Resbang 2014 - Dragon Resonance

by flying-grayson-girl

When Soul's home is attacked by witches, he doesn't expect the life that awaits him in Morte Civitas - known as Death City to outsiders. He blacks out, only to find himself in the strange city, where a strange girl asks him to bond in some ages old ritual because he's supposedly one of the creatures he's admired for years: a dragon. And he agrees, gaining power to save his city.

So, it's been a while since I've posted anything. But here's my resbang. It's a bit over the minimum (last word count had it at 29400, so it's more typing than I usually do) but it's done.

The last quarter is rushed. Like, it's not even a question, it just is. I'm actually posting a few hours late because I've been finishing it. But regardless, I'm just proud that I was able to finish it at all. So, here it is, Dragon Resonance. And thanks to Keysa and Infra for the great art and some feedback early on!

Dragon Resonance

By the time they landed in the city courtyard, it was almost noon.

It had been nearly three years since the queen had passed and Soul had never once missed a sighting of the creatures. It had only been a handful of times, but they looked beautiful all the same. Flying – no, gliding – high up in the air until they would finally land in the middle of the stone courtyard, the very middle of the city that rested at the foot of the castle's steps.

Soul always had the best spot to watch them, when they happened to appear in the sky. It helped that he knew every shortcut the castle had to offer; growing up as the younger prince with fewer rules than his heir of a brother was also handy at times. Far fewer people paid him any attention, leaving him free to run around the castle – and watch the dragons.

His watch post hadn't changed in the three years since his mom had passed, the same spot they had shared when he was a child. Back when his hair had still had a tint of blond and his eyes bearing the slightest hint of red. While some things had changed, including the lightening of his now white hair and his eyes turning scarlet, others hadn't.

He'd made it to the library balcony and narrowly missed them as they passed mere feet from the castle. Soul could feel the wind rush past him, could practically reach out and brush against the scales.

They're quite a vision to behold, brilliant colors mixing together as they fly in some kind of convoluted formation. They range from the brightest of colors to one the color of night, but it's only one that catches his attention. It's the color of white blonde hair, only shades blonder than his own hair. It was at least as tall as him standing on all fours, reaching at least six foot three, while its length was at least three times its height.

But it was nowhere near the largest of the group; in actuality, she was nearly the smallest of the bunch. Its tiny stature was made up for by speed though, as the dragon sped far in front of the others. And the landing was graceful, turning into a series of hops before finally falling still – or as still as a hyperactive dragon could be. It even seemed to be smiling, before finally becoming still and dignified like the others.

"Still watching the dragons Soul?" The interruption was enough to make him jump, twirling around to find his brother smiling in the doorway. "You never seem to change, little brother."

Wesley "Wes" Evans was the prince charming in comparison to Soul's borderline monster-like features. Wes' hair was still as blond as when he was a child and had even taken on a dusty brown tint, while his eyes had never turned into the scarlet red that Soul now sported. But he wasn't quite as tall, nor quite as tan as his younger brother. Soul was thankful that he had inherited at least one good feature from his father.

"What happened to all of those meetings you were supposed to attend with father? Never thought you would disobey him," Soul joked half-heartedly, fighting to hide his annoyance behind a nice smile. As much as he loved his brother, the dragons peaked his interest far more.

Wes waltzed out onto the balcony, his usual royal air replaced by a kind of arrogance that only Wes could pull off without seeming too prideful. "You know how it is when the dragons arrive. Father drops everything that he's doing and follows them back to Morte Civitas. It's the same as it's always been, you know that Soul."

Soul couldn't help but shrug, his interest in the topic slipping away as the seconds passed. It was beginning to return to the dragons, who had remained in their small group within the middle of the courtyard for the past few minutes. The white-blonde dragon, the quick creature from before, had barely moved an inch from where she'd finally landed. "Well, what's wrong with hoping for change?"

"The fact that it will, unfortunately, never happen in the case of our father. He's changed since…this is the only thing that he's continued with and I am reluctant to try and ruin it for him. He's never quite as happy when he's following those dragons," Wes solemnly replied, quiet until he realized that his brother's attention was elsewhere. When he looked to where his brother stared off into space, he saw the creatures readying for flight. They waited on the few figures that were restrained to the ground: their father and a few guards.

"It's amusing to watch them try and keep up on horses," Soul muttered before turning to his brother with a grin. "Now, how about we go do something fun for a change?"

"I never thought you'd ask," Wes replied laughingly, putting an arm around Soul and leading him from the balcony, into the empty library. "It's been far too long since I've beaten you in a duel little brother. How does a fight feel?"

"Anything to keep my mind off of food until dinner," Soul quipped with a rough, playful push against his brother's side. "Wouldn't want to incur the wrath of those damned cooks again."

*Soul eater*

The next time Soul wakes up, it's almost midnight. And his world is crumbling around him.

By the time he's finally coherent enough to realize what happening, there's a deafening sound before the ground rumbles beneath Soul's bare feet. He doesn't waste time looking for clothes, instead sprinting for the door with nothing more than his sword and the pair of pants that he'd fallen asleep in.

He was met with chaos; servants and other, lower ranked nobles running uncontrolled through the halls. It's a feat in and of itself as he attempts to find his way through the castle. His goal is to find his brother, but it's not his elder sibling that he ends up stumbling upon in his rush. The war room, the one place Soul expected to find his brother at a time like this, is gone. It's gone, a gaping hole where the room used to belong.

Only a few moments are all he's afforded when he hears another deafening crash – another part of the castle, he thinks. He's too shocked to even comprehend what's going on. His brother – where's his brother? And what about their father? He might have come back – there might be some chance –

"SOUL!" He just about jumps out of his skin when he hears his brother's voice and it takes him a minute to figure out that it was coming from below. When he finally looks down, his brother is on the ground level. He's the only thing stirring among the rubble, besides a few foot soldiers carrying little more than unsharpened swords and clothed in chainmail and little armor. "We need you down here. Head to the armory and come down –"

"I'll be right there Wes. Just hold out until I get to you," Soul yelled back in reply, sprinting back down the halls – that hadn't even begun to empty of frantic men and women.

Within minutes, Soul had run through the armory. He had little more than plate armor on now, covering vital areas such as his torso and arms. But the weight did little to slow him down as he sped down the stairs and out to the courtyard – once such a beautiful piece of stone and colorful gardens now destroyed, a dark crater surrounded by strangely colored fire.

Soul couldn't see his brother among the fray, men fighting an enemy that Soul could barely recognize, or he didn't want to. Because then he would have to realize that the "men" that they were fighting were no more than young women, teenagers at most. And even more surprising was the weapon they chose to wield: magic.

Of the handful of girls fighting now, each wielded their magic in different forms. One wielded fire, another pure energy. And the colors varied, but it didn't stop Soul from running into the fight with a fierce battle cry.

The fighting went on for minutes, hours, Soul couldn't tell. The time blended together until all Soul could recognize was the dull sound of metal meeting skin and the small explosions that the magic made when it reacted, creating destruction wherever it was directed. The first free moment he got and Soul looked up to see his brother smiling at him, encouraging as ever. That was when he saw the blonde witch.

She was only a few feet beyond Wes and she wore nothing but a strange black gown that fit her body too well for normal ladies of society. But she was anything but a lady, slithering across the field like a…a snake. Like a snake creeping up on its prey. Soul even noticed teeth far too long for a human, more akin to fangs than teeth. And she was headed straight for Wes.

Soul moved faster than he ever thought possible, sword outstretched and ready to fight off the snake of a woman. But the moment he got between his brother and the woman, her harsh gold eyes met his scarlet – and everything went dark.

*Soul eater*

Soul woke up surrounded by a ring of black fire. Dark grey smoke billowed up around him and, when he could finally recognize his surroundings, he realized that what had remained of the outer courtyard was gone; instead, there was nothing but a crater, radiating out from him a good ten feet or more.

Soul rose up, as fast as his screaming, burning muscles would allow him to. The people were gone. Soldiers who had been fighting only a few minutes before were gone, disappeared. But the bodies were still there, littering the cracked stone yard and dying it crimson with spilled blood. Soul had to keep himself from vomiting, dry heaves wracking his body.

That was when the next witch appeared, then another, and another. They appeared from the streets surrounding the once beautiful stone yard, like apparitions coming from nowhere. But he knew better, watching as their hands glowed with magic and their eyes alight with malice and hate. They were getting closer and closer, until Soul knew that he had almost no chance of escaping.

Then the craziest thing happened: the dragons appeared.

They fell out of the sky like vengeful beasts, hitting their targets with frightening accuracy and grace. Their claws ripped into their targets with vigor, slicing through skin as if it were butter. It was terrifying yet wonderful at the same time, as the thought hit Soul that help had arrived. Someone was there that could help. Maybe he'd have a chance at finding his brother, see what had happened to his father –

But that was before the same blonde dragon from that afternoon landed at his side with a roar, scaring off some of the closer witches. Out of the corner of Soul's eyes, he could see green eyes, feline, aimed at the enemies – who stuttered in their advance at the dragon's arrival.

They were stalled only slightly, starting to approach with spells on their lips and magic sparking at their fingertips. Suddenly fire erupted in front of him, separate from the dark flames around him. Soul could barely tell where it was coming from, until he felt the heat of his skin meeting the scales of the dragon beside him. A turn of his head and Soul saw the blinding light, pouring from the dragon's jaws. Witches all around him fell with screams of pain. He couldn't bring himself to care.

As each witch fell, however, another took her place. They seemed never ending, appearing again and again despite the amount the dragons managed to fall. Even the blonde dragon was beginning to feel the stress, bumping into Soul and pushing him back, gradually more and more until he'd reached the edge of his crater, where the fire had created a wall between him and danger.

It's no use, Soul thought to himself – or so he'd thought. He almost didn't realize that the voice had been female. A girl's voice inside of his head, telling him to give up. We can't keep on fighting like this. There are only so many of us and we can't stand to lose any; we need to leave, the voice resonated in his head, clearly and strikingly feminine.

That was when the beast, with a huff and one last fireball, swept him off of his feet and onto her back. He was lucky enough to avoid her scales, but not lucky enough to avoid the pain that the rough housing brought. His muscles protested, signals of distress burning through him as he realized – they weren't on the ground anymore. They were flying, as effortlessly as breathing, the beating of wings like that of a second heartbeat. He swore he could hear a voice, telling him that he was safe.

And with the lull of flight, Soul couldn't fight it anymore. He let the darkness takeover like a long forgotten friend, until he couldn't feel the pain anymore.

*Soul eater*

The room was dark, nothing more than shadows and crimson and strange music playing on repeat. Wrapped around the entire place were heavy black curtains and there was a corner set aside, strangely arranged as if someone had already been there.

A strange device sat to the right farthest part of the wall, the source of the music that had been playing since he'd woken up. And to the left was a large piano – the instrument that Soul had played since he was a child, dark ebony interrupted only by the ivory keys. And in the very center of it all was a large, heavy armchair that matched the color of the piano. It was reminiscent of the armchair Soul remembered from his father's study, a place he hadn't entered since his mother's death.

And seated there was a strange creature – for he wasn't human, not nearly. His skin was a dull red except for where black stretched over his eyes like a mask. On the top of his head were horns and Soul could spy a tail peeking out from the hem of his finely tailored dress shirt. He hummed along with the broken, repeating music, snapping his fingers with a sinister smile that revealed sharper than normal eye teeth, much like Soul's own.

"So someone's finally come to join me. I wonder what you need, hmmm? More power, I can definitely accomplish. But much else might be a bit, hmmm…I don't know, a bit tricky. But I can help you gain power, above all else little hatchling," The little creature managed to hiss out, reminding Soul more and more of a serpent.

"What do I need…what do I need to get more power?" Soul questioned, slowly approaching the demon as he realized that he'd been changed into an outfit similar to that of the creature in front of him. "I need it to…to…"

"Have you forgotten already, hatchling?" The thing chuckled out, his smirk instantly annoying Soul, fists clenching at his sides. "Your kingdom has fallen in a single night. Witches have killed your brother, your father, and there's nothing but ashes where your proud city once stood. I can give you the power to raise it from the ashes, defeat the women who reduced it to rubble. I only need your agreement to give me control," The demon requested, outstretching his hand in an offering that only Soul could accept.

Soul can't help but be tempted; the ability to fight back against the people who had ruined his home? His hand seemed to move of its own accord, the idea of agreeing seeming the best of choices at his disposal. "You will give me the power to defeat them, right?"

"That and even more than you could ever imagine," The demon murmured, reaching out even further than Soul thought possible. "Give me control, Soul Evans. I am sure you will not regret it, little hatchling. Just give me control, already."

His tone sent a shock through Soul's system, enough of a warning that Soul finally realized what he was about to agree to. Give control? To a demon? "Sorry you little snake, but I'll be happy to keep my own control."

The creature bared his teeth, growled. "You don't know what you're missing you insolent child. I am your only chance at avenging your family," He replied, words bitingly sharp. "You will never be powerful enough – "

"I will find a way," Soul muttered, turning on his heels and heading out the way that he had once entered. "I promise that I will find some kind of way to help my family."

*Soul eater*

This time, Soul opened his eyes to find sunlight streaming in, hurting his eyes. It was warm, a blanket laid over him and a bed beneath him that rivaled the one he had at home – had, he realized, as in the past. Home had no meaning now, destroyed by the witches that had stormed the city. The last time he'd seen the city, it had been nothing more than rubble. And where was he now? The last he could remember, he had tried fighting that blonde witch.

Soul tried to sit up, wincing in pain as his stomach clenched up from the sudden movement. But he finally got a good look at things, noticing that he'd taken a substantial amount of injury; not only was his stomach bandaged up, but it also covered space on both arms, one of his legs, his upper chest, and even around his forehead – probably the wound that had knocked him out in the first place. He also noticed that the room he was in was likely an infirmary of sorts, full of beds. Some were sectioned off by curtains, while his were conveniently left open.

"Well it looks like you've decided to finally wake," A voice suddenly murmured as a man and woman appeared at his bedside. They couldn't look more different; the man was almost a foot taller than the woman, along with strange grey hair and light eyes. He wasn't exactly slim, but Soul had a sneaking suspicion that the man hid muscles beneath the ill-fitting clothing. But there was something about him, some kind of vibe the man gave off that made Soul feel like he could trust him.

The woman, on the other hand, hid behind a kind smile. She was blonde and petite, smiling happily at him as the man got closer, but there was something that put Soul on edge; he felt like there was something wrong with her. And she felt strangely familiar. "You've taken quite a beating, mister…?" The blonde reached for his arm, likely trying to do nothing more than check his vital signs – but Soul flinched away.

"There's nothing to be afraid of here. We're just trying to give you a quick check up," The man interrupted with a troubled look. "Maybe you might need some space first…Nurse Medusa, please excuse us for a few minutes. I'll be sure to check on him before they begin questioning him. Oh, and also, you might want to watch out for Lord Albarn; he's on his way as we speak," The man murmured to the nurse, Medusa. And she quickly took her leave, disappearing past the curtains she made sure to pull closed on her way out. Soul couldn't help but notice the glare, however slight it was, that she gave as she walked out.

"Now then, if you would let me check your injuries," The doctor muttered, moving closer to Soul's outstretched legs. He was gentle as he removed the blanket, but the treatment didn't last much longer. The pokes and prods were enough to make Soul grit his teeth together.

By the time the doctor was finally finished, Soul had stopped himself from hitting the silver haired man a total of four times and had narrowly avoided kneeing him in the chin. But his wounds had thankfully been cleaned and bandages reapplied as the doctor finally settled into the bedside chair, face wound up in contemplation. "Well Mister…Prince Evans, I presume? I was quite surprised to find you in my infirmary of all places. We had a number of civilians brought to the city, but none were afforded such treatment as yourself. Your rescuer asked of my help, and who am I to question the King advisor's child?"

