Inevitable Bonds: Chapter 3- Her Motivation
Story Title: Inevitable Bonds
Chapter Title: Her Motivation
Chapter #: 3
Summary: When they were first partnered, it was amongst a dark, eerie song played on piano keys. But what about when they first met?
Author's Notes: The lateness of this chapter is due to writer's block and procrastination. -_- Hope everyone enjoys how long I made this one to compensate, though.
Second Chapter: community.livejournal.com/soul_maka/27350.html#cutid1
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"Don't you want to turn me into the strongest Deathscythe? So you can make your womanizing dad apologize to you, right?!"
- Soul, Episode 5
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“Mr. Eater!”
His head snapped up from the desk, his eyes blinking as they were hit by darts of sunlight. What was going…oh, crap.
Not again.
Soul sat up slowly and lifted his head to the front of the room, focusing in on the teacher who stood with arms folded across her chest. He gave a little wave, and her eyes narrowed as giggles erupted here and there from amused classmates.
When the noise settled down, “Now class, as I was saying- the end of next week is the day for our midterms. I expect you all to be ready to do your best.”
He stiffened as faint noises of panic sounded throughout the classroom. That woman had given him a scary look, and he didn’t like it one bit.
‘She…she doesn’t mean me too right? I just got here!’
“And yes, Soul Eater, when I say all, I mean all. Your constant sleeping in my classes is solid proof that you already have knowledge on the subjects I have been attempting to teach you. As a matter of fact, your passing this test will surely prove to the higher-ups just how much you deserve to attend this school.”
Deserve to attend this school? Then- that must mean-
Was she saying that if he didn’t pass this then he was going to be kicked out?
Soul shot up from his seat. “What?! You gotta be kidding me!”
The class erupted into another round of laughs- either they wanted him out or the implication had floated straight over their heads- and the teacher flashed a grin that he swore was FOE: Full of Evil. “Good luck, Mr. Eater.”
The bell rang…
“Class dismissed!”
…And he was left frozen, staring into nothing as his world crumbled around him.
‘Why…is this happening?’
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It was finally almost time for midterms!
Maka had to refrain from skipping a little through the hallways the more she thought of it. Seven days until she could test her worth in her class- she could hardly wait.
“Hey man, are you forming a group? Let me join!”
“Um…do any of you know what’s going to be on the midterms?”
…Though her classmates didn’t seem to be as excited as she was. From the corner of her eye she could see several of them forming study groups or trying to weasel study guide packets out of the more studious bunch. Some of them were trying to make light of the situation by suggesting a study hall at a nearby internet café or coffeehouse- surely they knew they wouldn’t get any work done doing that.
‘It doesn’t matter.’ She hunched her shoulders and strode down the hallway with purpose. Her constant preparations for this semester’s midterms were sure to pay off, so she didn’t have to do anything more than simply review the material. Which was just as well, because at the moment there was something that she needed to devote more of her time to.
Her combat skills.
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It irked Soul that by the time he finally regained his senses the sun was already heaving its way below the horizon. Getting all shattered just because of a stupid test? How uncool was that?
…Yeah, about that.
How the hell was he going to keep himself from being kicked out?
Granted, the lady was probably trying to scare him into not sleeping during her classes anymore- he knew how grownups liked to handle kids like himself. She probably didn’t even have the authority to say whether or not he could stay in that school.
The only problem was that he wasn’t sure. After all, what if she really did have that kind of power? Then all his half-assed theories would go right down the drain- and drag him right behind them.
…What if he had to go back home?
He stopped. It wouldn’t be a worse-case scenario, but-
“Hi-yah!” CRASH.
Soul gave a start and looked around, his eyes taking note of the dingy alleyway he had somehow wandered into. What were those noises just now?
“…What is this place…”
A window opened somewhere above his head. “HEY! I’m tryin’ ta get some sleep, so wouldja mind tonin’ it down a bit there?!”
“Sorry, sir!” a voice piped in earnest, and Soul froze. It couldn’t be that-
“Annoyin’ girl,” the ornery man muttered before slamming the window shut. It took only a few seconds after the ominous bang of the windowsill for Soul to hear the whirls and clanks of a metal rod- it must be a metal rod- start up again. He frowned and moved closer, hands in his pockets as always.
His shoulders slouched at the sight of the girl before him, her skinny pigtails waving around her as she flipped and spun her weapon against the ground and brick walls of the alley. He knew it.
