Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater, nor do I own How by Regina Spektor. If I did, I would be freakin' rich. Hopefully.
Maka Albarn yawned and stretched, knowing immediately that today would be a strange day. She felt it in her gut, and judging by the man breathing shallowly beside her and the lack of clothing on the both of them, she knew she had been drunk, had a one night stand with some guy, and would now be leaving without saying goodbye.
She had spent last night at the Chupa Cabra, an old bar her Papa used to go to often, but now that he was dead, and she was of age to drink, she went there often, and often got too drunk for her own good. She studied the man next to her carefully, trying not to wake him up. He had white hair with the occasional light silver strand, a cute, if not handsome, face, and flawless, pale skin. Maka had no idea what the color of his eyes were, for they were, luckily, closed.
If he awoke, Maka might be forced to actually get into a proper relationship for once, and she definitely did not want to be tied down. How awfully boring to be committed when one was young and attractive to many.
She cautiously got up from the bed, pushing her palms down softly on the bed and releasing the weight slowly so he would not be disturbed. She collected her previously discarded clothing and put it on, tied her hair up in her typical ponytails, and left, hopefully to never see the man again, lest there be actual feelings involved. That would be awkward.
As she had just recently graduated from University, Maka had little money, and with both her parents gone, she had no one. She lived in a small, dingy, yet very comfortable (and more importantly, cheap) apartment, but the landlady was nice, she supposed.
Marie was her name, and she had inherited the place from her father, who was also dead, like Maka's. She was young, blonde, and pretty, but was also missing an eye. No one had any idea why, and she wouldn't tell anyone anything. Her crazy ex-husband, Stein, made his home in an apartment building a few blocks down. He came and bothered her every day, begging her to take him back.
Maka thought he was clinically insane and should be locked up in one of those asylums with strait jackets and padded rooms, but he was probably just strange, and not messed up in the head.
She took a quick shower, nursed her hangover a bit, and then went back to sleep for a few hours, before she was woken up by a pounding headache and someone pounding on her door. She groaned and changed out of the upper-thigh-gracing pajama shorts she was wearing into a pair of sweatpants and pulled up the loose tank top that had started to show a little too much skin for the sake of modesty.
It was Tsubaki at the door, accompanied by a sour-looking Kid, and a hyperactive Black Star. "Hey," she said, in her typical soft tone. "How're you feeling, Maka? I brought the gang to have a little party."
Maka groaned loudly and put a hand to her aching head. "Oh, god, please, no more alcohol. I guess I got more drunk than usual last night and the hangover is worse than ever."
Tsubaki crinkled her brow, slightly worried, and assured, "No worries, we're not going to be drinking. I figured you'd be hungover anyways."
Black Star laughed uproariously and yelled, "I really wanted to get some vodka up in here, but Tsubaki wouldn't let me! Yahoo! She said it was too early to drink."
Maka invited them inside and they all sat on her couch, Kid on the end, Maka next to him, Tsubaki next to Maka, and Black Star next to Tsubaki on the other end.
Maka had noticed that Kid hadn't spoken yet, and she said, "Hey, Kid, dou shita no?"
Kid sighed heavily and admitted, "Well, I haven't seen Liz and Patti for a while now. I just miss them. I wish they'd come back sooner."
Liz and Patti, the missing companions in their usual group of six, were out of the country due to...circumstances. Kid and Liz had just started dating a few weeks ago, and Maka was sure that was just one more reason for Kid to miss the pair of sisters.
Of course the rest of them missed Liz and Patti as well, but they all knew they couldn't miss them more than Kid did. He had known them both since they were very little, and since he was very little, too. The trio had been best friends since they met.
The odd, rag-tag group of six had all gone to the same middle and high school, and Maka and Kid, went to different universities than the other four due to applying for different places. However, none of them had stuck with steady jobs yet. They all were in their barely-to-mid-twenties, babysitters, cashiers, and tutors, among others, graced their extensive list of part-time occupations.
Maka nodded. "It's hard, huh? We all miss them an awful lot." She scratched at a pimple on her chin, regretting not washing her face.
Kid ruffled his black-and-white-striped hair, and suddenly let out an anguished cry, sliding off the couch, but no one paid him any mind. "I think the painting above my fireplace in my flat is leaning slightly to the right! It completely throws off the rest of the room, oh, it's horrible, disgusting, I'm a despicable human being who lives in an ugly, despicable home! I can't live anymore, no, I can't live like this! I must go and check, oh my, I'm so worried-" At that, he rushed out of Maka's apartment, and his hurried footsteps echoed on the stairs leading down to his ride of choice, his skateboard.
There was an awkward silence before Black Star laughed loudly again. "That Kid is one crazy OCD-freak!" he commented. "Well, Tsubaki, Maka looks like she's all sobered up and good now, so let's go and party! Yahoo!"
"But it's only 11 A.M., Black Star! Normal people don't 'party' now! Come on, be serious!" Tsubaki protested, but she was already being dragged out the door by her slim wrists, unable to escape Black Star's grip.
"Who says we're normal people?" guffawed Black Star. "Any time is party time!" He slammed the door shut, and Maka grimaced at the loud noise, her headache still going strong.
She was alone again, and she was glad. It was near silent in the apartment, and she put on some quiet music on her laptop and cuddled into the warm spaces her friends had left on the couch.
How can I forget your love?
How can I, never see you again? I guess you know by now
There is a time and place, for one more sweet embrace
And there's a time, ooh, when it all, ooh, went wrong
That we will meet again somehow
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, baby, how can I begin again?
How can I try to love someone new?
Someone who isn't you
How can our love be true, when I'm not, ooh, I'm not over you
Maka's eyelids felt heavy, and her headache subsided. Her eyes closed and she began to drift off into dreamland, serenaded by Regina Spektor's voice.
A knock on her door sounded, and she almost missed it. Perhaps Kid was back after going home and realizing that his painting was perfectly fine, and everything was symmetrical, as usual, and he was just worrying needlessly and being far too paranoid, which was also incredibly usual.
She got up and paused the music, and went to answer the door. "Kid, I told you that your painting wasn't crooked, it's just you being stupid again-" Maka stopped talking, and her jaw dropped, her eyes widening. She resembled a blonde fish.
The man at the door was the man from last night. His eyes were blood red.
A/N: Hey, everybody, this is my very first fan fiction EVER, so be gentle! Or be horribly mean and make me cry. No, wait, don't do that. As I was saying, first fan fiction ever. But hi, welcome to the story. I don't think that too many people will read my crapapple of a story, but if you're here, thanks. Review?