Coming Home Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Hours later that same morning, after stumbling into the hotel and getting a few hours of fitful sleep for most, the gang was gathered around a table outside a café not far from the hotel. Every one of them was dressed casually, giving no hints that they were DWMA students through you could possibly hint from out of town by Black*Star and Tsubaki's oriental style clothing. The only difference from what they all usually were was, once again, Soul was wearing another hat, this one another black beanie though it had a bill that he had pulled low over his eyes
.
Maka didn't like the look; he acted like he was hiding when usually he was proud of his appearance, no matter how 'freaky' it was to anyone else. And she knew she wasn't the only one to notice. The girls had looked at Maka as if she knew the answer to this sudden change but the technician could only answer with a shrug. The boys had been more forthright and just asked Soul but he only shook them off coolly saying he wanted to. Nobody was buying that if it was any indication of the looks they gave each other.

'Maybe we shouldn't have taken this mission…,' she thought, taking a sip of her tea and casting a glance at her partner. He was slouched in his chair like he usually did but his head was down and he didn't smile even when Black*Star made a joke. 'God damn it Soul! What's wrong with you?'

"So…," Kid started, switching from a playful tone to a serious one that caused everyone to look at him. "Last night was-"

"A bust," Liz interrupted with a heavy sigh. Kid sent his weapon a glare for the interruption while Patti giggled.

"I was going to say useless to our investigation but if you must, 'a bust' seems to be the correct phrase to describe the night."

"Heh, what are you talking about?" Black*Star said taking a bite out of his sandwich. "It wasn't a total bust, we did get more eggs to up our numbers."

"That may be true," Kid agreed, wrinkling his nose at Black*Star's lack of table manners when eating with his mouth full. "But it does not further our investigation in that one egg."

"Soul offered last night that a witch might be involved," Maka interjected. That perked everyone's interest as they all looked at her. "I'm having trouble using my Soul Perception in finding the large number of eggs. What if a witch is hiding them?"

"But why would a witch bother?" Tsubaki said. "I mean, besides Medusa, witches don't want to even bother with kishin."

"Maybe it's a witch like Medusa," Liz offered. An unsettling silence fell over the group. That was all they needed, another Medusa.

"Either way," Soul said, causing everyone to jump and look at him. "I say the faster we get the job done the better."

"We should stay longer after the mission!" Patti said happily. "The city is so pretty!"

"I wouldn't mind going to see some ruins," Maka concurred. Black*Star snickered.

"Laaammmmeeee…."

"Maka Chop!"

Black*Star fell to the ground with a large dent on his head as Maka put her book back into her shoulder bag. Tsubaki immediately got down on the ground to comfort her meister while Kid sighed at the situation, not in the least bit sorry for the ninja and his idiocy. His two weapons meanwhile continued to talk about the things that they would do after the mission was over acting as if like nothing had happened.

Soul remained usually quiet but a tight frown marred his features. He did not want to stay in Edinburgh longer than necessary but that plan may have just blown up in his face. "Tch. Whatever," he muttered darkly as he quickly stood up causing everyone to stop and look at him.

"Soul where are you going?" Maka asked worriedly.

"Back to the hotel," Soul grunted as he reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet and toss a ten dollar bill on the table. "See ya."

"Just so you know Soul," Kid said before the demon weapon could escape. "There's going to be one party tonight. It's a formal celebration taking place at Edinburgh Castle. I hope you brought a suit."

Soul turned his back to the group, shoving his hands in his pockets to hide the fact they were in tight fists and his jaw was clenched. He could feel the Black Blood in him begin to boil and knew he had to get out there before he did something stupid. "Whatever." He then walked away to attempt to hide in his room for most of the day.

Once he was out of site Liz harped, "What the hell is his problem? He's been acting so, so-"

"Uncool?" Patti said.

"Yes!"

"Do you know what's bothering him?" Tsubaki asked as she and Black*Star took their seats again. The young technician shook her head.

