Chapter 14: That Which Can't Be Controlled

Things had changed… for the time being, but Liam wasn't happy. He was annoyed and slightly nervous. Maybe even anxious. And it was all because of his partner. The atmosphere of the school had changed because of her. He grimaced at the memories. She had gotten her way, as expected, and this Halloween prom would be taking place and everyone had been intrigued by the idea until a few things began to take place.

It would appear that some members of the staff had looked into what exactly prom entailed. It didn't end well. All the students had to sit through a very awkward class led by Marie on safe sex, pregnancy, and STDs. Ox-sensei and Maka-sensei had even gone as far as roaming the halls and breaking up any and all forms of PDA that had taken place in the halls. Some people were still flustered when they looked at the opposite sex. He shook his head. But that was only the icing on the cake.

No, it got worse when it was highly recommended that people went to this event with someone that WAS NOT their partner. It seemed good in theory, especially for those with same sex partners, but it had gotten awkward fairly quick. He had never seen anyone make a beeline towards him so quickly in his life. The girl had been from NOT class and her face was the deepest shade of red he had ever seen as she squeaked out a request for him to accompany her to the prom. He was taken aback, but agreed none the less. Beside him, Zeke had been holding back a laugh, until their classmate Becca had walked up with an all too determined expression on her face with the same request. The white haired weapon had stared at her in shock, but nodded.

Of course, like any school, word spread fast. Apparently Gabe had wasted no time asking Ayame, which was expected and Aiden had asked Ava, which had been an interesting development. Aimee was going with an older student from NOT class and Rion was going with one of their classmates. Everything seemed to be going well… and then someone asked Ares to prom. Let's just say, there were quite a few 'accidental' holes in various walls. Along with this, some of the dates had decided that they suddenly wanted to spend a lot of time around those they had asked out. Soon Lyra wasn't the only annoyed female roaming the halls. Ayame had taken some offense to Becca trying to cut in on whatever time she and Zeke usually had towards tutoring or training. Liam had been concerned that his long time friend was going to slam the blonde's face through a table one particular day.

It had been a long few weeks, but the day had finally come, and as he looked in the mirror, fixing the collar of his shirt, the young shinigami could only wish for the best with the night's events. "Liam!" Glancing over his shoulder, the dark haired teen couldn't help but to blink owlishly at his partner. "How do I look?" Her dress was emerald green and hugged ever curve, but dipped low in the front revealing a lot of cleavage. There were also diamond shape openings on both sides, revealing more of her skin. Her hair was falling in thick curls down her shoulders. Doing a little spin, she beamed at her meister. "Well?"

"Y-you look great!" He answered and cleared his through, getting his composure under control. "Your date is going to be speechless." Aimee giggled in response and shook her head.

"Oh no, I don't have a date!" she informed brightly, only for her partner's face to fall. "I declined going with anyone because I want to be able to focus on everyone having a great time!" she chirped, moving past him to look in his mirror and apply lipstick. "I went to junior prom with a friend of mine before coming to Shibusen, so I wanted to make sure others are having the great time I had too!" Liam was confused.

"But…" Aimee waved him off, standing straight and tossing her hair some.

"Li, I'm going this for you especially." She informed, turning and facing him fully. She considered him before moving forward and adjusting his tie. "You're always so serious. Unless you're with Ayame and Zeke I don't really see you let loose. Tonight I want you to have some fun with that cutie from NOT class. You're a looker, Liam. Have some fun once in a while." With that, she stood back and gave a confirming nod before brushing past him. "I'll see you at the school!" she called and blew a kiss over her shoulder before vanishing. Not too long after she had left did Zeke arrive.

"Yo."

"Hey… where's Ayame?" Liam asked as his friend entered. He was dressed in an all black tuxedo and a crimson red button up. There was a clear attempt at trying to slick his hair back, stray locks of hair standing up in the front. He looked annoyed.

"Since we're not going together she's getting ready at her mom's and heading over with Gabe." He answered. Looking around, the scythe turned to his friend. "Aimee left already?"

"Yeah. She's technically the coordinator." Liam answered, giving himself a once over. This night hadn't even started yet and he couldn't shake the anxious feeling that had been following him all day. "Let's go get our dates, right?"

