She couldn't blame him for what he did. In fact, a lot of people have been taking it on Hiro since that incident.

"I went to see Soul as well…" His tone was sadden while Maka's attention reached instantly its height.

"How is he?" She urged.

"He's still pretty shaken, I'm afraid."

Maka could picture it too damn well: a crying Soul in a dark corner with a heart broken beyond repair. And all of that was her fault. Tears flowed again and she couldn't stop their streams, hiding her face in her hands' palms.

"Papa…" She said sobbing. "What do I do?"

Spirit pulled her close to her in his arms. "Simple; you keep trying to be forgiven. Even if it takes years."

Maka met her father's eyes. They were warm and sad at the same time, and a nostalgic smile dressed his lips, remembering his mistakes of the pasts and the harms did to her and her mother. Maka knew what her Papa meant.

"For years, I've tried to gain forgiven from you and your mother. Strong are the changes that I'll never be forgiven. But you know what? That's okay. As long as you two are happy, that will be good for me, and I'll do my best to redeem myself to the two of you. But for you and Soul…" He stopped for a few reflective seconds. "It's different. What happened was an accident. And you've come way too far to just end it all over one mistake. If you love him, keep knocking at his door, because will be bound to answer. Just like you and your mom might answer one day if I keep knocking."

Spirit had been a well-known cheater, Maka had always thought that and it was proven. Yet today, for the first time in so many years, she saw him as he should have been: a worthy father. On that, she got closer to him and held him tightly, like she used to do when she was little. A little hope started burning in Maka and fueled by her father's wisdom, she knew she just couldn't give up on Soul.

"Thank you, Papa."

***

It was night; something like 10pm. Maka was standing in front of Gallows Mansion. Its Gothic architecture was always as impressive as ever. Maka stood in front of the frontal gates. Her gaze traveled into the windows seen on the upper section of the castle-like house. She was hoping to see a glimpse of Soul's head, but it was dark and she couldn't see any clue of him. The door opened and a tall blond girl came out in pyjama to greet Maka.

Liz opened the front gate. She was wearing gun-patterned pants with a sleepless tank top that carried a bluish gray tone. Her hair was even longer than before.

"Do you know what time it is?" Liz said. Her tone wasn't a bit welcoming.

"I know… I'm sorry." Maka said. "I… I just wanted to see Soul, but… I knew you wouldn't let me. So, I called you instead. Thanks for greeting me."

"Whatever…" Liz yawned. "So, what do you want?"

"H-how is he?"

Liz reminded what Soul had said about not being able to forget about Maka. He was in a terrible shape, but Maka didn't look any better. Perhaps worst. She would have gun-blazed Maka right now, but now wasn't the girl who cheated on her boyfriend, it was a woman who was ready to go through for even one second with the man she loves. And Liz, as a friend, instead of trying to patch things up, she just went DEFCON-1 on her, Maka, who is one of her best friends.

When Spirit came over hours earlier and told the entire story to Kid, Patty and Liz, she felt a bit uneasy on how she treated her. Truth be told, Hiro did take advantage of the situation, considering Maka was willing to fuck him… under the influence of alcohol of course.

Liz sighed. "I'm sorry…" Maka didn't understand her answer.

"What?" Maka asked, but before she could say anything else, she was trapped in welcoming warmth given by Kid's wife. Her hands rubbed her back and she held Maka so tightly.

"I'm sorry…" Liz's tears started dropping. "I know you didn't do this on purpose. I know you didn't mean that to happen, Maka… I was just so mad at you, and…"

Maka, at her turn, started shedding tears. She had been crying a lot these past days. "It's okay, Liz… I deserved it—"

"No." She cut her. "No, you didn't. I'm supposed to support you when things go bad. And that's not what I did."

Maka smiled. "Well… you're doing it now." And Liz couldn't stop a smirk of laugh escape her lips. Needless to say, she felt good being in good terms with Maka again.

"Do you want to see him?" Liz asked.

Maka's heart burned. That's what she had been wanted to the past two weeks. She wanted to be there for Soul, even if he hated her. She craved for his presence. She wanted to see him. Yet, something held her up. And a resolution remained in her mind.

He was still in pain, he needed time.

"No…" She said difficulty. Even Liz was surprised. "I hurt him beyond measure, Liz. I want to be with him, I want to hold him so hard against me. But he is still hurt. By my fault. I want to give him time by himself. I will wait, even if it must be years. I'll wait for him. But I'll keep calling him, texting him and tell him how much I love him."

Liz nodded at she detached Maka from her embrace. "I think it's a good choice." Maka smiled in return. "Come on, let me walk you home."

The two of them started walking towards the Eater-Albarn home as a white-haired young man gazed at the disappearing blond figures from his lonely room, questioning himself if he was doing the right thing to let her go as such.

To be continued.