"No, in fact he's been more withdrawn than usual…." Maka looked down at her half full tea cup feeling even more isolated from her partner as everyone talked about his weird behavior. After the battle last night, Soul had taken them both back to their room and had taken care of her feet. They hadn't been so bad that they needed to be bandaged but they were sore and Soul had been a complete gentleman, albeit with few sarcastic comments. But Maka had been happy to see him so calm and relaxed, so himself; he was one of a very few people who saw this side of him, not even their friends have seen it. It made it all the more special to Maka and she had smiled on her lips as she fell asleep for a few hours. Then everything went back to the way it was and those walls were back up at full force.

Looking up she caught sight of Kid staring where Soul had walked off with narrowed eyes, seemingly lost in thought. "Kid? Are you alright?"

Snapping out of his daze, he looked over at her with a controlled face. "Yes, I'm fine…. But if I may, could I speak to you in private later?"

"Um… sure," Maka said clearly confused while everyone else looked at them strangely.
"Well anyway," Liz said looking at Maka. "Did Soul even bother to bring a suit on this trip?" Maka thought for a moment.

"Nope I don't think he did. I guess I will have to into town to buy him one."

"Black*Star also needs one…," Tsubaki muttered almost as an afterthought.

"What!?! No way!" Black*Star said. "I'll go to the party dressed as I always do! I'm just going for the food!"

"No way! If you're going to the party you have to dress the part!" Liz shouted back. An argument erupted, even as they finished their late breakfast, paid for their food, and went into town.

Maka and Kid hung back from the rest of the group, watching with mildly amused expression. After a minute or so of not talking, Kid finally spoke. "Maka, about earlier…."

"Oh right! You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yes. Last night, after you ran off to help Soul, I ended up running into someone…."

Maka looked at him with a tilt of her head as she waited for him to continue.

"Has Soul mentioned having family in the area?"

"Huh!?!" Maka abruptly stopped, staring at Kid wide-eyed. Her mind was going a mile a minute recalling all her moments with Soul.

"N-no. He's never mentioned his family to-to me. Not once."

Kid 'hmm'ed as he cupped his chin with his own hand, again going into his thoughts. This left Maka with her own. 'Is Soul really from Scotland? I knew he wasn't from the U.S. but I never even bothered to ask where he was from! Oh God, is that why he is acting like this? Cause he's afraid to meet his family again?'

"Maka," Kid said, snapping her out of her reverie. "We all know 'Eater' isn't Soul's last name. Would it happen to be 'Evans?' Has he mentioned anything about it?"

"Evans…," Maka whispered quietly as her eyebrows scrunched together. "I've heard that name before…."

"The Evans family is a family that for generations has always birthed musical prodigies," Kid said in a matter-of-fact tone. Maka felt her heart stop.

'Prodigies? Musical geniuses?' She knew Soul was wonderful at piano, despite what he said, but she always thought it was from him having years of practice, not because he could pick up it instantly, like he did with the guitar.

"I need to go talk to Soul," she whispered without realizing it. She needed to hear it from his mouth that he was an Evans. She quickly turned to leave but was stopped when Kid grabbed her shoulders.

"Maka stop!" Kid snapped as she struggled in his grasp. "Stop and think! If it is our Soul, there has to be a reason he didn't tell us!" Maka stopped struggling in his grasp and looked at him with watery eyes and heavy heart.

But she did think. If Soul was an Evans why hadn't he told her? They were partners weren't they? They weren't supposed to hide things that big!

Then again Soul didn't do anything without a reason. Was he scared? Of what though? 'Soul….'

"What do we do?" Maka asked quietly, finally looking away and down at her feet.

"I say we just keep an eye on him," Kid replied removing his hands from her. "Just act like we don't suspect anything. Unless we hear it from Soul, we can't be sure it's the same person."

Maka nodded solemnly before taking a deep breath and lifting her head up. She plastered on a false smile, her happiness still dampened but at least she was trying to pull herself together. She had to trust Soul on this matter, it was the least she could do for him. After all, he trusted her on a lot of things.

"Right," she said determinedly. "I still need to get a suit for Soul."