"Yeah…"

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"Wow… this is so cool!" Ava's eyes had lit up as soon as they entered the Shibusen banquet hall where their prom was being held. Her arm was laced with Aiden's and the two walked in, spotting their friends, classmates, and a sprinkle of Death City youth enjoying the evening. Everyone was dressed impressively. The live band was amazing and the food spread was to die for. Shinigami could be seen watching over the students with a couple other adults, though they were talking amongst one another pleasantly. The entire first year of Aimee's attendance at Shibusen, she would go on tangents about a movie called The Nightmare Before Christmas, and it looked like she managed to add touches of that movie to the celebration's theme. "This is way more impressive than I expected!"

"Aimee went all out." Aiden agreed and beamed over at his date. "Everyone looks their best. It's amazing. Shinigami has to be impressed." Ava snorted at this, but ignored the weapon's curious look.

"Uncle Kid's got weird habits so I'm certain we'll see him throwing a fit about something." She informed before pointing ahead. "Look, there's a couple people from our classes. Let's join them." As they made their way through, they had spotted Liam chatting it up with Gabe, both without their dates, one looking relieved and the other glancing around every so often. Zeke could be spotted as they got closer to their classmates, an unreadable expression on his face. Becca was by his side with a bright smile on her face, chattering on about something to Aimee and a few others that had joined the group. Ayame was nowhere to be found.

"Hey guy!" Aimee had greeted brightly, once they had gotten closer. "What do you think? Great right?" She was practically beaming. The younger pair nodded.

"Yeah, its way different from the event we have every Christmas." Ava answered in appreciation. "The music and everything."

"That's because I got approval to ask various different bands to come out and perform." The red head answered, flipping her curls over her shoulder and puffing out proudly. "You guys are in for a treat tonight! I've got a very special show." She winked.

"It must have cost a fortune." Becca commented but was waved off.

"Not when connections work in the school." Aimee answered and perked up as she looked across the room. "There she is!" Everyone followed her line of vision. "Girls says she's gonna get a drink and ends up missing for twenty minutes. If her date wasn't looking for her as well I would have been nervous." Through the crowd walked a girl in a black dress with straps that wrapped around her shoulders. It was casual enough, fitting the body and then flaring out once it came to her knees, where it stopped. Her hair was down and in curls that fell down her back and a bang that swooped over one side of her face.

"Is… that…"

"Ayame-chan!" Everyone stiffened as Gabe made himself known, rushing over to the girl with a drink in his hand, held out to her. A polite smile crossed her face and she accepted before the pair made their way over to the others.

"Ayame you look amazing!" Ava greeted brightly, all of them taken aback by her appearance. She was always a cute girl, tomboy yes, but attractive nonetheless. Seeing her now, she looked a lot like her mother, despite the flustered frown on her face.

"Thanks, Ava…." She muttered, squirming slightly. "I feel awkward."

"You look great though." Becca chimed in from her spot next to a very silent Zeke. "You've got a natural beauty going there. Don't you think, Zeke?" The weapon blinked in confusion, snapping out of whatever thoughts he had been lost in before glancing at his partner and looking away with a shrug.

"You look good." He answered blandly. Ayame wrinkled her nose further, but Gabe had taken that moment to counter whatever argument could have began.

"Are you guys planning on hitting the dance floor any time soon? I noticed the professors were even out there having a good time!" he informed. Sure enough, Stein and Marie could be seen taking advantage of the good music. Even Spirit had managed to coax another professor out onto the floor.

"We'll go!" Ava spoke up quickly and tugged Aiden along. She intended to have as much fun as possible.

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Maka had been watching the children diligently throughout the night. It wasn't as if this night was any different from any other special event that they held for the students, but she had the anxious feeling all night that she couldn't shake. "The kids are having a lot of fun." Tsubaki had walked up, warm smile in place as she watched the festivities. She handed her friend a glass of champagne, while sipping at her own. Taking a sip from her glass, the mesiter hummed in acknowledgement.

"It's actually a lot calmer than I had expected." She admitted. "Is Black Star still behaving himself?" Tsubaki smiled faintly but nodded.

"Yes. He's actually been with Sid talking most of the night." She answered. "I think it's safe to say that this event was a success." Maka was silent. Tsubaki was always the optimist, but the sandy haired meister knew better. Something, even if it was the slightest thing, was going to happen. She couldn't shake the feeling since the students had arrived.

"Maka-senpai! Tsubaki-senpai!" The two turned as Tsugumi made her way over, a bright smile on his face, cheeks slightly flushed, and punch in her hands. "Aren't you going to go out and dance?" She asked, her accent slipping through dramatically. While Tsubaki gave an awkward laugh, Maka eyed the weapon critically.

"Are you drunk?" She dead panned, only for the bubbly woman to shush her and wink.