Soul tried to keep up, but little was making sense. The hit to the head probably wasn't helping matters either. "What…what exactly happened? I remember waking up and the castle falling, but after one of the witches tried to attack my brother – "

"That's what we're trying to figure out as well, little prince. The witches have never attempted an attack such as this, and it unfortunately isn't the first, or the last," The doctor informed him with a troubled frown. Soul recognized the look on his face, remembering the same kind of expression that so often plagued his father. "For now, however, all we can do is train for the inevitable upcoming fight. Your wounds are thankfully healing and you're clear to get out of bed, although I suggest treading lightly for some time until you're fully recovered."

Soul was just about to lay back in his bed, tired from his short endeavor, when the other man appeared with an expression set in what looked like annoyance. Stony blue eyes and a tight lipped grimace were enough to make it clear that he was clearly upset; Soul couldn't determine if it was anger or grief that plagued him. "So the patient's finally awake," the red haired man jibed, scowl gone and replaced with a scathing, sarcastic grin. "Took you long enough, kid."

"Who are you calling kid, you old geezer?" Soul retorted, ignoring the man when he sputtered, losing the outer appearance for what Soul could only guess was his true personality. But it didn't stop him from replying with his own remark, and Soul too, until they were throwing insults at one another with ease.

It was only when the doctor separated the two that Soul realized how immature he'd been acting, letting the mask of calm and collected slip away. "Unless you've come for something more important, I hope you're not here solely to antagonize my patient," The doctor muttered, moving the red head away until he was in the farthest corner of the temporary, curtained room.

With an indignant huff, the new man turned away from Soul with a glare that implied it was his fault he'd gotten in trouble. "I was actually here to collect the boy, Stein, so that King Death might interview him. He's one of the few…one of the few who survived. He wanted to see if the boy might be any help in preparing for the next attack."

"Well then, I was wondering when he would send someone to retrieve him," The man - Doctor Stein - murmured absently, picking himself up from the chair with a sigh. "He's free to join you Spirit, whenever he's needed."

"Good, because the King began the session ten minutes ago," Spirit cheerfully replied, motioning for Soul to get up. Soul was reluctant to respond, muscles aching as he got out of the bed. And it didn't help that he was dressed in little more than loose pants and ill fitting off white shirt.

Stein must have noticed, because one look at Soul and he was gone with a quick "wait here," only to return with a stack of clothes. "It's not much, but it will be better than the clothes we've put you in. Change and Spirit will bring you to the throne room," The doctor instructed, pulling a protesting Spirit out of the tiny space and closing the curtains behind him - effectively giving Soul his privacy to change.

As soon as he was finished changing, Soul slipped out of the curtains clothed in dark grey trousers that fit a bit snug and a parchment colored tunic that reached his mid thigh. The strings were missing at the neck, leaving it open enough to reveal his collarbones and some of his chest. The doctor had slipped in some boots that nearly reached his knees. His hair, which had started to grow out a little too much, was as good as it was going to get at this rate. With no band or string to pull it back, it would have to do.

Only moments after Soul walked out from behind the curtain Spirit was there, leading him through the infirmary - overfilled with patients in beds, some curtains left open and others closed, giving some of the worse cases their privacy - and into the hallways. The place was large, one floor towering quite a few feet over Soul's head. From what he could tell, the place was enormous; one look out of a window and Soul could see only the castle grounds stretching before him. The city was faraway and small, too far for him to pick up very many details, but even from a distance Soul could tell how large it was.

But then they were walking into the throne room, and Soul had never seen its rival. If Soul had thought that the hallways were large and spacious, they had nothing on this room. There were at least three floors and there were balconies, filled with people. Oh, the people. Soul found men and women alike, dressed in fine clothes. But when Soul spied a woman dressed in little more than a chest covering and a skirt that hid little, he could barely keep his eyes from wandering.

It took a moment for Soul to realize that her state of undress wasn't a fluke, however. At least half of the people there were dressed similarly, of varying degrees. Soul could barely describe them, having come from a city where men dressed in finery and women in dresses and gowns. Some of the outfits were rather elaborate: fine, silken material detailed with gold thread; jewelry of different varieties but similar beauty; and designs that rivaled that of the best tailors from Soul's home city – or what remained of it.

For all of the men and women that milled around him however, there was only one that caught his eye. She moved with grace unparalleled by any person Soul had met and she was one of the many dressed strangely, although her clothes were of high quality. Soul didn't know how he'd managed to pick her out of the crowd; she was one of the shortest – at least a foot, foot and a half shorter than his own six foot five – but her long legs and lithe body made up for it.

That was all before his eyes even reached her face. While her body was attractive enough, her features were what really kept his attention. Her features were soft, yet her eyes were set in what Soul could only call – determination? Curiosity? They were the color of emeralds and held a glint that Soul felt was almost…familiar. Locks of ashy blonde hair fell down her shoulders, left loose unlike many of the women in there.

And only a few paces away was the Throne, where in sat a middle aged man. Soul had thought that his father had been joking when he'd described the mask upon his face. Shaped like some comical version of a skull, it did little to frighten Soul. No, it was more his intimidating posture as he sat upon his seat, with who Soul could only guess was his son standing beside him.

Only a few feet more and the red headed man stopped, not far from the foot of the throne. A hand on his chest stopped Soul in his tracks, while a murmured "stay here kid" was enough to keep him stuck in place as Spirit took his place – right beside the blonde haired, emerald eyed girl, a hand caringly placed on her shoulder. He could see the two whispering, until the girl's eyes flitted in his direction.

Soul was saved from having to look stupid when the King finally stood up, a silence overcoming the entire crowd. Soul swore that every eye in the room turned to look at him, completely captivated by the man. Even Soul was quick to turn his gaze, watching every move the man made.

"I have called this meeting because of the ongoing threat that the witches have posed against our allied cities," He began, his presence gaining the attention of every single person in the room. "The latest city to be attacked has yielded few answers so far, but we have before us a survivor of the late Evans family. He has come to give us a firsthand account of the attack that took place within the nearby allied city of Illuneer."

Within moments, Soul could feel every eye in the room on him, heat spreading across his skin as he realized that everyone was looking to him for some kind of explanation. "So young Prince Evans, if you are able, could you describe what happened the night of the attack?"

And suddenly, Soul was reliving the night with his words, his memories sending a chill down his spine. He recited everything he could remember of the attack, from the witches to castle falling to pieces beneath his feet. But when it came time to tell them about the blackout – Soul couldn't bring himself to admit it to the King. He stuttered over his words for only a moment, but it was enough that Soul could feel a pair of eyes burning holes into his skull. When he looked up, crimson met emerald and Soul had a moment of anxiety. Did she – how would she know?

By the time Soul had finally finished speaking, the entire room was deathly silent. Only a beat later and the King was once again standing before his people. "While we have been told much, I've decided to question the boy in private. This session is now adjourned; any man or woman not of the royal family or of my advisors is advised to leave so that I may speak to this child in private."

And that was when Soul witnessed the single most surprising thing in his life.

It was a shift that Soul could almost feel throughout the room. One moment the people were milling around and the next, the men and women who were dressed in little more than their small clothes were caught up in streams of light that seemed to revolve around them. When they emerged, they weren't human anymore. No, instead, they emerged as dragons.

They were just as beautiful as he remembered and far more magnificent when watching them take flight from so close. They all looked similar, but differed much like humans; their builds varied, traits were complex, and countless other things to tell them apart. Among the most varied traits were the colors. They didn't stick to natural shades, his eyes catching blue and green and red and everything in between, but none were the shade the Soul's eyes sought of the crowd. Even as the humans jumped on the dragons' backs, Soul was looking for little more than the blonde colored scales he remembered from the attack.

The dragons and their riders left through the vaulted ceiling, their flying looking as simple as walking was to humans. By the time they had all left, the only ones who remained were the King, his son, and the two men from before – and the girl who had so thoroughly caught Soul's eye. Her mouth was set in a firm line and her posture was enough to show that she meant business.

"We've tried questioning him as well, your Majesty," The doctor immediately began, his voice dominating the now empty room. "There's little more that we can learn from him. It would be best to let him return to his city, help them to rebuild – "

"He's one of us," A voice finally spoke up, more familiar than Soul expected as déjà vu suddenly washed over him. When he looked up, he found it was the girl, her emerald eyes ablaze. "I saw him when I arrived in the city to help. He is one of us. Give him the choice to train and fight."

"You were in the city during the attack? There were express orders to keep you from entering the city – you're nowhere near finished with your training –" The red head, Spirit, was quick to pipe up. But the girl wasn't phased, quickly continuing on.

"There were so many fighters coming back; they needed more help and we knew the risks – "

"You mean that you led your friends into battle," The king interrupted her, standing up in a cloud of heavy velvet and silk. The boy beside him flinched, almost unnoticeably, at the king's side. Apparently for good reason, as the king turned to face him. "Of all the riders in the kingdom, you should know what risks you face. As prince of Morte Civitas, you are expected to be a model for the rest of the citizens. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Soul finally got a good look at the boy, who was likely only a year or two older than himself. He wasn't as tall, but his hair was the color of night, interrupted by three white lines that crossed only halfway across his forehead. He was one of the few that were fully dressed – unlike Spirit, unlike the girl. "Maka and I decided that it would be best to help out in whatever way possible, father. We couldn't simply watch as our fighters put themselves in harm's way while we were safe and sound behind the castle's walls."

"While I'll admit that your reasoning was true, this is the product of youthful, wishful thinking. The two of you cannot have thought that you could best enemies that even our most seasoned fighters could not defeat," The king replied, voice on the edge of barely veiled anger. "I understand the compassion that the two of you must feel in relation to helping our city, but I beg the two of you to listen to future instructions. And while Kid has not one, but two partners, you have not even one Maka. Of all the ideas, yours is the most dangerous. To fight without one –"

"Is dangerous, yes," Maka retorted quickly, stopping the King from finishing his sentence. "But if you let this little prince train, I might have a partner. I fought with him, briefly, while still in the city. I felt that connection," Her voice was filled with emotion now, quickly tearing down whatever defenses that the men around her had built up. "Let him train and I swear to you, my King, that we will be the best your kingdom has ever seen."

*Soul eater*

By the time the King had finally dismissed Soul, Maka had worked herself into a tizzy. Her eyes were alight and she almost seemed to glow with what Soul could only guess was excitement, despite the fact that he had no clue what she seemed to be speaking about when she mentioned fighting with him in the city.

They were still debating when a servant appeared, guiding him out of the room and down one of the winding halls until they reached one of the hundred matching doors. The elderly man said nothing, but only bowed before disappearing.

Soul, puzzled by the lack of instruction or information, knocked on the door to no answer. So he pushed it open and found a room much like the one he lived in at home, only smaller. It was no doubt a bedroom, or at least a guest room until he managed to find a place to go.

Without anything else to occupy his time, Soul fell onto the bed with a muffled groan, running his hands down his face as everything began to come down on him at once.

His home was practically destroyed. He had no clue what had happened to either his dad or his brother, not to mention the fact that he was now in the middle of a place in which he knew no one. And to add insult to injury, he couldn't even begin to think about how in over his head he felt with the revelation that this once alien, foreign city was filled with people who were not only able to wield magic, but shift into the dragons he'd once admired but now could only find frightening.

A sudden, wooden knock and an almost silent click of the door opening pulled Soul out of his sudden tailspin. One look and Soul immediately regretted it as he caught a glimpse of ashen blonde hair and inquisitive emerald eyes, watching him from across the room. The last Soul had heard, the King had ordered her away as well, but it seemed as if she had a penchant for disobeying not only her elders, but her monarch as well.

"So you decided to follow me, then?" Soul finally questioned, somewhat relieved at the chance of finally getting to speak with her, alone.

She nodded, jerkily and almost excited at the notion. "Yes, of course. If we are to be partners, we must both be familiar with each other. I thought it might be wise to…converse with you, before they decide to pair us together," She told him, her accent clipped and thoroughly foreign, even when compared to the rest of the people Soul had met so far that day.

But of everything the girl had said, Soul couldn't get past "partners." 'Yeah…you keep on saying that, even to your king," He muttered, picking himself up from his bed with a wince; he was sorer then he'd first thought. "You also said that we fought together back…in the city. But the only people I fought with were the soldiers and…I would have remembered a girl like you fighting beside me."

As the girl's eyebrows rose near her hairline and her lips stretched into a flat line that left Soul wincing on the inside. Good job idiot. "A girl like…me?" She questioned, words tentative and slow, as if she were deciding on the perfect words to use. "What do you mean, a girl like 'me'?"

"I didn't mean anything by it," Soul quickly replied, hands raised palm facing her direction as if to ward off any possible attack. "I simply meant that I would have remembered fighting by your side. You seem to leave an impression wherever you are," He murmured and Maka nodded in what Soul could only take as agreement.

"I make sure that people remember me," She explained, slowly beginning to pace around the room as Soul's eyes eagerly followed her as she moved. "Especially since I am currently…alone, at the moment. Being a lone fighter leaves me at a – disadvantage. I must do twice as much to seem nearly as good." Soul couldn't help but notice how her hand had found her hair, idly twisting the dark blonde locks as her eyes flitted from one item to the next, never landing on any target.

"But back to the original question," Soul finally murmured, standing up – finding that she was just as short as he'd originally thought, the top of her head barely reaching his chest. He had to look down at her to speak with her, eye to eye. "You said that you fought with me. There was no girl fighting with me in the city. All I can remember – "

"Is finding yourself surrounded by black fire? A golden dragon flying to your rescue as the witches surrounded you? Being pulled into the air, falling unconscious before you could even reach the edge of the city?" The words were taken right out of his mouth – more words than he was ready to give. As she went on, Soul was left speechless, silently waiting for her to continue. "You did not know…? The dragon that fought alongside you – that was me."

And in less than five seconds, Soul watched as some sort of magic overtook her, a far more benevolent version of the magic that the witches had used to destroy his home. It seemed to revolve around her, drawing all light to her until she looked like a beacon in the darkness. It became bright and brighter, growing until Soul thought it couldn't shine anymore. It was only then that it dissolved, revealing a beast that stood towering over him.

It was beautiful, in the lethal, graceful way that the big cats from the traveling circus were. Muscle rippled, scales glistening as it – she moved. She was thin and lithe, with a spine outlined with the tiniest of bumps that seemed to grow and shrink as she stepped. They trailed down, until they ended at the whip of a tail, which looked like it could cut on its own if enough force was used. The head rested on a long neck and sported ears and two sets of horns, the top larger than the bottom.

In short, Soul couldn't think of any sight more amazing.

Just as quickly as the beast had appeared, Maka reappeared in another burst of light – and Soul promptly noticed something was different.

He had the decency to look away when the light completely faded and Maka stood in the middle of his room, as stark naked as the day she was born. She didn't seem to mind as she patiently stooped down, crouching as she collected her clothes. Piece by piece she replaced her outfit – the barely there outfit that Soul now guessed was because of the lack of need. Why get so thoroughly dressed when one would only continue to lose their clothing?

"We learn from a young age how to control our shifts," Maka finally spoke as she secured the straps of her arm bracer. Thankfully for Soul, she had already replaced her top and skirt, however little it managed to cover. "My guess is that your parents somehow managed to train you to stay human, although I have no clue how they were able; while girls tend not to shift until they are around five or six, boys usually begin to shift when they are still babies. It is natural."

"But my parents weren't dragons – or whatever you call yourselves," Soul butted in, finally pulled out of his shock.

The hint of a smile tugged at her lips. "We are called the same, Dragons. And although you think not, our cities were allied for a reason. Your mother, against all known reason, fell in love with a human. Not any human, but the future king of his country. And your mother was no common woman," Maka exclaimed, her lips giving way for one of the prettiest smiles Soul had seen before. "Your mother was a noblewoman, with ties to the crown prince at the time, now our king, his Majesty Lord Death. And so she was allowed to marry, and your country allied with ours because of the marriage. But it was of her own volition that she decided to keep us a secret from her family."

