This story is actually really popular, so I'm going to post a new chapter at least once a week.
Remember, I promised Kami would be confronted by Soul, and I have it worked out. He loves Maka and Kami caused her a lot of hidden pain, so he's more than a little pissed at Kami.
Oh, and in response to something someone said in the reviews…
Publishing content for any story is nerve-wracking because you never really know how it'll be received, particularly if your story is OC-centric. They have to mesh well with canon characters and have a distinct personality. You have to try to not make them a Mary Sue. I'm trying really hard here, guys, so forgive me if the story seems off. I'm really not used to writing OC-centric stories and I'm not going to make it a habit.
"Soul, can we talk?"
The shark-toothed boy looked up at Kami, who had her arms folded.
After the party had ended, they'd headed to the Gallows Mansion, where everyone proceeded to have a good time. Maka had been whisked away by Kristen and the other girls, probably to giggle about how Soul had confessed; as for the other guys, they were in the midst of an intense argument about sports and what-have-you.
So, yeah. He was totally able to talk to Kami.
His girlfriend's mother.
Who'd abandoned her for almost four years.
"Sure. Why not?"
They headed outside, at his suggestion so that they wouldn't be overheard by the guests.
"What did you want to talk about?" he asked Kami.
"Your intentions towards Maka, of course." He wanted to laugh; now she cared?!
"I assure you, I love Maka to the moon and back. And that's saying a lot, considering we have been to the moon and back."
"Oh, good. So there's not really anything to talk about."
"Yeah, there is, actually."
"What?"
"You. How could you abandon Maka like that?" He balled his fist. "Do you know what you put her through?! The only family she had after you left was her bastard of a father, who she refused to speak to! So, tell me: how am I supposed to feel about that?!"
"How dare you—"
"I dare for Maka's sake. You're probably leaving in a couple days to go around the world again and barely contact her." Kami shut her mouth. "My mom's pretty crappy, but at least she called me every once in a while when I was living at home, to make sure I was okay and not, you know, dead. Maka gets, what, a scribble on a postcard once every few months? It's not cool and it's poisoned Maka's view on relationships."
"I-I have been a horrible mother, haven't I?" Kami asked softly. "I should've done more." She chuckled humorlessly. "Did you know I refused to have Spirit pay alimony or child support after the divorce? That was a horrible idea."
"He dotes on Maka. And my sister, too. I think he feels obligated to, since he was all Maka really had for a long time, and Kris never really had a father."
"He's a better parent than me, that's for sure." Kami stared at the symmetrical tile pattern. "I want to be better. I know it's too late to help her through a lot of life, but I can sure as hell try."
"I'm not forgiving you, you know."
"I don't deserve to be forgiven."
"I'm holding you to your promise."
"I figured." She gave him a smile. "You're a good man, Soul. You care about Maka so much, much more than I've seen any man care about a woman."
"Thanks."
"Oh! There you are!"
The two turned to see Maka in the doorway. She had a look on her face that said she needed Soul to save her from the she-demons that were his sister and their female friends.
"Hey," Soul greeted her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Let's go face the demons."
"I'll be there in a minute." He went inside while Maka decided to talk to her mother. "So, Mama, what do you think of Soul?"
"He's got a bit of an attitude, but his heart's in the right place. I can tell just how much he loves you."
"What did he say to you?!"
"He just gave me a lecture about being a better parent. He was completely right and I'm going to try to be a better mother from now on." Kami hugged her daughter before they both headed inside.
With everything going on, none of them knew of trouble that was brewing back in New York…
"Hello?" Kristen asked, picking up her phone.
"Hello, Kristen, darling," the woman on the other end replied.
"Mommy?!"
"Yes, it's Mommy. Where are Wes and Soul?"
"Oh, um… Wes is out shopping and Soul is… occupied."
"Kristen, listen carefully. I need you and your brothers to come home to New York, immediately."
"What? Why?"
"It's just… I need all three of my babies with me right now."
"Did something happen to Daddy?"