"Shhhh… Teacher's punch only, says Black Star." She then giggled and flagged down another unsuspecting professor. Make growled in annoyance while Tsubaki shook her head knowingly. Some things would never change.

"Gonna break his fingers!" The scythe meister hissed, scanning the crowd for the azure haired goof. In her scan, she noticed there were even a few giggly, red faced students as well. What the hell had she missed?

"It's fine, Maka." Her dark haired friend tried to sooth as all the students began to gather their attention to the new attraction on stage. Soul commanded attention without speaking. It was really an interesting sight to see. He had walked out onto the stage, mic in hand and stared silently over the students, who, once noticing his presence, slowly spread the message and fell silent as all attention fell on him. Always the cool guy. Once he achieved a successful amount of silence, the white haired weapon began to speak.

"Good evening students and welcome to Shibusen's First Annual Halloween Prom." The students gave cheers, claps, and hoots of approval. "I'm proud to say that this event was just about completely student coordinated and it is all thanks to Miss Aimee Siochana." He indicated to the beaming, slightly blushing red head that the students clapped and cheered for. "With that being said, we have a special performance for all you. Hope you enjoy." He returned the mic to the stand and walked through the curtains behind him. Whispers filled the room and Tsubaki looked to Maka.

"Do you know about this?" she asked. Maka shook her head.

"No… maybe Kid-" Her sentence was cut short when the curtains opened revealing a new band consisting of four males, three of them being…

"Is that Soul's brother?"

"Is that Soul?"

"Is that… Zeke?" The three Evans's men each were positioned at different instruments. Soul at a key board, Zeke with a guitar, Wes holding the microphone, and a dark haired boy around the same age as Zeke positioned at the drums. Maka's face had fell. There were excited cheers as Wes introduced them, but she was focused on the fact that her husband and son were both performing in front of a crowd. Soul was always weird about whether or not he wanted to perform in front of an audience and Zeke had adopted the same mindset. Passing the microphone to the teen at the drums, they began playing, an upbeat song that had all the students cheering and dancing.

"They're amazing!" Tsubaki cheered brightly, clapping her hands together.

"Yeah, who would have thought that Soul was capable of fun music," The women turned to Black Star who was watching from behind them, sipping on a glass of champagne with an entertained twinkle in his eyes. Maka narrowed her eyes.

"You knew about this?" she asked and the assassin rolled his eyes.

"Course I did. Who do you think was helping carry all the band equipment in?" He scoffed. "When Aimee was looking for live performances, she went to Soul and asked if he had any connections. There's actually more of a surprise. These guys are just operating as an opener I guess you could say." Maka blinked.

"What?"

"Just watch." Turning her attention back to the stage, Maka watched as her husband and son played flawlessly. Soul was as cool as ever and Zeke held a bright smile on his face all the while. It was refreshing, being able to watch the two of them in such an element. The cheers seemed to egg them on and it wasn't until three songs in that the cheers became wilder as a new group made their way onto the stage in the middle off the performance, completely taking over. Zeke, Soul, and the other boy had absolutely no problem leaving the stage, Zeke actually announcing the apparently well known band.

"Great job!" Black Star called out with a wolf whistle as the new band took complete control and girls erupted in excited screams. Maka looked to Tsubaki.

"Who are they?" she asked in confusion. All the students were beyond excited. The taller woman looked to her friend in confusion before she giggled.

"You really don't know, Maka?" She asked and took the shorter woman's annoyed expression and slightly pink cheeks as a no. "Well, I can't exactly remember their name but they're a very popular band from New York. Ayame used to listen to their music a lot when they first hit the radio. I suppose Wes must have had enough connection to get them here." Maka hummed in acknowledgement and watched as her husband approached. He held an uninterested expression on his face as he approached and raised a brow at her pursed lip expression.

"What's the face for?" he asked and looked to Tsubaki, who giggled behind her and decided to excuse herself and Black Star, who loudly rambled about how it wasn't his problem if Soul was lame enough to keep secrets from his wife and that they shouldn't have to move from their comfortable placement because of it. Maka ignored the assassin, however, and placed her hands on her hips fixing her husband with a scolding look. Soul rolled his eyes. Yes, he had it coming. Why argue now?

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It didn't take him long to find her. It never really did. Their souls were connected after all. He didn't bother saying anything to Gabe, who was on a dejected and frantic hunt for the dark haired girl and after ducking out of Becca's line of sight, Zeke allowed the doors to the balcony to close behind him, blocking out most of the loud music, chatter, and such. Leaning against the doors and letting out a relieved sigh, the white haired weapon allowed his green gaze to fall on his meister, standing not too far away. She hadn't acknowledged his presence, but he knew she recognized his wavelength as soon as the doors had shut. Walking up, he turned and leaned his lower back against the railing and shoved his hands into his pockets. "So, nothing to say?" She glanced at him before standing straight and shrugging a shoulder.