Well, he had seen what he had to see- time to go home and somehow pull off a miracle study session. Though he didn’t really see any other option besides making a cheat she-
Wait.
Soul turned just in time to catch the girl do another back flip before swinging her rod to block an invisible enemy. ‘Hardworking, attentive, always listens to the teacher…huh…’
His sharp teeth glinted from the force of his grin.
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Left. Right. In front. Behind.
Maka kicked off her heels to perform a somersault in the air, landing with a stance that she just knew needed work. Her arms, worn from over two hours of intense use, were unsteady as she spun her practice rod around her front torso and behind her back.
‘I have to improve,’ she repeated in her conscious mind. She swung her body sideways, backwards. ‘I won’t lose to him…or anyone!’
“Uh, hey-”
‘Behind you!’
Maka turned and brought her weapon forward in an immediate counter, helpless against her own momentum even as she recognized the intruder-
“Whoa!”
A loud CLANG resounded through the air.
“Oi, you should watch where you swing that thing!”
That statement pounded against her eardrums, shaky and wavering. She opened her eyes to find herself face to face with an expression that looked more relieved than angry.
Just as she thought- it was Soul, the annoying slacker.
“…You really are a scythe…” Maka muttered when she risked a glance downwards. A small twinkle emitted from the transmutated red-and-black blade of an arm, as though in response to her words.
“…Yeah...”
The slight confusion of his tone brought her thoughts back to where they should be, and she stepped back to give him the full force of her frown. “Why are you here instead of studying?”
He opened his mouth, but she cut him off before he could answer. “I’m not stupid.” Like the rest of my classmates hung in the air between them, though she wasn’t the type to say those words. “I know what the teacher meant. Doesn’t staying in this school mean anything to you at all?”
His jaw straightened at her reprimanding tone, but to her surprise he then laughed. “Are you worried about me or somethin’?”
“What is that supposed to mean?!”
Maka’s eyes went wide, and she had to restrain herself from the overbearing impulse to slap a hand over her mouth. Why did she yell like that? Why did she feel so flustered? No, even more important: why was she wasting her time with him?
She turned to give him her back. This had to stop, now. “The dorms are back over that way if you’re lost.” Her finger pointed in a certain direction before resting back against her rod. “Now leave me alone- I need to practice.”
“Hold it…I mean…wait!”
Her head swiveled in his direction, her eyes full of suspicion. What did he want?
His hands- both now flesh- were held out, palms open wide and facing her as though trying to be appeasing. “Look, you’re right about the test…if I don’t do well, I’m screwed. So I was wondering…if you could…”
He paused here, and Maka thought she saw him gulp. “Is there any way…that you could…help me?”
“No,” came the immediate answer, and she whipped back around- not even seeing the comical slump of his shoulders or hearing him mutter, “Not even gonna think about it, huh…”
‘Help him? Help him?’ Her eye twitched. ‘What makes him think I’ll do something like that?’
Maybe it was time to leave. It didn’t look like she’ll get any more practice today, so she might as well go back to her dorm.
Unfortunately, as she stomped off, Soul was following right behind.
“Hey, I’ll do somethin’ in return, like cook…or stuff…”
“Forget it,” she called back. Was there a chance of him giving up before she reached-
Whatever was going to complete that sentence was forgotten as she felt a strong grip yank her backwards. Furious, she pulled away and only refrained from yelling because of the seriousness of his expression.
“I can pay you.”
Those four little words rendered Maka silent…for a total of three seconds.
“Yeah, ri-” A twenty-dollar bill was waved in her face close enough for her to smell the green, and her jaw almost dropped.
‘You don’t find those laying around too often…’
“Seven days till, right? One of these a day, and you can get over a hundred in your pocket.”
Her brain nearly froze up again. And he got this kind of money how?
He could sense her weakening, and she knew it. That stupid grin of his was slowly crawling across his face. “Deal?”
This time her voice was soft as she replied, “No. No deal.”
It took much more out of her than she would admit to turn away from him that time. It was tempting, sorely tempting, to accept his offer but…but what? What was keeping her from accepting his offer? Pride? Contempt?
Small clouds of dust surrounded her shoes with each step she took.
Was it…fea-
A huff sounded behind her back. “What is your problem? Are you that scared of being around people, you gloomy-looking girl with no tits?!”
‘No tits…’
‘No tits…’
‘No…WHAT DID HE SAY?’