All of those days spent watching the dragons. Watching as they glided across the azure sky, landing in the courtyard as if by some magic spell that would disappear if they looked away. "There's…there's no way she would have kept this from us. This is…pretty important."

"I do not think she kept it from your brother on purpose; sometimes the gene does not appear and most of the city simply thought that the two of you had not inherited the ability," Maka calmly explained, moving across the room until she reached the chaise, facing a fireplace that Soul had taken little notice of. "But your survival during the battle proves otherwise."

"Proves otherwise? I've never shifted once in my life," He retorted, following her to the other side of the room. "There's nothing proven."

Silently she shook her head, pointing at his bare arm. "You remember the black fire, do you not? The blast would have killed any normal human. This fire was special and even I, if I had shifted back to human, would have perished. Only a dragon in their form would have been able to survive, and yet you were lying in the middle as if you were waking up from a nap."

There wasn't…there was no way that he was one of them, Soul repeatedly told himself. He would have known if that were the case. His mom would have told him, his father…did his father know about the existence of these shifters? He must have, and he must have been attempting to hide it; the reason he'd never invited either Soul or his brother with him to the foreign city.

But there must have been some truth to what she was saying. "Say that I believe you. What does this mean and why are you so excited about it?"

"This means that there is one more dragon to help fight against the witches, if the king will let you train, that is," She sounded confident that he would, despite the wariness that Soul had felt from not only the king, but also Spirit and the Prince in the short time after Maka had proposed the idea. "And as everyone tells me, I would be far better as a rider than a dragon. I have never found a partner I have been compatible with, despite attempting to resonate with as many single dragons I have met. But now I have met you, and if possible…I would like you to consider pairing with me."

Soul couldn't believe this girl; she had come into his life into a whirlwind, revealing to him that most of everything he knew in life was wrong, and now expected him to pair with her. But the strangest part of it all? He wanted to say yes.

But he couldn't. He couldn't simply ignore the life she seemed to think he'd left behind, all for the chance of working with her as a partner. There was his city to think of, especially due to the fact that he had no clue what had happened to either his father or his brother. The idea that he was the sole heir left sent chills down his spine that he couldn't hide from.

"I don't think that will be possible," He managed to reply, his voice morose and thick with sudden emotion. "I might be…I might be the only Evans left. I have to return to my city as soon as possible and help them to rebuild and protect themselves. Otherwise they will be defenseless."

The next words that came out of her mouth were vicious, sharp and scathing in their intensity as she threw them about with fire in her eyes. "Do you not understand? If you do not help fight, there will be no city for you to return to," She hissed, her movements suddenly growing more and more animated. "The witches will continue to attack your city if they know of your return. They attack to destroy and leave nothing in their wake, for good reason: to ensure that no leaders remain to continue to ally with us. I assure you that if you attempt to 'help' your city, you will only succeed in regaining the attention of the witches and with it, the complete destruction of your city. So choose, little prince."

And with a slam of the heavy wooden door and a strange ache in his chest, she was gone.

*Soul eater*

Despite the fact that Soul wanted to help his city, he didn't leave the city. Instead, he had started training.

It had been three days since he'd woken up in the palace infirmary, bruised and battered on nearly every part of his body. He hadn't seen Maka since that first day, not since she'd stormed out of his room after their discussion had gotten rather heated. But he had managed to meet a few of the other people within the castle.

There was a brief introduction to the prince, the black and white haired man who had stood next to his father in the throne room. He knew that he was a rider, much like Maka, but that she was a far more exceptional leader than he. His dragons – a rare thing, being paired with more than one dragon – were easier to get along with, although Soul could already tell that they were fiercely loyal to their rider for reasons he restrained from asking.

Then there was Blackstar; he was a stark contrast to the quiet and controlled prince. He was as strong and determined as he was arrogant, although Soul got along with him well despite the yelling and screaming of his "god-like" status. His partner was a quiet, timid girl by the name of Tsubaki who, Soul found out, was from a long line of exceptionally gifted dragons. But she wasn't proud or conceited like some and Soul found himself enjoying her company along with the rest of the group.

But there was little to do inside the castle aside from wander and eat, although he didn't even manage most of the time. Instead, he found himself in his room, waiting for some kind of news that might release him from the city or give him the chance to help. He hadn't heard of anything from the king, nor any of his advisors. He only spoke with Stein because of his visits to the infirmary, but even then he found the doctor's lips kept tightly shut.

It was one of the rare moments when Soul chose to wander outside of his room or the infirmary, instead finding himself in one of the gardens inside the castles' tall outer walls. The sun shone bright and the sounds were peaceful, lulling him nearly to sleep.

That was when Spirit Albarn found him, roughly nudging his shoulder with a steel toed boot that abruptly pulled him out of his reverie. When he finally looked up, all he could see was red hair and a steely, cold blue glare as Spirit nodded to him. "The king would like to see you, Prince Evans," His words were coarse and to the point as he turned on his heel and left Soul to clumsily jump to his feet in an attempt to follow.

It took everything for Soul to keep up, quickening his pace until he was nearly having to jog to remain behind Spirit. The older man didn't even look back to see if he was following.

They kept walking until Soul finally found himself inside a study of sorts, small in comparison to the scale of the other rooms he had seen. But it had a more welcoming feel than any of the other rooms he had visited so far during his stay. It had walls lined with bookshelves, most full to the brim with texts. In the center of the room was a large wooden desk, stacked with pages and pages of what Soul could only guess were official.

Soul found the King when he looked up, standing atop a ladder and reaching for a book on the highest shelf. "One of these days, I will extend this room to the second floor, I swear it," Soul heard him murmur as he finally grasped the hard covered text, a scowl on his face. When he finally landed on the ground and looked up, his annoyance disappeared, replaced by a caring smile. "Prince, I see that Spirit decided to bring you. I wholly thought that it was likely going to end on a rather sour note," The king informed him before finally slipping into the seat behind his desk. When he motioned to one of the chairs in front of him, Soul quickly complied.

"Your majesty if I might ask," Soul murmured. "Why have you decided to keep me here for so long? You could have returned me home as soon as I woke up."

The king nodded in agreement, although Soul noticed the sudden look of unease upon his face. "Well young prince, it has come to our attention that the witches target the royal families of these cities that they attack. And we have also found men and women alike mysteriously disappearing after choosing or being chosen to rule in their monarch's absence," He explained, voice somber. "It seems that there are witches remaining in the cities who are tasked with keeping these cities in chaos. If you were to return, we would be unable to guarantee your safety. And we would truly like to keep you safe, although the reason I brought you here might very likely put you in danger regardless."

So Maka as right, Soul morosely thought to himself. The witches are killing off any leaders who appear. "Put me in danger? What do you mean?"

Slowly, the king rose from his chair and began to pace back and forth, the length of his desk. "As you remember, Miss Albarn proposed the idea of allowing you to train. She has told me, in great detail, what she saw in the city during the night of the attack and I have every reason to believe that you are one of the dragons. While you do not know how to shift, I have tasked Lord Albarn with training you on how for the time being. Until you can shift, you will be trained at the most remedial level. Dr. Stein will be teaching you about the link between a rider and their dragon – lessons that most dragons and riders learn from the moment they are able to speak and understand what others are saying. If you are willing, we will train you how to fight. And with the approval of our captains, you might be able to fight as well."

So she had been able to persuade the king. Just how much pull does this girl have here? "Your majesty, I know that Ma – Lady Albarn seems to think that I'll be able to fight, but I have no clue what she's speaking of when she says that I am a dragon. I've never even known that this ability existed until the day I woke here. What makes you think that I will even be able to keep up?"

There was a moment of quiet, tense and cold. "My daughter," Spirit finally began, pulling Soul's eyes towards him at the sound. The scowl on his lips did nothing to make him feel any more at ease. "Has offered to partner with you. This might not mean much to you, but partners are nothing to take lightly. She has taken years to show any interest in any one person, and she chose you."

"And bonds are tricky things. Unlike those among my advisors, most cannot bond with more than one partner," The king began to explain. "Unless the rider or dragon possesses a very special soul, they are bonded to each other for life. Emotions aren't your own anymore, but instead are almost constantly shared. It's much like becoming one with the other and most partners meet at a young age and train with each other for years before finally going through with the bonding."

"And you have weeks," Spirit finally managed to get out between gritted teeth. "A mere few weeks to acquaint yourselves with each other, train together, learn each other. And then you'll be fighting together against some of our strongest foes. So forgive me if I seem a bit…upset." Soul didn't think he was looking for forgiveness, not from the look of barely concealed anger on his face. "Maka is risking her only bond to partner with you. That is why we know she is speaking the truth. Whatever happened in the city, you are one of us."

Soul had been given the permission to train nearly a week ago and yet he still didn't know what Maka had seen in him. He had tried shifting countless times with the help of Spirit to no avail, although Soul thought that maybe it was sabotage; the man quite obviously wanted Soul to stay away from his daughter, if the scowls and glares were anything to go off of.

His lessons with Stein were more progressive, although there wasn't much he could do wrong. It consisted primarily of lore, culture, and especially history of the riders and dragons. He was able to keep up with the class (because it was, essentially, a class) much more than he was able to keep up with his training.

It had been nearly a week of training with Spirit, who had started to allow him to train with the other dragons during their hand to hand combat. That was how he had met the group, consisting of Kid, Liz, Patti, Blackstar, and Tsubaki, and others to some extent. But since starting, he had yet to even see one lock of ashy blonde hair or a flash of emerald green eyes among the many people that had started befriending him. And he was far too stubborn to ask any of the others after her.

On the last day of the week, Soul found himself closer to giving up, on the brink of calling uncle and ordering the king to either send him home or allow him to stop this nonsense.

It was his annoyance that led him to one of the unused rooms, where he thought no one would find him. It was more unused than his had been, dust covering most of the surfaces after being left untouched for so long. But all he cared about was the bed, laying down across it with a groan – even after healing from his injuries, his training kept his muscles sore and the aches fresh.

He had been there for only about an hour when the door opened, a mirror image of the first time she had slipped into his room. The first thing he saw was her hair, still as he remembered although it had been styled, tightly braided on either side of her head until a sort of mane trailed down the middle and cascaded down her shoulders.

When he looked at her eyes, he noticed the worry in them and immediately his chest ached in that familiar, unknown way that he had somehow become acquainted with. "Lady Albarn – "

Her laugh was dry, her eyes flitting away as soon as he looked towards her. "I am no lady yet, I assure you. My father is still Lord and unless I marry soon, you will call me Maka," She insisted, absently shifting her weight from one foot to the other in what Soul could only call nervousness. "Why are you not training?"

If the question had come from anyone else, Soul was sure that he would have been able to give the pre-rehearsed reply he had been practicing since he'd entered the room. I am not cut out for this training or my duty is to help rebuild my home. But the words died on his lips each time he tried to tell her. "I…things are not going as well as they seemingly should."

"What do you mean? My father told me that your training was coming along nicely," She quickly replied, no sharp words but pure curiosity. "Stein says that you have also been doing well in class, as well."

"Yes, but…" Soul began, embarrassment suddenly leaving a flush across his cheeks; she had been checking on him. "Maka, what your father might have forgotten to mention is the fact that I have not shifted, not once since my training started."

Although Soul thought that it would upset her, Maka shook her head with a hint of a smile on her lips. And when it grew, Soul found himself surprised when she bounded towards the bed and grabbed his hand, pulling him to his feet. "If that is the only problem, I think I can help. Follow me," She murmured before guiding him out of the room and through the labyrinth of hallways until they reached the outside.

It was another garden, of which the castle seemed to have in abundance. But this one was far more isolated, even the entrance cloaked by a hanging curtain along the wall. It was walled off, efficiently cutting them off from the outside world for whatever amount of time they chose. "How did you find this place?" Soul finally questioned, eyes glued to the clearing within the middle of space, surrounded by countless different flowers and even a few trees that provided plenty of shade during the sunny day.

Maka started leading them closer to the center, the clearing calling Soul's name before they finally sat down beneath the shade of the largest tree around them. "My mother and father used to bring me here when I was smaller. When I was older, I found it by accident and this is where I come to think or to relax," She explained, before turning back to look at him. "Now, close your eyes and listen to my voice," Maka told him, voice soothingly soft as he reluctantly obeyed.

"Shifting cannot be forced. While we learn how to control it, there are still times when our emotions get the better of us. The key to shifting is evening out your emotions and letting it just happen," She quietly instructed, her hands still holding onto his. "Think of your dragon, think of ripples across water, as if it were your own skin changing and shifting until it was no longer skin, but of hardened, tough scales."

Slowly, the feel of her hands started to disappear as soon as the air around him started to cool. While he had entered a heated clearing, even the breeze doing little to cool them, it became far more bearable as moments passed. It was much like a ripple effect, starting at his chest and slowly moving outwards until his whole body felt lighter, cooler, and much sturdier. "Be careful as you move; you are not yet accustomed to these different muscles. But it will not take long to acquaint yourself with this form," Soul heard Maka murmur, her voice sounding much louder than it had been only moments before.

When Soul opened his eyes, he was amazed with what he saw. Where once there was green and red and blue, there were now colors he could not even begin to describe. And the sun, while it had once been blinding, was now at a more comfortable shine that did not hurt his eyes. The sun on his skin felt like heaven and he closed his eyes once more with a sound that resembled a cat's purr.

That was when Soul realized just what was happening, snapping to attention as his eyes sought out anything that could show him just what had happened. It Maka's hand that led him, sending him to a corner of the little garden where a pond was located. A few long bounds and he was there, nearly crashing into the peaceful water before he could stop himself – so much weight nearly working against him.

As he looked into the water, he didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't this; the face of a serpent started back at him with intense, terrified ruby eyes as light shined off of ivory scales. His mouth was opened with an almost stunned expression, revealing two rows of long, sharpened teeth that he knew would be able to tear through nearly anything if given the chance. Two short, flexible ears sat tucked tightly against either side of its head, along with a pair of lengthy horns that, if his head was held straight out, sat almost flush against the back of his neck.

Then, the wings. They were huge, at least twice the length of his body yet too clumsy to yet stretch out so he could know for sure. They stayed tucked against his sides, nearly transparent but still thick enough to keep from tearing.

All in all, Soul was nothing short of amazed.

And his happy roar was enough to show it as he jumped up from his spot next to the pond, rolling across the grass and nearly crushing the nearby wildflowers before he realized how large he really was. Two or three bounds and he was across the entire clearing, his whip thin tail swaying clumsily as he moved around.

When he turned back around to look at Maka, he shared her smile, although his was filled with far more teeth. "While I care for my father, he is not quite the teacher our King makes him out to be," Maka shared with him, moving closer until her hands finally reached the end of his snout, absently rubbing circles across the bridge. "Now, I need to teach you how to shift back," She told him with a smile, one that told Soul that he had done wonderfully, splendidly, and that everything would work out.

*Soul eater*

By the time Soul finally shifted back, his body once again fully human, he'd found himself too exhausted to move. So it was with relief that Maka laid down in the grass, patting the spot beside her with a welcoming grin as he took the invitation. It was once again hot, nearly stifling in its intensity as Soul plopped himself down beside her in the shade of the towering tree in the corner of the garden.

"That was…amazing," Soul breathed out, at a loss for any other words he could use to describe just how amazing the shift had been.

"Yes and it never changes," She told him, turning on her side to face him as her hands began to absently pluck at the grass beneath them. "I remember the first time I shifted. I was right on the brink of turning fourteen and I thought that I was gifted simply with the abilities of a rider, although my mother was still strict with what she would and would not teach me," She explained, outstretching her right palm before it started to glow, then smolder, until a small flame formed.