"We best catch up with the others then. I will not have them choose an asymmetrical suit for Soul and Black*Star."

Maka giggled as she followed after the young Shinigami, heart a little heavy but determined to trust her partner no matter what.
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Later that day, as the sun began to set, Soul couldn't help but feel frustrated as he clipped the cufflinks to the ends of his crisp white shirt. He did not want to go to this stupid party tonight. There was a high probability that his family would be there and he wanted to avoid that confrontation at all costs.

Seems fate was against him that regard.

Grabbing his black, silk tie, he skillfully put it on, glancing at the bathroom door where Maka was getting ready. "Oi, Maka. Hurry up!"

"Just a minute!" Maka's muffled huff came from behind the door.

Soul sighed as he grabbed his new black suit jacket. He wasn't all that surprised Maka had come back with a suit for him. Nor was he surprised that it fit him perfectly, they were partners; they knew each other inside and out- which could really be a pain some days. Standing in front of the mirror, he buttoned his jacket and fixed his sleeves, making sure everything was pristine, something he learned when he was a child. In casual clothes he looked cool but put him in a button up shirt and dress pants all his training came back to him and everything about him had to be perfect. 'Great,' he growled to himself. 'Now I'm sounding like Kid!'

Tearing himself away from the mirror, he moved to stand in front of the window to look at the city below; his home. The dying sun couldn't be seen but the sky was splayed with hues of yellow, red, and purple. He could make out the people below, milling about, not realizing the danger that lurked in the night.

"What pitiful creatures…."

Soul spun around quickly but found nothing out of the ordinary. It was that voice, not the Imps but that creature's voice. Soul stood straight, stiff as he turned back to the city. First no sleep, then the Imp, now this thing? 'What a nightmare….'

He became lost in his thoughts, switching between thinking about the new problems with the Black Blood and tonight's dinner, and didn't hear the bathroom door open. He wasn't even aware of anything until he felt something grab his shoulder causing him to spin around to come face to face with Maka's concerned face. "Soul? Is something wrong?"

Soul gave a weak smile as he attempted to calm his rapidly beating heart. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Maka gave a small frown, staring at him for a few minutes. Soul forced himself not to squirm around and keep his face perfectly in place. Whatever she was looking for, she seemed to find it because she gave a small smile. "Alright, but remember Soul if anything is bothering you, you can tell me."

"Heh, whatever," Soul said. It was then that he noticed how close they were. She was nearly pressed up against him, the tip of her forehead nearly touching his mouth. His heart rate picked up again for an entirely different reason now and he forced himself not to blush. If he just leaned down he could-

Maka also seemed to notice their closeness and immediately jumped back. Soul hid his hurt by slouching his shoulders and giving his infamous smirk. For a while there was pulled up to one side in a messy side bun, held in place by a red rose clip and sure to give Kid a seizure. Her make-up was light with the mascara darkening her eye lashes to bring out her green eyes and her red lipstick brought out the plumpness of her lips. A pair of dangly cubic zirconia earrings framed her face and matched the tear drop necklace she wore.

The dress was a simple black one. It fit tight in the bodice, with a stripe of rhinestones running under her bust to accentuate the fact she had like the other dress did. When the material hit her hip it flared out a little with the front flowing down until it hit her knees while the back continued until it stopped at her ankles. To complete the look she wore a pair of sandal high heels with rhinestones running along the strap.

Soul felt his throat go dry just staring at her. He could practically feel his blood run hot and suddenly wished they didn't have to go out. After all, they had everything in the room, just the two of them, a bed-

'Woah!' Soul shouted at himself. 'Bad Soul! Bad!' To cover up his growing lust he raised an eyebrow at Maka.

"You gonna be able to fight in those heels?" Soul was happy that he was able to control the lust in his voice, coming off as casual.

Maka gave him an innocent smile and the thick atmosphere lifted between the two of them. "Yep! These heels aren't as high as the other ones and the heel in thicker."

"Cool." Soul cast a glance at the clock on the bedside table. "We should get going. I don't want to hear Kid's bitching about us being late."

