HOME | DD

Description

                I walked into the apartment, looking around fearfully, and clutching the packet in my tightened hands. Seeing no one, I hurried in and shut the door. I went to my room and dropped off my bag, making sure not to twist too much and wincing at the deep aching in my chest. I then walked into the kitchen to thaw out meat to go with dinner. I thought about it for a moment, and decided on making spaghetti, something he enjoyed. I needed him to be in a good mood, so that I may heal properly, and without difficulties.
                Soon, the pasta was boiling, and the sauce was heated, meat distributed evenly throughout the acidic paste. I gave it a taste and smiled, humming lightly. Just right. I turned it off and set it on a back burner. I then put on a kettle for tea. It was the only thing we really both enjoyed.

                I walk out and set the table, making sure everything was lined up and in order before going out and checking the pasta one last time. After doing that, I started on washing the dishes I had used and cleaning the counters. By now, my nerves had calmed slightly, and I was a little more prepared to face him.

                Soon, I heard the door open and shut, the telltale sounds of a bag dropping on the floor, and footsteps walking to the kitchen. He popped his head in, smiling an eerily cheesy grin that immediately threw me off guard, before walking in and gave me a hug. I froze, unsure exactly what to do. After a moment, he pulled back, looking me in the eyes and smiling again.

                "Hello, (Y/N), how was your day?"

                I stood still, still unsure of what to do, or say. Surely, this was a trap, and anything I did would, in time, result in some sort of punishment.

                He looked at me, seemingly concerned. "Are you feeling alright, dear? Do your ribs hurt? Have you taken your painkillers?"

                I snapped out of my daze a moment later. "Oh, yes, I'm fine, just.... tired."

                He shook his head, laughing a little. "You should be resting, then, not up and about, cooking and cleaning." He gently set his hands on my arms, and I flinched as he gently pushed me out of the room. "I'll take care of things here, you go relax. After all, we need you to get all healed so we can go on missions again, like we used to."

                I blinked and numbly walked to the living room, sitting on the couch and wincing slightly. I considered doing my breathing exercises, but, after trying to concentrate on a single routine for ten minutes and failing, I sighed and carefully laid down, my hands on my stomach.

                As I laid there, I wondered briefly if this was a twisted dream, and if I had passed out while trying to cook, or if this entire day had just been one long dream. Really, I was leaning more toward the second thought, as no one really talked to me before today. I decided to act as I normally did, just in case this wasn't a dream.

                A few minutes later, I saw him walk in, two plates in hand as he set them on the table. I moved to sit up before he stopped me.

                "I'm sorry, dear, I know you worked hard to set the table up so nicely, but I also knew how much it would hurt if you had to get up to move out to the table, so I just thought I’d bring it out here so we could eat together."

                I sat there for a moment, his words slowly sinking in as I tried to find the hidden meaning within. After finding none, I relaxed slightly, just enough for it to be perceivable to anyone that knew me. He noticed and smiled a little wider, sitting next to me and beginning to eat happily.

    I continued to watch him, sure that this was a trick. Maybe he had traded places with someone that looked like him, or I was delusional from the painkillers. Why would he, the one that is personally responsible for my injuries and current mental state, suddenly begin acting as happy and carefree as…as….I don’t know, Spongebob?

    He looked over after a moment, and tilted his head in what appeared to be concern. “Why aren’t you eating? Do you feel ill?”

    I shook my head to clear my mind. “Ah, no… I was just thinking about… what missions we may be able to do.”

    He smiled. “We’ll worry about that later. For now, eat, you need to keep up your strength.” After a trice, I began to eat, slowly, if only to appease him. It wasn’t bad, it could have used a bit more parsley, but it was at least passable. I watched him as I ate, searching for any sign that he was disappointed, or disgusted, only to find him with that stupid smile still on his face, happily eating away. I finish my food and make to stand, only to have him gently set his hand on my shoulder, making me flinch ever so slightly.