Maka screeched to a halt and spun back around. “Shut up! You know nothing!” Her arm drew back, then launched towards the unknowing idiot. “Maka CHOP!” The dust kicked up in swirls around her clothes as she ran off, shouting, “And let that be a lesson to what you should and shouldn’t say to a girl!”
She left him lying there with naught but a smoking head and a heavy book- one that she may have to get back tomorrow.
‘I’ll show you.’
Her teeth gritted and she sprinted even faster.
‘I’ll show you that I’m not afraid!’
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Of Souls and Deathscythes.
That was the name of the book that that annoying chick, Maka, had fired two feet deep into his skull with that Major League pitcher arm of hers.
Soul reached a tentative hand towards the bump on his head- he took pains to cover it with a headband that morning- and winced at the slightest touch. Besides giving him a near-concussion, the whole book thing had confused him…but he eventually figured it out. He admitted that he wasn’t much of a genius, but he wasn’t stupid. And, well…
That chick sure had a weird way of doing things.
So he really wasn’t surprised that the first thing she did when he approached her lunch table was to shove another textbook in his face- though he was relieved it didn’t result in more massive bleeding from his head.
“Y’know, you could’ve just told me ‘yes’ instead of almost killing me,” he sniped. ‘Maka Chop’…what was that, anyway? A signature move or something?
Maka tapped the book cover, which read A Lesson Before Resonating. “We’re only starting this material, so page 23. And did you read at least up to page 57 on the one I-”
“Oh wow, did you hear? Deathscythe himself is coming to this lunchroom!” a girl squealed from near the front doors.
Soul looked up as the rest of the students dropped their meals and ran over to the front of the room. “Are you kidding me? Big bad Deathscythe himself is coming to meet a group of brats like us?”
No matter how skeptic his statement, he couldn’t help the excitement in his tone. Even he knew who Deathscythe was, even though he had never seen the guy…this day was gonna be cooler than he thought!
He missed how Maka’s fingers curled and tightened around themselves.
“Meet me at the library.”
Soul turned and saw Maka gathering her things, her bangs clouding over her expression. “Huh?”
“I have to go now, so after school meet me at the library. You know, the one in the last room on the first floor? Bye!”
His confusion increased as she hurried towards the kitchen, dodging the protests made by the lunch maids. Students weren’t even allowed there, so what was Miss Goody Two-Shoes thinking by going through those doors? It was like she needed…
‘Like she needed to escape…’
The front doors were blasted off its hinges at that very second, and a young-looking man with red hair ran in crying, “MAKAAAAA!!!”
Soul’s eyes widened and searched for a girl that was long gone.
‘What the hell…?’
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She ran, thanking whoever it was up there that he didn’t catch her off guard with his ‘surprise’ visit. Hopefully none of her classmates would catch on and find out that he was…
That he was her so-called father.
Her heart sank. No, there was no use hoping that no one would figure it out. Her father was such an embarrassing loudmouth; surely someone would get the hint and put two and two together.
Oh, and she had so hoped for a normal school life!
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‘What’s your connection to Deathscythe?’ was the first question that popped in Soul’s head when he finally found the library, right up next to ‘And why did you have to run away?’
He wisely kept silent on the matter, even though the two questions had been swirling around in his head ever since the end of lunch. But then again, the rest of the class had been buzzing with questions of their own, looking over to Maka and chattering amongst themselves. No one- well, save for Maka herself- had been paying attention to whatever lesson was being taught.
It was the closest he had seen the teacher get to an aneurysm.
Well, he had his own notions, but they seemed a bit too weir-
“Why are you just standing there?”
“O-oh, sorry.” He plopped into his seat and tried not to grimace at the heavy book being pushed his way. It was covered in dust, grime, and he didn’t want to think what else. “And this is…”
“It’s Souls & Shibusen, a book that has all the basic material. It will help you get done with your studying much faster.” She opened the book, and they both coughed from the onslaught of dust the spewed forth from its pages.
“Okay, I’m going to test you on what you should already know, and if you don’t know it you’re going to have to take notes,” she dictated, and he couldn’t help but wonder at how she seemed so…at ease with this sort of thing.
“Ready?”
Soul nodded.
“For this question you have to complete my statement. A healthy soul resides in a…”
He tilted his head and gazed at a clutter of books nearby. What was it again? “Uh…in…a healthy weapon?”
Her smoldering eyes was his first clue that that was not the right answer. “No! It’s a healthy mind and a healthy soul. Write it down!”
