Author's note: Yet another long one-shot from the Realms of Resonance series. For all of you who wanted to know how the whole thing got started...here ya go. :)

She didn't know how they ended up here. Well, she did, but...really, who would have thought it? Still, she wasn't complaining. Panting, weak, quivering, yes. But complaining? Not in the least. She looked down into eyes of crimson, wide and as disbelieving as she knew her own were. His hands tightened on her hips and held her still while he shifted, and she moaned as the action pressed him deeper still.

"Maka," he whispered, his hips bucking slowly, deliberately, and she replied with a whimper as he pushed his way as far as he could go into her slick depths.

"Soul," she gasped as he made a quick motion with his hips that she knew had to be illegal somewhere.

"I've been waiting for this for so long." His voice was almost inaudible, but the love in his eyes shone brightly enough to compensate for the lack of sound. She pulled him into another kiss, musing that she'd gotten addicted to his lips so quickly. "I've wanted to love you for so long," he murmured, thrusting gently. Everything he did to her tonight was gentle, languid. She knew it wasn't his first time by a long shot, but she was grateful he'd taken the time to make sure hers was as wonderful as possible. "Are you ready for more?" he asked, his eyes pleading with her to say yes. She didn't have a voice, so she nodded, and then he'd rolled them over and urged her to lift her legs even farther, wrapping them higher around his back and this new angle seemed to please him as much as it did her if the way his eyes rolled back in his head as he plowed into her was any indication. Death, she could feel him inside her, so hard, so solid and hot as he moved. Her hands traced the muscles in his back while she lifted her hips up to his, tacitly giving him permission for the speed and force she knew instinctively that he needed. He groaned and thrust hard into her and she gasped, but when he tried to apologize she just smiled.

"Do that again," she begged. He was more than happy to oblige. Before long he was plowing into her, stretching her over and over again, and she was panting and whining and without having to be asked he leaned down and began to worry at her sensitive nipples with his shark teeth.

"Soul..." she cried. He looked up at her, a smile on his face. With his hands he brought her legs over his shoulders, delighting in his meister's flexibility. The position shifted her and suddenly she was treated to the feel of every inch of his hardness plunging into her, quick and sharp. Her head tossed back and forth and she whimpered and begged, knowing she needed...something...but not knowing what. Another shift and his cock rubbed hard against some inner part of her and she exploded, the feelings so overwhelmingly scary and wonderful that she screamed. She could hear him cursing and gasping, his words harsh as he praised her, as he pleaded to various gods, his voice as he proclaimed how much he loved her adding another dimension to their lovemaking.

"Maka...Death, Maka, yes...so fucking tight...ungh..." His thrusts were erratic now, no real rhythm, and with the inborn knowledge of every mating animal she knew he was close to his own peak, and the sight of her weapon coming unglued was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She found herself urging him on with whispers and movements, wanting to watch him as he shattered. His eyes were closed now, his teeth bared, and he had abandoned all pretext of gentility as he hammered himself into her softness.

"Maka, I'm gonna...oh hell...I..." She felt him freeze for a brief moment before he drove her into the couch cushion, and she felt something warm and wet inside her, felt his manhood twitching again and again. She gasped and lifted her hips, trying to take him further, to coax him deeper, and he moaned and thrust once, twice more before carefully urging her legs off of his shoulders and down onto the cushions, keeping himself nestled inside her as though he never wanted to leave. She took his face in her hands and brought him into another kiss, this one as full of love and softness as their earlier ones had been driven by passion. Absently he grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and pulled it over them, carefully removing himself from her body, whispering apologies when she winced at his withdrawal. He cuddled her against his chest, murmuring his adoration in her ear, and she felt a sleepy lethargy take over, dropping off to sleep in the arms of her brand-new lover and best friend.

The sun was bright through the window. Her body felt sore. And he'd slipped one hand between her legs, waking her up by the simple expedient of stroking her slick tissues until she was arching back against him. He didn't need any further prompting and lifted her leg, bending it slightly as he lined up his pulsing prick with her wet slit and pushed in. There was no searing pain, not this time, but she was still very tender and the ache blended seamlessly with the feel of him inside her again. After a few slow thrusts to ease himself back into the cavern he'd claimed the night before, he shifted her to her knees and urged her forward, telling her to lean on the arm of the couch. She complied, still half asleep, and he began to move his hips, the angle of him taking her from behind brushing the head of his cock against whatever that was he'd brushed the night before. In no time at all she was awake and begging, ignoring her need to always be in control in favor of having him take her as he wanted this time. Last night had been for her – and it was magnificent. But this time...Maka could tell with every thrust, every shift, right now it was for him, to use her and enjoy her as he wanted. And she was okay with that, as long as he would keep going, because she could feel that same scary/big sensation from the night before and she wanted it, wanted it so much. His hands came up to grab her breasts, tugging the tips in time with his powerful pistoning.