    He smiled at me. “I’ll take care of that, you go draw yourself a warm bath and relax, you deserve it.” He then walked off, leaving me sitting in the room, dumbfounded. I heard the clatter of dishes, and, a few minutes later, saw his head peek in. “Well? Go on, don’t make me carry you~” He chuckled and ducks back into the kitchen. I stood up as quickly as I could, hissing in pain as I grabbed my ribs, making my way to the bathroom.

    I shut the door, locking it behind me and turning toward the tub. I crouched down before the sink, breathing through the pain as I reached to the far back, grabbing a plastic wrapped package and pulling it out. I smiled, looking down at the lilac bath set my grandma had given me a few years prior, and carefully open the package, setting everything up.

    Then came the issue of getting in. I took a deep breath as I pulled myself up with the sink, hissing as I stood enough to sit on the edge of the tub. I sighed in relief, leaning forward slightly to slip off my pants and panties, then try to carefully maneuver my arms through both my shirt and bra. I slipped into the bath, sighing as my body instantly started to relax at the warm touch. I settled into the tub, leaning my head back against the edge carefully and resting my arms in my lap. I sunk in a bit more, relaxing for the first time in months. I sat in peace, allowing my mind to drift to the people I had seen today.

    Black Star seemed….interesting. Very loud and abrasive, but he didn’t seem like that bad of a guy. If only he could stop going on about being a god… Then there was his partner, Tsubaki. She seemed rather nice, though she seemed to blend into the background rather well. She could actually stand to be a little louder, and forceful. Perhaps that is why they are partners, is to balance each other out…

                I sat forward and put my head on my knees, wrapping my arms around them and sighing. Crona seemed a bit like me, in a way. He was rather quiet and shy, and actually seemed rather scared. Well, scared, unless he was looking at or talking to Maka. I giggled a bit, thinking about how cute those two would be. She may even be able to straighten out that strange thing that Crona has…whatever that was. I shivered a bit at the thought of it. Its creepy little eyes unnerved me, its large, unblinking bug eyes seeming to stare into my soul and view my darkest secrets. I’d have to keep an eye on him.

                I leaned back again, relaxing against the sloped edge of the tub as my mind once again drifted to Soul, as it had been doing often recently. What was it about him that captivated my thoughts? He wasn’t bad looking, but looks don’t mean everything. I learned that lesson well with “Aaron”. Could it be his relaxed laugh, or his calm way of looking at everything? Thinking on it some more, I came to the conclusion that it was, in fact, his caring attitude that caused the boy to invaded my mind.

    A slight flush of heat to my face made me realize that it was time to get out, so, pulling the plug, I grabbed onto the edge of the tub and painfully pulled my way out. Sitting on the edge, I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around my body, grabbing my clothes the least painful way possible and holding them close to my chest as I stood, walking to the door. I peeked my head out, and, after making sure he was busy, I crept out to my room, leaving a small trail of water from my dripping hair.

    Once inside, I looked around, then locked my door, sighing as I leaned against it. I walked over to my dresser, grabbing a nightgown and underwear, slipping them on as carefully as I could. I used my towel to dry my hair until it was damp, and laid back on my bed, looking at the ceiling. I quickly grew drowsy, and I had barely managed to slip a small throw blanket over my legs and torso before darkness overtook me, slipping me into a peaceful silence.

Meanwhile, in another part of the city… (3rd Person POV)

                A thin boy, about average height for his age, was sitting in his study; attempting to do his homework at the large mahogany desk his father had provided him. Twin sets of candles burned at each side of the surface, dripping nearly identical trails of wax down the stick and onto the base below. The boy sighed and set his pen in its holder at the top of the desk. He leaned back in his desk chair and sighed again, slipping both hands behind his head and staring at a random area of his ceiling. His mind drifted back to the conversation he had had with his father earlier that day, and the task that had been entrusted to him.

                He sighed again in frustration, adjusting his oddly colored hair so it set properly before standing, abandoning his perfectly placed homework and striding quickly to the door. He snapped his fingers, the action blowing out the candles, before he walked out the door, determined to find the two young women that shared his home.