He fished out a folded piece of paper and a gnawed-down pencil from his pocket and wrote down, Healthy soul= healthy mind= healthy body. Looking up, he saw that Maka looked far from pleased at his efforts.
“Your notes have to be in order and make sense, or you won’t understand any of them once you look them over,” she grumbled, and she handed him a fresh bundle of paper and ballpoint pen that seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Now, write it again.”
Soul stared at the items, then shrugged and reached out to take them from her hand-
It was the second time that day that he heard doors being blasted off their hinges.
“MAKAAAAA!!!”
…And the second time he heard that, too. This again?
Sure enough, there was Deathscythe almost leaping towards their table like he was a bunny on steroids. He evidently didn’t see the murderous looks of the librarian at the counter as he pranced- pranced- up to their table and yelled, “MAKA! My sweet, my honey, why weren’t you there when-”
“Maka CHOP!”
For some reason, Soul…was totally expecting that. Who knew this chick could take down Deathscythe himself?
What he wasn’t expecting was Maka standing up and dragging the bloody mess across the carpet and out the door. “I’ll be back in a minute, Soul!” she called over her shoulder as the door closed. “Take notes!”
‘Take notes? Yeah right!’ He dashed over to the door, ignoring the disapproving clicking sounds from the librarian as he peeked through the keyhole. Well, he was curious. Was this guy some boyfriend of Maka’s or something? But he looked kinda old for her…
…Which shouldn’t really be a problem, right? Girls like her tended to go for the more mature types- well, if you could call this guy mature. And he didn’t act cool at all. What kind of man embarrassed a girl by yelling her name out loud like that? That and his hair looked stupid.
He shook his head and shifted to get a better view through the keyhole. Since when did he start bagging on this guy? It was Maka’s choice whether she wanted to be with Deathscythe or not, right? No matter how uncool he was…
“I’m telling you again, don’t come visit me during school hours!”
“But Maka honey, it’s after-”
“Or after school! I’ve got midterms, I have to study!”
“But then how will Papa know if-”
Soul’s entire thought process froze. Wait a minute, Papa? As in, this guy was her father?
…No wonder she was so gloomy.
“Don’t say that! I don’t think of you in any way as my papa!”
Some sniffles sounded, and he wouldn’t have been surprised if the guy was about to wail like a baby. “But Maka…”
“Goodbye. I have to go now.”
The door flew open, and he just stood there like a deer caught in freakin' headlights. She did nothing but stare at him blankly- he wondered if she was contemplating hurling three books at his head or five.
She slammed the door and walked back to their table. Soul followed.
Neither of them said anything when they sat down, and he half-heartedly made an attempt at writing down notes. Yeah, brilliant idea at a cover-up- the book wasn’t even near him.
Maka cleared her throat. “You heard that, didn’t you?”
He figured that it would be better to keep quiet; it wasn’t like she didn’t know the answer already. But he met her eyes, and didn’t look away.
She did, though- away and downwards, into her lap. “That man…cheats on my mom. A lot.”
Her voice was soft, but he heard her all the same.
“He thinks that just because he’s Deathscythe that he can do whatever he wants.” Her body was tensing, Soul noticed- was she going to cry? No, not her. Not this chick who could launch books at his head like they were missiles, or use metal poles like they were weapons of mass destruction...not her.
But there wasn't a tear in sight when she looked up. “I’m going to show him that that’s not true. I’m going to make a death scythe more powerful than he is, and then I will be able to make him stop his ways and apologize to me and my mom for what he did. I won’t let him do whatever he wants!”
...All this time, her secret motivation was a womanizing father and a longing for family stability? Soul stared in surprise, then put his hands behind his head to stare in a more comfortable position.
“So that is why you work so hard?” he then asked, genuinely curious. “Sounds kinda crazy, dontcha think?” Maka frowned at him, but he just shrugged. “Well, I’ve heard crazier. You’ll probably get there, with all that freakish studying you probably do.”
A surprised blink was his response, and this time he smirked. “Besides, it sounds kinda cool.”
He was rewarded- yes, rewarded- with a small giggle. Huh. So gloomy girls like her really can laugh. And it wasn’t the creepy kind either.
Soul looked out the window and into the sunset, letting the strange effect of that single laugh wash over him for one moment longer.
‘Today…was cool.’
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A/N (EDITED):Finished fixing whatever problems I could find so far. I hope that you all enjoyed this one just as much as the previous chapters. b^^d Oh, and still offering a fake, imaginary cookie to whoever guesses the titles of the books I parodied those titles from! XD
Laters!