Maka laughed a little in agreement and with that, after she grabbed her black clutch, they set off. As they waited for the elevator, Maka surprised Soul with what she said. "Hey Soul?"

"Yeah Maka?" Soul looked down at his meister seeing her look up at him with a smile and her cheeks a little red.

She reached out with a hand and brushed back a stubborn piece of hair that refused to stay in place. He had foregone his headband since it wouldn't have gone with the suit, instead letting it fall naturally and only styling the bangs to stay out of his eyes and the back of his hair. "You look really cool tonight," she said before looking away.

Soul could only smile as they both got on the elevator.
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Soft music was in the air as guests mingled about Edinburgh's Castle lit Crown Square. The ancient fortress trapped the warm salt air that wafted from the sea, making it comfortable for everyone there. Pushed to one side the orchestra played a gentle tune with the long, white hors d'œuvre table next to them. The white was stone of the floor enhanced the lights, making the area brighter than it seemed. Fancily dressed women stood in secretive circles, whispering about the latest gossip, while the suited men talked casually about business and other things.

The only oddball group in this sophisticated area was a group of young adults standing at the end of the buffet table. Two of them were on the ground surrounded by stacked plates as they devoured down their food. A slender, black haired woman in a cream colored Asian inspired dress stood next to one of them, the suited blue haired boy, looking very embarrassed but still wearing a smile. Another slender woman in a long red dress, with her arms folded over her chest, stood by also red dressed girl on the ground looking at her with a disapproving look but didn't seem about to stop her. Off to the side stood another boy and girl looking at everything with amused, but embarrassed, expressions.

"Some things never change," Maka said in a light tone. She was referring to the site before her but also recalling the beginning of the party where Kid had freaked out because of the one clock tower on one side of the square and not the other. It had taken Patti and Liz a good hour to make him ignore the sight.

"Indeed," Kid agreed, watching as Black*Star and Patti continued to stuff their faces. "Like how your partner is conspicuously missing from tonight's festivities."

"He's probably hiding in some dark corner," Maka muttered, puffing out her cheeks in a pout. Kid chuckled lightly in agreement. Both of them remained quiet just watching everything around them before Maka spoke again. "You know, maybe I should get Soul some food."

"Or perhaps something to drink," Kid said indicating to the two bottomless pits on the floor.

"You're probably right," Maka laughed, stepping away from him. "I'll be back in a bit." With that she walked away to find the nearest server with a tray of champagne.

Once she had two flutes, she decided to cheat and use her Soul Perception to find her partner. Closing her eyes she calmed her senses, reaching deep inside of her to immediately connect herself to her Anti-Demon powers. Instantly, a bubbly feeling encompassed her entire body, spreading down to the tips of her fingers and toes. She almost let out a giddy laugh at the happy feeling she got but held it in.

Opening her eyes, the world around her was black with tiny little orbs floating around. Barriers didn't exist on this plain, allowing her to see everyone's soul, even those miles below her. They were all shapes and sizes, some twisted with slight insanity but not enough for her to worry or care. She didn't really bother with any souls actually; she was more focused on finding one particular soul.

He wasn't too hard to find, just on the outside of the party, his blue soul calling out to hers. Happy to find him, she closed her eyes again and broke the connection to her powers.

Drawing herself back to the real world, she looked over to where she sensed Soul's soul only to see a wall. 'Figures he would be outside the party,' she thought with a smile.

Happily, she walked out of the party onto the candle lined path that had taken the group to the party. The path had curved, leaving a large part in darkness. Passing through the candles and around the dividing wall, to do a little trek up, until she came to what could be called the 'viewing platform' now but way back when had served as one of the batteries for the fortress. There were decorative cannons lining the wall but her attention was drawn to one figure who was staring out at the city below.

She could see why Soul would want to come out here; the view was amazing. All around the city lights shined against the dark, starry night with the half-crazed moon smiling down on them. If it wasn't so dark, Maka might have been able to see the ocean to her left, many miles away. 'I wonder what he is thinking about?' she thought as she made her way over to him. 'Is he thinking about his previous life here?'