                One of these ladies was sitting in her room at the table, an open bottle of red nail polish on one side, nail polish remover and cotton balls on the other. She examined her nails for any dust or dirt before carefully brushing the liquid over the smooth surface, observing for any bubbles or streaks in the substance before moving onto the next one. Once finished, she capped the bottle and set her fingers under a gently blowing nail fan, smile at her handiwork. She took the break from that hand to check the other, already polished hand for any mistakes or flaws.

                A series of eight knocks interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up at the door for a moment. “Come in, Kid,” she said, before looking back to her nails. She heard the door open, then close, and then heard even, almost solemn footsteps walk over. They stopped at the table, where the chair in front of her was pulled out, and then occupied by the young boy. She looked up, pulling her other hand out from below the fan to rest on top of the other in front of her. “So, what’s up?”

                “My father has given us an assignment,” he said, looking the girl in the eyes.

                She smirked a little. “Is that all? What about it has you looking so serious? You never look this fervent about a simple assignment.” She started to inspect the newly dried nails as she waited, and he sighed.

                “We’re to interview the weapons here at the academy that were abused by their meister.” At this, the girl froze, and the boy continued. “It’s apparently been known for some time now that a male student as been finding female partners, and abusing each one in turn, in horrible ways. Now, as this is not the first time a weapon had been abused by its meister, we are to interview them all to get a physical description of the abuser, to be sure that it is the same one, and to try to get a motive as to why he does this.”

                Her gaze hardened. “Shouldn’t your father be able to tell you who it is so you can get him without all the fuss? This seems like a lot of work to go though for this one guy.”

                “It’s not that simple. He’s found a way to evade the system. He uses different names each time he addresses someone, and sticks with one per class. No one can keep tabs on him, and no one seems to be able to describe the same guy when they try to figure it out.”

    She looked intently at him, and was about to say something when he interrupted. “He also seems to have found a new partner. He’s had this one for some time, and it seems like she refuses to go for help. She may be too scared, or just be unable to for some reason. Whatever it is, though, she’s going to be in serious danger if we can’t get her out.”

    She looked back down at the table, clenching her hands a bit, though being careful not to ruin her nails. After a few minutes of sitting in silence, he sighed and continued. “I need you to be the one to tell Patty.” Her head snapped up, confusion written on her face. “She won’t understand completely if I try to explain it to her, and she listens to you. You can get it through clearly, so she understands how serious this is. If we can’t figure this out soon, she may be seriously injured or even killed, then he’d be free to move onto someone new, and the cycle can begin again. We need to get testimony as to what he has done, how many people he’s done it to, and why. If possible, we should try to figure out who he is and how he’s avoided us for so long.”

    She continued to sit in silence, staring at the table. The boy reached forward and gently grasped her hands. “He will be caught, Liz. It may take a bit longer than any of us would like, but he will be caught.”

    After a minute, she looked up. “Does Lord Death know who the girl is?”

    He nods. “My father has someone watching over her, though he wouldn’t tell me who it was, for both their sakes’.”

    After a few seconds of silence, she nodded. Kid stood up, brushing her hair carefully with one hand before walking out. She continued to stare at the desk, breathing a little heavily with her eyes closed and hands clenched in her lap. After about ten minutes, she stood carefully, turning off her small fan and walking out the door, thinking about the best way to tell her sister.

Elsewhere in the city…

                A white haired boy laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. His trademark sweatband rested on the table next to his bed, replaced, instead, by a simple black headband. Despite the late hour, he wore dark jeans and a tee shirt, his jacket hanging on a hook next to his door. His red eyes observed a spot above him, unmoving and unchanging in the hours that passed, before he sighed and closed his eyes, resting his forearm over them.

                His mind wandered to the events of late. Maka was already informed of the situation, and was about as upset about it as he was. She was, however, understanding of the way Lord Death wanted things done, and agreed that it was the best way to handle it until there was more information.

                Soul, however, was frustrated. He wanted to be able to do more, he wanted the girl to be free. While he held no major personal attachments to her, no one should have to suffer through an abusive relationship, especially when bound by such a connection as the one between meister and weapon. The thought made his pulse start to race, and he forced himself to calm down.