Chapter Title: Her Motivation
Chapter #: 3
Summary: When they were first partnered, it was amongst a dark, eerie song played on piano keys. But what about when they first met?
Author's Notes: The lateness of this chapter is due to writer's block and procrastination. -_- Hope everyone enjoys how long I made this one to compensate, though.
Second Chapter: community.livejournal.com/soul_maka/27350.html#cutid1
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"Don't you want to turn me into the strongest Deathscythe? So you can make your womanizing dad apologize to you, right?!"
- Soul, Episode 5
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“Mr. Eater!”
His head snapped up from the desk, his eyes blinking as they were hit by darts of sunlight. What was going…oh, crap.
Not again.
Soul sat up slowly and lifted his head to the front of the room, focusing in on the teacher who stood with arms folded across her chest. He gave a little wave, and her eyes narrowed as giggles erupted here and there from amused classmates.
When the noise settled down, “Now class, as I was saying- the end of next week is the day for our midterms. I expect you all to be ready to do your best.”
He stiffened as faint noises of panic sounded throughout the classroom. That woman had given him a scary look, and he didn’t like it one bit.
‘She…she doesn’t mean me too right? I just got here!’
“And yes, Soul Eater, when I say all, I mean all. Your constant sleeping in my classes is solid proof that you already have knowledge on the subjects I have been attempting to teach you. As a matter of fact, your passing this test will surely prove to the higher-ups just how much you deserve to attend this school.”
Deserve to attend this school? Then- that must mean-
Was she saying that if he didn’t pass this then he was going to be kicked out?
Soul shot up from his seat. “What?! You gotta be kidding me!”
The class erupted into another round of laughs- either they wanted him out or the implication had floated straight over their heads- and the teacher flashed a grin that he swore was FOE: Full of Evil. “Good luck, Mr. Eater.”
The bell rang…
“Class dismissed!”
…And he was left frozen, staring into nothing as his world crumbled around him.
‘Why…is this happening?’
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It was finally almost time for midterms!
Maka had to refrain from skipping a little through the hallways the more she thought of it. Seven days until she could test her worth in her class- she could hardly wait.
“Hey man, are you forming a group? Let me join!”
“Um…do any of you know what’s going to be on the midterms?”
…Though her classmates didn’t seem to be as excited as she was. From the corner of her eye she could see several of them forming study groups or trying to weasel study guide packets out of the more studious bunch. Some of them were trying to make light of the situation by suggesting a study hall at a nearby internet café or coffeehouse- surely they knew they wouldn’t get any work done doing that.
‘It doesn’t matter.’ She hunched her shoulders and strode down the hallway with purpose. Her constant preparations for this semester’s midterms were sure to pay off, so she didn’t have to do anything more than simply review the material. Which was just as well, because at the moment there was something that she needed to devote more of her time to.
Her combat skills.
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It irked Soul that by the time he finally regained his senses the sun was already heaving its way below the horizon. Getting all shattered just because of a stupid test? How uncool was that?
…Yeah, about that.
How the hell was he going to keep himself from being kicked out?
Granted, the lady was probably trying to scare him into not sleeping during her classes anymore- he knew how grownups liked to handle kids like himself. She probably didn’t even have the authority to say whether or not he could stay in that school.
The only problem was that he wasn’t sure. After all, what if she really did have that kind of power? Then all his half-assed theories would go right down the drain- and drag him right behind them.
…What if he had to go back home?
He stopped. It wouldn’t be a worse-case scenario, but-
“Hi-yah!” CRASH.
Soul gave a start and looked around, his eyes taking note of the dingy alleyway he had somehow wandered into. What were those noises just now?
“…What is this place…”
A window opened somewhere above his head. “HEY! I’m tryin’ ta get some sleep, so wouldja mind tonin’ it down a bit there?!”
“Sorry, sir!” a voice piped in earnest, and Soul froze. It couldn’t be that-
“Annoyin’ girl,” the ornery man muttered before slamming the window shut. It took only a few seconds after the ominous bang of the windowsill for Soul to hear the whirls and clanks of a metal rod- it must be a metal rod- start up again. He frowned and moved closer, hands in his pockets as always.
His shoulders slouched at the sight of the girl before him, her skinny pigtails waving around her as she flipped and spun her weapon against the ground and brick walls of the alley. He knew it.
Well, he had seen what he had to see- time to go home and somehow pull off a miracle study session. Though he didn’t really see any other option besides making a cheat she-
Wait.