She smiled as Soul's lips shifted into a tiny oh, his surprise evident on his face. He caught her own smirk and caught himself thinking about how…cute it was. "Your mother…did she try to keep you from joining them? It sounds like a dangerous lifestyle."

"Until a few years ago…my mother and father split when I was only two or three years old. My father remained at court, here in King Death's advisory council. My mother on the other hand…she had come from another city, an entirely different kingdom, but they had these abilities too, although they lacked any dragons," She informed him matter-of-factly. "She met my father and they got married, having me shortly thereafter. But she was unhappy with how my father…acted, and decided that I would be far better off in the faraway city. She left with me, and my father remained here as he had to."

"So when did you end up returning?" Soul asked, noticing how she seemed to inch closer and closer towards him as they continued to speak. "How old were you when you left?"

"I was two years old when I went with her and I did not return even once between then and the day I was returned. Until then, I barely even knew that this foreign city existed; I underwent my mother's customs, spoke a different language, and barely even knew of the power I possessed," She quickly mumbled. "It was not until I shifted that my mother ever spoke of returning me to Civitas, where I was born, and I now think that it had to do with the fact that I had started to take after my father. Even after so many years, she held a grudge against him and I can only guess that when I shifted…she saw too much of him in me."

Soul couldn't help but understand her situation, remembering his father's forlorn gazes as he caught a glimpse of Soul after his mother's funeral. It hadn't been his features that everyone thought he and his mother had shared – no, she had been beautiful, with softened features and wide, caring eyes. Where Wes had inherited their father's dark blonde coloring, Soul had been born with his mother's fair white hair and ruby red eyes, drawing so much of a comparison that his father had begun to avoid being in the same room as him at most times.

"So your mother…why was she so…adamant, about you staying away from Civitas?" Soul asked her, pulling himself onto his side so that he was eye level with her. She was so tiny, even the width of her body dwarfed by his own.

"My father was not the most faithful husband, although from what I hear, my mother was not the most loving; early in their marriage, Stein told me it was less than a year after I was born, my mom accused him of being unfaithful with one of the other council members, Azusa, despite the fact that anyone else watching them could immediately tell that they hated each other," She began, her face twisting into an incredulous expression. "It went on for quite a few months, with quite a few women, before my father finally…gave in, I guess you might say. Or at least that is what my Uncle Stein tells me, and I have come to learn that he always tells the truth, even if you do not want to hear it."

All Soul could get out was a half-hearted "Wow."

"Yes, wow is one of the many words I might use to describe their relationship. The most ironic part of it all is that it was only by mother's doing that my father succumbed to cheating. Living as part of a loveless marriage…they were bonded, rode together into battle, but even their resonance was not enough to keep them together."

"But isn't a bond supposed to be too painful to ignore? Stein taught me that bonded riders and dragons can't stay apart for too long; it becomes too difficult," he asked as he mentally scolded himself. Don't make it too obvious, idiot.

Quietly she debated for a moment, the gears churning so hard that Soul sword he could see smoke escaping from her ears. "My mother and father were bonded, yes, but as the King most likely told you, my father is one of the strange few who can resonate without needing a bond. It allows them to utilize more than one rider. So my father was not highly affected, unlike my mother. She felt longing for him every day, and I think that was why she chose never to remarry. She had bonded already, despite it having failed."

For a few moments, Soul stayed quiet, letting the weight of what she'd told him sink in. Bonds and resonance didn't always work enough to keep a pair together – her parents were evidence of it. But Maka had enough confidence to bet on him, hoping that their partnership would work. That was a lot to handle.

But as Soul pondered what could go wrong, he couldn't find it in him to care. "Well dear rider of mine, I guess this means that I'm going to have to work pretty hard if I'll be ready for the next fight."

If Soul didn't know any better, he'd have said that the girl in front of him – the girl whose cryptic words had made him haywire – had squealed as soon as he'd worded his acceptance. And it didn't help when she leaped from her spot on the ground across from him, tackling him in the largest hug he'd ever experienced. But her laughter was infectious, causing a chuckle to escape his lips as he found himself tackled and pinned to the ground by the tiny, ashy blonde girl.

By the time she finally let him go, giving him a moment to escape from her grasp, Soul didn't want to move. She had laid herself out along his side, her body against his, and he decided he wasn't going to shift and risk letting her go for even a moment. Soul was surprised when she remained snuggled up against his side, head resting comfortable on his chest in the late afternoon sun. He had expected her to run as soon as she'd gotten the chance but she had remained.

But as it started to get darker, it was Maka who finally moved with a groan. "As much as I would love to remain in this garden, my father scheduled for a dinner with one of the other advisory's families and I would do very well not to miss it," She murmured, lifting herself off from the ground, but not without helping him up first. He couldn't help but notice how she didn't let go. "I will see you tomorrow, I promise."

Soul couldn't wait.

*Soul eater*

It had taken weeks of harsh training, but Soul had finally made it. Hours of toiling in the training courtyard and even more countless hours learning how to fly and fight and spit fire that Soul didn't care to remember. But he had made it.

Bonding day.

The castle was in a flurry of activity, giving away just how momentous this event would be, despite Maka's reassurances that it will not be a large event and there's nothing to worry about, Soul. That had been only yesterday, when they'd met one last time in their garden before they would be bonded – a lifelong commitment if there was one. Maka had been quite adamant that the room they would be in would include no one other than him, herself, and Stein, who would oversee their bond to ensure that it cooperated.

But as Soul watched the castle being preened for what he could only compare to a ball, Soul was sure that she had been omitting the truth in some areas. There were ball gowns being whisked across the castle, maids and butlers sprinting from one hallway to the next with feather dusters and cleaning clothes as they tidied the place up. Not to mention that noticeable scarcity of any of the usual nobles that prowled the halls.

It had been a rough few weeks of training, although Soul had noticed how often Maka made herself present after their first meeting in the garden. She'd started to train with him, helping him to control his shifts with more fluidity and even instructing him in how to fly; Soul would give it only a few years and swore she would make a wonderful teacher, if his speed of learning at her instruction meant anything.

They'd been making great progress when she'd shown up one day in a strange new garb, clothed from her toes to where her neck met her jaw in a strange dark cloth, completely covering her arms and almost every part of her skin besides her hands. Although it had other coverings, such as armor and other pieces, it was a far cry from the outfits Soul had already seen her in. It had been Liz who pointed out that she was only dressing as such because she was starting to take her new position seriously as a rider; they were the only ones who wore full body coverings, protecting them from magic and other dangers.

But Soul could see just how uncomfortably it fit her despite how nicely it fit. He noticed how often she tugged at the collar to give herself some kind of break from the heat. She walked strangely, as if still getting used to the unfamiliar clothing, but she didn't complain even once as she worked that afternoon.

While Maka was making do, Soul wasn't quite as content with the clothing they expected him to wear as a dragon. They had attempted to clothe him in similar to what he saw during his stay, but to little avail; the least amount of clothes he wore was a pair of trousers and no shirt. And even then, it felt like he was pushing it.

So when the maids arrived in his room only a couple of hours before the ceremony was to take place, Soul was highly suspicious. And then they pulled it out – although there wasn't much to it. "What is that?" Soul didn't mean for it, but his words had come out tinged with a bit of annoyance as he caught a glimpse of cloth and even the shine of some kind of metallic material.

The two women's faces fell as they held out the clothing. "Prince, this is your bonding clothes. You must wear it for the bonding – it is tradition!"

It was only several minutes of back and forth bickering and a particularly devastating look from the younger of the two maids that did Soul in. With reluctance, he took the clothes from the girls, offering a mumbled apology before they finally left him in peace to change. And then he truly saw what he was expected to wear.

He had to admit, they had adjusted it to fit closer to his normal outerwear. Instead of just the short, tight trousers the other dragons wore, they had been lengthened to his knees. The pseudo skirt at least covered his front. And for his chest there was a strange yet elaborate piece that cinched around the base of his neck and included detailed metalwork. There were cuffs that fit snug around his upper arms – the muscles larger from weeks of training – and what he could only consider shin braces around his lower legs.

By the time Soul was finished dressing, he almost didn't recognize himself in the mirror; before coming to what he and his brother used to call Death City, he had never dreamed of wearing anything but finery and training clothes from back home. Now, he found the clothing familiar from countless days spent with the other dragons in training.

Finally finished, Soul wasn't surprised when someone came to retrieve him. This time it was a woman, her expression severe and almost angry, wearing a scowl as if it were armor. And it did well, keeping Soul scared enough that he refrained from even speaking to her.

She stopped when they reached the end of a dim hallway, the door in front of them nondescript, rather plain in comparison to the rest of the castle. "This is where the ceremony will take place," The woman finally spoke, her no-nonsense words rather fitting for the person in front of him. "If you would like, you can take a few moments to gather yourself before going inside; do not take too long." Then she was walking away, leaving him alone at the end of the hallway with his mind running a mile a minute.

In a few minutes, he would be bound to this girl that he had only known for a few months, at most. It was frightening, sending a chill down his spine that he fought against shivering. It wasn't that he didn't want to – in actuality, he found it frightening just how much he wanted to go through with this. It was exhilarating and terrifying all in the same moment as he pushed the door open, revealing nothing more than a tiny, dark room. It had one other door and in the middle of the small space were Stein and Maka, a brilliant smile on her face that only grew when she noticed Soul. And that smile did wonders for him, sending a fluttering through his chest.

"You made it," Maka said, half amazed that he was standing there in front of her.

Soul smiled his crooked grin, red eyes glowing with amusement. "Of course I made it; I would never break a promise now, would I?"

Maka was a sight, and a wonderful one at that. The jaw to toe dark gray clothing that she had been wearing for the past few weeks was gone, replaced by one with a far more intricate design. It still covered the same amount of skin, but the colors and design were far more aesthetically pleasing. Light gold made up most of the color, with others mixed into the fabric in stunning displays of craftsmanship and artistic ability. The armor was a dark, polished gray metal with symbols that Soul vaguely remembered from his time with Stein, and was even more detailed than the fabric. She still had a skirt, a light gold that reached her knees, and boots that reached mid-thigh.

Then there was her hair, the sides braided tightly and the top left loose, trailing down her back in a cascade of ashy blonde locks. It looked like a mane, and her makeup helped to reinforce the idea. Her eyes were outlined in charcoal, tiny winged points on either side while the smoky eye shadow gave her an almost feline look. It wasn't a bad look, not at all.

"Now that the two of you are here," Stein finally spoke, pulling Soul reluctantly out of his reverie as he focused on the task before him. "We can begin. Step in one of the two circles in front of you so that we can get started."

Soul hadn't noticed them, but looking down he finally noticed the circles imprinted on the ground. There were two circles intertwined in the very center of the room and a third only a few steps away. Maka was the first to move, grabbing Soul's arm and tugging on his arm until he took his place next to her, each of them in their own circle.

They shared one last smile before Stein took his place in the remaining circle, triggering a dim gold light that shined around them. Soul could feel the magic radiating within the room, his heart beginning to beat harder as Stein began to recite words that he'd heard countless times in the past few weeks.

He couldn't pay attention, not with his gaze caught in hers and not thought in his head but Maka. And she looked much the same, staring at him with amazement, wonder, unable to move her own emerald gaze from his. Idly Soul noticed as she moved closer – as he moved closer, even as he told himself to stop. It was some kind of trance, pulling the two of them together, although not enough for their hands to meet.

Then something went wrong. Suddenly, without warning, a pain went through Soul. It started out at his chest, every pulse sending it farther and farther outward until he felt it in his toes. He could feel as each pulse reached every inch of him, engulfing him whole. It felt mean, evil. And it was tearing him to pieces as his vision started to turn dark around the edges, spikes drilling into his skull and harsh whispers telling him to just give up.

Soul was close, so close to giving in when he heard it, Maka's cry the only thing he could hear outside of the pounding in his head and the cruel words whispered in his mind. He could barely hear her, telling Stein to hurry up so that she could help him. What could she possibly do to help you, Soul heard, whispers as dark and slithery as a shadow. She can't help you anymore. You're too far gone.

But then the light was beginning to shine a little brighter, the voices inside and out of his head reaching a deafening crescendo when Maka finally moved toward him, crumpled as he was on the ground. Her hand found his arm and it was like a trigger.

Within mere moments, the pain started to disappear until it was nothing more than an echo of what Soul had felt. The whispers were still there, but the longer she worried over him, the quieter they became until they too disappeared entirely, replaced instead with Maka's worried murmurs and questions. Are you okay, do you need a doctor, what happened, we will help you, whispered in his ears like a mantra that Soul never wanted to lose.

Vaguely, Soul heard Stein still reciting words at his original place only a few feet away from the young prince and Maka, but they were muffled, as if he were underwater. It wasn't until the light dimmed then extinguished that Soul could hear him, now worrying over Soul and checking what he could in the tiny room. "I'm going to guess that my reaction isn't very normal, is it?"

While Maka was at a loss for words, Stein was quickly shaking his head. "No, it's definitely not. I've never seen anything like this and there's nothing in the records about this ever happening. I saw it as it happened; your soul tried to…engulf you. It turned dark and it attacked you from the inside. I'll need to run tests – "

"Not now," Maka quickly cut him off. "He needs to rest for a little while, recover. He is drained."

"That's not an option," Stein told her, his voice reverting back to the matter-of-fact tone that Soul remembered from his first days in the castle. His doctor tone. "Either you let me run tests or you go out there for your first flight. Otherwise everyone will be suspect about what happened in here. And as it is, I'm concerned about not only his well-being, but yours as well if you were to resonate under different circumstances. I'm not even sure the two of you are fit to go out on the training field, much less into a battle."

Soul jerked away from the doctor as he shakily tried to get up, helped only slightly by a worried Maka. "We're not running any tests and I'm not resting. I've got it under control, if she's there. You saw what happened; the moment she grabbed me, everything changed. Something about our bond calms whatever is wrong with me," Soul told Stein, although it did little to change the look of doubt on the doctor's face. "We are flying – today. I am not going to let this ruin the day she's been waiting years for. We are going out there whether you like it or not, doc."

For a moment, Soul thought that the good old doctor was going to try restraining him, forcefully dragging him back to the infirmary. But the he nodded, begrudgingly, and sighed. "I will let it go this once. But as soon as your flight is over, I want you in the infirmary so that I can run some tests. Maka, you will come as well. I want samples from the two of you will resonating. And you will only be allowed to the ball tonight if, and only if, I finish those tests. Do the two of you understand me?" They both nodded. "Then follow me."

He led them to the only other door in the room, a large set of two that was twice as tall as Soul and three times more for the width. "As soon as I open these doors, there is a ledge. Walk out onto it and then Soul will stay human for a few short seconds before he shifts and the two of you will fly. It's a sharp decline, but be ready to pull out your wings."

And then the door was open and Soul was blinded by the sudden light. And deafened by the sounds.

It was like one of the arena Soul knew well from home. But instead of being round, it had only two sides and opened up to a sheer drop beneath a cliff. The seats were packed in the hopes of seeing them fly, far more people than Soul expected during their first flight, but he guessed that it was another of their traditions. They yelled and cheered for them, overjoyed to see another pair bonded. It was a strange sight, but one that strangely filled Soul with joy.

Ready to be done, Soul shifted almost as soon as his foot reached the stone of the cliff's edge. By now, the transition was seamless, taking little more than a few seconds before a brilliant, long necked white dragon was standing in his place. In this form, he could see every color imaginable and then some, the air currents rushing beneath his tucked in wings that itched to unfold and ride the breeze.

It was as if Maka could read him. Within moments she was on his back, hands against his scales and he could feel them there, when only yesterday he would have had no clue she'd was even there. The bond made him hyper aware of her every move, where she was in relation to him.

And then she yelled and he ran for the cliff's edge, wings tucked into his side as he made the jump. He dove, falling and falling until they were about to hit the ground – and then he pulled out his wings, catching the air, and they were flying.

