Eating Souls, Act One: The Beginning

6: Enter Bacchus: Maka, what are you doing?

Rivin wetted the sticky part of the envelope and sealed it. She nibbled at the end of the fancy pen she stole from Kid's jacket and sighed. It wasn't much, and the handwriting was bad, but it would have to do. She didn't know if she really was going back to Diomedes, but she didn't want to leave without leaving them something. She remembered the people in the shows she watched through living room windows when no one was paying attention to her; people often left goodbye letters to their loved ones.

She had a prickling sensation in her soul, like someone was watching her... But that couldn't be right, because all the souls she could sense were occupied with other things... Yet the feeling lingered. She wasn't sure if it was her father, watching from reflective surfaces, or Argus, sending his Dead Soul Wavelength to search for her, or if it was simply Bacchus, being himself. None of those thoughts were any more comforting than the other.

The door opened. Rivin jumped to her feet and hid the envelope behind her back with a giggle, "How come you're back so early? Did Maka die?"

Leila looked at Rivin suspiciously. "No...Professor Stein sent her home to rest, then he let class out early. Where did you go?"

Rivin slid the envelope into the back pocket of her pants, "The bathroom. I was quite mad, you know. I broke-ed-ded a mirror... see?" She held out her bandaged hand for Leila to see. It still hadn't healed, and using it to write caused blood to ooze from the wounds. So it's Bacchus. His wavelength always makes it harder to heal.

"Yeah..." Leila didn't like that Rivin was giggling. It had also looked like Rivin was hiding something, but maybe it was her imagination. It was hard to tell when Rivin was being dramatic or actually conspiring against her. "So you're alright now, then?"

"I didn't say that," she giggled some more before taking a deep breath, "But I will be. It's only like, four, so I got the rest of the day to be okay! Don't worry, 'kay?" Rivin smiled brightly. With all of her attention focussed on the whip, Rivin was able to push the prickling out of her mind. When Leila finally sighed and turned away, she glanced out the window with a glare.

There had been someone just outside the window... A someone whose soul she couldn't sense but whose heartbeat she could feel pounding against her own soul like a resonance gone bad. It was like any time she could remember that she had done bad. Any time she had almost told Diomedes or Ginko about him... Any time Argus asked her about him.

Yes, Bacchus was angry. The funny man wasn't so funny when he thought she needed to be punished. She just wasn't entirely certain what she was going to be punished for. Surely just having friends couldn't make him that jealous? But maybe he could sense that her friendship with Kid had the potential to be more...? Was that so bad, though? She shook her head. Bacchus would always be her funny man, just like she would always be his little Luceria.

Just like he wanted.

"Leila? I'm gonna go see Maka and Soul. I promise not to eat them~"

"What? No, Ri-" but the deranged weapon was already gone. Leila shook her head. She would just have to make a dinner that Rivin could smell from across town and hope it lured her back.

Rivin walked up the stairs of the colorful apartments and down the concrete walkway. She stopped in front of the door to the apartment containing the souls of the couple she was looking for. She took a deep breath and knocked.

"Whaddyawant?" Soul's grumble resounded from behind the door.

The lock clicked before Rivin could respond. Maka blinked at her, clearly surprised, then she smiled, "Hi, Rivin! How come you're here so late?"

Another face appeared above Maka, accompanied by large breasts. Her yellow cat eyes lit up and she grinned slyly, "Oh, hi there, sweetheart~ Would you by chance want to take a bath with me?"