"Tell me you love me," he whispered against her neck, but she had no voice because he'd stolen it with his perpetual motion hips.

"Tell me you love me," he murmured again, but his teeth were on the nape of her neck, holding her in place, and she couldn't make any sounds that weren't squeals.

"Tell me...you love me..." he gasped, but she couldn't find the breath to speak with as fast, as hard as he was going.

"Maka..." he pleaded. "Tell me..." But once more she couldn't answer, this time due to the fact that he'd slapped her rear and slammed forward, knocking her off balance until she leaned over the arm of the couch and shrieked as she came. She came back to earth slowly to feel him still moving inside her, not slowing, and she knew what he wanted to hear and she promised herself she would say it...once she could speak...in just a minute...he yanked himself out of her and picked her up, carrying her to his room, her boneless form limp in his arms in the aftermath of her climax, barely noticing when he tossed her onto his bed but definitely noticing when he climbed up with her and plunged back into her, hard and fast and not at all gentle and that was fine because it felt so damn good...even the twinges of pain from her recently-virginal tissues felt good...she was his, and she knew it, and she let him take her in any way he wanted because she had always belonged to him and he to her and this was a lot of years coming. Finding her breath wasn't easy, not with the effort he was putting forth to make sure she knew exactly who owned her at that moment, but eventually she did.

"I...love you, Soul," she managed to force out with what breath she could steal. His eyes widened and his strokes sped up.

"Tell me again," he commanded, and she couldn't disobey, regardless of the way he was swirling his hips.

"I love you," she gasped.

"Again." His voice was harsh, demanding, striking a chord within her, the thread of good-girl that always did what she was told.

"Soul, I love you." He grinned, all predatory and dangerous.

"So strong, Maka, always in control. Except now. Now you're mine. All mine. I can feel how close you are – you're so wet and so tight I can feel every twitch." She just moaned, knowing he was right and loving the things his voice was doing to her. "Beg me to make you come, Maka."

"Please," she started, flushing and unable to continue. He grinned and nipped her shoulder.

"Not good enough," he taunted. "If you want to come you're gonna have to make me believe you want it."

"Please, Soul, I need to...I need..."

"Say it, my little Maka. Tell me what you need."

"I...I..."

"Yes?" He hadn't slowed, hadn't stopped, and she was tingling all over and so tense she could taste it.

"I need to come. Please, Soul, please make me come." Her blush extended down her chest and she couldn't believe her own words but it seemed her modesty really didn't matter at that minute, not while he was doing such delightful things to her body, not while he was buried so far in her she swore he'd never leave.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" he teased, moving one hand down between them and using his hips and his other hand to lift her ass so he could get deeper, harder, and then he began to play with that little bundle of nerves she was still learning about and she screamed, loud and long and some part of her wondered if anyone else could hear it and might worry. And then the strong sensations washed over her and she didn't care about anything as long as he didn't stop moving.

"You're so beautiful, Maka," her weapon whispered as she came back down. "So beautiful. So mine." He leaned forward again, pressing himself completely against her. "I love you. I always have." His whispers made her moan with sensation. "And I love being inside you. I love feeling you milk me. You liked it too, last night, didn't you? Liked feeling me fill you up. Don't even try to deny, I could see it in your eyes. You love that feeling, don't you Maka? Hot and wet and flooding you full?"

"Yes," she moaned, having lost any ability for further coherent thought. His grin grew wider.

"Good, 'cause you're gonna feel it again here very soon. I've been holding back but I'm done." With that he sprung into action and if she thought his previous movements were rough or fast he swiftly proved her mistaken. With every thrust she yelped, every movement she cried out his name or a prayer or a curse. She felt his muscles clench, felt him driving her harder and harder, and then she heard him groan her name and once more she felt the warmth that was her Soul gushing into her, hot and slick and she whispered encouragement as he drained himself completely into her depths. This time they fell asleep that way, her cradling his body against hers and wrapping her legs around him to hold him within her. Her last conscious thought was that she was going to be so sore when she woke up again.