Soul turned just in time to catch the girl do another back flip before swinging her rod to block an invisible enemy. ‘Hardworking, attentive, always listens to the teacher…huh…’
His sharp teeth glinted from the force of his grin.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Left. Right. In front. Behind.
Maka kicked off her heels to perform a somersault in the air, landing with a stance that she just knew needed work. Her arms, worn from over two hours of intense use, were unsteady as she spun her practice rod around her front torso and behind her back.
‘I have to improve,’ she repeated in her conscious mind. She swung her body sideways, backwards. ‘I won’t lose to him…or anyone!’
“Uh, hey-”
‘Behind you!’
Maka turned and brought her weapon forward in an immediate counter, helpless against her own momentum even as she recognized the intruder-
“Whoa!”
A loud CLANG resounded through the air.
“Oi, you should watch where you swing that thing!”
That statement pounded against her eardrums, shaky and wavering. She opened her eyes to find herself face to face with an expression that looked more relieved than angry.
Just as she thought- it was Soul, the annoying slacker.
“…You really are a scythe…” Maka muttered when she risked a glance downwards. A small twinkle emitted from the transmutated red-and-black blade of an arm, as though in response to her words.
“…Yeah...”
The slight confusion of his tone brought her thoughts back to where they should be, and she stepped back to give him the full force of her frown. “Why are you here instead of studying?”
He opened his mouth, but she cut him off before he could answer. “I’m not stupid.” Like the rest of my classmates hung in the air between them, though she wasn’t the type to say those words. “I know what the teacher meant. Doesn’t staying in this school mean anything to you at all?”
His jaw straightened at her reprimanding tone, but to her surprise he then laughed. “Are you worried about me or somethin’?”
“What is that supposed to mean?!”
Maka’s eyes went wide, and she had to restrain herself from the overbearing impulse to slap a hand over her mouth. Why did she yell like that? Why did she feel so flustered? No, even more important: why was she wasting her time with him?
She turned to give him her back. This had to stop, now. “The dorms are back over that way if you’re lost.” Her finger pointed in a certain direction before resting back against her rod. “Now leave me alone- I need to practice.”
“Hold it…I mean…wait!”
Her head swiveled in his direction, her eyes full of suspicion. What did he want?
His hands- both now flesh- were held out, palms open wide and facing her as though trying to be appeasing. “Look, you’re right about the test…if I don’t do well, I’m screwed. So I was wondering…if you could…”
He paused here, and Maka thought she saw him gulp. “Is there any way…that you could…help me?”
“No,” came the immediate answer, and she whipped back around- not even seeing the comical slump of his shoulders or hearing him mutter, “Not even gonna think about it, huh…”
‘Help him? Help him?’ Her eye twitched. ‘What makes him think I’ll do something like that?’
Maybe it was time to leave. It didn’t look like she’ll get any more practice today, so she might as well go back to her dorm.
Unfortunately, as she stomped off, Soul was following right behind.
“Hey, I’ll do somethin’ in return, like cook…or stuff…”
“Forget it,” she called back. Was there a chance of him giving up before she reached-
Whatever was going to complete that sentence was forgotten as she felt a strong grip yank her backwards. Furious, she pulled away and only refrained from yelling because of the seriousness of his expression.
“I can pay you.”
Those four little words rendered Maka silent…for a total of three seconds.
“Yeah, ri-” A twenty-dollar bill was waved in her face close enough for her to smell the green, and her jaw almost dropped.
‘You don’t find those laying around too often…’
“Seven days till, right? One of these a day, and you can get over a hundred in your pocket.”
Her brain nearly froze up again. And he got this kind of money how?
He could sense her weakening, and she knew it. That stupid grin of his was slowly crawling across his face. “Deal?”
This time her voice was soft as she replied, “No. No deal.”
It took much more out of her than she would admit to turn away from him that time. It was tempting, sorely tempting, to accept his offer but…but what? What was keeping her from accepting his offer? Pride? Contempt?
Small clouds of dust surrounded her shoes with each step she took.
Was it…fea-
A huff sounded behind her back. “What is your problem? Are you that scared of being around people, you gloomy-looking girl with no tits?!”
‘No tits…’
‘No tits…’
‘No…WHAT DID HE SAY?’