Soul couldn't compare flying to anything remotely human. And with the newly formed bond between Soul and Maka, he could tell that it was the same for her. He could practically feel the wind running through her hair and the joy that she felt while aloft in the sky. And it only grew when the others took flight – Blackstar and Tsubaki; Kidd with Patti and Liz – flying alongside them with whoops of joy from the riders and the dragon chirps that Soul had become familiar with over the course of the past few weeks. He even joined in, roaring happily in reply.

And finally, their squad was complete.

*Soul eater*

True to their words, Soul and Maka wasted no time in going to the infirmary after their flight was finished. They stayed only a few minutes for well-wishers and congratulations before they escaped, stopping only so Soul could retrieve a set of clothes and change.

The doctor, keeping his word, ran tests on the both of them, resonating and not. It took less than an hour, but Soul was sure that if he ever saw a needle again, it would be too soon. The doctor excused Maka first, letting her escape with ample enough time to get ready for the ball that was oh-so-conveniently scheduled for that night, after their bonding. Soul was only released with an hour or so to prepare, dreading what outfit they would leave in his private chambers this time around.

Soul was pleasantly surprised to find "normal" clothing draped across his bed. It was finery he had not come to expect from Civitas, but it was still of good make – fine cloth and intricate stitching and embellishments. It was similar to the suits his father had often made him wear alongside his brother, although these were far more comfortable then he remembered. It consisted of dark greys and black mixed with gold a crimson embellishments, fitting him nicely as if tailored to him.

Soul had just finished dressing and attempting to fix his unruly, spiky white hair when there was a knock at the door. He quickly answered with a "come in" before returning to the task at hand. A little more wax and it was complete, styled into a satisfactory mess – or so he told himself; he'd never been very good at keeping his hair under control.

"The King sent me to bring you to the ball, your Highness," The young man at the door murmured, bowing slightly before Soul moved to follow him. He was quick, wasting no time in escorting him to the large throne room that would serve as the venue for the night's event.

Minutes later and they had reached their destination, completely redecorated for the night's ball. Instead of the greys that had adourned the room only hours before, crimsons and golds had replaced the dark style. There were even hints of emerald from bright, lively plants that had been brought in to add flair to the room, and Soul had to admit that it was tastefully done.

Soul reluctantly waited at the door to be announced, trying to reign in his impatience as he heard his name and title called across the room. The clapping and congratulations were immediate, coming from men and women that Soul had never met but he was quick to show his thanks with a smile and a hurried handshake before moving on with one objective in mind. And Soul found it moments later, in the form of a girl in a gown.

In the few months that Soul had stayed in Civitas, he had never seen Maka Albarn wear a dress of any degree of formality. Even during council sessions, which she was allowed to sit in on due to her family's rank, she was always clothed in nothing more than her training uniform; in other words, she didn't worry about what others thought of her clothing. But for this occasion, she had forgone all equipment and was instead dressed in a formal gown befitting her position.

The corset top was a dark grey, accented by crimson, which fit to her curves and accentuated her features. The sleeves seemed to wrap around her shoulders, fitting snuggly against her skin, and reached halfway down her forearms. From the waist – perfectly accentuated by the top, although Soul doubted it was the corset giving her shape – a crimson skirt flared out around her until it reached the ground, trailing slightly behind her. The overskirts only showed towards the back, a mixture of patterned reds and greys that Soul knew would have cost plenty to stitch.

But as much as his head ran through the details, only one thought trumped over all: she looked breathtaking.

It wasn't like Soul hadn't thought of fancying her – on the contrary, he'd entertained and dreaded the thought countless times: admitting his feelings only to have to return home, never to see her again. But tonight, he couldn't help the stupid grin that graced his lips, or how he practically rushed to her side as soon as he caught sight of her in the dress. Because she was beautiful and he was going to tell her so.

As soon as Soul reached her side, however, he was interrupted by none other than her father, along with Stein and his – wife? The blonde haired woman standing next to the doctor was a foot shorter than Stein, dressed in a beautiful – but not nearly as much as Maka's – gown that accentuated her stomach, rounded with child. Even as she was speaking to Maka, congratulating her, she stole loving glances at the cryptic, grey haired man that he returned with surprisingly more adoration.

Spirit was quick to offer his congratulations to his daughter, although his kind words were more reluctant when faced with Soul. Stein and his wife – who he introduced as Marie – followed suit, although the doctor was far more restrained than the blonde haired woman.

"Your training really begins tomorrow," Stein flatly informed them, grasping a champagne glass as a waiter passed nearby. "Partners train more rigorously than either does alone; from now on, training will focus on how the two of you work together as a team, instead of on your own."

Marie was quick to interject, cutting off her husband and Spirit before they could continue. "Yes, it is difficult, but as you said dear: it doesn't start until tomorrow. Let them enjoy the night before they begin buckling down. Maka, Soul – have fun at the ball while I take care of these two," She practically ordered them as she grabbed a hold of both Spirit and Stein, pulling them in the direction of the throne where the King was seated. "This will likely be your last night to enjoy yourselves for a while; cherish it while you can."

With that, she disappeared into the crowd with the two grown men in tow. And Soul finally turned to Maka, prepared to inform her just what he thought of her dress when the words died on his lips. He was much too focused on the smile that suddenly appeared, only to turn into giggles. "And what do you think is so funny?" Soul asked her, voice light with amusement.

"When Marie has to deal with the two of them, she reminds me of the days when she was still teaching – I was one of the few girls in her classes, so I saw it quite often," She reminisced, only to suddenly give Soul a once over. "You look quite dashing," Maka told him jokingly, her emerald eyes lighting up happily.

"And just as I was about to tell you how beautiful you looked," Soul murmured. "Stealing the spotlight yet again, Lady Albarn."

Lightly, Maka slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "You know better than to call me that. I thought we agreed on no formalities?" She replied, her voice light and still ringing with laughter as the symphony began playing yet another song, one Soul was familiar with.

"Dance with me," Soul suddenly asked her, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the marbled clearing that was being used as a dance floor. Maka was quick to pull back, but it was little use as Soul tugged on her hand until she followed him, protesting the entire time. "Maka, it's only dancing. It's not difficult; just follow my lead," He told her, pulling her into stance before the music finally began.

For Maka's complaints and pleas that Soul, I cannot dance, truly, Soul was surprised by how well she was doing. She moved as he guided her, thankfully missing his feet as they danced together. "See, you're doing fine," He admonished, slowly twirling her. When she faced him again, Soul swore she was standing closer than before. "You really do look beautiful tonight, Maka," He complimented her, suddenly serious as the sly smirk disappeared from his lips.

Red painted her cheeks as she continued to dance with him, stopping only when the song finished. "Thank you. Really," she replied, the red fading as they neared the wall of the throne room.

Soul spied the nearby glass doors leading out to balcony. "Want to head outside, get some air?" He abruptly asked her, his gears spinning quickly as he gently pulled her closer and closer to the exit. She was reluctant, but then he saw her smile gradually grow and she willingly followed. They were outside within moments, the late night air cool against his skin as he took in the sight before him: a dark sky filled with countless stars, one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen – aside from the woman standing in front of him.

"It's so beautiful out here," Maka breathed, eyes glued to the stars.

Soul wanted to come up with something brilliant to say, catchy and perfectly phrased. But instead, all he could come up with was the cheesy, "Not nearly as beautiful as you."

The blonde woman looked back towards him, a smile slowly appearing on her lips and opening as if to speak, only to have her words die on her lips. Soul was puzzled, watching as Maka's confused gaze turned into dread. "Soul – look," She said, pointing far behind him until he finally turned, looking for the subject of her staring. That was when he saw them.

They were appearing along the horizon, blips of light that would suddenly appear. They were approaching, growing larger and larger the closer they got. The ranged in color but were achingly, terribly familiar. "Soul, those are…those are witches. Watch out!" She yelled suddenly, pushing him out of the way as her magic flared a startling emerald green and a sheer green shield formed in front of her.

The magic that had only moments before been aimed at his back hit the shield and dissolved in a curtain of sparks. It was a brilliant display of Maka's abilities, but she was wasting no time as she pushed him back towards the glass doors with a determined scowl glued in place. "We need to get inside and warn the others," She ordered him, grabbing at her now scorch marked skirts and tearing away at them as they returned to the ballroom.

All eyes were on Maka as she raced through the crowd of people, yelling at everyone to move, arm themselves as best they could. By the time she reached the King and prince, they were already barking orders at anyone who could hear them. Soul only followed, noticing how quickly and urgently everyone followed their orders, not to mention how many were listening to Maka's warnings while he stood to the side, unable to act without her assistance.

Only a few minutes had passed when Maka finally turned back to him, a hand grasping his wrist as she began leading him towards the ballroom exit. "I'll need to change into my equipment; this dress isn't made for fighting," She told him, high tailing it for the main ballroom door – only to be cut off by her father's disapproving figure standing in their way. "Papa – you can't be serious."

"I most definitely am," He nearly yelled, struggling to be heard over the roar of people and the sound of magic already attacking the castle. "You're not to fight tonight, Maka. It's far too dangerous and you've only been bonded for less than a day. You and the others of your squad will be staying behind," The members of their group had materialized out of the crowd, muttering unhappily. Even the prince, whose face was set into a troubled glare, was focused on Spirit and the king, who was quickly approaching.

"We have the right to fight," the prince demanded, his words aimed at his father. "All of us are bonded, all of us have trained. We deserve to help you fight, father, to help."

The king looked torn, but quickly recovered at the sight of a frantic Marie and an unsettlingly calm Stein. "The witches we are about to face are far more dangerous than you think, son. Even some of our most skilled pairs have fallen in battle; I will not lose any of you to these…monsters."

Maka turned to her father, the plea shining in her eyes as he looked away, ignoring it as best he could. Soul could almost understand why he was doing this, but the urge to fight was burning in his blood and he was itching to join in the battle. He could practically feel his claws ready to attack, clenched against his palm.

"Guards, bring the prince and his squad to one of the private quarters please. Make sure that they remain inside the castle until we have returned and the battle has ceased," The King ordered, a handful of guards suddenly materializing from the crowd to usher the seven man group towards the housing of the castle. Right before the doors closed behind them, he caught a single glimpse of Ms. Marie, tears shining in her eyes as she watched her husband prepare for battle.

*Soul eater*

They placed the group in one of the quarters – a set of rooms that acted as a suite, including several bedrooms, a dining room, drawing room, and bathing rooms. Soul didn't know about the others, but he was sure of one reason why they had been placed there: they were expected to remain there for quite a while.

In the hour or so that they had been stuck inside of the room, partners had broken off from the squad to find their own places. Tsubaki had found a dark corner of the room, one candle illuminating the area. She sat next to a tense Blackstar, who hadn't spoken a word to anyone aside from his the whispers between him and his bondmate.

The prince and his partners, on the other hand, had disappeared into one of the other rooms attached to the suite. But the walls were thin here and Soul could hear every muttered word, every curse that left Liz's mouth along with the accompanying thud of steps against the floor in impatient pacing. Every so often Soul could hear her younger sister Patti or the prince replying, but he mostly heard the complaints of the elder Thompson sister.

Maka and Soul had found the window seat, facing each other as their legs intertwined. Soul could feel her fingers tapping right above his ankle while his hand had found her calf, rubbing up and down in what he hoped was comforting motion. He doubted though, since he could feel her impatience, pulling their bond as tight as a violin's strings, ready to be played. But unlike the reassuring hum he'd already come to find familiar, this was a harsh, nearly earsplitting sound that he could practically hear with clarity.

"Maka, I can feel how much this is bothering you," Soul finally spoke, watching as her fingers clenched once, twice, until finally resting on his ankle. "Your father is only doing this for your own good. He's trying to protect you in the only way he knows how to."

Her ashy blonde hair, once done up in an elaborate set of braids and wrapped in ribbons, had been put up in a simple ponytail that he was accustomed to seeing. And her eyes, framed in smoky shadowed makeup, were now stuck in a troubled emerald gaze. "He should trust us to be able to fight. I understand that he cares, but the witches are our enemy as much as theirs. If anyone has the right to fight, it is you, Soul."

"This isn't just about me," Soul retorted. "I can feel what you're feeling now. You want to fight to prove yourself. I want to be in this fight just as much as you, but –"

"And we will," Maka cut him off, leaping over Soul and towards the room that the prince, Liz, and Patti had taken up. She had already received the attention of Blackstar and Patti when she returned, the three partners trailing behind her with confusion. "The rest of you want to fight. I can get us out of here. But I won't leave any of you behind."

"Hell yeah," Blackstar exclaimed, breaking out with a grin. "They'll be thankful for their god coming to their rescue. Let's get the hell out of here and into the battle."

Maka stood proud and determined, Soul noticed from his seat at the window. She might have been shorter than everyone aside from Patti, but her confidence made her seem bigger than the world. It was…heartening, to say the least. Even if Kid was the prince and supposed to be in charge of his squad, but everyone in their group knew who truly led them.

"You will need to follow me then," She murmured, moving towards one of the walls – strange, Soul thought, but everything about her had once seemed strange; now, he couldn't help but admire her.

Maka's hands moved along the wall, inching across and putting pressure every so often. "Kid, you remember when I arrived and we found out about the passages between the rooms? Yours has a door, mine does, and likely every room is connected – to one of two exits," She murmured, eyebrows scrunched together in her determined stare. "One of them is a garden, a courtyard with access to the sky. If we can get there, we can get out there and join the battle," She said, "humphing" as one of the boards finally gave way with the click. When she released it, the delicately crafted section of wall swung open to reveal a dimly lit hallway, dank and smelling of mildew.

Slowly, Soul rose from his spot and approached their group, now gathered in front of the door. He didn't have to look at Maka and see the smile shining on her lips to know how proud she was; the bond told him enough. But he could also feel anxiety, nerves, and he wasn't sure if it was coming from her. "Are you sure that we should join the battle? We barely made it out when you rescued me from my city. These witches are –"

"A threat to Morte Civitas and should be dealt with," she replied shortly, pulling at her torn skirt with annoyance. "We can fight them, Soul. I know we can fight them."

As the others filed into the passage, ready for the fight, Soul sighed and, reluctantly, nodded in agreement. His squad was skilled in combat, even the good Doctor Stein had mentioned it in passing. If anything, Soul could pull Maka out of the fighting if it became too overwhelming and the others would likely follow their example. If they got separated, Maka could make contact with either rider to get their help. "Okay then. Let's go fight."

*Soul eater*

It took little more than a few minutes to arrive at the garden Soul and Maka had frequented since the beginning of their partnership. Even less for Soul and the other dragons to shift in a flurry of light – white and blue and golds all mixing together in a brilliant display of color. The riders, on the other hand, were making quick work of their finery; the prince had pulled off the thick dress coat and decorations, leaving behind the long sleeves of what resembled his riding uniform. Blackstar, likewise, had worn his uniform beneath his suit. But Maka had not; instead, she had to settle for the sleeves of her dress and the torn skirt, which would do little in the way of guarding from magic. Thankfully she was skilled with shields, but Soul was still worried as he shifted down, allowing Maka to mount up without trouble. "It will be fine," she murmured, so quiet he wasn't sure if she had whispered it in his heard or through the bond.

Without words, Soul simply huffed in agreement, comforted by the feel of her hands resting along the back of his neck. "Follow me when we get into the air. We will gain height and assess the situation before we join the battle. Stay together if you can. Remember to keep up your shields if you can, and never let a witch get behind you. If one of us gets injured, we get to them and get out of the fighting, understand?"

All of the squad nodded solemnly as they finally mounted up, realizing what they were about to do. They would be fighting one of the worst enemies to date, Death City's only magic wielding opponents. Even Soul, raised outside of the city's walls, knew how dangerous the witches were.