She woke to the smell of jasmine – odd, and not unpleasant, but not something that usually ticked her nose upon waking. Still it was enough to make her open her eyes – and stare right into the red depths of her partner's eyes.

"Morning," he said softly, with a bit of hesitance. She smiled at him easily and saw him relax.

"Morning, Soul," she murmured and pulled him down for a kiss, which he returned with careful enthusiasm.

"I drew you a bath. I figured you might be...sore..." She thought it was cute how he blushed, especially considering some of the things he had said to her last night. Seriously – who'd have known her weapon had such a naughty mouth...or that she'd enjoy it so very much? He helped her sit up, but to her shock instead of just ushering her into the bathroom he scooped her out of bed and carried her in to where, sure enough, there was a full tub of bubbles and warm water just waiting for her. With a gentle motion he set her on her feet, and she was immediately grateful that he'd carried her because as shaky as her legs felt at the moment she knew she never would have made it into the bathroom herself. He helped her into the tub, smiling as she sighed in pleasure at the feel of the water against her sore muscles. She winced a little as she sat down, the heat and the moisture making her chafed tissues twinge, but she put her hand on his arm.

"Don't you dare apologize," she warned. His expression went from remorseful to sharklike in an instant.

"I didn't plan on it. I most definitely am not sorry about what we did last night. Are you?"

"Nope," she said, shaking her head and settling back in the tub, sighing again as she closed her eyes.

"Good, because now that we belong to each other I plan on having you as often as possible." She opened one eye again and could see that beneath his bravado he was still nervous, still unsure. She wanted to pull him to her, to cradle him against her and soothe his apprehensions, but the water felt so good...so she settled for the next best thing. Her internal smirk was carefully kept from her face as she spoke, hoping she could manage to control her blushing as well.

"That's a great plan," she murmured. "Because I want to see you naked and tied down and at my mercy, and I'd hate to think that you were bored with us this quickly." Through her one half-opened eye she watched as his eyes widened in shock and no small amount of arousal.

"Death, Maka," he said on an exhale as he reached for the shampoo. "Not even a day in the saddle and already you want to call the shots."

"Are you surprised? You are my weapon, after all."

"Surprised...no. You've always been bossy." She snorted and splashed him with water, only to moan out loud in the next minute as his fingers began to work the shampoo through her hair. Those long pianist's fingers of his felt amazing on her scalp, and it brought to mind how they'd felt amazing on her body as well. An idle part of her wondered why it had taken her so long to admit that she was in love with her partner, that she wanted him in her life and in her bed. And then his hands rubbed just so against her head and she was sighing in utter relief. There was silence then, save for the sounds of water as she shifted or when he rinsed her hair. His hands had begun a simple stroking motion through the long strands and she was so comfortable she began to doze off when their blissful bubble of peace was broken by someone pounding on the door. Soul snarled and stood.

"Stay right there and relax. I'll get the door." Maka murmured something that could have maybe been an assent and settled deeper in the warm water, ruminating on how wonderful her life was.

"What do you want?" he growled as he flung open his door to see Black Star and Tsubaki standing on the other side.

"Nice outfit," Tsubaki said with a grin and he glanced down to realize he'd answered the door in nothing more than his boxers...which were rather wet and clingy thanks to the water that had sloshed on him while washing his meister's hair. He ran his hand through his own hair, fighting the small grin that threatened to burst out. However, his friends were observant.

"Holy shit, you two finally got it on, didn't you? Way to go, man!" Black Star's jubilant shout echoed and Soul reached out and dragged the blue-haired boy into the house by the throat, letting Tsubaki come in on her own and close the door behind her.

"Fuck, Black Star, why don't you just shout it to the whole fucking city?" Soul glared at his unrepentant friend. "Then I can happily stand here while Spirit shows up on our doorstep and rips me apart for touching his baby girl. Damn, dude, don't you know how to keep it down? So not cool." Tsubaki smiled and laid a hand on his arm.

"We're just happy for you. We know you've loved her forever now, and that she felt the same." Soul sighed and let go of the struggling ninja, allowing him to drop to the floor. Black Star wasn't phased at all, choosing instead to go flop down on their couch with a huff of contentment.