"I wish I could say no, Krismas. Something is happening with your father, and that's why I need you all home, okay?"
"B-but Soul and I still have school, and he's got his girlfriend, and—"
"Talk to your teachers, and have Soul bring his girlfriend with him. I'd love to meet her."
"O-okay, Mommy. Love you."
"Love you, too, baby girl."
Click.
Soul entered the living room to find Kristen staring at her phone.
"Kris?" he asked, waving a hand in front of her face. "What's wrong?"
"M-Mommy wants you, me, and Wes to come home."
"The fuck?!"
"She says something's happening with Daddy and she needs us all there right now."
"Did you tell her we have school?!"
"Yeah… and I told her about Maka… she said we could bring her."
"God dammit!" He sat down on the couch and buried his face in his hands.
"Soul, we have to go. Mommy needs us. She sounded like she was crying…"
"Fucking dammit! Why do you two love to guilt-trip me?!"
"Soul."
"All right, fine. We'll leave in a couple days."
Sure enough, two days later, Wes, Soul, Kristen, and Maka were standing in front of the mansion the Evans family lived in. They entered the house, Maka feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
"Soul! Wes! Kristen!"
A woman with white hair in a braid came into the foyer, her red eyes full of joy at seeing her children. She swept all three up in a hug, despite the fact that both of her sons were at least a foot taller than her.
"I've missed my babies!" she sighed, letting them go. Her gaze landed on Maka. "You must be Soul's girlfriend that Kristen mentioned. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"My name's Maka, and it's a pleasure to meet you, too, Mrs. Evans."
"Please, call me Holly. Mrs. Evans is my mother-in-law."
"Mom, what's going on with Dad?" Soul asked. Holly turned to her middle child, biting her lip.
"He's in the living room. I'll have Margaret show Maka to one of the guest rooms so we can talk. She can sleep near you, if that's okay."
"That's perfect."
Margaret, a heavyset woman with dark red hair and a no-nonsense attitude, led Maka upstairs, carrying her suitcase while Maka shot Soul a comforting smile.
The Evans kids followed their mother into the living room, where their father was waiting. He was a tall man with blonde hair and brown eyes, his shark-like teeth being his only resemblance to his children. He looked at the three, obviously trying to make sure they met his standards. Kristen noticed that he had lipstick on his neck, a gaudy red shade that their mother would never wear in a million years. She gripped her skirt, feeling angry that he was flaunting his affair so obviously in front of her poor mother.
"So, why did you need us home so urgently?" Soul asked.
"Well…" Holly began, sitting on the opposite side of the living room from her husband. "You may want to sit down." She patted the seat next to her for her daughter. All three sat down. "Hayden… do you want to tell them?"
"Your mother and I, as I'm sure you know," Hayden began, crossing his arms, "have been having some… difficulties. We've decided to… go our separate ways."
"You're getting a divorce?!" Kristen squeaked.
"Yes. We needed you three home so we could tell you in person."
"And so we could work out custody," added Holly.
"Custody?!" repeated Soul.
"Soul, you won't be a legal adult for another eight months and Kristen's turning thirteen in two. I don't want to hear it."
"What about the house?" Wes asked. "Who's getting it?"
"We don't know yet. You'll all have to be patient while we work this out."
"Okay, Mommy." Kristen gave her mother a comforting hug while glaring at her father in a way that reminded Soul of Maka.
"So, why did your parents want you home?" Maka asked as she and Soul walked through Central Park on a date.
"It turns out… they're getting a divorce."
"Oh, Soul…"
"It's fine. My dad always was more of a bastard than yours."
"Your mom is taking it well."
"Well, to be honest, I think she's putting on a brave front for me, Kris, and Wes. I don't need it, though."
"Papa tried to do the same thing when he and Mama were getting divorced. He thought I didn't know what was happening."
"Yeah, well, he's an idiot. But… the way Kristen was glaring at Dad… it's almost like she completely blames him for the divorce. She reminded me of you."
"Aw… you're so sweet." She pecked him on the cheek. "But I'm still going to talk to her, okay?"
