SoMa:: Into the Dark Pt 7

[khantact]

 Another bandaged fist slammed aggressively into Soul's locker.

"You know, Black Star, you really don't have to follow me around all day."

A terrified one-star meister ran off in the other direction.

"Huh?"

"I said," Maka shoved a particularly heavy-looking book into her locker. "You really don't need to follow me around all day. I can take care of myself, you know."

"BEAT IT, PUNK!" Another deep dent in the locker door. Another terrified kid running for his life. "I know you can handle yourself, but Soul asked me to look after you while he was talking to Lord Death. I'm just doing this to satiate Soul's paranoia."

Maka shook her head while Black Star began aimlessly swinging Soul's locker door back and forth. "I just don't understand what it is he's trying to protect."

"Duh. You. HEY, YOU! GET LOST! AMSCRAY! GET OUTTA HERE!"

Maka though Black Star looked a lot like an agitated monkey, swinging his hands, balled up in fists over his head.

She dragged him back by his collar. "Protect me from what? Harmless students?"

"Creeps who keep staring at you."

"They're not creeps, Black Star," she sighed. "Although I do wonder why I've suddenly gotten so many requests to be peoples' partner. I never got that many before. Actually, I've never gotten any before."

Black Star was back to hitting Soul's locker door to and fro. "That's because no one wants a partner who doesn't have sex appeal." Maka raised a book, poised to hit Black Star on the head with it. Black Star deflected it with his wrist. "Don't freak out, Maka. I just mean that people at this school are really shallow. You've always been a good meister, but they didn't want you before because you didn't have boobs, but now," he looked at her chest. Maka slapped his face upward. "You have a rack." Another boy was staring longingly at Maka. Maka glared at him. "KEEP YOUR PERVY EYES OFF OF HER YOU FREAK!"

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Soul just knew that explaining things in front of Spirit Albarn was a bad idea.

"So what you're saying is," he began angrily, "some witch put you under some spell, and now you think you're in love with my daughter." Once again, Spirit had neglected to remember certain facts – like Soul was with Kid when it happened, the colour of his aura had changed (something both Marie and Stein confirmed), and the spell only worked with feelings that were already there.

That, and Maka didn't exactly seem displeased with the whole situation… "Yes, that approximately what I just repeated five times."

Lord Death, who hadn't seemed to have been paying attention, as he drank and played with his tea, piped up. "Well, that's rather unfortunate for you, Soul."

"Yes, it is," Spirit flared up, his right arm turning into a scythe blade. "Because now I'm gonna have to murder you!"

Lord Death hit Spirit over the head. "I really don't think there's any need to go that far, Spirit."

"Oh yeah? He's defiled my little daughter!"

"There's no proof that Soul and Maka have done anything, let alone that Maka even shares his feelings, right Soul?"

Soul wasn't sure if he should be happy that Lord Death was speaking in his defence, or distraught by the implication that Maka didn't feel the same way. "It's true, sir. It just speeds up feelings in the victim that were already there."

"What kind of feelings, you fiend?"

"True love."

Spirit paused looking at Shinigami, worriedly. If Soul could have seen Lord Death's face, he could have sworn he was smiling. "Oh now, that's interesting."

"What is, what's so interesting about that?"

"You see Soul, Spirit, there are many different kinds of love…familial, the kind you have for your parents; the kind of love you have for your community or friends; unrequited, which of course is what Spirit was hoping for. Then there's true love, which is always mutual."

The butterflies were back. "But I haven't noticed anything different about Maka…" Soul trailed off, thinking, while Lord Death continued to explain how things worked out. "Shit."

"I second that opinion" Spirit muttered.

Lord Death batted Spirit away. "What is it, Soul?"

"Maka got hit with a spell, too. At least, I think she did. When Kid and I ran into Amortentia and Medusa, they said they were going to put some kind of spell on her, but they didn't say what. By the time we got there, we didn't notice anything different, and no one remembered seeing anything weird."

Spirit and Lord Death exchanged worried glances. Or rather, Spirit gave Lord Death a worried glance, and Soul assumed Lord Death mirrored it.

"This could be problematic…Spirit, please get a hold of Blair. I think she might be able to help us."

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"So Maka, what're you wearing to the party?" Black Star teased.

Maka twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "I think Soul and I are just going to be exchanging clothes. There's no real point in going out and buying new clothes, we're pretty much the same size…how about you and Tsubaki?"

"I'm switching with Patti" the two high-fived. "Tsubaki's too big for my clothing, and so is Liz. What I'm really curious about is how Kid's gonna look. We never saw him in that chapter of Eibon – hey Ox, Kim, Kilik, Harvar, Jackie."

The other members of Spartoi had joined the group to discuss the party Kid was planning on throwing for the end of the school year. Or rather, the more interesting part of it all: the theme.

"Is anyone else pissed about this?" Kilik snapped.

"Oh, cheer up. What's so bad about wearing girl clothes? At least it'll be nice and cool and breezy down there."

"I worry about you, sometimes."

"No going commando in my shorts, Black Star, or I will eat your brains out." Black Star guffawed loudly in response.

"If any boys around our size need girl clothes you can just borrow some of ours." Kim offered. "But I agree with Patti – no going commando."

"And I call dibs on her witch outfit." Ox declared. Kim blushed.

"Are you sure they'll let you wear that?"

"Why not?"

While the rest of the boys debated the appropriateness of Kim's witch outfit, Soul and Kid walked up quietly, faces blank. Maka practically skipped up to Soul. "What's wrong, guys?"

Soul looked to Kid, who narrowed his eyes at Maka. "There's something we all need to discuss with you. But first, you need to talk to my father. We can discuss the rest later, after the party."

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