"Yeah, and the whole unresolved-sexual-tension thing was really messing with the rest of us, too. So now everyone's happy and you're finally getting some and maybe you won't be such an ass after battles now." Soul shook his head.

"Do you think she'd mind if I went to talk to her?" Tsubaki asked softly. Soul considered for a moment. He knew the girls weren't always modest around each other, but he didn't know how well Maka would take being walked in on in her bath. He decided to play it safe.

"Let me go ask." He left the other pair in the living room and wandered back into the bathroom. She'd shifted position slightly, one slender leg draping over the edge of the tub, both arms behind her head, a washcloth over her eyes. He knelt down and pressed a soft kiss to her leg right above her ankle.

"Mmmm," she murmured. "Have I mentioned how much I love your lips?" He shuddered, tamping down his own arousal.

"We have company. Black Star and Tsubaki. She wanted to know if you'd mind if she came in to talk to you. I told her I'd ask." The blond removed the washcloth and pulled her leg back in the tub, settling herself more modestly under the water.

"Sure, I don't mind. Besides, maybe you can keep Black Star from raiding the fridge until I'm done and can make some breakfast." He smiled, receiving hers in return, and leaned forward to press another soft kiss on her, this time landing it on those insanely soft lips he'd been so occupied with over the night.

"Cool," he said, standing up, and wandered back out to the living room. Sure enough, Black Star was in the kitchen rifling through the fridge.

"Hey, Maka says she'll cook something when she comes out. Oh, Tsubaki, she says you can go in." The dark-haired weapon nodded and wandered out of the kitchen.

"Maka?"

"Come on in," the blonde said cheerfully, if quietly. Tsubaki walked into the bathroom and smiled.

"So..?" Maka couldn't help the blush that spread over her skin any more than she could stop the giggle that burbled out of her throat. "That good, eh?"

"You were right," she said. "It's not 'pointless copulation.'" The brunette smirked.

"Told you." The girls laughed together for a minute. "It gets better, too."

"Really?" Maka's eyes were wide and the weapon just smiled.

"The closer you two get physically affects your closeness in resonance, which enables you to read each other better physically, which ups your resonance...it's a wonderful little cycle." The meister was staring in unabashed excitement.

"So because of this, we'll be stronger together?" Tsubaki nodded. "Awesome!" She paused for a moment to push some damp hair off her shoulder. "Too bad we couldn't find some way to do it as a group, can you imagine how strong we'd be?" Her musing was cut short as she realized exactly what she had just said, and the blushed to the roots of her hair. "I mean, not that...well, that all of us...I mean...Tsubaki, why aren't you contradicting me?" It was the weapon's turn to blush and she suddenly found herself looking in every direction but the bathtub. "Tsubaki..?"

"Well..."

"Wait, what, really?" Maka seemed as shocked as she was curious.

"Hey, Maka – what's a guy gotta do to get some breakfast around here?" Black Star's voice cut into the girls' conversation, making them both roll their eyes in sympathetic exasperation.

"I guess I'd better get out of here and get some food started. Soul did kind of earn a good breakfast, after all." The two met each other's gazes and laughed. Tsubaki stood and held out a towel for Maka as the other girl pulled the plug in the tub and stepped out. While the blond dried and wrapped up her hair, her friend had grabbed the other towel and begun drying the water off her body. This wasn't an unusual occurrence, especially as on occasion the girls would bathe together on missions, and it took longer to do it all oneself – especially when one had long hair - but with Maka's new knowledge and sensitivity, she suddenly found herself short of breath. Tsubaki looked at her in concern.

"Is everything okay?" the brunette asked. Slightly embarrassed, Maka nodded.

"Everything's fine. I'm just a little more...well, muscles and stuff..." Her friend nodded knowingly, a grin on her face.

"Yeah, but it was worth it, wasn't it?" They giggled, and she shooed Maka into the bedroom. "Get dressed. I'll go see what kind of a mess my meister has made of your kitchen." After Tsubaki left to rejoin the others, Maka sat down hard on the edge of the bed.

Why was I getting turned on by Tsubaki? She's my friend. It's not that she's never helped me dry off before. I wonder if it's just because I'm so much more sensitive right now..? Deciding to think more on it when she wasn't hungry and didn't have company, she slipped into some clothes and headed out to make breakfast.

