Once again, big thanks to Nessie for her help in this story. It would not be nearly as awesome without her help! Enjoy!

The tavern had almost become his actual home with how often he came in for a drink and slept at the tables. Since Maka had left in search of her Gemina, Spirit had become distraught, seeking refuge at the bottom of a tankard most every day. His little girl was all grown up, going on an incredibly dangerous journey. She may never come back to him. The man stared into his drink, praying to the Shinigami that she was safe.

"You seem sad," a gentle voice said, causing him to look up into a woman's gold eyes. Blonde locks framed her pretty face as she smiled down at him. "Would you like some company?"

Words failed him, so he nodded before taking a swig of his drink once more. "Just… a lot on my mind."

"I'm a good listener," she replied, taking a seat and folding her hands neatly under her chin. "It's good to get things off your chest."

Spirit sighed and leaned back into his chair. "First my wife, now my daughter… They're all leaving me… I'll die old and alone. I'm so worried about her, you know? My Maka..."

Her gaze remained focused on him, her face ever smiling. "Is your daughter visiting someone? Her mother perhaps?"

He shook his head. "She's looking for her Gemina. I know she's been training, but she's just one girl on her own, and this world is a cruel place."

"Indeed."

"Kami would know what to say or do," he said with a sigh before taking another drink.

"Kami? As in Kami Albarn?" The smile disappeared from the woman's mouth. "She is your wife?"

"Yeah, or was anyway."

He moved to bring the tankard up to his lips again, but her hand covered the top of the cup before he could drink. The smile returned to her face. "I'm sure your daughter can take care of herself until the time comes. If you don't mind, I must be going." She removed her hand from the tankard.

Eyeing her suspiciously, Spirit drank once more. "So soon? Why?"

With a laugh and toss of her blonde hair over her shoulder, she answered, "Because I've finished what I've started." And with that, she left the tavern.

Confused by the woman's sudden leave, he idly swirled his drink. A strange smell from the tankard caught his attention just as he began to feel weak, head swirling more than any drunk's should. She must have done something to his drink. Spirit tried to stand, determined to chase the blonde down, but his legs could not carry him any longer. He fell to the floor, the tankard rolling towards the door. Patrons and servers alike came rushing to his side. But it was too late.

Spirit was gone.

From the tankard slithered a tiny snake that left the tavern undetected in the chaos. It made its way out of the village of Aire, following the path into the woods toward the blonde woman. She squatted down to allow the snake to coil itself around her arm before continuing down the path. "I had a feeling there was more than just Kami Albarn. I made a promise to her, remember?" she said sweetly to the snake, petting it with a single finger under its chin. "I promised her that I would find every single one of her family members. Let's pay dearest Maka a visit, shall we?"

With the snap of her fingers, the snake dropped to the ground once more and grew to an alarming rate. Now large enough for her to ride on, it bowed its head and allowed her to climb atop it. The two made their way deeper into the forest, animals scattering. They knew.

A storm was coming.

…

Soul had slept in, presumably getting the best night's sleep he'd had in ages since Maka had managed to convince him to sleep in the bed for once. She, on the other hand, had not been able to sleep well at all in the last couple of days. The gifted glove pressed against her marked palm reminded her of the complication that was Soul. Her mission had seemed simple enough, but he and the growing feelings she had for him made her whole journey more difficult. She had to remind herself that the search for her Gemina was not for her. It was for her mother, and for her, she would do anything. So, she adjusted Soul's blankets and let him sleep, choosing to search Vardent for her Gemina.

The townsfolk were incredibly pleased to see her as she stepped out of the inn. Many had already gone out of their way to visit them at the inn, but many were still singing their praises for driving out the tyrant guard. The waving, the hugs, the handshakes, it was all too easy for her to see everyone's right palms. But not a single crescent moon. Despite the overwhelming praise, she felt her chest fall. Another town, another disappointment. After days of searching, she still came up with nothing. She was running out of places to look. Perhaps… she really would have to go to Greywald without him.

Finally getting away, she made her way back to the inn. She found Soul waiting for her in the room, carefully folding the blankets laying on the floor. "Where were you at?" he asked, concern on his face.

"Out looking," she said nonchalantly as she moved to help him put the blankets back in the corner. He raised an eyebrow at her. "No luck. We should keep moving."

