Salem

"Hey, Maka! Is it OK if my big brother, Salem, came over some time?" Blair asked in a very excited manner, standing in front of Maka with her hands clasped together.

"Huh? You have a brother?" Maka replied, confused. Blair never really talked about her family, so the young girl assumed she didn't have a family. That was one of the main reasons (other than the fact she destroyed Blair's house) she let Blair live with her and soul.

"Yep! I haven't seen Salem for a very long time. Then he called and asked if he could come over and visit me! This is the first time I've heard from him in years!" She exclaimed with an optimistic smile. Then added, "Please say yes,"

"I'm sorry, Blair. But there's already enough people…" Maka was about to finish her sentence, but Blair was on the brink of tears. Maka suddenly realized she must have missed him a lot.

"Please, Maka. He has a very busy schedule, and it might be years before he has enough time to visit," The voluptuous cat begged.

Maka sighed, admitting defeat. "Fine, your brother can visit as much as he wants too,"

"Yay~! I'll go call him now!" Blair cheered loudly, jumping up and down. Then Soul walked in, rubbing his tired red eyes groggily.

"Could you two keep it down, I'm trying to take a nap," He complained drowsily, before noticing the joyful mood Blair had. "…What's wrong with Blair?"

"Her big brother is coming." Maka replied.

"Blair has a brother?" Soul questioned. Blair smiled as she gladly explained.

The next day

There was a knock on the door. Maka, who was clad in a light blue shirt with jeans, answered the door. The one who knocked was a neko, one with dark chestnut hair, dark violet eyes, and really dark brown- almost black -cat ears and a long, dark tail. He appeared to be in his early twenties. He was a dressed in a black-and-white business suit and holding a small valise. He smiled.

"Hello. Is this Blair's house?" He queried, in his somewhat deep, melodic voice. This was obviously Salem.

"Yeah. You must be Salem," Maka replied, and shook his hand.

"And you must be Maka," He stated back. Blair, who must have heard the conversation from the kitchen, ran into the room, and when she saw Salem she grew wide eyed.

"SALEM~!" She squealed, then ran up to him and gave him a giant bear hug.

"I missed you, too," He said, out of breath and turning a little blue. Blair released her brother from the tight embrace, letting him breathe. "Whoever said guys were stronger than girls obviously had never been hugged by you," he chuckled, smirking. Soul then walked into the room.

White hair, red eyes… this must be that brat Soul. Salem thought, full of contempt. He took a step near him. "You must Soul," He said cheerfully. "I've heard a lot about you." Then he whispered in a rather menacing tone of voice: "Take one step near my sister and I'll rip you to shreds, got it punk?" Soul froze at this.

"Y-yeah… I g-got it," He replied, trying to keep his cool.

"Would you like something to drink, or maybe something to eat?" Maka questioned, hoping to eliminate the tense atmosphere by changing the subject.

"No, that's OK. I wouldn't want to waste anything." He said, glancing at Soul for the slightest moment.

"No, I insist." Maka urged.

"Well, I am a little thirsty." Salem admitted.

"OK, we have water, milk, and Dr. Pepper." Maka replied.

"Water would be just fine, thank you." He answered. Maka then handed him a fresh glass of water, and each of them sat on the couch in the living room and the four began to talk.

Soon it was dark, and Salem had to leave. They said their goodbyes, and Salem quietly exited the apartment.