I had made my way to the train station after giving Kid my letter of resignation, and was now waiting for the next train to the nearest city, which I was hoping would promptly arrive at 6:30, as it stated on the ticket.
As I sat on the black, chipped-paint bench, my thoughts led to Soul. I didn't want to think about him, so I took out a book, but unfortunately all the books I had were the ones Soul had bought for me. The book I had selected was "The Catcher in the Rye" by Salinger, a classic book that I loved with all of my heart. Holden Caulfield--one of the most emotionally complex people, I mean characters, that I had ever met. I flipped through the pages, hoping to find some inspirational quote and I did. "Certain things, they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone." I kept thinking about that's how I did--and didn't want to stay that way with Soul. I couldn't help but think of Soul in that moment. He was such a big part of my life, and despite how angry I was at him, I knew I couldn't leave him, he was my family. It was 6:24, I stood up off the bench as the train pulled up early. I looked back into the distance at the castle that loomed over the city I had called him for years.
I gripped my plain brown suitcase a little tighter around the handle.
"Goodbye," I whispered, as I began to cry.
********
It was 6:03 when I woke up. I had fallen asleep outside Maka's closed door, which was now open. I scrambled to my feet, my head pounded with the rush of blood. I bolted into her room. Clothes and books scattered the floor, and so did a letter addressed to me. I tore it open ravenously, to find a tear stained, hand written note. My neglected fingers rippled across the page, following her words.
Soul,
I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you how I felt, I'm sorry that I wasn't good enough for you. I don't think I've ever told you this, but you deserve to know. I love you. At first I didn't. At first, you were the biggest nuisance I had ever encountered, with your constant teasing, your negligence towards homework and studies, your lazy attitude. But that all changed when we started to grow up, you're my best friend. I don't know what I'm going to do now, but if I ever see you again, please tell me what I did wrong. I'm sorry I ruined our relationship. I hope you find a good partner.
Take care of yourself.
-Maka
I folded the letter into my back pocket and thought about why I did it. Why did I accept that girls request? I did I because I wasn't even close to being worthy of Maka. She deserved to college, to learn, to travel. She had so many opportunities, and here I was. Stuck. I'd be holding her back, and I couldn't do that. Maka was most-likely headed to the train station, only a five minute drive. I bolted out the door. I wouldn't let her leave without her knowing why I had made a terrible mistake. It wasn't her fault. It was entirely mine. I was on my motorcycle in seconds, and took off in the direction of the station. I took a peak at my watch, it read 6:17, and I accelerated.
Please, don't be gone.
I zipped down sidewalks when traffic was blocked, and moved as fast as I could. I reached the station at 6:27 and ran to the ticket house. I yelled to the lady selling tickets,
"Girl with blonde pigtails, is she here?!" She looked up from the newspaper she was reading and pointed to the window, where a train was about to leave. I paid for a ticket, and I ran as fast as I could outside, and shoved past the ticket taker,
"Hey, kid, you need a ticket to board!" He yelled after me, but all I could think about was Maka. I shoved the ticket onto his chest and continued moving from car to car.
I have to find her.
The train slowly began to move, so I started running, I reached the second to last cart, and opened the door to the open, observatory caboose. There she was, pigtails removed, hair moving wistfully in the untamed wind.
"Maka," I exhaled in relief, and she turned around, shock covering her face.
"Soul?" She asked with a wobbly voice, and I closed the space between us, forcing a hug onto her. Her body trembled, yet I continued holding her small frame.
"I got your letter," I said, and pulled it out of my pocket,
"Maka," I took a deep breath, I had to tell her I loved her too. "I just want what's best for you, you don't deserve to be dragged down by me. That's why I was looking for another partner, I couldn't let you stay behind with me. I'm stuck here. But you, you, Maka Albarn, are the most intelligent human I know. You should be going to college, traveling, learning. Not being dragged down by me. You did absolutely nothing wrong. It's my fault. I admit, I should have discussed this with you, so I'm sorry." I ended, but not completely,
"Soul," she began, "I never saw you as something weighing me down. I want to be with you more than anything, it was hard to leave you in the first place," her voice cracked, and she got all choked up.
"I thought you saw me as the burden," she spit out,
"No, never," I cupped her face. "Maka Albarn, you are singlehandedly the most extraordinary person I know, and I love you so much," we were both crying now. I felt so uncool admitting this so late, and for making her feel bad and leave. Our foreheads touched gently, we closed our eyes, and took each other's hands. Our souls resonated at an extremely high frequency.
"Please, don't make me leave you," she whispered,
"Please, don't leave me," I replied, and our lips met each other's, as we reluctantly broke apart, she whispered,
"Let's go home, knuckle head,"
"Let's go home," I echoed back.
Author's Note
Hey, everyone! Originally, this was supposed to be a one-shot, but thanks to @bookdragonmaka I decided that an epilogue would be satisfactory to the readers souls that I did crush. (Sorry about that, I hope you have insurance) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little drabble. Feel free to message me any prompts that you might have, or want! Thanks for reading!
-Izzy