Hearing her footsteps, she watched as her partner turned around and smile at her. "Hey there," he said.

"Hey yourself," Maka replied coming up next to him and placing one flute down in front of him. "Sorry I couldn't get you any food. I'm pretty sure Patti and Black*Star ate almost all of it."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Soul laughed, taking the champagne and tipping it toward her in thanks. "Besides, I wasn't that hungry anyway."

Maka smiled gently, watching as Soul took a sip before looking out at the city. "The view's very beautiful."

Soul hummed in agreement. A peaceful silence fell between the two of them. It was just like old times except Maka couldn't help but feel this anxious feeling in her chest. She desperately wanted to ask him about if he was an Evans of not. And if he was, why did he hide it from her? It hurt to know that he didn't even trust her enough to tell her that information. But what if it broke their partnership? She wouldn't be able to handle that; no way, she loved him too much.

'I wish my brain wouldn't think so much sometimes," she thought as her brain came up with the worst case scenarios if she dare voice her thoughts. 'It wouldn't make me so nervous….'

"Oi, Maka," Soul started making her jump and look at him. His face was completely blank but she could slightly see the turmoil in his eyes.

"Yeah Soul?"

The demon scythe opened his mouth but quickly snapped it shut again in a thin line. He looked so lost that she wanted to reach out to him and bring him into a hug but stopped when he said nervously before going flat at the end, "Do you…. Do you know if any eggs are in the area?"

The tight knot in Maka's chest burst with disappointment. She was so hoping that he would say something about his family so she could be able to ask questions.

"No," she said trying to hide her disappointment. "I haven't. It kind of worries me."

"It's still early, they may show up soon," Soul countered, looking out at the city again, swirling his glass.

"Maybe…." The atmosphere was a little tense between the two of them now and Maka cursed herself as she tried to find a way to break it. She could only think of one thing though.

"Soul, would you dance with me?"

Soul looked down at her in surprise before bursting out laughing. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am!" Maka huffed. "It's been forever since we last danced- not since out first battle with Crona. Is it so hard to dance in public?"

Soul chuckled again, deciding to ignore the question. "I'll think about it.

"That's not an answer Soul!"

"It's as good of an answer you're going to get." He threw an arm around Maka's shoulders bringing her into a half hug. She tensed for a minute, unused to Soul initiating any physical contact, but slowly melted into his embrace. She leaned her head against his shoulder, breathing in his scent. Whatever body wash he used it reminded her of a forest just after rainfall, mixing with his own natural spicy scent.

When he finally removed his arm, she nearly wept at the loss but held it in as she pulled back. "You should head back inside before the others start to worry," Soul said looking down at her.

'Screw the others!' Maka wanted to wail, just wanting to spend more time with her partner. But Soul had a point. If she didn't hurry back soon the others would come to look for them, making things awkward. "Alright, but only if you promise to do one dance with me."

Soul smirked. "Stubborn bookworm. Alright, one dance. But later okay?"

"Alright!" Maka happily replied. "Come in soon!" She then bound off to head back inside.
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Soul watched his meister walk off, almost skipping in her happiness. It made him smile seeing so happy.

Turning back to the city, his smile dropped as he looked at the city he once called home. He wouldn't admit it out loud but he really missed Edinburgh some days. He missed the sights, smells, and tastes. It was home and he was taught to always be proud of his heritage.

Yet, he hid his past anyway.

'I am messed up,' he thought. He heard the Imp laugh but ignored him. Sighing, swirled his champagne more before taking a sip.

He wanted to ask Maka before if she would be upset if she knew he was still keeping things from her. He had lost his nerve though and had asked about the kishin eggs instead.

"So uncool…." Taking another sip and lost in his thoughts he missed the light footsteps coming up from behind him.

"Soul?" Soul nearly spit out his champagne as he spun around, wide-eyed and jaw dropping as his heart almost stopped at seeing the elderly woman in front of him.

"Granny…."