Chapter 6: One Weapon's Meister
Maka sat in the school courtyard flipping through pages of her "Identifying Souls" text books. Since the war, the academy had been mainly focused on forming new recruits so the lesson plans were dull. She did a lot of her research on her own. She frowned. Not like I'll ever be able to use it, though. After her encounter with the Kishin, Maka's father had forbidden her to fight in the war. She would be a major target, she remembered him saying, a succulent pig ripe for the plucking for any witch. She didn't like this idea, especially since Soul was having to fight on the front lines without her even though she was a two-star Meister now. She sighed.
Soul. It had been a week since he left the house, and still she felt the emptiness around her fresh as it was that day. Each box taken felt like another piece of her heart was ripped out of her chest. Now there was nothing left. She had Blair, of course. She was quite surprised when she said she wanted to continue living with Maka instead of with Soul and the other Death Scythes, including her Papa. Perhaps it was because she knew the apartment would be too lonely without anyone but Maka there. She flipped another page of her book. Identifying Soul Wavelengths, she read. She had been practicing matching her wavelength with others. Tsubaki had let her practice with her once and it didn't turn out as horribly as when Black Star tried to wield Soul. Still...she thought with a sigh. It just isn't the same.
Before she could get too deep in thought, a piece of sharp metal came flying towards her. Instinctively, she used her book to block the attack. She looked for the thrower, but saw no one else looking for their knife. She examined the book closely.
"I'm so sorry!" A voice came from it. Maka jumped. The knife glowed a bright yellow and was soon replaced by a young girl with medium black hair wrapped up in a ponytail. "I tried to fling myself the opposite direction!" She bowed her head. "Please forgive me!" Maka widened her eyes, but forced a smile.
"It's alright. Just be careful next time," she replied getting back to her "reading". The girl looked up and gasped. Maka wasn't expecting this.
"Oh my gosh," the girl said, unsure of whether to be happy or terrified. "Oh my gosh!"
"What?" Maka was bluntly confused.
"You-you're Maka Albarn!" she announced as though she had just seen a unicorn. Maka didn't know what to make of it. She was being recognized?
"You...know who I am?"
"Yes! Of course I do! Your mother created the Death Scythe that Lord Death himself uses in battles!" the girl paused. "I can't believe I almost killed you!" Maka chuckled. It was the first time she had all week.
"Oh that! Haha! Don't worry about it. I've been through much worse."
"Is it true? What they say?" the girl asked. "About how you defeated the Kishin and the witch Arachne when you were only a one star Meister?" Maka blushed.
"Actually, I think by that time I was a two-star Meister."
"And you created the greatest Death Scythe ever to exist in the entire world, Soul Eater?" She knew this was coming. Another person who wanted to meet Soul. She was always a little jealous that he got all the glory for their victories even though she was the one who trained him. But he never put himself above her in any way, so she couldn't get too upset about it. She enjoyed his humility.
"...Yeah."
"Wow!"
"Look, miss...uh..." she started. The girl looked at her intently, a smile brimming from ear to ear. She couldn't just tell her to go away.
"Oh! My name is Mia. I'm new at the academy," she said blushing. "I'm sorry I don't mean to be interrupting anything. You must be very busy. What with you being a three star Meister and all." Maka shook her head.
"Actually," she said honestly. "I'm not. They haven't exactly given me an assignment in a while. No training. No nothing."
"Really?" Mia seemed legitimately curious. This pleased Maka. "Still, I'm probably wasting your time. I'll go. But it was a pleasure meeting you today!" she grinned. "You're my favorite Meister." Maka bit her lip.
"Hey!" she called. Mia turned around. "Tell your partner not to swing you around so much without supervision. Somebody could get hurt." Mia stared down at her toes.
"Oh. I don't have a partner," she said solemnly. Maka's heart sank to the floor. The girl didn't have a partner? It was practically half way through the year. If she was even going to make it through the first sessions of training she would need a partner to get at least to the right level, let alone a place to practice soul resonance.
