A/N: Normally I put these at the end, but this is my first Soul Eater piece. l0chn3ss is entirely responsible for any #we betrayed soma feels you may get from me. This is really just a prologue of sorts, but unless I'm not sure how to continue. It works just as well as a drabble...
Happy reading!
zabeth / happy
This extended mission was going to be the death of him. It wasn't that he had to work with Maka, because he liked Maka and Maka was one of his oldest friends. But he had to work with just Maka.
No Tsubaki. No Soul.
The faction of witches Kid had sent them out to negotiate with had been so untrustworthy of demon weapons cleaving into their little witch souls that only unarmed meisters were allowed into their coven. Now, to say that he was unarmed... Black*Star would disagree. Loudly.
And he had; to Kid, to Maka, to anyone who would listen, up until Maka had broadsided him across the face with a heavy book on witch history and customs that Kim had procured for them (read: Maka) to peruse before making contact with this sect of witches. Black*Star left it to his current partner to do all the boring stuff; he had been asked to protect Maka (much to her protests) though he would have done it anyway without Kid asking.
Maka was perfectly capable of handling herself, especially with her advanced soul perception and training. That girl could probably turn anything into a weapon if needed. However, because witches could use soul protect and this coven was not under the direction of Mabaa, extra security was needed. And who better to choose that the most godly of all meisters? A meister that could use his own soul as a weapon?
Black*Star was clearly the most qualified choice.
But that was also the crux of the problem. No weapons; just Black*Star and Maka.
It had been a long time since it was just Black*Star and Maka. He still had flashbacks to when they were children and he made her pull pranks. Even that one time they set some NOT kid's bag on fire: Maka claims 'accident', but Black*Star knows better. That kid had talked down to another student because their blade wasn't sharp and heckled others at every turn.
And that was what he loved about her. Ahem. What he admire- um, what he thought was befitting of a servant to his godliness?
Ah, screw it. Black*Star knew that Maka was more than a servant to the will of the Godly Me. That was precisely why he hadn't really needed more of a briefing on the mission at hand than a "Maka needs-". He would always be there for her.
Like now, as they walked the streets of the Underground where these witches congregated. The liaison was supposed to meet them up ahead and it was a relief. A relief that after three days of trying to act as normal as possible, three days of being stuck in his own head, three days of watching Maka read Kim's witch customs book, they would finally start their actual mission. He couldn't tell if he wanted something to happen or not.
It would certainly take the edge off and let him forget for a little while that Maka was right there, next to him, with no Soul or Tsubaki for him to use as a filter. But he also didn't want these negotiations to go to hell in a hand basket. He wouldn't say he had a soft spot for witches, but Black*Star certainly had a soft spot for Angela, who had been left in the capable care of Tsubaki. The little witch had taken to ogling Stein and Marie's waddling toddler, acting like his big sister.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Hmm?" Black*Star glanced down at Maka, who peeked at him before turning back to the road, checking the street signs. "Angela, I guess."
"She is getting pretty big now, isn't she?"
"Yeah, Tsubaki's been taking her over to Kim's to help her with her powers more often."
"Tsubaki's good with kids."
"Yup."
They continued walking in silence, Maka's eyes not straying from their path again. The pair took the next right down a cobblestone alley.
"It's been a long time since it was just the two of us."
Black*Star looked askance at Maka, making a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. Maka's face was blank, unreadable, so he decided not to elaborate.
It was a beat longer before she spoke again. "We used to get in such scrapes as kids. Now look at us. Playing diplomat for Kid!"
A memory had turned the corner of her lips up. A safe topic.
"We're not that old yet! And we never got into anything the Great Me couldn't get us out of! My godly skills are what got us here!" he crowed. "These witches should be proud they get to experience My awesome presence!"
At this, Maka let out a short laugh and turned to face him. Her hands clasped behind her back and her eyes glimmered with mirth.
"Of course! I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without you, always rescuing me."
Black*Star could feel his cheeks warm and thought about stuttering out a response, but settled for just nodding once firmly. Looking dead ahead, he could hear Maka laughing again. He knew by now his nose was probably as pink as his cheeks and hated how his capillaries might give him away.
A shoulder bumped into his. A soft sigh from his right.
"I missed this."
He elbowed her back gently.
"Me, too."