                He sat up and stood, walking to his window and opening it, allowing for a cool breeze to flow through. He took a deep breath and hung his head out the window, feeling the general air of the night surrounding him. He looked up at the moon, watching a trail of blood start to trail its way slowly down its jaw.

    He smirked, realizing that he was literally watching time go by, and brought his head back in. He walked back over to his bed, sitting on the edge. He grabbed his mp3 player and inserted the earbuds, laying back as he turned it on. He scrolled through his music for a bit before making a selection, jazz soon filling his ears and washing away any troubling thought he was having. Sleep, he decided, was the best option at the moment, and, soon enough, he was drifting off into a restless sleep.

Back at the dorm of our heroine… (Unknown POV)

                I stood at the window, watching the calm night turn dead as the last stragglers of the night found their homes. I opened the window and climbed out, gripping onto the ledge overhead and pulling myself up onto the roof. I sat at the edge for a minute before moving higher to the crest. I rested for a moment, my breath evening out as I looked up at the moon, my mind starting to wander.

                ‘This is going to be fun,” I thought, smiling. ‘Though, it will take a lot of work. Those “friends” of her’s are going to be a bit of a challenge, especially if she gets hurt again…I’ll just have to make sure that she is physically okay.’ I started to chuckle.

    ‘However, no one can see mental damage. At least, they don’t care enough to. I’ll have to keep those sons of bitches distant. I’ll build her trust in me again, and drive away anyone curious enough to try to help. She’ll run to me when they all leave,’ I thought, chuckling even more, ‘Then, when I have all her faith, I’ll crush her into the dust she is!’

    I started to laugh, a deep, full laugh that rang out into the night, echoing off of the buildings and dissipating into the desert air.

    ‘She’s lasted for a while, I’ll give her that, but worthless trash like that has to be thrown out eventually. I’d better keep an eye out for my next toy.’ I laughed even louder at the thought of all the fun times to come, pure joy filling me as I calmed down and laid on the roof, staring at the moon. ‘This will be a fun game, even if it is the last we share, dear (Y/N). Let’s hope you make it a fun one.’

Description

                I walked into the apartment, looking around fearfully, and clutching the packet in my tightened hands. Seeing no one, I hurried in and shut the door. I went to my room and dropped off my bag, making sure not to twist too much and wincing at the deep aching in my chest. I then walked into the kitchen to thaw out meat to go with dinner. I thought about it for a moment, and decided on making spaghetti, something he enjoyed. I needed him to be in a good mood, so that I may heal properly, and without difficulties.
                Soon, the pasta was boiling, and the sauce was heated, meat distributed evenly throughout the acidic paste. I gave it a taste and smiled, humming lightly. Just right. I turned it off and set it on a back burner. I then put on a kettle for tea. It was the only thing we really both enjoyed.

                I walk out and set the table, making sure everything was lined up and in order before going out and checking the pasta one last time. After doing that, I started on washing the dishes I had used and cleaning the counters. By now, my nerves had calmed slightly, and I was a little more prepared to face him.

                Soon, I heard the door open and shut, the telltale sounds of a bag dropping on the floor, and footsteps walking to the kitchen. He popped his head in, smiling an eerily cheesy grin that immediately threw me off guard, before walking in and gave me a hug. I froze, unsure exactly what to do. After a moment, he pulled back, looking me in the eyes and smiling again.

                "Hello, (Y/N), how was your day?"

                I stood still, still unsure of what to do, or say. Surely, this was a trap, and anything I did would, in time, result in some sort of punishment.

                He looked at me, seemingly concerned. "Are you feeling alright, dear? Do your ribs hurt? Have you taken your painkillers?"

                I snapped out of my daze a moment later. "Oh, yes, I'm fine, just.... tired."

                He shook his head, laughing a little. "You should be resting, then, not up and about, cooking and cleaning." He gently set his hands on my arms, and I flinched as he gently pushed me out of the room. "I'll take care of things here, you go relax. After all, we need you to get all healed so we can go on missions again, like we used to."