Over the next few weeks, Maka learned a lot about sex. She learned that she liked it rough but not too rough. She learned that she preferred it nice and slow in the morning, as they were just waking up for their day, but in the evening she was perfectly fine with going after one another like rabid wolverines. She learned that after a mission, once the adrenaline had worn off and they were home again, she especially liked Soul's tendency to be tender and loving, as though affirming that they were indeed both alive and well and together. She learned that she loved her partner more than she could have ever dreamed, and that she was the only woman in the world that he loved wholeheartedly. And she learned that she was open to try anything he suggested. It was that level of trust that really boosted their resonance. She could feel it grow stronger, more stable, and it was incredible. Knowing she had his love and he had hers was probably the only thing that kept her from completely losing it when she walked into their apartment after school and found him engaged in a shirtless liplock with Tsubaki.

"Soul..?"

"Maka – I -" he stammered, turning as white as his hair. Tsubaki, on the other hand, didn't seem phased in the least. Instead she simply reached out one slender hand to the stunned meister by the door.

"Join us?"

Maka would never know what made her take that first step, and the next few moments were a blur, but before long she was sitting sideways in Soul's lap, their lips melding with fiery heat, while her friend was slowly sliding her fingers up under the hem of Maka's short plaid skirt while nibbling on her neck. Some short time later Maka was startled to realize she was somehow unclothed of everything but her bra and panties and Soul's teeth were scraping along her inner thigh while she looked up into the deep eyes of the female weapon.

"Maka, this is all you," Tsubaki murmured. "If you want to stop, we can. Whenever you say so. But I'd really like the chance to help Soul make you feel good." Maka was speechless, partially from the sincerity in the weapon's eyes – and partially because of the fact that her very talented boyfriend had just slipped one of his piano-playing fingers underneath the material of her panties and was slowly stroking over her very slick skin. She wasn't the one that decided her panties were coming off, but that's likely because she was too busy exploring how different it was to kiss her closest female friend as compared to her boyfriend. And there were differences. Not bad, just...strange. Tsubaki's lips were softer, but more certain, more sure of how to move to bring out the best reactions. Maka found she really enjoyed the little noise Tsubaki made when she threaded her fingers through the weapon's long hair and tugged slightly. At about that point Soul reinstated his existence by sliding his tongue across her sensitive skin, two of those wicked fingers slowly pressing into her and she threw back her head with a pleasured moan. This action gave Tsubaki all the opening she needed so fasten her lips to the meister's collarbone, the arch of the girl's back making it easy to reach behind her and unfasten her bra. And then Soul was lapping at her like she was his favorite dessert and Tsubaki was sucking her nipples one after another and Maka exploded in the most intense orgasm she'd ever felt.

The rest of the night passed in a sensual haze of giving and receiving pleasure the likes of which Maka had never imagined. Had she thought about it Daytime Maka would likely have been mortified by her own wanton behavior. As it was, Daytime Maka never even made an appearance, because Nighttime Maka was running the show and she had no objections to exploring and experimenting with the two gorgeous creatures she was entwined with. At some point they migrated to Soul's room, to his bed, because it was big enough for the three of them to move on without worrying that someone would fall off. Maka learned the sound of the high gasps that Tsubaki made whenever she was close to climax, the way her body shuddered and quaked when she was pushed over the edge. She got to explore her friend's kisses when she lay on top of the weapon, trying to keep her head as Tsubaki ran her talented hands over her body while her partner knelt behind her and pressed into her from behind, as always the feel of his girth stretching her making her whine in need. It wasn't until much later that she would realize that Soul had never once actually had intercourse with Tsubaki...every erection he had belonged to Maka. That's not to say that he didn't get his fair share of dual female attention, and the meister was especially proud of her weapon's staying power when confronted with two very determined females who were trying their best to drive him completely insane. But every time he came, it seemed to Maka that she was looking into his eyes, holding him close while he gasped his adoration for her. She loved it. She loved him. And when morning finally dawned, when Tsubaki regretfully stood up and kissed them both, thanking them for a wonderful evening in a voice slightly hoarse from moaning and crying out, Soul pulled his partner to his chest and wrapped her up in a grip as comforting as it was possessive. Maka was still nearly delirious, so she barely registered the other woman's gentle kiss, and soon she was sleeping more soundly than she ever had, curled in the strong, warm arms of her love.