"You don't...have a partner?" The girl shook her head.
"No."
"Oh, well, that'll change. Don't worry." Maka smiled. "You've got a good throwing radius from what it seems."
"I'm actually rather shy, so I don't really know how to talk to others. But, I guess it can't be as easy for me as it was for you and Soul Eater, right?" she said. Maka couldn't help it. She hated seeing young people alone.
"You wanna know a secret?" she asked, patting a bed of grass next to her. "Something no one else knows?" Mia's eyes widened in wonder.
"Okay..."
"When I first met Soul, he was a lot like you. Scared out of his mind of people. You're already off to a better start than he was."
"Really?" Mia leaned in closer. Maka nodded.
"He didn't 'play well with others.' I think that would be the best way to put it. But we worked hard to overcome his fear."
"Wow. That's amazing. I had no idea." She smiled. "I hope I can find a perfect partner like you, Miss Maka."
"Perfect?" Maka scoffed playfully. "Any guy who puts his underwear in the dishwasher when I'm using the washing machine is far from perfect!"
"He did that?"
"Oh yeah! It took weeks for me to get the thing working again. The cloth got wedged in with the turbine. Don't be get me wrong, he's a great partner, but sometimes!" Maka couldn't help but get agitated all over again.
"Is that why you look so sad?" Mia inquired, gently. Maka's cheeks turned pink.
"...something like that." It was quiet for a moment. She didn't want to be this way. She wanted to be able to smile and laugh. She wanted to enjoy the company of others, especially children. Could nothing make her happy?
"Miss Maka?"
"Huh? Yes?"
"I'm sorry you're sad." Geez this girl is straight out of a Howdy Doody special, she thought to herself. Still, she couldn't help but feel comforted by her innocence, much like she did when she and Crona used to hang out. She missed that blind hope she had lost somehow in accomplishing her goal.
"You really don't have a Meister, Mia?" The girl shook her head. Maka sighed. "Well," she held out her hand. "You do now." Mia was dumbstruck. No way, she thought. This can't be happening! Maka... "What do you say?" Maka shone the most genuine smile she could muster. She hated seeing the poor kid alone. She, of all people, knew what it felt like.
"I...I don't know what to say!" Mia announced. She squealed. "You really mean it?"
"Sure," Maka said. "I was on the Market anyway." Mia froze.
"What about Soul?" she asked.
"What about Soul?" Maka replied with a grin.
"Won't he...aren't you two...?" Maka put a hand on her shoulder, just like her partner had shown her how to do so may times before.
"Soul is a Death Scythe now. He needs to learn how to be handled by other Meisters. Plus he's going to be in battle soon, so I'm not sure how long he'll be gone." Maka's tone was bittersweet, but she tried to conjure up as much joy in it as she possibly could.
"It would...I would...yes! Yes! Thank you, Miss Maka! You won't regret it!"
"Now hold on," Maka countered. "I need to make one thing clear. I can train you, teach you the things you'll need to know while in battle, but you have to find your own partner before you can truly learn how to be a good weapon." She stood up. "I can be your Meister, Mia. But I can't be your partner. Understand?"
"Oh yes!" Mia stood up along side her. "Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she said bowing to the scythe Meister.
"But I'm not a knife Meister, so I'm not sure how good I'll be. I need the practice. You need the practice. It works out!" Plus, she thought. Now Soul can't make me get a new weapon I can't comfortably resonate with.
"I'm sure you'll be fantastic!" Mia said gleefully. "You're Maka Albarn!"
"Meet me after school tomorrow at 4:00 sharp for your first lesson. Don't be late." And with that she began to walk away. She didn't want to return home to her empty house, filled with memories. She would rather be on the battlefield. This, however, seemed like a nice alternative. Helping people was something Maka took pride in, and she could help this girl.