                I blinked and numbly walked to the living room, sitting on the couch and wincing slightly. I considered doing my breathing exercises, but, after trying to concentrate on a single routine for ten minutes and failing, I sighed and carefully laid down, my hands on my stomach.

                As I laid there, I wondered briefly if this was a twisted dream, and if I had passed out while trying to cook, or if this entire day had just been one long dream. Really, I was leaning more toward the second thought, as no one really talked to me before today. I decided to act as I normally did, just in case this wasn't a dream.

                A few minutes later, I saw him walk in, two plates in hand as he set them on the table. I moved to sit up before he stopped me.

                "I'm sorry, dear, I know you worked hard to set the table up so nicely, but I also knew how much it would hurt if you had to get up to move out to the table, so I just thought I’d bring it out here so we could eat together."

                I sat there for a moment, his words slowly sinking in as I tried to find the hidden meaning within. After finding none, I relaxed slightly, just enough for it to be perceivable to anyone that knew me. He noticed and smiled a little wider, sitting next to me and beginning to eat happily.

    I continued to watch him, sure that this was a trick. Maybe he had traded places with someone that looked like him, or I was delusional from the painkillers. Why would he, the one that is personally responsible for my injuries and current mental state, suddenly begin acting as happy and carefree as…as….I don’t know, Spongebob?

    He looked over after a moment, and tilted his head in what appeared to be concern. “Why aren’t you eating? Do you feel ill?”

    I shook my head to clear my mind. “Ah, no… I was just thinking about… what missions we may be able to do.”

    He smiled. “We’ll worry about that later. For now, eat, you need to keep up your strength.” After a trice, I began to eat, slowly, if only to appease him. It wasn’t bad, it could have used a bit more parsley, but it was at least passable. I watched him as I ate, searching for any sign that he was disappointed, or disgusted, only to find him with that stupid smile still on his face, happily eating away. I finish my food and make to stand, only to have him gently set his hand on my shoulder, making me flinch ever so slightly.

    He smiled at me. “I’ll take care of that, you go draw yourself a warm bath and relax, you deserve it.” He then walked off, leaving me sitting in the room, dumbfounded. I heard the clatter of dishes, and, a few minutes later, saw his head peek in. “Well? Go on, don’t make me carry you~” He chuckled and ducks back into the kitchen. I stood up as quickly as I could, hissing in pain as I grabbed my ribs, making my way to the bathroom.

    I shut the door, locking it behind me and turning toward the tub. I crouched down before the sink, breathing through the pain as I reached to the far back, grabbing a plastic wrapped package and pulling it out. I smiled, looking down at the lilac bath set my grandma had given me a few years prior, and carefully open the package, setting everything up.

    Then came the issue of getting in. I took a deep breath as I pulled myself up with the sink, hissing as I stood enough to sit on the edge of the tub. I sighed in relief, leaning forward slightly to slip off my pants and panties, then try to carefully maneuver my arms through both my shirt and bra. I slipped into the bath, sighing as my body instantly started to relax at the warm touch. I settled into the tub, leaning my head back against the edge carefully and resting my arms in my lap. I sunk in a bit more, relaxing for the first time in months. I sat in peace, allowing my mind to drift to the people I had seen today.

    Black Star seemed….interesting. Very loud and abrasive, but he didn’t seem like that bad of a guy. If only he could stop going on about being a god… Then there was his partner, Tsubaki. She seemed rather nice, though she seemed to blend into the background rather well. She could actually stand to be a little louder, and forceful. Perhaps that is why they are partners, is to balance each other out…

                I sat forward and put my head on my knees, wrapping my arms around them and sighing. Crona seemed a bit like me, in a way. He was rather quiet and shy, and actually seemed rather scared. Well, scared, unless he was looking at or talking to Maka. I giggled a bit, thinking about how cute those two would be. She may even be able to straighten out that strange thing that Crona has…whatever that was. I shivered a bit at the thought of it. Its creepy little eyes unnerved me, its large, unblinking bug eyes seeming to stare into my soul and view my darkest secrets. I’d have to keep an eye on him.