With a final, resounding command, Soul could feel the bond between him and Maka pulled tight as a piano's strings as he stretched out his wings. But when he finally rose in the air, wings flapping with ease, he could feel it relax; this was what the bond was meant for. Even without full resonance, he could feel what she meant to do likely before she would. "I know you can already tell, but this is amazing," He heard her speak, barely audible over the sound of his wings. "Before we get down there, I want you to know that I am sure you can do this. It might be our first battle together, but you have been excellently trained. Stein was even proud of your progress. You will do great," She told him, once again patting his neck reassuringly.

They got into the air in moments, flying high above the castle and maneuvering the entire squad until they could see where the battle was worst. Soul could see it with startling clarity even from so high – another perk of being a dragon were the enhanced senses. The north side of the castle had been hit the worst, with parts of the stone structure now reduced to rubble. "That's where we are headed," Maka pointed, indicating one of the most crowded areas in the battle. "We are going to have to resonate now, Soul. Do you think you will be okay?"

Reminded of the sudden pains of their bonding ceremony, Soul almost denied her request. But then he remembered what resonating meant: shared thoughts and strategies, healing, shared energy. It would make their fighting more difficult if they decided to go without for the sake of less pain. He nodded his head once, twice, before he finally reached out mentally for the bond.

And she was there, waiting for him. This time, their resonance didn't send pains throughout his body; instead, it felt warm and he could hear her as clear as day, as if she were speaking to him. We will stay above the fight, using magic and fire to combat them. It is the least we can do to stay out of danger, he heard her think.

Fine, he tried to reply. Don't push yourself too hard Maka. Using too much magic can hurt you.

I will be fine, her thoughts intoned, cutting off shortly before they dove into the fighting. It started out okay; Maka and the other riders were attacking with precision. Soul was careful to stay high enough that the witches would have hard time aiming for them in the middle of the night sky, but it was just far enough that Soul could feel the tinge of frustration as Maka's own magic was becoming difficult to aim. Even his fire was falling short. It didn't help that even as high as they were, Soul was having to dodge attacks from the enemies below.

We need more power, Soul heard her in his head. We need to push the resonance. If we do not, there is no way my attacks will be able to reach any of them.

A sick feeling in his gut, Soul furiously shook his head as he pulled up suddenly. I – we can't! If we push it too much –

At this rate, we have no choice, her thoughts thundered. Without stronger resonance, my attacks will never reach them. We have to push it if I want any chance of attacking them.

And she pushed it. Her soul was a wrecking ball, pushing and pulling at the bond until Soul was finally forced to respond in like. But this, this was not resonating.

This was pain. The same mind numbing pain that Soul remembered with striking clarity from that very morning during their bonding. Soul could barely keep his wings moving so that they wouldn't fall from the sky; but even still, they were slowly but surely falling from the sky. He could hardly tell, as the pain spiked again and again. He couldn't hear Maka in his head anymore, could barely hear her shouts and screams. But then there was a yell and a flash of light, only moments before Soul finally lost control of his wings.

They plummeted down, closer and closer to the ground until Maka somehow managed to cushion their fall with a sudden flash of her emerald colored magic. It still wasn't pretty as they rolled across the ground, one of his wings catching something sharp before he finally stopped.

When he finally fell still, Soul moved slowly and carefully. While the bond had gone back to normal – a steady purr – the pain was slow to fade. By the time he stood up, still in his dragon form, he still felt jerks of pain in different parts of his body.

But he wasn't important. He was worried far more about Maka, who would be relatively defenseless without their resonance. A few moments of searching found her getting to her feet, slowly but surely. From a distance, Soul saw scraped knees and a slight limp, but otherwise okay. When she saw him, she smiled slightly and started to approach him. When they finally reached each other, she leaned on him with a huff and the ghost of a smile. "Thank god you're okay. I wasn't sure if my magic had been enough…" She continued, her proper words slipping away and left with the rushed speaking of someone worried.

But Soul didn't care about any of her apologies. Instead, he was just thankful she was okay, putting his forehead against her shoulder with a deep chested growl. "I know. I'm happy you're okay too. But I don't know what to do with your wing all torn up like this. If we fly, it could tear and we would be in even worse trouble. And with our resonating having…issues, I have no clue what to do. We will have to wait for the others."

Soul was just about to shift back when he saw it: a slight ripple of light only a few feet behind Maka. And it was moving. It materialized out of nothing, a pink haired witch brandishing a sword that seemed to glow with an eerie, dark, strangely familiar light. And the witch was headed straight for his rider.

He reacted instantly, pushing the blonde roughly behind him as he charged at the enemy. Fire was on his lips, but he was startled as the witch disappeared, only to reappear right in front of him, sword poised at Soul's chest and piercing through his scales as easily as if he'd been human. Soul jerked, pulling back until he was on his hind legs – a dire mistake, as the witch sliced straight across his abdomen. He could do little more than roar in pain, using his injured wings to push him back and away from his assailant.

Soul barely knew what happened after. He knew Maka had lunged from behind him, but he only heard the screams of the witch before it cut off suddenly. He was in pain, panicking, as his body began to shift back of its own accord – an automatic response, he remembered dimly, to shock or trauma. He tried to move, but his feet weren't cooperating. When he was finally, completely human, he fell to the ground with a jolt of pain as he landed with his wound to the ground.

Time moved strangely after he collapsed, his vision going darker and blurred. Moments or hours later, Soul couldn't tell, Maka was at his side with something – tears? – trailing down her cheeks. Everything was so distorted and – why couldn't he feel anything?

Soul could barely tell who was friend or foe when the others landed, their team surrounding them and giving them some cover from the ever present danger of the witches. But it wouldn't help if they didn't escape. They would all die, just as surely as Soul was dead where he laid. "You've…you've got to leave," Soul managed through gritted teeth, the metallic taste of blood on his tongue. "If you don't…they'll hurt you too."

Maka only shook her head, worrying over his wound as Soul heard Kid barking orders at the others. "I can't just leave you here. We can make it, we can get out of here –"

"You need to resonate!" They heard Blackstar yell in reply, slipping from the back of Tsubaki's dragon form, a blade in his hand. It too glowed, obviously magicked.

Kid glanced back at Blackstar, confusion written across his features. "They can't; their resonating sent out a shock of pain so strong I could feel it while Maka and I communicated. If they try it again –"

"It can't get any worse," Blackstar concluded, eyes flitting across the witches fighting only yards away. It was only the fire provided by the sisters and Tsubaki that kept them from stepping closer. "At this rate, Soul is dying. If they resonate, they at least have a chance of healing him enough to return to the castle. If it doesn't work, at least they tried. If they don't, they're dead either way."

Soul couldn't help but agree, even while suffering through the pain his wound was causing. One look from Maka, and Soul was nodding in encouragement, searching for her hand and, when he finally found it, grasped it as tightly as he could. When Maka looked down at him, he pushed out with his soul, searching for the bond as he tried to ignore the sounds around him, focusing solely on finding her on the other end of their bond.

Their spirits met with vengeance, but there was something different this time. Soul was searching for a problem and could feel it. He could feel her restraining, holding her soul back. Had she done the same the first time? "You – you can't hold back," He muttered, trying his hardest not to yell out from pain. "If you hold back, it will be just as painful as our fall from the sky."

She looked down at him again, terror in her eyes and in their bond. It keened loudly in his mind, just before – warmth. Radiance. Peace. It was as if someone had turned a switch, their bond becoming clearer and stronger than anything he'd experienced since their bonding that morning. It was serene yet powerful, as strength flooded through him and into his very bones. Soul swore that he could feel his wound knitting itself together, while the others surrounded them, protecting them.

Within moments, Soul could feel again. When Maka finally pulled away – having moved in closer, her forehead was nearly touching his – she looked as relieved as he felt. But it was only momentary, as both Soul and Maka heard the frantic warnings of their teammates.

Witches were approaching. But with his still healing wound, Soul knew he wouldn't be able to shift, much less fly the two of them out of the middle of the fighting. "Soul, I'm going to shift now and I'm going to need you to get on my back. You will need to hold on for as long as you can; just a few minutes so we can get back to the castle."

He didn't have much of a choice. Soul could only watch as his partner shifted in a flash of golden light. He could still hear her, giving orders to the other riders; they were quick to lift him onto Maka's back, clutching at the mane that trailed along her spine. A couple of minutes later and they were in the air, the others following shortly behind with flares of fire to cover their escape.

The last thing Soul saw before the flames consumed the ground was a familiar golden haired, golden eyed woman. And she was shooting magic right at them.

*Soul eater*

Soul had somehow managed to stay conscious the entire way back to the castle, grunting as the land jostled his partially healed wound. People approached them as soon as they reached the ground, hoisting Soul down and attempting to bring him to the infirmary.

Maka, on the other hand, protested with a sharp growl before she shifted back. Her hair, usually done up in an intricate braid or ponytail, trailed down her back in silky blonde waves, while her clothes had disappeared in the shift. She took most of the burden, pulling his arm across her shoulders and practically carrying him through the hectic halls – full of men and women running to and fro, in a hurry to reach their destinations. It was loud, a ruckus that Soul had trouble blocking out.

"Just focus on the bond," The emerald eyed rider murmured, side stepping a man who hurried past her, through another hallway and disappearing. "Focus on the bond and don't worry about the noise around us."

It took a little concentration, but Soul somehow managed it. But by the time he did, they were crossing the open doorway and into the infirmary, where Stein was already busy tending to the wounded. Almost too busy to notice one of the advisor's children walking in, until his wife caught sight of the two nude teenagers with a gasp. "Maka, Soul! Your father and the King have people looking for you throughout the castle. Maka, bring him over here so we can look over him. Someone, please, bring something so that Lady Albarn can cover up."

Marie quickly made space for Soul, setting up one of the cots and helping Maka gently put him down before she took a sheet given to her. She wrapped it around her before turning back to Marie, a question on her lips – only to be interrupted by Stein.

"Has anyone seen Medusa? We need an extra hand in here," He nearly yelled, startling most of the conscious patients. "Best night to disappear."

Teeth clenched together from Marie's painful cleansing, Soul could barely get his words out. "Saw her…fighting. Wrong side. She looked…like one of the witches," He muttered, flinching. "Was trying to hit us with magic."

Stein approached Soul's bedside, almost pushing aside Maka in his surprise. "Magic? Are you sure?" Soul nodded. "She didn't have magic, or at the very least never said so. Her file explicitly stated that she had never had any special abilities. Are you sure you weren't confused."

He nodded again. "I wouldn't miss her. She was one of the first people I met here and…she always gave me the creeps."

Stein pulled on another set of gloves as he got to work, inspecting Soul's wound closely while Marie moved onto some of the other patients. "A witch…to have missed a witch in our midst…almost more surprising than the fact that your wound is nearly healed. When did this happen?"

"Less than half an hour ago," Maka murmured, working to be heard over the din of the infirmary. "One of the witches had a dagger and he…he tried to protect me and was wounded from his shoulder to his hip. We tried to resonate and it just – it healed him alarmingly fast. I don't know how, but it healed him."

"Strange," the doctor whispered, barely loud enough for Soul to hear. "The last recorded bond that had this kind of accelerated healing was nearly a century ago. To be able to regenerate so quickly – it's a rare ability that manifests between the strongest of bonds. To be able to wield it; your souls must align almost perfectly."

"I've heard of healing between bondmates before," Maka replied, her hand slipping into Soul's. It was a comfort, to say the least, as Marie finished tending to his injury. "But I've never heard of it being some kind of ability."

"As I've said, it's rather rare. And I'll need to speak about it – and your team's excursion – with the king as soon as possible. Until then, I'll get one of the nurses to help Marie with the patients. And one of the guards will watch over you, to make sure that none of you wander off again in the meantime."

*Soul eater*

It was approaching early morning when Soul, Maka, and the rest of their team were returned to their rooms. They'd been stuck with the king for more than an hour, not to mention the advisors that had joined them. The King and Spirit Albarn had been the angriest, worried for the sake of their only children. Soul couldn't blame them for being so upset.

But, Soul was pretty surprised by the fact that they got off with little more than a scolding before moving onto the topic of Medusa – who had been seen by other riders and dragons, proving that Soul was telling the truth about the woman who had, since the witch attack, disappeared.

It had taken them little more than an hour to sort out everything before they finally sent each one of their team back to their rooms – each separately, likely to prevent another escape such as their last. Soul didn't blame the king for separating them; after the disaster that had been their first attempt of escaping, Soul couldn't really fight his decision. So he resignedly walked into his rooms, his first objective being clothes to replace the pair he'd been loaned while still in the infirmary.

But instead, he found a bath already drawn and a blushing, bumbling maid who was bowing vigorously as Soul entered the bathroom. "Your highness, please excuse me; I meant to leave before you returned."

Soul waved her off, far too tired for any kind of grand standing manners. "It's fine. I'm just thankful for the warm bath," He replied, testing the water just as the maid disappeared through the door with more murmured apologies. One click was enough of a sign for Soul to start removing his borrowed clothing. He got into the tub with a groan, the heat helping with his aching muscles and the soreness that seemed centered at his partially healed wound – healed enough that it hadn't needed any tending to other than a once over from Dr. Stein.

He quickly washed off the grime and blood that had collected throughout the night, but he made no move to get out until the water had long started to cool. Soul didn't rush to dress, wrapping a towel around his waist and moving to his bedroom – where he found Maka, sitting patiently on his bed.

Usual circumstances, Soul knew he would have once jumped practically out of his skin. But their new bond, even inactive, was enough of a warning when it came to the emerald eyed girl's presence. "How'd you manage to get out of your rooms?"

She didn't startle when he spoke. Instead she looked up at him with a small, tired grin. "The guards still think I'm inside. They don't know about the passages and I'm starting to think that the king is keeping it a secret on purpose. That, or he thought we would be too scared to disobey him and the advisors a second time." Soul chuckled half-heartedly as her smile faltered, just for a moment, as she caught what she'd said. "I mean – I didn't think before I spoke. I didn't want to upset you but…I-I came to apologize."

Awkward silence. Avoiding glances. "Please, say something, anything," Maka practically begged, pulling her legs up while Soul fell into one of the cushioned seats on the opposite side of the room.

Soul sighed, dragging a hand tiredly across his forehead. "What do you want me to say? It's day one – day one – and you pushed a bond that you already knew had issues. I warned you, and you pushed it regardless. And I can't tell if you're apologizing for pushing the bond, or for what happened as a result."

"I-I'm sorry for all of it Soul. I knew what might happen, and I screwed it up," She replied, curling in on herself, a defensive layer between her and anything that might hurt her. "I can't tell you how much I regret my actions tonight. I understand how much you might hate me right now, or if you want to break our partnership. Your trust – I broke the trust of the one person I am supposed to protect above all others. But as frightening as the thought of breaking the bond sounds to me right now, nothing is more frightening than thinking about what almost happened when you tried to protect me. To think of what the witch nearly did…I can barely even contemplate it."

Soul wasted no time in getting up from his chair and sitting at her side, hands resting on her shoulders. "I can't hate you; I don't think I ever could. Not when I…care about you, as much as I do." He pulled her in, wrapping his arms around her trembling shoulders. "And it's because I care about you so much that I did what I did tonight. I protected you because I wanted to, not because of some insane bonding obligation."

Maka murmured into his shoulder, far too low for Soul to hear. "You're going to have to speak up if you want me to hear what you're saying, angel."

"I said that I…care about you too. And watching that witch hurt you…" She paused, sniffling as she turned to look up at him. Her eyes shined, holding back tears. "I couldn't even think about what might happen to me; all I was worried about was what I would do without you. We might have only bonded yester, but I have bonded with you for months now. I couldn't stand to lose you, not after all we've had to deal with."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm hearing this now," Soul joked, pushing a stray lock of ashy blonde hair out of her face with a smirk.