Maka screeched to a halt and spun back around. “Shut up! You know nothing!” Her arm drew back, then launched towards the unknowing idiot. “Maka CHOP!” The dust kicked up in swirls around her clothes as she ran off, shouting, “And let that be a lesson to what you should and shouldn’t say to a girl!”
She left him lying there with naught but a smoking head and a heavy book- one that she may have to get back tomorrow.
‘I’ll show you.’
Her teeth gritted and she sprinted even faster.
‘I’ll show you that I’m not afraid!’
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Of Souls and Deathscythes.
That was the name of the book that that annoying chick, Maka, had fired two feet deep into his skull with that Major League pitcher arm of hers.
Soul reached a tentative hand towards the bump on his head- he took pains to cover it with a headband that morning- and winced at the slightest touch. Besides giving him a near-concussion, the whole book thing had confused him…but he eventually figured it out. He admitted that he wasn’t much of a genius, but he wasn’t stupid. And, well…
That chick sure had a weird way of doing things.
So he really wasn’t surprised that the first thing she did when he approached her lunch table was to shove another textbook in his face- though he was relieved it didn’t result in more massive bleeding from his head.
“Y’know, you could’ve just told me ‘yes’ instead of almost killing me,” he sniped. ‘Maka Chop’…what was that, anyway? A signature move or something?
Maka tapped the book cover, which read A Lesson Before Resonating. “We’re only starting this material, so page 23. And did you read at least up to page 57 on the one I-”
“Oh wow, did you hear? Deathscythe himself is coming to this lunchroom!” a girl squealed from near the front doors.
Soul looked up as the rest of the students dropped their meals and ran over to the front of the room. “Are you kidding me? Big bad Deathscythe himself is coming to meet a group of brats like us?”
No matter how skeptic his statement, he couldn’t help the excitement in his tone. Even he knew who Deathscythe was, even though he had never seen the guy…this day was gonna be cooler than he thought!
He missed how Maka’s fingers curled and tightened around themselves.
“Meet me at the library.”
Soul turned and saw Maka gathering her things, her bangs clouding over her expression. “Huh?”
“I have to go now, so after school meet me at the library. You know, the one in the last room on the first floor? Bye!”
His confusion increased as she hurried towards the kitchen, dodging the protests made by the lunch maids. Students weren’t even allowed there, so what was Miss Goody Two-Shoes thinking by going through those doors? It was like she needed…
‘Like she needed to escape…’
The front doors were blasted off its hinges at that very second, and a young-looking man with red hair ran in crying, “MAKAAAAA!!!”
Soul’s eyes widened and searched for a girl that was long gone.
‘What the hell…?’
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She ran, thanking whoever it was up there that he didn’t catch her off guard with his ‘surprise’ visit. Hopefully none of her classmates would catch on and find out that he was…
That he was her so-called father.
Her heart sank. No, there was no use hoping that no one would figure it out. Her father was such an embarrassing loudmouth; surely someone would get the hint and put two and two together.
Oh, and she had so hoped for a normal school life!
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‘What’s your connection to Deathscythe?’ was the first question that popped in Soul’s head when he finally found the library, right up next to ‘And why did you have to run away?’
He wisely kept silent on the matter, even though the two questions had been swirling around in his head ever since the end of lunch. But then again, the rest of the class had been buzzing with questions of their own, looking over to Maka and chattering amongst themselves. No one- well, save for Maka herself- had been paying attention to whatever lesson was being taught.
It was the closest he had seen the teacher get to an aneurysm.
Well, he had his own notions, but they seemed a bit too weir-
“Why are you just standing there?”
“O-oh, sorry.” He plopped into his seat and tried not to grimace at the heavy book being pushed his way. It was covered in dust, grime, and he didn’t want to think what else. “And this is…”
“It’s Souls & Shibusen, a book that has all the basic material. It will help you get done with your studying much faster.” She opened the book, and they both coughed from the onslaught of dust the spewed forth from its pages.
“Okay, I’m going to test you on what you should already know, and if you don’t know it you’re going to have to take notes,” she dictated, and he couldn’t help but wonder at how she seemed so…at ease with this sort of thing.
“Ready?”
Soul nodded.
“For this question you have to complete my statement. A healthy soul resides in a…”
He tilted his head and gazed at a clutter of books nearby. What was it again? “Uh…in…a healthy weapon?”
Her smoldering eyes was his first clue that that was not the right answer. “No! It’s a healthy mind and a healthy soul. Write it down!”
He fished out a folded piece of paper and a gnawed-down pencil from his pocket and wrote down, Healthy soul= healthy mind= healthy body. Looking up, he saw that Maka looked far from pleased at his efforts.
