Usual disclaimers apply~
Enjoy your read :D
A thin line of light traced crimson eyes and a beep was heard. Only one colour allowed them into this specific room - their colour.
It was amazing, how in an elegant Victorian inspired mansion there was something as modern as this. Well of course, Charles did like to collect relics - there has to be somewhere that they can store them in safely.
The darkness enveloped the figure as they walked silently forward, passing different glass boxes displaying shadowed objects that were considered treasure. Towers and towers of them, some sparkling from the small light that the figure brought in with them.
Turning their head, the figure opened a flash light and directed it at their newest object - a beautiful black diamond, as big as a walnut, the light reflecting in each small facet and displaying beautiful specks of light to highlight both the figure's shadowed face and the relics behind them.
Frowning in the darkness, the figure sighed and wore a glove on one hand, the other digging into a large pocket and revealing a small glass orb with a circular stand. This stand was hollow, and open. They were warned not to close it yet or else it won't be opened for quite a while. That was because 'she' had both the keys. The figure didn't have those keys - cannot copy those keys, it was quite a unique design.
Grabbing the black diamond in the gloved hand, it was gently deposited into the hollow space of the orb's stand, and with a click, the stand closed in on itself.
Smiling in relief, the shadowed figure pocketed the vessel and exited the darkened area.
MAKA----
She sighed distastefully.
Soul was devilishly grinning beside her on one side. Kiel was quivering in both fear and anger on her other side.
Of all times, why was Soul being protective now? He didn't really need to; she had a weapon on probation - a weapon that Soul didn't seem to approve. She was starting to get the feeling that her old weapon was jealous of the new one. That thought made her inwardly giggle. Poor Soul…
The scythe had found his seat occupied two days ago and it clearly irked him. Now, he had forcefully tortured the poor weapon and drove Kiel to beg to swap chairs with Maka. What does Soul not get about temporary? Geez, give the guy a chance…
If the white haired scythe thought that she didn't feel him provoking Kiel with his deathly wavelength, then he thought wrong. Blame her immensely powerful soul perception. She had noticed that it had been going on since the past few lessons.
Over the years, her ability to sense and specify different wavelengths improved abnormally well, and it was due to this ability that she gets burdened with all the wavelengths that she feels weighing down on her. It was almost suffocating. People compared her to Buttataki Joe, Professor Stein and her own mother, all famous for their powerful soul perception - it might even be powerful enough to trace Soul Protected witch souls. So if she were, as they say, as strong as them, then would she be able to hunt witches easily?
That might also be one of the reasons she was the main target of partnerless weapons. Such an easy way to acquire the Death Scythe status if you could find yourself a witch that easily.
Returning her thoughts to focus on more present matters, she didn't miss how even with their outward appearances displaying arrogance and boredom, the wavelength of the two were in conflict around her - taunting each other. Really, why couldn't they just pay attention to Sid's class?
Glancing at the clock above the blackboard, there was only two minutes left of classes and finally, they can release their pent up chaos and just duel somewhere while she goes home to a cup of nice--
The bell for the end of the day rang loudly across the buildings, and five seconds later, people came bursting out into the corridors, a bustling noise resounding throughout the rooms. Unfortunately for her, as soon as the bell rang her thoughts of escape were foiled as both weapons on either side stood up simultaneously – blocking her exits in the process - and started exchanging ridiculous banter.
"Look Death Scythe, I don't know what's up but could you stop doing that?!" screamed the bronze haired weapon in frustration. Maka could totally empathize with the weapon, having someone's death aura on you for seven hours would just drive you crazy; she almost lost her mind even though she was only a spectator.
"Doing what?" Maka dropped her face into her palm and just shook her head at Soul's reply.
"Attacking me continuously with your wavelength!"
"I wasn't attacking, I was merely…poking." From Maka's peripheral vision, she saw Soul grin deviously. She should really stop them, but the two wavelengths' were continuously spazzing and it was causing her a headache.
"That wasn't poking! More like stabbing!" Looking around, she found out that at least there were no spectators in the room. Oh, wait, there's Black*St--
A sudden crack was heard - and felt - as the loud meister crashed into her table from above. Damn! What is with people today!?"HYAHOO! A duel! A duel! Come on Soul, lemme beat up the guy for ya!"
"Idiot! If it's a duel, it should be between the two of us!"
"What?! What have I done to make you hate me so much?!"
"Hate you? Oh I don't hate you--"
"He loathes you! Hyahaa!"
"You didn't even answer my question!!"
"Oh, do you really not know?" Black*Star's tone was teasing - he knows something?! The wandering thought was answered as she noticed the quick jeer Black*Star gave her, which caused her to groan in frustration.
So it was because of her… Stupid Soul, he knows she can still wield him as a weapon; it's just that she wanted a new weapon to return the feeling of adventure and adrenaline; to be able to take on missions once again. She was still quite young enough to take on another weapon. Plus, Kiel was still on trial with her; he still wasn't her current permanent weapon.
Three guys towering over her just made the concept of escape that much more yearned for and harder to get. She peeked in the gap made by Black*Star's legs as the three males continued to bicker and saw Tsubaki, who seemed to only have come in and was greeted by the sight of a little crowd of shouting guys and a meister peeking at her, asking - begging with her eyes to be saved.