"And why would that be?" She asked, uncurling from her position on the bed and wrapping her own arms around him. "If you're upset with me saying this –"

"I'm not," He stopped her, hand caressing her cheek. "I'm glad I'm hearing this now, because it means I can do this," Soul murmured, moving in closer until his lips crashed against hers.

Her reaction was immediate, a low gasp of surprise that gradually turned into a content moan. One hand stayed at her cheek, while the other moved to the small of her back, pulling her ever closer as she arched into his embrace. He could feel her hands roaming just much as his, until they landed in his hair, her grip drawing him closer than he thought possible. It was rushed, heated, everything that Soul had fantasized about when it came to kissing her.

He pulled away with a sigh, almost pushing Maka away, as enthusiastic as she was. But the look on her face – half lidded, glazed eyes; cheeks flushed; lips red, puffy; and her hair was thoroughly mussed and pleasantly ravished – was almost alluring enough to continue with the activity. "As entertaining as this is, you might want to get back to your rooms before the guards find out you're gone. Or else they might tell your father and we don't need him coming in to find you in a…compromising position."

"Let them," She breathed as her arms wrapped around him, entrapping him on the bed as she kissed him this time. But this was sweeter, slower; a simmer in comparison to the boil that had been their first kiss. "My guards know better than to enter my rooms without my permission. They will never know I was gone. And I'll be back by tomorrow morning, so no one will know."

Soul almost said no. If something happened, he could have one or two of the King's advisors breathing down his neck for anything they may have done in a room together, alone. And while one was scary enough to deal with, any more than that were terrifying.

But, because he likely had a death wish, Soul reluctantly nodded. "Okay," He murmured, kissing her once, twice, until they were laying back on his bed. And they stayed there for hours, enjoying nothing more than each other's company.

*Soul eater*

They were fast asleep by the time the knock on the door sounded, loud and obnoxious in the otherwise silent room. But it was enough to startle the two teenagers out of their peaceful slumbers. And it had been…nice, to say the least. Soul had woken with Maka – naked – in his arms, using his chest as a pillow and his arms wrapped around her tiny waist. It was a nice illusion, if only for a few minutes.

Because the next thing the sleepy couple knew were the sounds of footsteps rapidly approaching and voices getting louder. Soul was the first to sit up, gently but urgently shaking Maka awake. "Hey, you might want to get up before anyone sees –"

"You're lucky it's just us then," Kid's voice piped up, walking through the door with the rest of their squad in tow. He and the others looked amused, while Maka barely held back a yell of surprise before pulling the covers up to her chin, shortly before Soul moved to assist her. "So it looks like the two of you got inventive. Let me guess, the tunnels?"

"Took me months how to navigate them," Liz muttered, sidling up to the bed with a smirk. "Only a few more days to learn how to navigate Kid's –"

"And we are not going there," Maka exclaimed, desperately trying to avoid the conversation even while hidden behind blankets. "Now what did you need –"

"Damn, didn't know you had it in you blondie," Blackstar spoke, a smirk matching Liz's on his lips. "Good thing we checked here first, or else we would have gotten worried and the guards would have freaked out and then everyone would have found out that the innocent advisor's daughter is –"

"Not the reason you guys came in here," Soul finished flatly, pointedly turning away from Blackstar and looking to Kid. "If you give us a minute – and close the door behind you – you can tell us why you're here as soon as we're dressed."

Kid nodded and herded the rest of their squad through the door, closing it as soon as the last of them were through. It left them mercifully, gladly alone. Soul could barely hold in his laughter as he turned to Maka, still hidden up to her nose behind the covers as their eyes met – and they both laughed, pausing only for Soul to pull Maka back into his arms. They kissed again, soft and sweet, before pulling apart with matching smiles.

"Good morning," Maka murmured, her body lying across his in a way that, if she moved too much, would result in them not being able to get out of bed for a while.

"As much as I'm enjoying this," Soul whispered into her ear. "I'd hate to make the rest of our team wait on us. Might leave, go find the king, maybe your father while they're at it. We wouldn't want that. Unless you'd like the entire castle to hear about how your father found us together."

Maka sighed before finally pulling away, getting up at a snail's pace while Soul tried to follow. But it was difficult, especially when he had such a nice view from where he currently sat. "I can tell that you're staring," Maka sang, turning around with a knowing grin. "As you said, wouldn't want to take too much time. Wouldn't want to get the others involved now, would we?"

With a groan, Soul pulled himself out of bed and towards the drawers that held his clothes. "We wouldn't."

"So get dressed. We can find time later, after we find out why the others came searching for us," She promised him. Right as she picked up a stack of clothes, hidden behind one of the cushioned chairs in the far corner of the room.

"You brought an extra set of clothes," Soul noted, voice full of suspicion. "You wanted to stay last night."

"Of course I did. Regardless of anything that happened, I was planning on staying here. I did not want to leave you alone after everything that took place yesterday. I might not have planned on this, but I will admit that I'm happy it did," She practically purred. But then she was slipping on her uniform – this one a more practically, mono colored suit built for practicality instead of show like the one she'd worn the morning of their bonding. It was a dark gray, with minimal stitching, and fit snuggly. It showed off every one of her curves, emphasized by the dark red designs in the fabric.

"I think we're alike in that aspect. But we better hurry and get dressed. I have a feeling that it's more than just our team waiting for us."

*Soul eater*

By the time they finally left the room, Soul was trying to straighten his clothes, hastily put on in their rush to leave. Maka in the meantime, was still trying to fix her lengthy ashy blonde hair; it was a chore on normal days, even harder when on the move. She had finally given up and put it in a plain ponytail, free of any of the usual braids or plaits. Soul's had been left alone, since there was little he could do to the messy locks without anything to tame them.

Kid and the others had wasted no time in herding the lot of them out of the room and to the throne room. Even their leader knew little about why they had been summoned to meet with the king.

"Any ideas as to why the king ordered us to meet him?" Soul finally asked, ignoring the guards who had joined their procession to the throne room only moments after leaving his rooms. "He was pissed at us the last time he spoke to us. Why would he want to talk with us now?"

"I have no clue," Kid answered him solemnly. "From what the guardsmen originally told me, all I know is that my father and the advisors asked to speak with us as soon as we could join them. It sounded exceedingly urgent, but that's the extent of my knowledge."

"Maybe it has to do with our training," Tsubaki quietly added, gently nudging her partner aside to join their conversation. "You don't think they'll split our team, do you?"

"We'll find out soon." And that was that, only silence coming from Kid for the rest of their walk to the throne room.

When they finally arrived, the guards ushered them in with no announcement. It wouldn't have mattered; the entirety of the king's council was enraptured by the table that had been brought to the room, taking over a large space in front of the throne. When they got closer, Soul noticed that it was a map, similar to the one in his father's war room. But this one was well worn and marked up countless times. Metal map markers, a large array of markers consisting of symbols representing dragons, riders, and the witches, were arranged around one section of the map. From what Soul could tell, it was surrounding a mountain range that Soul recognized as being close to his old home.

"So they finally gathered all of you from your rooms. We were beginning to wonder if you had escaped again," The king spoke, pulling away from the map to address their team. "We brought you here to discuss the upcoming battle. The council has decided to allow your team to be a part of the battle."

Soul knew he should have happy; to be allowed into battle was a huge honor for any dragon or rider. But after the last battle he'd been a part of…he wasn't exactly excited to take part. Not it their last battle was any indication. "But you just told us that we hadn't trained enough. Why are you suddenly letting us fight?"

"Correction," Stein suddenly spoke, turning around and revealing a lit cigarette and, behind him, a tray full of them. "We are not bringing you in to fight. We're bringing you in as defense. Some of the council, including myself, Azusa, Spirit, and the King, will be on the front lines during the attack. We need all the fire power we can get, but we need this team on the defensive."

While the entire team reacted to being shifted to defense, it was Kid and Maka who turned to their parents, questions on their lips. But it was Spirit who beat them to the punch, a grim, knowing scowl on his lips, his expression set in indifference. "As much as we'd like to keep you and ourselves safe, we need fighters more. So while we join the fight, the seven of you will keep any witches from leaving the sight of the battle. We don't need them escaping to attack Morte Civitas, since it will be utterly defenseless with most of our forces gone for the witches' city."

"But while we encourage you to take down any fleeing witches," Azusa – usually quiet during strategy meeting – suddenly muttered, catching the attention of the young team. "There is a point where…you will leave us behind if anything should happen."

"No!" Maka nearly yelled, matched by Kid's own reaction. "There is no way we would ever just leave any of you on the battlefield. That could mean death –"

"And if we fall only to have you stubbornly stay behind? That would mean death for every single one of us, you, and everyone who remained behind in a defenseless city," The King reprimanded them. "Maka, Kid, the two of you will be connected to our team, so that we will be able to communicate. If you hear, from any of us, that something is going wrong, you will pull back. You will also instruct the other lines of defense to pull back as well."

"These are your instructions," Stein murmured. "You have until nightfall to decide if you will be a part of this battle. If you decide not to participate, you will be stationed here at the castle, preparing to flee if it comes to that. The only question is what you are willing to do for Death City?"

*Soul eater*

By the time nightfall arrived, Soul and Maka were exiting her rooms and were headed for the cliff.

Soul could feel Maka's anxiety through the bond – far worse than anything he'd felt while the witches had attacked Morte Civitas. But it was a mixture: while she was still worried about how they would do in the fight, she was far more worried for her father and the others. "You know that they wouldn't be doing this unless they had another option, right?"

Maka flinched at the sound of his voice, startled. "I know but…my dad has not been in a real battle for years now. He has sparred countless times, but it is not the same when facing witches who wield lethal magic. What if he fails to use his shield, or calls for it a second too late? I cannot help but think of everything that could happen."

"I understand but Maka, the same could happen to anyone, any of us," Soul reminded her. "It did happen already. Your father, the King, Stein, Azusa – they all know what they're risking. But they know that this is what they have to do if they have any chance of saving Death City."

They slowly approached a set of nondescript doors – the same doors that Soul had stood in front of only the morning before, moments before their bonding. But while Soul kept on walking, Maka slowed to a stop as she stared ahead blankly. "Maka – your emotions are all over the place. Tell me what's wrong."

And that's when she broke down. Her eyes began to shine, tears trailing down her cheeks as she began to sob. When Soul put his arms around her, she sunk into his embrace gratefully. "Can we…can we go somewhere else, just for a few minutes? I don't want anyone to see me like this."

Soul only nodded before leading her down the hall, stopping only when they reached a side room. They slipped in quietly – an armory, mostly empty after the riders had found what they needed. Maka let go as soon as the door clicked behind them, her sniffles turning into sobs. Soul let her cry, running a hand gently through her hair soothingly until she started to quiet down.

When she finally stopped, Maka looked up at him with a frown. "I-I'm so sorry for freaking out like this. It's just that my father…after my mother left me here, my father has become the only person I have. I know that my team, you – I know that you are all her for me, but my father took care of me when no one else would. I just…I don't want to lose him, Soul. And Morte Civitas… this is my home."

"And you don't want to lose it," He finished for her, receiving a nod in return. "I would love to promise you that everyone is going to come back safe, but there's no way to guarantee anything. The most I can tell you is that your father, all of the others, they've trained years for a battle like this. They've prepared as much as they can. All you can do is hope and pray that everything works out for the best."

"But Soul, if worst comes to worst…I can't just leave Morte Civitas to fall. If they call for a surrender, I'm going back to the city to protect anyone left behind. I will do everything I can to make sure every other citizen is safe."

"That's all you can try to do, Maka. That's all you can do."

*Soul eater*

Soul and Maka snuck into the large room as the King was climbing onto the raised platform on the far end of the room. He was wearing a rider's uniform, as plain as the rest of his forces, adorned only with minimal stitching and enough armor to cover his vital areas. Next to the platform were each of the council members; the riders wore similar outfits, while those who would shift wore the clothes Soul had long gotten used to while staying in Death City.

Maka was the one who found their team, standing a few feet away from the stand, whispering among themselves. They joined them just as the king began speaking, giving orders and encouraging the forces. By the end of it, dragons and riders alike were moving to different parts of the room, based on their roles in the attack. In the meantime, Maka was looking to Soul for reassurance, which was as easy as putting an arm around her and kissing the crown of her head.

When everyone was finally organized, the King called for the doors to be lifted. But today, it wasn't a lone door that opened; instead, entire sections of the wall lifted to reveal the cliffs. Soul could spy the countless rows of seats, dark and empty in the middle of the night. It was lit up with the sight of dragons shifting, diving off of the cliffs only to fly off with their riders in tow. Soul watched as Maka's father shifted, turning into a brilliant ruby red dragon that likely towered over Soul's own form.

"Who's that blonde priest guy?" Soul asked, pointing at a man who looked to be only a few years his senior. He wore the garbs of a priest, an ankle length black gown interrupted by white cloth. And he was following shortly behind the King and the council.

Kid turned, surprise written on his face, before he caught sight of the blond man in question. "That's Justin Law. As far as I knew, he was busy trying to settle a treaty with some far off city. That's why you haven't met him during any of the council meetings. But, I just can't understand –"

"It's time!" Patti alerted them as they started to move, some of their line moving forward. Soul watched as the dragons all around him shifted, including Justin Law. But he was without rider, diving off the cliff human and appearing again in dragon form – but when he reappeared, he was not a brilliant gold; instead, he was a startling gray.

Soul didn't have time to question it, shifting as quickly as he could and taking a knee so that Maka could mount up. And within moments, they were diving off of the cliff as the others in the team quickly followed suit.

*Soul eater*

It took almost an hour of hard flying to reach the outskirts of the domain the witches called home.

Soul could have laughed under normal circumstances, just for the fact that it was almost everything one pictured when thinking of an evil lair. It was dark and foreboding, but Soul and Maka were far enough away that Soul couldn't really see the main stronghold, where the attack would be focused.

Soul, Maka, and the rest of their team landed outside of the gates, where a few guards had gathered. They were some of the few men the witches kept with them. They usually fought against invaders, but were relatively weak in comparison to their bosses. Okay, Kid, Liz, and Patti will sneak behind them and back attack. Catch them off guard and we will move in for the main attack. You caught that Blackstar, Tsubaki? Both nodded while Kid and the others had already snuck off, moving quietly through the shadows to move into position. No magic or anything bright. Don't want to draw attention to this gate.

They watched patiently as the guards grew more and more agitated. The guards were just beginning to yell back and forth when Liz and Patti sprung from their hiding spots, attacking with tooth and claw before Kid appeared with sword in hand. Only a few moments had passed when Maka and Blackstar followed, attacking from the front with everything but magic and fire.

The guards were dispatched quickly, pushed out of sight while their team readied for any fleeing witches. "Blackstar," Maka murmured, trying to catch his attention across the gate. "Fly up with Tsubaki and check on the other gates around the city. I want to know if there's anything going on that shouldn't. Don't venture too close to the main force, just stick to the outer wall."

With a nod from both Blackstar and Tsubaki, whose dragon for was one of the darkest Soul had yet seen, they took off quietly into the sky. Tsubaki's dark scales were one of the main reasons that the pair were trained for stealth, although it was contrary to Blackstar's usually loud nature.

Maka busied herself, cleaning off the set of daggers she had brought with her while Kid did the same to his sword. Patti and Liz were still in dragon form, much like Soul, who was trying in vain to remove blood from his scales. He'd managed to avoid biting any of the guards, but there was blood on his claws that wouldn't go away by simply rubbing his paws along the ground. Come here, he heard Maka's voice in his head.

Soul immediately walked towards her, stopping in front of her and raising his claws when she motioned for it. Give me a minute and it will be gone. Maka pulled a rag out of her pocket, scrubbing at the blood, between the nails, until it was gone. There. Now, are you ready to fight anyone else? I don't want to worry over you, but I cannot help it. And I have been feeling anxiety from you since we landed.

