Tsubaki's POV

It had been almost three weeks since Maka's death and Tsubaki was still constantly trying to beat up Soul every chance she got. Black Star had booked her in for anger management classes, but they hadn't helped her at all. She was mad at Kid and Black Star too, for not even trying to help. As well as being angry, Tsubaki was scared. Scared that after the madness had passed her friends wouldn't want her back.

She'd always thought that people only put up with her because of Maka. It was partly true for Crona, as well. Crona was already erased from all of their minds, except for maybe Soul's.

Most of all, Tsubaki was scared that she'd be expelled from the DWMA. She wasn't doing particularly well in the classroom, she picked fights with everybody and she hadn't eaten a soul in months.

If she was expelled, she would lose most of her memories of Maka. She'd lose her secret love, Kid. She'd lose her meister, Black Star. And she wouldn't be able to go back to Japan. Iwafune wasn't big. The residents would know if she was back, and she would never be able to let them know she'd been kicked out. Meaning she'd have to stay in the USA for good.

Black Star walked into Tsubaki's bedroom. He'd been grouchy since the expedition with Korra, and that didn't help Tsubaki's anger issues.

'Jade invited us to dinner with her, Soul and Blair. You coming?' he said. Tsubaki shrugged.

'You should test the anger management stuff tonight.'

Tsubaki sighed.

'Okay. I'll come. But make sure I'm not in with Soul too much. Blair's fine, Jade's okay, but not Soul. Kapeche?'

Black Star nodded.

'Kid, Liz, Patty and Crona will be there too.' Tsubaki nodded slowly.

'Okay. I'll go.' she agreed finally.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Black Star's face. Tsubaki felt warm inside. She'd forgotten what it was like to make someone happy.

'What time should we leave?' Tsubaki asked.

'Well, Soul and Maka usually had dinner at six-thirty, so maybe we should try to get there at six?' Black Star suggested. Tsubaki shrugged.

'Maybe we should ask Jade.' she replied. Black Star nodded.

'Good idea, I'll call her back.' Black Star left Tsubaki's room, closing the door as he went. The Shadow Weapon sighed and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't wait to see Blair again. She knew she didn't want to see Soul. She didn't know what to think of Jade. She seemed nice enough, and it wasn't her fault that she filled Maka's spot.

She closed her eyes for a second.

Tsubaki walked through the corridors of the school, admiring the view from the windows as she walked. As she passed class Crescent Moon, Kid filed out in front of her.

'I didn't think you'd come.' Tsubaki said in an alluring tone, taking in every inch of the boy in front of her. All the way from his black shoes, up his symmetrical suit, his Shinigami chain, up to his amber eyes. Oh, those eyes. Kid's gaze was locked on Tsubaki.

They stared at each other for a second, and then Kid leaned in and pressed his lips against the shadow weapon...

But that little voice in Tsubaki's head just had to ruin the moment.

'He doesn't love you...' it told her.

'Then who does he love?' she asked the voice as she started to remove Kid's jacket.

'Maka...' he mumbled in between kisses.

Tsubaki looked over Kid's shoulder. They were in the hall. A wooden box sat on a table next to them. The lid rose, and a blood-covered white glove pressed down on the edge.

Then her face was revealed. The slit in her throat still remained.

'Kid...' Maka murmured in reply. She reached out towards Kid. Then her hand crumbled, finger by finger, followed by the rest of her arm.

'Maka!' Kid yelled, blood pouring out of his mouth. He paled and fell over, dead.

'Finally... The madness has begun...' the Kishin Asura snarled. He laid a hand on Tsubaki's shoulder.

'And you, my dear, shall be my bride...'

Tsubaki sat up with a jolt.

How long have I been asleep? she wondered. She picked her cellphone up from her bedside dresser and turned it on.

'Ten past six!' she exclaimed.

'Black Star-kun! Come on! We'll be late!' she yelled. She jumped off her bed and dabbed some powder onto her nose quickly. Then she ran into the living room.

'Black Star-kun!'

Black Star slowly came into the room.

'You like Kid, don't you?' he asked.

'Why would you think that?' Tsubaki replied.

'You were frenching your pillow and mumbling his name.' Black Star informed his weapon, looking slightly hurt, not teasing like he usually would.

'Okay, I do like him! But why does that matter to you! It's not like we're together!'

Black Star's face fell even more.

'Let's go.' Tsubaki ordered.

'No. I'm staying here!' Black Star replied stubbornly.

'Okay! See if I care!' Tsubaki shouted.