“Your notes have to be in order and make sense, or you won’t understand any of them once you look them over,” she grumbled, and she handed him a fresh bundle of paper and ballpoint pen that seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Now, write it again.”
Soul stared at the items, then shrugged and reached out to take them from her hand-
It was the second time that day that he heard doors being blasted off their hinges.
“MAKAAAAA!!!”
…And the second time he heard that, too. This again?
Sure enough, there was Deathscythe almost leaping towards their table like he was a bunny on steroids. He evidently didn’t see the murderous looks of the librarian at the counter as he pranced- pranced- up to their table and yelled, “MAKA! My sweet, my honey, why weren’t you there when-”
“Maka CHOP!”
For some reason, Soul…was totally expecting that. Who knew this chick could take down Deathscythe himself?
What he wasn’t expecting was Maka standing up and dragging the bloody mess across the carpet and out the door. “I’ll be back in a minute, Soul!” she called over her shoulder as the door closed. “Take notes!”
‘Take notes? Yeah right!’ He dashed over to the door, ignoring the disapproving clicking sounds from the librarian as he peeked through the keyhole. Well, he was curious. Was this guy some boyfriend of Maka’s or something? But he looked kinda old for her…
…Which shouldn’t really be a problem, right? Girls like her tended to go for the more mature types- well, if you could call this guy mature. And he didn’t act cool at all. What kind of man embarrassed a girl by yelling her name out loud like that? That and his hair looked stupid.
He shook his head and shifted to get a better view through the keyhole. Since when did he start bagging on this guy? It was Maka’s choice whether she wanted to be with Deathscythe or not, right? No matter how uncool he was…
“I’m telling you again, don’t come visit me during school hours!”
“But Maka honey, it’s after-”
“Or after school! I’ve got midterms, I have to study!”
“But then how will Papa know if-”
Soul’s entire thought process froze. Wait a minute, Papa? As in, this guy was her father?
…No wonder she was so gloomy.
“Don’t say that! I don’t think of you in any way as my papa!”
Some sniffles sounded, and he wouldn’t have been surprised if the guy was about to wail like a baby. “But Maka…”
“Goodbye. I have to go now.”
The door flew open, and he just stood there like a deer caught in freakin' headlights. She did nothing but stare at him blankly- he wondered if she was contemplating hurling three books at his head or five.
She slammed the door and walked back to their table. Soul followed.
Neither of them said anything when they sat down, and he half-heartedly made an attempt at writing down notes. Yeah, brilliant idea at a cover-up- the book wasn’t even near him.
Maka cleared her throat. “You heard that, didn’t you?”
He figured that it would be better to keep quiet; it wasn’t like she didn’t know the answer already. But he met her eyes, and didn’t look away.
She did, though- away and downwards, into her lap. “That man…cheats on my mom. A lot.”
Her voice was soft, but he heard her all the same.
“He thinks that just because he’s Deathscythe that he can do whatever he wants.” Her body was tensing, Soul noticed- was she going to cry? No, not her. Not this chick who could launch books at his head like they were missiles, or use metal poles like they were weapons of mass destruction...not her.
But there wasn't a tear in sight when she looked up. “I’m going to show him that that’s not true. I’m going to make a death scythe more powerful than he is, and then I will be able to make him stop his ways and apologize to me and my mom for what he did. I won’t let him do whatever he wants!”
...All this time, her secret motivation was a womanizing father and a longing for family stability? Soul stared in surprise, then put his hands behind his head to stare in a more comfortable position.
“So that is why you work so hard?” he then asked, genuinely curious. “Sounds kinda crazy, dontcha think?” Maka frowned at him, but he just shrugged. “Well, I’ve heard crazier. You’ll probably get there, with all that freakish studying you probably do.”
A surprised blink was his response, and this time he smirked. “Besides, it sounds kinda cool.”
He was rewarded- yes, rewarded- with a small giggle. Huh. So gloomy girls like her really can laugh. And it wasn’t the creepy kind either.
Soul looked out the window and into the sunset, letting the strange effect of that single laugh wash over him for one moment longer.
‘Today…was cool.’
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A/N (EDITED):Finished fixing whatever problems I could find so far. I hope that you all enjoyed this one just as much as the previous chapters. b^^d Oh, and still offering a fake, imaginary cookie to whoever guesses the titles of the books I parodied those titles from! XD
Laters!