"You were cool." She answered easily as she wrapped her arms around herself. Zeke raised a brow, watching his meister suppress a shudder. "I didn't think I'd see the day where you'd play in front of a crowd. I'm impressed."

"Uncle Wes convinced me." Zeke admitted, allowing his gaze to go up to the night sky as he spoke. "He said as musicians, you haven't lived until you've performed for an audience… Guess he kinda had a point. It was fun, y'know." He turned his gaze back to his silent partner. Her eyes were on the starry sky but she gave a hum of acknowledgement. Watching her carefully, Zeke stood straight, shrugging off his suit jacket and draping it over her shoulder. Ayame turned her head and stared up at him in confusion.

"You don't have-" She started but was cut off by her partner's blurted out comment.

"You look really nice tonight." They stared at each other, Zeke mentally screaming at himself and Ayame with wide, confused eyes. "I… I just wanted to tell you that if I hadn't."

"Thanks…" Biting her lower lip, Ayame tugged his suit jacket closer around her and tried to hide a smile. "You don't look half bad yourself. Becca has been bragging all night. Having the super hot son of Death Scythe is a big deal, you know." Zeke snorted and shot her an entertained smile.

"Is that for real?" he laughed and leaned back into the balcony railing next to his partner. "Super hot, huh? You a little jealous?" he teased, bumping his shoulder to hers. It was Ayame's turn to scoff as she rolled her eyes.

"Jealous? Hardly. I see you all the time. You're my partner." She answered, pursing her lips slightly. Zeke raised a brow before shrugging a shoulder.

"Well if it's in consolation, I kinda was…" He was chewing on his lower lip and the space between him and Ayame had shrunk considerably. She either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Kinda what?"

"Jealous…" He fought back a blush. Maybe the lack of light would help out someone. "What's there to be jealous of? I haven't done anything."

"Yeah I know… its just, you know, you came with Gabe and he's had this goof ball grin on his face every moment you're next to him. It's disgusting." Ayame raised an eyebrow at her partner and then giggled. Zeke blinked in confusion. Did she just…

"You're laughing at me?" he blurted out, slightly offended. Ayame gave him a shove.

"Yeah, you goon." She admitted and pointed up at him teasingly. "You're my partner and best friend, idiot. You've got no place being jealous of anyone else being by my side for the night if you know you've got me no matter what."

"That why you didn't get mad every time Becca got a little too close?" It was now Ayame's turn to fight a blush. She turned away from him, facing the city, allowing the soft breeze to blow her hair. Zeke turned as well, stretching his arms out and leaning slightly into the balcony railing.

"I didn't notice." She informed airily. Zeke snorted and she turned her head, sending him an incredulous look. Smiling slight, Zeke leaned towards her.

"You're telling me you didn't notice not one instance where she tried too much to be hugged up on my arm or hold my hand?" he asked, causing his partner to frown slightly. "You've got alotta control, Aya-chan." He was teasing her. It was easy enough. She frowned up at him, lips poked out in a pout.

"You're trying to get a rise out of me, aren't you?" she asked. He didn't really understand how, but they seemed to be getting closer to one another. Ayame never moved back and seemed to go along with whatever game it was they had started.

"Hardly."

"I beg to differ…" They were dangerously close, noses barely touching. The world around them was completely forgotten about. "Z-Zeke…"

"Hm?"

"We should…" Their lips were barely near one another's and Ayame was speaking above a whisper when a violent shudder across the crowd caused the two of them to jerk away from each other. Bracing his partner, the white haired teen frowned.

"What the hell?!" He growled and stiffened at the sounds of screams coming from inside. Rushing forward, he pulled open the balcony doors and froze when he saw the destruction to the stage and panicked students rushing around.

"What's going on?" Ayame choked out. Liam had pushed through many of their classmates and ran over to his friends, undoing his tie and a serious look on his face.

"Zeke, hurry up and transform into a weapon. Shibusen is under attack!"

Author's Note: OMG guys its been FOREVER! I'm so so sorry! I'm uploading this chappie and starting the writing of the next one as we speak. Yes, I am leaving Ayame and Zeke on that note at this moment. I've played out how I'd want them to have their first kiss for the longest time, so no worries, it coming... just not as of right now ;)