After a few moments of deliberation, Maka caught the small and hesitant nod of her friend.
Tsubaki breathed in and her eyes opened with a burning ferocity that shocked Maka and made her quite proud of her usually timid friend. The ninja weapon ran, hopped with her lithe elegance on the tables until she was above Maka and the three guys.
"Smoke bomb mode!"
"Tsubaki!?" Black*Star squealed when he heard her voice.
"Wait- before I go… Maka chop!" Even through the smoke screen, she managed to hit the three all square on the top of their heads, the bronze haired weapon experiencing his first Maka chop.
With that last detail done, Maka jumped away from the three as she grabbed for Tsubaki's hand.
"Maka-chan, you didn't need my help at all…" Both girls landed gracefully on their feet and started to walk away from the coughing cloud.
"I could've escaped on my own but wasn't it fun when you joined in?" The meister beamed childishly at her friend and Tsubaki had to laugh.
"Yes, we should do it again."
Turning a corner in the hallway, Maka hadn't realized the approaching insistent wavelength until it hit her. Literally.
"MY MAKAAA-CHAAAN!!" Spirit rammed into his daughter unexpectedly, embracing the soul out of her.
"PAPA!?" The scream of terror she gave out was muffled as her head was forcibly buried in her papa's chest.
"D-Death Scythe-san, Maka-chan can't breathe!"
"Ah, hello Tsubaki! How's the soul collecting coming on," he asked casually, Maka still struggling in the embrace, her arms stopped from reaching any sort of book to hit her crazy father with. Maybe she should kick him in th--
"About eighty-eight souls collected - were still a ways away," Tsubaki replied, a nervous giggle escaping her as she shakily started to pry Death Scythe's arm off of Maka.
Finally realizing that his daughter was still in his tight hold, he released her head only to kneel down and hug her by the waist, his red hair rubbing against the girl's abdomen.
"Maka! Maka! Were gonna meet mama soon!"
"Huh?" Both girls glanced at each other in surprise. Maka had to ask, "What? Where?"
"We're invited to this January ball--"
"Oh, you've had that invitation already haven't you Maka-chan?" Tsubaki asked solemnly, only sighing as she watched her friend hit her father over the head with a book.
"So that means…" Maka's Papa murmured to the floor audibly as a puddle of blood formed from the unstoppable flow coming from his nose. "I get to see both Maka and Mama wearing pretty gowns!!"
"Are you sure its only us you wanted to see? There will be plenty of women there…" Maka's voice was flat, dangerous, ready to retaliate if her papa decides to act like the pervert he was…
"Oooooohaa!!" Spirit rolled around the corridor floor as if excited, his arms clutching his sides, a strangely…er, perverted look on his face.
That was it.
Maka aimed.
Kicked.
The red head flew across the corridor until he wasn't seen anymore.
Tsubaki only gaped in both horror and awe.
"He deserved that, stupid old man. Let's go home Tsubaki."
The good thing was it seemed as if Spirit was still clueless about the whole engagement thing.
----------
"Soul?!" There he stood at the entrance of her apartment, his face looking bloody and beaten up. "What happened to you?" The tone she used was knowing, since this usually happens when they used to still live together.
He only groaned as he entered her apartment, flopping down the nearest chair. "Duelled with Kiel and of course I won, but stupid Black*Star beat me up afterwards since he didn't get to join in the fun. Is it fun to beat me up?"
"I think that's his was of showing his affection to his male friends," the meister said nonchalantly as she busied herself by taking a piece of cloth from the kitchenette cupboard and opening the tap to fill a small bowl with.
"Then, I'd rather that he show me no affection at all. It hurts like hell…" Maka only giggled as she pushed the bowl of water and cloth towards him, indicating for him to clean himself up.
"Clean yourself. Now. Before you get any blood on my carpets," she ordered sternly yet it was contradicted by the smile plastered on her face.
The weapon released a pout as he leaned back on the chair, his head resting on the back of the sofa as he looked up at the light ceiling of her living room. "Honestly tiny tits, that hurts - you caring more about your carpet than your cool partner…" he said in a blank voice, yet amusement seemed to etch itself into his tone.
After shaking off the puzzled feeling, Maka sort of figured it out. The reason he went straight to her apartment after being beaten up. The reason for the reappearance of her old nickname and the thing about being 'cool'. He was merely being nostalgic. Reminiscing. And that brought a smile to her face.
Walking close to his prone form, she placed herself to stand behind his head as she blocked his view of the ceiling. She had her face scrunched up in a faux annoyed expression but that was part of her fun. She was merely playing along the reminiscing.
"Maka Chop!" A dictionary landed square on Soul's forehead but he only flinched. There was not enough force for it to be a real head splitting Maka Chop. He was already beaten up real bad - there's no need to add more damage to him. "Mou, how many times have I told you not to call me that?" A frustrated look crossed her features briefly only to be replaced by a wide grin as she looked down on him.
"Come on, Soul, you look scary with all the blood flaking on your face…"
"There isn't even that much blood - if there was, then you'd seriously be panicking right now."