                I leaned back again, relaxing against the sloped edge of the tub as my mind once again drifted to Soul, as it had been doing often recently. What was it about him that captivated my thoughts? He wasn’t bad looking, but looks don’t mean everything. I learned that lesson well with “Aaron”. Could it be his relaxed laugh, or his calm way of looking at everything? Thinking on it some more, I came to the conclusion that it was, in fact, his caring attitude that caused the boy to invaded my mind.

    A slight flush of heat to my face made me realize that it was time to get out, so, pulling the plug, I grabbed onto the edge of the tub and painfully pulled my way out. Sitting on the edge, I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around my body, grabbing my clothes the least painful way possible and holding them close to my chest as I stood, walking to the door. I peeked my head out, and, after making sure he was busy, I crept out to my room, leaving a small trail of water from my dripping hair.

    Once inside, I looked around, then locked my door, sighing as I leaned against it. I walked over to my dresser, grabbing a nightgown and underwear, slipping them on as carefully as I could. I used my towel to dry my hair until it was damp, and laid back on my bed, looking at the ceiling. I quickly grew drowsy, and I had barely managed to slip a small throw blanket over my legs and torso before darkness overtook me, slipping me into a peaceful silence.

Meanwhile, in another part of the city… (3rd Person POV)

                A thin boy, about average height for his age, was sitting in his study; attempting to do his homework at the large mahogany desk his father had provided him. Twin sets of candles burned at each side of the surface, dripping nearly identical trails of wax down the stick and onto the base below. The boy sighed and set his pen in its holder at the top of the desk. He leaned back in his desk chair and sighed again, slipping both hands behind his head and staring at a random area of his ceiling. His mind drifted back to the conversation he had had with his father earlier that day, and the task that had been entrusted to him.

                He sighed again in frustration, adjusting his oddly colored hair so it set properly before standing, abandoning his perfectly placed homework and striding quickly to the door. He snapped his fingers, the action blowing out the candles, before he walked out the door, determined to find the two young women that shared his home.

                One of these ladies was sitting in her room at the table, an open bottle of red nail polish on one side, nail polish remover and cotton balls on the other. She examined her nails for any dust or dirt before carefully brushing the liquid over the smooth surface, observing for any bubbles or streaks in the substance before moving onto the next one. Once finished, she capped the bottle and set her fingers under a gently blowing nail fan, smile at her handiwork. She took the break from that hand to check the other, already polished hand for any mistakes or flaws.

                A series of eight knocks interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up at the door for a moment. “Come in, Kid,” she said, before looking back to her nails. She heard the door open, then close, and then heard even, almost solemn footsteps walk over. They stopped at the table, where the chair in front of her was pulled out, and then occupied by the young boy. She looked up, pulling her other hand out from below the fan to rest on top of the other in front of her. “So, what’s up?”

                “My father has given us an assignment,” he said, looking the girl in the eyes.

                She smirked a little. “Is that all? What about it has you looking so serious? You never look this fervent about a simple assignment.” She started to inspect the newly dried nails as she waited, and he sighed.

                “We’re to interview the weapons here at the academy that were abused by their meister.” At this, the girl froze, and the boy continued. “It’s apparently been known for some time now that a male student as been finding female partners, and abusing each one in turn, in horrible ways. Now, as this is not the first time a weapon had been abused by its meister, we are to interview them all to get a physical description of the abuser, to be sure that it is the same one, and to try to get a motive as to why he does this.”

                Her gaze hardened. “Shouldn’t your father be able to tell you who it is so you can get him without all the fuss? This seems like a lot of work to go though for this one guy.”

                “It’s not that simple. He’s found a way to evade the system. He uses different names each time he addresses someone, and sticks with one per class. No one can keep tabs on him, and no one seems to be able to describe the same guy when they try to figure it out.”

    She looked intently at him, and was about to say something when he interrupted. “He also seems to have found a new partner. He’s had this one for some time, and it seems like she refuses to go for help. She may be too scared, or just be unable to for some reason. Whatever it is, though, she’s going to be in serious danger if we can’t get her out.”

