Guys, I'm sorry to say that I have no previously written chapter after this one. I will try my best to find the time to write and upload. Thank you, thank you, thank you to every one! I love you all! I really do! I know I say it a lot but that's only because it's true! 3 You guys keep me going! Please review :) Please enjoy Chapter 16, What Now?
"This is nice, isn't it?" The answering silence was deafening. Though they were at a dinner table, the sound of forks against plates was absent. Maka stared at the cooling food in front of her. It didn't look too appetizing to her. Right across from her was Soul. Soul wasn't eating as well. They were both sitting with their heads down, hands folded in their lap. There were so many questions running through Maka. She could feel the tears on the edge of her waterline. Loretta was sitting at the head of the table with Wes to her left.
"I think the food is wonderful," Wes said even though he hadn't eaten anything either. There was a person missing from that table. Wes was hesitant to begin eating without him. Even Loretta hadn't touched her food. Maka noticed the slight shake in Loretta's hand as she reached for her wine glass. It was Thanksgiving… Suddenly the dining room door banged loudly against the wall. David Evans stumbled to Loretta.
"You're in my seat," he growled. Loretta silently moved to her right to sit next to Maka. Maka sized up Mr. Evans, the one man who was single handedly pitting the world's nations against each other. He was tall and lean with white hair and red eyes; it was almost as if Soul was an exact copy of him. He smelled faintly of alcohol and was still dressed in his white lab coat. Wes tried to smile at his father.
"We're glad you could come, father," Wes began. He used his blond bangs to hide his eyes as he spoke to his food. "Especially mother. We know you're very busy, thank you." David snickered. He looked around at the table. And laughed.
"What the hell, Loretta?" His eyes settled on Soul. "Even when we were a family, we never ate together for Thanksgiving." Loretta cleared her throat before speaking.
"Well," she began slowly, "I thought maybe we could try something different this year." Her voice was small and weak. Maka was shocked to hear it coming out of Loretta's mouth. David looked around the table, eyeing the food, the decorations, the wine. He scoffed at it all.
"I have somewhere I have to be," he said getting up from his chair.
"David, please, don't go," Loretta panicked. David leaned toward his wife.
"Let me rephrase it then," he said in her face, "I have someone I have to be with." Everyone in the room felt the sting of the verbal slap Loretta had just been given. Loretta stood and slapped David across his face before walking toward the door. David caught up with her and grabbed her wrist. He violently turned her around. She twisted her ankle.
"You think you can hit me and get away with it?!" He gripped her arms hard enough to bruise and shook her.
"Let go of me!" She yelled back as she tried to break free from his hold. David was about to hit Loretta when he felt the edge of a blade against his throat.
"Let go of her," Wes growled. "I won't hesitate to slit your throat." David chuckled.
"You little whore," he said to Loretta, "You even fucked your son." Wes swiftly slid the knife across his father's neck. Loretta gasped as David's blood fell on her. David let her go and held his neck. A few moments later, he was able to speak again.
"Now, look at what you've done," he scolded Wes. "Your mother just bought that dress." David walked back to the table and wiped the blood away from his neck. He left after that. Wes went and held his visibly shaking mother. He shushed her and petted her head. Once she could walk again, Wes led her out of the room.
Maka was turned around in her seat. She had silently watched the scene unfold. Now, she was just staring at a closed door. It wasn't until the shock had worn off did she realize that she was finally alone with Soul. But, she didn't turn around.
"That's pretty much how it's always been. I never thought I'd see it again," Soul said quietly. Maka turned to see Soul staring at his food. "Every time, I was always the last one at the table. I would still finish my food, though. My grandmother made sure of that. She would say, 'Soul, darling, you won't be getting any ice cream if there's still food on your plate.'" Soul gave a halfhearted laugh. "Ice cream was all it took to get me to eat through my tears." His voice wavered. "Even now," he choked on his tears, "I'm waiting to hear her voice." Maka wanted nothing more than to comfort him. His shoulders shook as he cried. She opened her mouth but no sound came out.
"I'm sorry." His whisper caught her off guard. She had enough. All her walls broke down.
"Sorry?" Soul looked up to see her eyes burning with too many emotions to name. His walls had broken a long time ago. "Sorry for what?" Soul couldn't take the force of her stare. He looked down at his hands at a loss for words.
"Let me guess," Maka continued, "You're sorry I had to see that? No? Or how about you're sorry that I've been here for almost half a year? Not even that? Oh! I know! You're sorry that you faked your death? Right? That had to be it! You're so sorry for all the pain and suffering you've put me through, right? You're sorry for every single night I've spent crying myself to sleep? How about you be sorry for putting your damn soul in me!? How did you think I would react to finding out that little piece of information?! Does this mean everything was a lie?!" Maka was on her feet, pacing back and forth. Half way through, she had begun to cry. But at the mention of everything being a lie Soul stood from his chair. He slammed his fist on the table, effectively stopping her pacing.
"A lie?" He asked, his voice low. "You think everything was a lie?!" His voice was suddenly louder than he had intended. Maka stared into his eyes.
"Wasn't it?" She asked in a small voice. "Isn't it the reason that we've become so close, why we can soul resonate so easily?" Soul was more hurt hearing this, than at her being angry with him.
"Bullshit," he growled. "Do you really think that you fell in love with me because half of my soul was in you? It didn't matter to me where my soul was! We paired to be meister and weapon before my soul was in you. That means we were already compatible! What about when we made our code? Or the time we got lost in the woods? Who the hell held your hand when you got scared? Until the day I pretended to die, who the hell was the only one who held your hand when you were scared!? Who was the only one who would get you out fights and patch you back up?
Now, I know I've let you down. I know you feel betrayed. But, believe me, everything I did for you was for you only. I never had any ulterior motives."
Soul took a deep breath. He and Maka were in a staring contest, her green eyes against his red eyes.
"Where's the rest of your soul?" Maka asked quietly.
"In our wedding rings." Maka's breath caught in her throat. Without his eyes leaving her, Soul walked around the table and caught her just as her legs gave out. They both sank to the ground. And all of a sudden, Maka was like an addict who hadn't had a fix in a long time. Her arms were around his chest, gripping him close to her. She buried her face in his neck and breathed in his sent.
He smelled the way he'd always smelled. Soul wasn't feeling any different. His arms were almost crushing her to his body. He knew her body; she fit perfectly into his. For a moment, the young couple forgot where they were. All they knew was each other. That was all they needed to know.
Loretta stood in the doorway watching the couple comfort each other and gave up. She turned and began walking away.
"Get rid of them," she ordered her assistant.
The next thing Maka and Soul knew was that they were losing consciousness, again...
Maka woke up to find her face on cold stone. She sat up, confused. One moment she was in a sealed off dining room, the next she was in…a cave? Yes, she confirmed she was in a cave. She heard footsteps and was quickly on her feet, her body automatically going into defense mode. She relaxed when Soul entered the cave with a bundle of sticks in his arms.
"Hey, morning," he said nonchalantly.
"Morning?" Maka asked. "Soul, where are we?" Soul looked out the cave entrance and sighed.
"Mm, Montana? Maybe Canada?"
"Canada, huh?" Maka went to sit next to Soul. Soul held her hand.
"Looks like we've got a lot of walking to do."