"So soon? Are you sure?"

"You saw how many people came to visit us within this week. Between them and everyone I checked, including today, there was no sign of a matching mark."

"I 'spose. Where to then?"

Maka paused, eyes to the ground. Where indeed? "Well, where would you suggest?"

He shrugged. "Anywhere you go, I'll follow. I promise to stay with you till the end. I mean, if you'll let me."

Her chest ached at his words. "Anywhere I go…?" she whispered. Soul set the blankets aside, taking the ones in her arms as well, and nodded at her. "Even to-"

"Anywhere you go."

She smiled and took his hand. "Then let's get going." They gathered up their belongings, cleaned up the room, and headed downstairs to announce their departure.

There were tears shed as they left, everyone in the innkeeper's family insisting on giving them both hugs goodbye and as much provisions as Maka would allow them to give. She worried about the family's fate once they left, wondering if the guard would return. He may even bring reinforcements. The innkeeper's wife, Tatiana, seemed to read her mind.

"Don't worry about us. We've found a way to make it through before, and we'll do it again." She gave the blonde another tight hug, continuing, "I can't thank you enough for saving my husband's life. And I wish you well on your journey."

Maka began to tear up a little, hugging her back with all her might. Having finished their goodbyes, the two headed north towards Greywald.

…

The run-in with the witch did not go as Prince Wes had expected. Medusa was far more powerful than they had anticipated, and she had gotten away. Now, only a few of him men remained. He worried what would become of his people if the menace was not stopped. Not only had he failed his subjects, he had failed his parents as well. They still had not found Soul. He would have to return home empty handed and explain to his parents that their youngest was still missing. With a heavy heart, he and his men crossed the Mjolnir fields, headed west for Greywald.

"This place used to be all dried up before Lady Mjolnir showed up, right?" one of the horsemen asked.

Another nodded. "Making this place something beautiful was her greatest wish. She found her Gemina and made these fields home."

"She lives out here all by herself?"

"I think she feels a bit guilty. That's why she lives alone. Why she looks out for travelers, gives them talismans and directions. I bet she sees it as a way to redeem herself."

Not long after the words fell from the man's mouth, they came across a lonely figure. Lady Mjolnir herself stood out among the flowers, basket of freshly picked ones on her arm. As the group approached, she curtsied and asked, "What brings Your Majesty out so far?"

"Searching for my brother, Soul," he replied, bringing his horse closer to her. "He insisted on traveling to visit someone and had gone by carriage, but the carriage driver returned without him. He said Soul had gone missing. You… haven't seen him, have you?"

"Yes! He was here a few days ago with a girl!"

Wide eyed, Wes dropped from his horse and grabbed her by the shoulders. "He was here?! Who was the girl?! Is he being held against his will?! Where are they now?!"

Marie placed her free hand on his and answered calmly, "He was with a girl named Maka. It seems they are travel companions, so he is certainly not with her against his will. They stopped by my home to get directions to Vardent. Maka said they couldn't go to Greywald because it would cause trouble? But I don't see why…" She trailed off a moment, trying to fit the pieces together. "She doesn't know who he is," she whispered. "I don't think he wants to be found."

The prince didn't understand. Why would Soul insist on visiting a "friend" only to go missing, presumably because he had planned it that way. Why would he not want to be found? To go back home to the castle? There was more than just his brother's motives that bothered him, though. Wes thanked her and climbed back on his horse, ordering his men to head for Vardent. He had to find his brother quickly. Before the witch or his Gemina did first.

…

"Hot springs?" Maka asked, looking at their surroundings. Among the rocks and boulders lay a few small springs, large enough for a human to lay in. After the few days travel from Vardent, she wondered if her eyes were simply deceiving her, too fatigued to see the landscape clearly. She looked over to Soul and asked, "Do they look real to yo- What are you doing?!"

He stood there, eyebrow raised at her and shirt halfway up his torso, having stopped in the middle of removing his shirt. "Getting in?" he offered.

"Why are you taking your clothes off?!"

"Do you swim with them on?"

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "This isn't a vacation! We're supposed to be going to Greywald to find my Gemina, so we don't have time for this!"