    She looked back down at the table, clenching her hands a bit, though being careful not to ruin her nails. After a few minutes of sitting in silence, he sighed and continued. “I need you to be the one to tell Patty.” Her head snapped up, confusion written on her face. “She won’t understand completely if I try to explain it to her, and she listens to you. You can get it through clearly, so she understands how serious this is. If we can’t figure this out soon, she may be seriously injured or even killed, then he’d be free to move onto someone new, and the cycle can begin again. We need to get testimony as to what he has done, how many people he’s done it to, and why. If possible, we should try to figure out who he is and how he’s avoided us for so long.”

    She continued to sit in silence, staring at the table. The boy reached forward and gently grasped her hands. “He will be caught, Liz. It may take a bit longer than any of us would like, but he will be caught.”

    After a minute, she looked up. “Does Lord Death know who the girl is?”

    He nods. “My father has someone watching over her, though he wouldn’t tell me who it was, for both their sakes’.”

    After a few seconds of silence, she nodded. Kid stood up, brushing her hair carefully with one hand before walking out. She continued to stare at the desk, breathing a little heavily with her eyes closed and hands clenched in her lap. After about ten minutes, she stood carefully, turning off her small fan and walking out the door, thinking about the best way to tell her sister.

Elsewhere in the city…

                A white haired boy laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. His trademark sweatband rested on the table next to his bed, replaced, instead, by a simple black headband. Despite the late hour, he wore dark jeans and a tee shirt, his jacket hanging on a hook next to his door. His red eyes observed a spot above him, unmoving and unchanging in the hours that passed, before he sighed and closed his eyes, resting his forearm over them.

                His mind wandered to the events of late. Maka was already informed of the situation, and was about as upset about it as he was. She was, however, understanding of the way Lord Death wanted things done, and agreed that it was the best way to handle it until there was more information.

                Soul, however, was frustrated. He wanted to be able to do more, he wanted the girl to be free. While he held no major personal attachments to her, no one should have to suffer through an abusive relationship, especially when bound by such a connection as the one between meister and weapon. The thought made his pulse start to race, and he forced himself to calm down.

                He sat up and stood, walking to his window and opening it, allowing for a cool breeze to flow through. He took a deep breath and hung his head out the window, feeling the general air of the night surrounding him. He looked up at the moon, watching a trail of blood start to trail its way slowly down its jaw.

    He smirked, realizing that he was literally watching time go by, and brought his head back in. He walked back over to his bed, sitting on the edge. He grabbed his mp3 player and inserted the earbuds, laying back as he turned it on. He scrolled through his music for a bit before making a selection, jazz soon filling his ears and washing away any troubling thought he was having. Sleep, he decided, was the best option at the moment, and, soon enough, he was drifting off into a restless sleep.

Back at the dorm of our heroine… (Unknown POV)

                I stood at the window, watching the calm night turn dead as the last stragglers of the night found their homes. I opened the window and climbed out, gripping onto the ledge overhead and pulling myself up onto the roof. I sat at the edge for a minute before moving higher to the crest. I rested for a moment, my breath evening out as I looked up at the moon, my mind starting to wander.

                ‘This is going to be fun,” I thought, smiling. ‘Though, it will take a lot of work. Those “friends” of her’s are going to be a bit of a challenge, especially if she gets hurt again…I’ll just have to make sure that she is physically okay.’ I started to chuckle.

    ‘However, no one can see mental damage. At least, they don’t care enough to. I’ll have to keep those sons of bitches distant. I’ll build her trust in me again, and drive away anyone curious enough to try to help. She’ll run to me when they all leave,’ I thought, chuckling even more, ‘Then, when I have all her faith, I’ll crush her into the dust she is!’

    I started to laugh, a deep, full laugh that rang out into the night, echoing off of the buildings and dissipating into the desert air.

    ‘She’s lasted for a while, I’ll give her that, but worthless trash like that has to be thrown out eventually. I’d better keep an eye out for my next toy.’ I laughed even louder at the thought of all the fun times to come, pure joy filling me as I calmed down and laid on the roof, staring at the moon. ‘This will be a fun game, even if it is the last we share, dear (Y/N). Let’s hope you make it a fun one.’