"Okay."
"So, Kristen, do you blame your dad for the divorce?"
"Of course I do!" Kristen told Maka. "He's had this one mistress since… well… I don't know when, but I know he does because he sometimes has this red shade of lipstick on his neck that Mommy would never wear in a million years!"
"How do you even know what a mistress is?"
"Anime and movies." She had a sheepish look on her face. Maka pinched the bridge of her nose.
"We're having a serious discussion with Soul about that."
"No, Wes just never really restricted what I was watching when I lived here, so I had free reign."
"Both your brothers are idiots."
"I know."
For a month, they stayed in New York while the divorce was finalized. Holly won custody, of course, but she didn't get the house. Instead, she ended up moving to Nevada where she could one-hundred-percent avoid her ex-husband and be closer to her younger kids without intruding on their lives. Wes traveled a lot as it stood, so she wasn't worried about him as much as her younger ones.
December 4, Kristen's birthday.
"Happy birthday, dear Kitten! Happy birthday to you!" sang Blair as she set a plate of pancakes in front of Kristen. "Today's your day, sweetie! Mama Blair's gonna be here all day and your real mama's coming to visit!"
Kristen gave Blair a smile; in the four months they'd known each other, they'd formed a bond that was akin to a mother and daughter. It had affected Blair's behavior; she no longer tried to seduce Soul in the mornings (and there was also the whole he's-with-Maka-and-won't-be-a-cheating-bastard-like-her-dad thing) and wore far less revealing clothing in an effort to set a good example for her kitten.
Granted, she worked at what was essentially a strip club, but still…
"Happy birthday, kiddo," Soul chuckled, ruffling his baby sister's hair. "You're finally a teenager."
"And right when you're almost an adult, too," she mock-pouted.
"Eh, I'll live. My life's too great right now to be ruined by something like adulthood."
"And what's so great about it?"
"I've got a great job, great friends, an amazingly smart and sexy girlfriend, and my baby sister. What could be better?"
"Who are you and what have you done with my pessimistic brother?"
Maka burst out laughing, followed by the other two females in the apartment. Soul wrapped an arm around Maka's waist in response, pulling her onto his lap so that she was facing him. She let out a squeak of surprise before he gave her a kiss, only to get a whack from Blair.
"Hey! No hanky-panky in the kitchen in front of Kitten!"
All four of them started laughing, Maka sliding from Soul's lap.
"We've got to get ready for the party, remember?" she whispered in his ear.
"Well, we'll be going now," Soul said, grabbing his girlfriend's hand and leading her out the door.
That evening, once Holly had gone back home after spending the day with her daughter, poor Kristen found herself at the mercy of her brother's friends. Black*Star had a bottle of alcohol (read: bottles) and extended one to her—a bottle of beer.
"C'mon, drink!" he urged. "We've all had a bottle or two!"
"Or hundred, in your case," muttered Kid.
"Um… okay…" She took a small sip and started coughing, hating the bitter taste. "Ugh! That's disgusting!"
"You have to finish the bottle! It's part of your initiation into the world of Spartoi!"
Kristen managed to choke down the entire bottle, but seeing as she was a very petite girl who'd never had a drink stronger than coffee in her life, she started looking a little tipsy. She reached for another bottle, which Black*Star gave her happily. She chugged it down, coughing a lot less this time. The now-thirteen-year-old swayed unsteadily on her feet, hiccupping just as Liz, Patti, and Tsubaki entered the room. Liz took one look at the bottle in Kristen's hand and clocked Kid while Patti hit Black*Star.
"YOU IDIOTS!" Liz screeched. "SOUL AND MAKA ARE GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS IF I DON'T DO IT FIRST!"
"What did I do?!" Kid snapped.
"You didn't stop Black*Star from getting a thirteen-year-old drunk! She's not even old enough to drive yet, lucky for you!"
"Rite of passage!" yelled Black*Star, earning a hit from Tsubaki.
"I thought we agreed the age was fifteen!" she chided her Meister.