Soul huffed, pulling his claws gently away. I'm fine. It's just…I knew we'd have to hurt some of them, but it doesn't make it any easier.

Maka nodded in agreement as her hand landed on the crown of his head, patting gently. You might think it gets easier, but even knowing that they have attacked us doesn't make it any better either.

Only moments from replying, Soul was cut off when Blackstar and Tsubaki landed in the clearing. Blackstar was quick to hop off, drawing his weapon as soon as his feet reached the ground. "The gates have all been taken by the defensive lines and the main force has started taking the city. They're approaching the main domain now. But there are fleeing witches heading towards gates now. Be ready to attack."

Minutes later and the first of the witches arrived. Soul's team was lucky enough to have the element of surprise, taking most of them out with weapons and keeping the use of magic to a minimum on both sides. It went on like this for what felt like hours, witches arriving every so often with no idea what awaited them. The witches had little chance and only one or two managed to use magic, luckily without injuring any of the team.

It was hours after they arrived that the witches stopped coming altogether, as if there were no more. While Soul was relieved to have a moment to rest, he still couldn't let it go that something was off. Even when Maka sent Blackstar and Tsubaki back into the sky for a stealth run, he couldn't shake the feeling in his gut that something was wrong.

And then there was the voice, sudden and loud and panicked. One of the three witches is gone. I repeat, one of the three witch leaders has disappeared, a voice alerted their team. It took only a moment for Soul to realize that it was Maka's father, still alive. We think it is Medusa. Approach with extreme caution. She has a large radius of attack and wields highly volatile magic. Currently approaching high concentration of enemies, will update when –

The voice cut off, voice catching as if in surprise. Soul didn't even have to look to know Maka's eyes were wide, fear and desperation shining clearly as she froze. Maka, he's probably fine. He likely had to deal with some enemy.

But what if you're wrong? She turned to him, emerald eyes reflecting her question. What if he's just been hurt, or killed, or protecting one of the others? And what about Medusa?

"Medusa is our top priority," Kid said, catching the attention of every rider and dragon in their small clearing. "All of the gates are protected by other dragons and riders of our caliber, but we have to be prepared to move if one of the other gates is attacked. We can't let them fight alone."

"You're right," Blackstar agreed, already leaping into action. "Tsubaki and I will stick to the sky and watch out for any movement at the gates. I'll alert all of you when I find out where Medusa is headed."

"Make sure to watch out for a group," Maka instructed, her worry hidden by a thinly veiled bravado that Soul was unsure he could ever pull off in her situation. "Medusa probably knows that we are targeting her. She will likely have rallied a group to help protect herself, adding additional danger to the situation. Do not confront her unless we join you first, Blackstar; she'll be far too powerful, understand me?"

Maka was glaring – not at Blackstar, Soul knew, but at the thought of Medusa. She had been someone Maka had trusted, so it made sense that she felt betrayed by the golden haired woman. It didn't help that the girl was already volatile, her emotions a roller coaster as she attempted to protect everything dear to her.

Blackstar simply nodded, nothing more than a murmured "yes ma'am" before he and Tsubaki took off from the clearing with little to no noise. "Until then, I think we should resonate. I know how dangerous it is, but it's our only chance of reaching a power level high enough to even consider taking on Medusa if it's left to the three of us."

Kid only nodded before turning to his two golden dragons, both Patti and Liz nodding solemnly as they rested their heads on either of his shoulders. Then Maka turned to Soul, worry etched not on her face, but instead throughout the bond. So to resonate, we need to not hold anything back, right? She asked carefully, reaching out with her hand until it landed gently on the ridge of his nose. Soul could only jerk his head as he felt it, her soul reaching out, as open and welcoming as anything Soul had ever felt before. I promise – I swear that I will not push the bond again. I will give everything and will take whatever you give me.

Soul sighed as he let his own soul reach out, finding hers with a grateful purr. I believe you. I trust you.

Their resonance was stronger than the first time they'd fought in battle. This time, Soul could feel everything running through Maka's mind, every emotion plaguing her as they waited for a fight that might have a frightening end. So this is what resonance feels like.

Soul could feel the release of breath as Maka relaxed and gave herself to the bond. Her every action felt like his own, their breathing following the same patterns, her power joining with his. He couldn't remember a time when he'd felt so strong, so powerful. This is true resonance. Everything else feels like child's play in comparison.

They were just acclimating themselves to the bond when Blackstar and Tsubaki returned, floating above them with Blackstar urgently motioning for them to move. "Kilik, Ox, and Kim found her, directly east of the city's wall. But they're struggling without backup. I tried to alert the groups between there and here, but they're fighting their own enemies. We're the only ones who can get there."

Without hesitation, Maka leaped into action. By the time she was mounted up, Soul and the others were already airborne, pushing their wings as hard as they could in hopes of reaching the other team. It was made even harder by the fact that Soul, Liz, and Patti were little more than moving targets in the night sky. They found themselves avoiding incoming attacks left and right before they finally reached the eastern gate. Even landing was a hazard, as fleeing witches targeted them. It was only Maka's shields that protected Soul from a devastating lightning attack that she simply absorbed.

They dispatched the underlings in minutes, pushing closer and closer to the gate, their destination within reach. Kid was doing plenty of damage, while Liz and Patti's fire was leaving a trail free for their team to take. Blackstar and Tsubaki were a devastating pair, Blackstar's sword a match only for Tsubaki's razor sharp claws and the spikes of her tail. Soul, on the other hand, was tearing into enemies with tooth and claw, the blood leaving a metallic taste in his mouth. Maka was a sight to behold, a dancer in the midst of a battle. She moved gracefully, blades slicing skillfully as she moved through the enemies. Mixed with her magic, she was breathtaking.

But then the underlings were gone, and the team was given a moment to breathe. A moment long enough to see that the other team, consisting of Ox and Harvar; Kilik, Fire, and Thunder; and Kim and Jackie were thankful for their intervention. "It's a good thing you came when you did," Kilik breathed, winded from the fighting. "All of the witches showed up out of nowhere. And then Lord Albarn sent out that message – she's coming, isn't she?"

Soul watched as all of the riders in their group nodded, solemn and worried. "She's headed through this gate. If any of you are injured, now is the time to see to it before –"

"Before I arrive?" A voice piped up, smooth and – Soul thought – evil.

Everyone turned to find Medusa striding through the gate, relaxed and even smug. Aside from the physical traits – same golden blonde hair and golden eyes – she looked like a completely different person in comparison to the nurse Soul met when he woke in Death City. She wore a black, hooded jumper and her movements resembled the slithering of a snake, if one could imagine it. She looked threatening, from the dark snake tattoos that covered her arms to the crazy set of her her serpent-like eyes.

Soul couldn't have guessed how angry he would feel when he finally saw her again, how enraged he felt. He was barely able to keep it hidden, while the others stuck to clenched fists and gritted teeth. "So you've decided to flee? A cowardly action, don't you think?" Kid replied smoothly, the picture of calm as his hand tightened around the handle of his sword.

"Not cowardly, I would say. More, saving my life, I would think. Especially with your father having killed my sisters, little Kid," She retorted, smirk on her lips as she goaded their leader. "Although I must thank him. I was trying to kill them myself, but he took all of the work out of planning the assassinations – it's so very difficult to plan their murders when they're so powerful."

He couldn't even fathom how this woman even existed. Soul couldn't think of anything happening to his brother, and here was this woman, speaking of murdering her own sisters in cold blood. And only moments after they had died – or so said. "Well, I'll be sure to pass on the sentiment, as soon as we finish you off. You know how it is, Medusa."

The woman chuckled, a dark, terrifying sound that sent chills down Soul's spine. "Finish me off? I think it will be more difficult than you realize, prince. Meet my associates; you've met Justin Law, now have you? He's been quite the dedicated follower in recent months. Without his help, we wouldn't have had any clue what cities to target. Or what families to target," She informed them, just as the dark dragon from the cliff stalked out of the shadows behind the blonde witch. He was practically chomping at the bit, waiting for the chance to leap into battle.

Kid's reaction was instant, his calm façade slipping away in favor of anger, outrage. But Medusa wasn't finished, motioning for others to come out of the shadows. "Also, meet my child, Chrona. You might remember the witch who attacked your dragon, Maka. Pink hair, weak. I'm actually surprised Chrona was able to wield the dagger successfully. Although, how else would I have been able to collect a sample of blood to test? I've yet to have a chance to draw any conclusion for this test subject and I've put a dreadful amount of work into this one."

"Test subject?" Maka bit out, barely holding in her own emotions, which were testing the limits of their resonance. "What do you mean, test subject? Soul wasn't any test subject."

"Oh, but I disagree. I worked hard to have him injected with black blood. A pity that I wasn't able to take him with me that night, when you decided to save him," Medusa added nastily, throwing a glare in the direction of Soul's rider. "The black blood was to be my largest achievement, but you ruined it by taking him back to that dreadful city of yours. But now that you're here…"

Soul felt his blood boiling, a sudden anger that pushed him too far. Before he knew what was happening, Soul was across the field, claws outstretched and aiming straight for the witch who had started the battle. Fire was burning in his chest, ready to scorch whatever it touched – just as he felt a force tossing him aside, the anger suddenly gone as he landed yards away, tumbling through the dirt.

Maka was there in moments, shields up as she checked over him. "What did you just do to him?" She yelled, eyes shining with unshed tears as she turned to find another witch approaching. This one was weaker, but she carried a magicked dagger, not unlike the one that had been used against Soul the night before. "Get away from him," She warned, an incantation on her lips – but it was too late.

The blade slipped through the shield as if it were silk, catching Maka just below her chest. Blood spilled out, covering her uniform with dark stains that grew as moments passed.

Kid was the first to leap into action, his face twisting in anger and disbelief. "Attack!" He bellowed, the others quickly following suit. Liz and Patti went after Justin Law, keeping him grounded as Kid joined their attack. Blackstar and Tsubaki went after Chrona, who held his own despite his weak stature. The other team all attempted to target Medusa, but they were little more than a distraction, keeping the inevitable from happening.

Soul hadn't shifted back, instead remaining at Maka's side while she continued to bleed. Soul could smell it, the harsh scent leaving his own blood cold, flowing like ice through his veins. You can't just die, not now, not after all of this. We're resonating, you should be healing.

Maka put a hand against his jaw, pulling him closer, until his nose finally reached her cheek. "It might only work one way," She whispered, barely audible above the sound of fighting surrounding them. "Don't let the resonance faulter. Use my power, all that I have left. Ki-kick her ass for me," She laughed, sputtering as she coughed up crimson. "Thank you for everything, for trying to save my home," She murmured, eyes slipping closed as she grew quiet.

Soul turned around, fire on his lips as he pushed the resonance. This was different. This felt good. It was raw power, heat and strength that was unrivaled by anything he had ever felt. His blood was boiling again, but this was good. Wait!

The whisper in his mind was enough to make him freeze, the bond still being pushed to its limits. But now there was another push, an equal, as it erupted. Soul couldn't find the words to describe it, feeling invigorated as the bond found its rhythm. When he looked at Maka, he didn't see a girl dying; no, he saw a woman, rising to her feet as the red stains turned black. The snaked out across her body, covering every inch of her aside from her head. It jutted out in what resembled armor, and Soul would bet that it was even more solid. What just happened? He asked, watching as she stretched her limbs, wonder reflected from his eyes to hers.

I have no clue, He heard her, as if surprised. One moment I swore I was dying and the next, I felt you trying to resonate and – I don't know how, but this happened. Maybe one of the side effects? She turned her head, looking around Soul. When he looked, she was checking on Medusa, who looked none too happy that they had managed to get Maka up off of the ground. And it looks like she didn't know about it either. It might work against her, she offered, picking up her daggers where they laid in the dirt after her fall.

Then we'll try, Soul agreed, readying for the attack. We won't hold back.

And then they were fighting through the enemies, all to reach Medusa. Most of them were small, largely consisting of weaker witches that had followed Medusa in the hopes of escape. But quickly they turned, one by one, and fled from the field – only to be cut down by approaching reinforcements.

When they finally reached her, it was Maka who managed to attack first. She was giving the witch hell, attacking with daggers and magic alike – and landing blows. She was pushing the witch back, enough of a threat that Medusa sent out twin serpents on the field. Soul was quick to cut them down, using anything he could to stop them from turning the tide to Medusa's favor.

Medusa struck out with electricity, landing a blow along Maka's main arm. But while the witch looked smug, her smirk quickly fell away as the wound she made simply reformed – a blade made of pure black, returning the attack right through her chest.

Her body went slack in Maka's arms, slipping to the ground with a slight thud. The reactions were slow, but happened in unison. The enemies attempted to flee, while Medusa's child violently reacted, reaching for the body before Blackstar managed to subdue the pink haired witch. Those who surrendered were gathered together, while the fighting went on for a few minutes longer, ending those who decided that battle was a better end.

But as soon as it was over, there was cheering. It seemed to come from everywhere, all around them, even coming from the city they had just triumphed over. Soul could barely contain his own excitement, shifting back to human just in time to catch Maka leaping into his arms. He didn't even care that he was naked, only caring about the fact that she was safe, she was okay, she was alive. Mere minutes after thinking that he had lost her for good. "I can't believe it. We-we finally beat them! We're safe, your home is safe."

Soul nodded, but couldn't find the words to tell her. Instead, he just held her close, pausing only to kiss her, gently, happily. And as the sun rose, Soul couldn't think of a better sight than their victory.

"What are you going to do, now that the witches are defeated?" Soul heard her murmur against his chest. "You could go find your brother, your father. What about your home?"

Soul nodded, but shrugged as he replied. "I'll probably try. But I don't know about 'home' anymore. It hasn't felt like home for a while. I don't think I realized it until now, but Death Ci – Morte Civitas, it feels like home now. Especially with you there. Maybe I'll find my brother, put him on the throne. God knows he'd make a better leader."

Maka beamed up at him, hugging him closer. "Then I'm happy. Because I have one more person there for me. Thank you for this, Soul. Without you deciding to bond with me…I don't think we'd be experiencing this in our lifetimes."

"No problem," He chuckled, leaving a kiss on her cheek. "Just make it up to me with, I don't know, a million more days like yesterday and we'll be even."

She punched his shoulder playfully, before a hand moved to his cheek, pulling him closer. "I promise we'll have plenty more days like that. But first, let's get cleaned up, okay? Oh, and we have to tell my dad about us. Not to mention that we'll have to help clean up, deal with the injured, check on the other cities – "

"Anything for you," He whispered, right as his lips found hers.

They were broken up only moments later by someone clearing their throat. When they looked up, they found the amused faces of their team, plus the others they had helped. It was Blackstar who had caught their attention, sporting a dirty grin. "The two of you will have a chance to catch up later. While you were busy, Kid just got an order from the old man to start heading back. The other team is staying behind to make sure the prisoners are taken in. Now hurry up and shift before you get too excited," He jeered, moments before he and Tsubaki took off. Kid, Liz, and Patti followed quickly behind, while Soul was slow to let go of his rider.

"We'll continue this when we get back to the castle," Maka promised, patting his shoulder right as she removed herself from his embrace. "Come on Soul, before we lose the others."

Soul nodded right as he shifted – which had become second nature, as easy as opening and closing his hand. As you command, my lady. Maka squealed happily as she mounted up, hitting him where shoulder met wing. "I told you not to call me that."

Soul snorted in reply before he finally took off, aiming for the castle. It would be a long flight, but it was more than okay with Maka nearby. Even if she was falling asleep. Because where she was, Soul was content to be. Even if it meant fighting witches along the way.

Well, that's it! It's been a long time coming, but it's finally done! But since I'm the kind of person that always wants a look into the future, I'll likely be posting an epilogue later on (way later, way after resbang and secret santa and all of it because I'm busy). But watch out for that.