"You're right. You're just dusty. Really dusty. And beaten up."
"State the obvious, much?"
It was like the old times and the warm feeling that memory gave her made her laugh enjoyably. "Yeah, yeah. So what are you waiting for? Do you want me to do all the dirty work of cleaning you up or something?"
With that, the scythe only grinned, his eyes narrowing deviously at an unknown idea. The meister only groaned.
"Fine, you lazy bastard. Pass the bowl," commanded the girl as she sighed in amused frustration. And that he did.
After wringing the excess liquid out of the towel, she immediately dropped it on her partner's face with a plop, eliciting a small 'hey' from him.
It was strange. It had felt like once Soul had left the apartment, that was the time the two had become closer, when it should've been the other way round. He regularly visited - bothered mostly - and she always picked him up from his apartment before school started. It was like they mutually wanted to keep each other even as their old bond of meister and weapon was long gone.
It was peaceful as she wiped his face gently with the towel, holding his bangs back with her other hand. His eyes were closed and his eyebrows were relaxed, not knitted up like it was normally. It gave her the chance to observe his face when it wasn't looking grumpy or angry or arrogant. This was the Soul that she thinks would only appear before her.
The apartment was…quiet. Relaxed.
If they continued the engagement, would they act like this toward one another still? Friendly? Relaxed? Or would it be more awkward? Scary? Would it let them drift away from each other like what had happened to her and Kid?
The thought made her barely flinch. But it seemed like Soul caught that one minuscule movement since one crimson eye opened and a hand shot to grip her wrist.
"Hmm? Soul?"
His gaze was piercing yet warm, just exploring her own green gaze. "What are you thinking about?"
Maka only tipped her head to the side to display her confusion to him. Then looking at the hand holding her wrist, she reluctantly started to gently pry his thumb off to get to release her. "Nothing much. Just how all this reminded me of the old times."
As his hand released her, he suddenly turned around, a flurry of movement, and before she knew it, Soul was facing her, arms resting on the back of the sofa while he looked her in the eye. He was kneeling on the seat and leaning his abdomen on the back of the sofa, angling towards her.
Their faces were close. Once again it was too close. Remembering that time at the courtyard when he had landed on top of her, his face was there, right in front of her, attracting her, yet the closeness provoked a hidden fear and she had to push him away. What the fear was, she didn't know. It was there, uncomfortable, scaring her.
And it was back now. Discomfort. She couldn't breathe since her chest was drumming so hard. Cold sweat trickled down at the back of her neck and she gulped. She needed to break the hypnotising silence, the way his eyes dragged her into this strange place in her mind, making her lose grasp of her reality.
This felt like the feeling that had driven her to become distant with Kid. If she felt this towards Soul, then will he…?
"Something is definitely bothering you." That shook her out of the uncomfortable reverie and for that she was quite thankful.
Instead of answering immediately, she focused on a small patch of dirt on his face that she missed. The way it looked on him, he looked so child-like, all messy looking, so… boyish. With a gentle smile from the thought, her fear temporarily dispelled, she carefully wiped the dirt off of his cheek with the damp towel, relishing the feeling of softness that was his cheek, disappointed that the towel was blocking the skin contact.
"There, all clean." She grinned, ignoring his last statement and started to walk back into the kitchenette.
As she rinsed the towel in the bowl, a thought crossed her mind: somehow, it felt familiar, the feeling that had coursed through her a few moments ago.
It felt like…what she had felt years ago…when she had confessed to Kid.
SOUL----
His chin dropped onto his folded arms, which were resting on the back of the sofa, still kneeling on the couch. He stared at his former meister's back as she focused on cleaning the small towel.
Yeah, he came here to reminisce about the past, but also to quench this need to see her. It was growing, this need. He wanted her to take care of him like the old times but at the same time, just feel her hand pushing his hair back as the other wiped his face clean, each gentle massage sending a wanted jolt into his system. It felt so…nice.
It seemed that she feels differently about it though. Like the expression he saw in her eyes as he stared into them - it had looked like fear. Why was Maka scared of him?
But her smiling afterwards calmed him down, made him feel less scared about what she was scared of. That smile though, it caused his fingers to twitch towards her, as if to touch the smile, if it felt as warm as the feelings the sight of it sent him.
He won't deny it, he likes his meister now, more than a friend does. But he wasn't entirely sure…
What he knows though was that the arrangement had caused the awakening of this attraction. And the concept of it seems less…daunting now.
A/N: ou~ progress with the story's pretty slow at the moment T__T
this is the last ready made chapter i have so i dont know how long the next one would be submitted~
but as usual, i'll try my best to get the chapters on as early as i could...
going camping tomorrow at god knows where...
for two days...hopefully...i'll survive without the warmth of my bed ;__;
also~ i'm going to start to put up a few drawings on my profile so all of you could kind of picture what the ocs look like~
also some scenes if i find them easy to draw~
visit my profile if you want to take a look at my attempts xD
thanx very much for all the reviews so far~
thanking all of the ones who have read from the beginning and to the ones who have only just started reading ;D
please dont forget to review guys~*hearts*