'I will!'

'Fine!'

'Okay!'

Tsubaki stormed out of the dorm and down the corridor towards the room Soul shared with Jade.

She could feel her and Black Star's soul wavelengths slipping, but she didn't care. Black Star was a horrible meister anyway.

She reached Soul's door and rapped on it.

Jade answered, looking beautiful in a knee-length emerald green dress to match her eyes. Her platinum blonde hair hung around her hips in perfect waves, and she wore green high heels.

'Hello Tsubaki! We were starting to get worried about you!' she said with a stunning smile.

Tsubaki stayed stone-faced. 'I'm sorry I'm late... Black Star and I had a row.' It wasn't really a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth, either.

'That's okay! We haven't called to order the food yet. Do come in, by the way.' Jade said with a light giggle.

Tsubaki had to admire her for that. Soul was horrible to her and she had a houseful of grieving guests, yet she still had a smile on her face.

Tsubaki entered the dormitory. It hadn't changed since Maka's death, and she somehow found that comforting. She was also pleased to see that Maka's bedroom had a sign on it that read 'Soul's Room.' Soul wouldn't change his meister's room in a billion years. She hated Soul, but that one factor helped her hate him slightly less.

Kid sat on the couch, his head in his hands, while Patty mucked around with a toy giraffe and Liz chatted to Soul. Crona sat in Mr Corner, staring at the wall.

'So, Jade, how're things?' Tsubaki asked, trying to be pleasant.

'Well, for one thing, the American branch of the DWMA is really big!'

A ghost of a smile appeared on Tsubaki's face.

'I thought the same thing at first, about here and my boarding school in Japan. I was transferred here on a scholarship.'

'Me too!' Jade remarked with a smile.

Soul stopped talking to Liz.

'I'm thinking of dropping out.' he said loudly.

Awkward silence fell over the group. Tsubaki stood up.

'That's an awful thing to say! We all know your meister just died and all, and you're allowed to grieve, but Jade isn't Maka! She's doing her best!'

Soul scowled. Tsubaki glared back.

'Ever since Maka died you've become the most boring, horrible person I know! You've got about as much charm as a dead slug!' she continued.

'Well, you haven't been much better! You basically try and kill me whenever you see me!' Soul retorted.

'You deserve it! It's your fault Maka isn't here now!'

Everybody went quiet.

'Mew~?' Blair mewed quietly.

Jade stared at Tsubaki with tears in her eyes.

Tsubaki realised what she'd said and clapped a hand over her mouth.

'Oh my goodness! Jade, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that!'

Jade shook her head.

'Forget it. I can tell when I'm not wanted.' She stood up, took one look at the group and was out of the room before you could say Shibusen.

Soul glared at Tsubaki.

'Don't you dare glare at me!' the Shadow Weapon ordered.

'You're not the boss of me.' Soul said quietly.

'Oh yeah? Well, I have the necklace, and there's no law saying I have to keep it safe.' Tsubaki threatened, referring to the diamond M.

'You wouldn't...' Soul replied, shocked.

Tsubaki cocked her head.

'Watch me.' She walked towards the kitchen window, opened it and retrieved the precious necklace from her pocket. She dangled it out the window.

'No! Tsubaki! Please!' Soul begged. Tsubaki glared at Soul and placed a hand on her hip as she continued to tease him with the necklace.

'No... Please... Maka...'

Tsubaki scowled.

'You failed her. You don't deserve the necklace.' she said cruelly, and let go of the silver chain.

'No!' Soul yelled. He turned his arm into a scythe and swung at Tsubaki's torso.

A chain scythe appeared in Tsubaki's hands.

'Are you sure you want to do that?' she teased. Soul glowered and swung at her head. Tsubaki ducked and threw one scythe at his waist, embedding it in his hip-bone.

Soul cried out in pain. 'Tsubaki, please!' Tsubaki placed one foot on the demon scythe's chest.

'I'm not going to kill you. That would be a kindness, and you deserve cruelty. You've been a bad weapon, and bad weapons deserve punishment.' The chain scythes turned to a knife, which Tsubaki ripped across his torso, reopening the scar given to him by Crona which still hadn't healed fully. Blood soaked his chest.

Tsubaki went back to her neutral stone-face.

'I don't think I should stay any longer, so I'm going.'

'Blair's coming too, mew~!' Blair purred, moving away from Kid, whom she had been trying to seduce.

Tsubaki held her head up high and exited the dorm, Blair right behind her.