"Could both use a little rest and relaxation, don't you think?" Bringing his shirt back down, he walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just for a little while, please? I'm… still nervous about going back." His pleading puppy-dog eyes got the best of her, and Maka nodded. He grinned at her and ran for the springs, tossing his shirt off with ease.

"You better make it quick though!" she called after him. "I'm gonna take a look around!" She wandered a ways away, taking in their surroundings and touching some of the plants to confirm she wasn't seeing things. The path to Greywald led up into the mountains, and the fields were slowly turning into the mighty peaks about where they stood. Even the plants began to change. As she continued to exploring, she found a small fawn emerging from the bushes. It stared at her, frozen where it stood. Slowly, she crept forward, trying not to startle it. "It's alright, little one," she cooed, raising a hand toward it.

Its head snapped to its left, frightened by something, and suddenly it leapt away. Before Maka could question what it had seen, an enormous snake slithered out from the same bushes. She recognized that snake. It had been in Aire that day, so long ago, and it meant trouble.

So she ran.

"Soul! Soul, I saw a huge snake! I think it means Medusa's here! Please tell me you're safe!" she screamed, running towards the spring she was sure she had left him at. Suddenly, her run was halted, and she was knocked onto her back. Maka shook her head and stared up at what she had run into. Its name was Soul, but not just any Soul. A very naked Soul. Scrambling away from him, she shouted apologies over her shoulder. She hid behind a nearby boulder to catch her breath and give him time to dress himself again. Oh Shinigami, what she had seen… and what she had not seen…

"You done peeping over here?" Soul teased her, having found her hiding place. He had had the decency to put some pants on before finding her.

Her hands came up to hide her face, embarrassed at how flustered she was becoming. "I'm really sorry! I was frightened and wanted to make sure you were alright and… I didn't see…"

"It's okay if you did. I'm not ashamed."

"No, no, I didn- You don't have a mark."

His eyes widened, a hand moving to rub the back of his neck. "Th-That's ridiculous, everyone has a mark. Now c'mon, if you saw something, we might be in trouble, and you screaming like a banshee probably didn't do us any favors." He reached his hand out to her. That was when she realized.

"How did you get those burns?"

He withdrew his hand a bit quicker than he meant to. "I already told you, it was an accident," he answered, averting her gaze.

"Liar." Maka glared up at him through her bangs. "It wasn't an accident was it? You burned your hands on purpose."

"Why would I burn my hands on purpose?! Who would do something like that?!"

Ripping the glove off her right hand, she showed him the mark on her palm and shouted, "Because you have this mark, don't you?! On your right hand?! And you burned your hands so you could hide the mark and make it look like an accident!"

HIs eyes widened as he placed his left hand around his right wrist, the fingers on his right hand clenching and unclenching. "It was you all along," he said in disbelief. "That's why you always wore the gloves…" He took a step away from her, a bit of fear flickering in his eyes.

"No… you were… you were never supposed to be my Gemina! Why did it have to be you?!" She dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands. "I don't want to kill you!"

Neither moved, only the sounds of the wood surrounding them. Finally, Soul spoke. "Remember when I said I wasn't ready to find my Gemina? I hadn't decided what wish was equal in value to a human life. I didn't have a wish that was worth killing another human being. I was born into royalty, and all I wanted was my freedom. I didn't think it was a just wish."

Her fingers parted as she gazed up at him. "You… You're the young prince, aren't you?"

He nodded. "And you? You were so determined to find your Gemina, to kill them and have your wish granted. What is your wish?"

She stared at her mark. "My mother was sick. All she wanted was to get better… But her Gemina found her first. Her Gemina wished for magical powers, and I lost my mother. I wanted to bring her back… I made a promise for her..."

Soul watched her sadly, trying to figure out where they stood now, what the next course of action was. His face set in determination, and he stepped closer to her, startling her and causing her to clamber away from him. "Then do it. Kill me," he said, throwing his arms out wide. "It's only fair right? A life for a life. We both get what we want. I get my freedom and you get your mother back."

She pulled her hunting knife from her side, aiming its blade towards him. "You stay away from me! You know that I'm your Gemina now! What if you're lying to me? What if this is all a trick?"

He threw his pack to her. "See? Not a lie, not a trick. That is everything I have in my possession, you can check me if you need to. I wouldn't hurt you, Maka."

"I don't trust you!"