"You all said that, not me! I'm the one who makes the rules! I AM GOD!"
Taking a leaf from Maka's book (no pun intended), Liz grabbed a heavy encyclopedia off the shelf.
"LIZ CHOP!" She brought it down on Black*Star's head, knocking him unconscious for the time being. "Now, what are we going to do about this?"
"Hi, Kid~" Kristen giggled, clinging to the Reaper's arm. He felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden.
"Liz, you may want to think of something quickly!" he urged, trying in vain to peel Kristen off him.
"Coffee?" Tsubaki suggested.
"Nah, they're out," Black*Star groaned as he woke up, rubbing his head. "I already checked."
"Get her off me!" Kid begged. Kristen had moved to his back, her legs wrapped around his waist. Liz rolled her eyes and began trying to pry her arms apart while Patti went for her legs. They failed, Kristen moving back onto his arm.
"I-*hic*-like you, Kid~" she slurred.
"If she's Soul's sister, maybe she just needs to sleep it off!" Patti giggled. "Sorry, Kid, but you'll have to sleep with her in a nonsexual way!"
"Oh, thank God it's nonsexual. She's not of age!"
Wordlessly, the Thompsons pushed Kid onto the couch, where Kristen cuddled up next to him, hugging his arm tightly. She fell asleep within a few minutes, her death grip on Kid not lessening with sleep.
"Who wants a drink?" Black*Star asked.
By the time Maka and Soul came back from getting Kristen's present, Black*Star was unconscious from drinking, just like Kristen. Kid had fallen asleep next to the birthday girl, the Thompson sisters draped on top of Tsubaki on one of the chairs. Soul narrowed his eyes at the smell of alcohol in the apartment.
"I'm going to kill Black*Star…" he growled, his gaze landing on the cuddling Kid and Kristen. "And Kid, too."
"We'll do that in the morning," Maka whispered. "Let them sleep."
"And we can sleep." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and she gave him a shove.
"Not tonight, mister. Besides, I'm tired."
"Aw…"
"Maybe next time Kristen's out of the apartment, though…"
"Oh, God, I love you." He kissed her before they headed off to bed.
THE NEXT MORNING
Kristen woke up to a raging headache and something in her arms. She groaned weakly and opened her eyes to see Death the Kid asleep next to her, cuddled up like Blair. Immediately she screamed, waking up everyone else in the apartment. Kid shot up and fell off the couch, Black*Star whacked his head on the coffee table, Liz and Patti fell on top of each other, and Tsubaki looked into the room from the kitchen. Soul's door banged open as he ran into the living room, Maka emerging in one of his shirts.
"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?!" Kristen shrieked.
"You got drunk is what happened," Kid grumbled, rubbing his head.
"BLACK*STAR, YOU BASTARD!"
"Well, at least she remembered it was me…" Black*Star chuckled. Kristen's face turned bright red as she looked at Kid and she dashed to her room (Maka had moved out after she and Soul had started dating). Soul glared at his friend.
"Hey!" Kid protested, holding up his hands. "I didn't do anything to her! She just has a death grip!"
"Why was she on you in the first place?!"
"She just latched onto me when the alcohol kicked in! Other than that, I had nothing to do with it!"
"I'm going to check on her," Maka said, heading into her old room.
And so began the awkwardness of age 13 for Kristen.
And done!
I know that this chapter isn't that great, but a new chapter every week is hard to do. Plus, I was at Universal for most of last week, severely cutting into my writing time since I left my computer at home.
So, some things that need to be cleared up, thanks to this chapter: yes, Holly will be more present in the story than Hayden. I named her something related to winter to be ironic since she's so warm, while Hayden's name is associated with fire and he's cold :3.
I am setting up several things for new chapters; for one, yes, Kid and Kristen will have an awkward romance (much, much later on) and Soul and Maka will be doing the nasty (not writing that; I'm sick of people badmouthing my nonexplicit lemons!). This, of course, will lead to a pregnancy for Maka and funny business.
So long and thanks for all the fish!