They met the next day, like she said, and practiced for a good 2 hours. The girl was rusty and Maka wasn't accustomed to using a knife for a weapon, but by the end of the day she was able to hit a bullseye target with wavering accuracy. Perhaps this girl could be a good replacement weapon, at least until the war was over and Soul returned home. They got along well and Maka laughed more in that evening than she had since Soul moved out. Maybe, things were looking up. She found a new weapon, just like Soul wanted, and Mia found a temporary Meister. She would just get her on her feet, she thought. Then she would be able to make a connection of her own.
She refrained from explaining why she was looking for a new partner, although Mia asked on multiple occasions. She didn't want the girl's hopes to be crushed. To not want to find a partner for fear of losing them one day. Innocence like that, Maka understood, was meant to be preserved as long as possible.
***
Mia walked down the long hallway from the locker room. She couldn't believe how much better she improved over the past couple hours. Maka truly was as amazing a Meister as she imagined. They hadn't practiced resonating souls yet. Maka had told her that you have to be partners with someone for a long time before you are able to do that. That's fine, she thought. I want to be able to find my own partner. Still, she was grateful for such a wonderful opportunity. She felt that maybe she really could be a great fighter, or even a Death Scythe one day. It was a lot to live up to. No one in her family had ever made it to that high of a level. I'll be the first, she told herself. She walked past the lockers out to where the exit was. She wanted to thank Maka one last time for being such a great role model and friend to her when she had none. She turned the corner when she heard people talking. She stopped. She knew that voice.
"I'm just doing what you asked me to do!" the voice announced. Maka? It was her. She knew it.
"No!" another voice replied. It was deep and raspy, sentient almost. "I asked you to find a weapon that could protect you when I'm not around! Not pick up some girl who doesn't know what she's doing!" Mia gasped. It couldn't be...but it had to be. Soul Eater, Maka's partner. Mia gulped. This wasn't going to be pretty.
"I just want to help her get on her feet, that's all," Maka stated.
"So you put her in danger?"
"She's not in danger! And we're not going on missions or fighting anything real. It's just training!"
"I don't care!" he snapped. "You're on a high priority list for the enemy right now! That's why you're trying to lay low!"
"What? While you go off and play Death Scythe with all your little friends? I deserve to fight too! This is so stupid!" she started breathing heavily. "I just want to be needed for a while, is that so much to ask?"
"I know! I know it's hard," Soul stated. "But...I think right now it's for the best that you don't fight." He shouldn't have said that.
"So you're agreeing with Papa?" she sneered.
"No!"
"Why can't you just trust me? I'm so sick of people not trusting me! You! Papa! Mama! Lord Death! Why do you all insist on lying to me?" she shouted. Soul sighed.
"Maka..."
"You've been acting strange ever since we got back from your parent's house that night Giriko attacked. If you really trust me just tell what happened that night that's making you so agitated!" It was quiet for a long time.
"I-" he began. "There was-" A strange tension rose into the air. Even though Mia didn't dare turn the corner and watch the scene, she knew he was having trouble looking at her. "No! You don't need to know that! It's not important."
"There you go again! With your 'it's not important' crap! I have a right to know what's going on and what it has to do with me training Mia!"
"I just...I want to make sure you're safe."
"Safe from what?" Maka inquired.
"Everything!" he exclaimed. There was another long pause. She could tell this took Maka off guard. "What if Giriko attacks again? What if something-"
"Soul, nothing is going to happen," she assured him.
"But what if it does?"
"I'll protect myself! God! You're so uptight about what happened, you can't even remember that I can fight just as well as you can! It's not your job to make sure I don't get hurt anymore!" her tone grew bitter. "You're a Death Scythe now, Soul. You have to focus on what's really important right now."
"What if you can't protect yourself? What if it's an ambush again?"
"Then that's where faith comes in. It's not like you to forget that. You used to always be so calm, even in the face of death. Since when have I been the one to try and simmer you down?" She sighed. "At this rate the black blood will only gain more and more control. You can't let your emotions get in the way like this. You're my partner, Soul. So do what a partner is supposed to do and believe in me." Mia heard Soul sigh, his tone became much more mellow.
"Fine, do what you want. But just know if anything happens-"
"Nothing is going to happen!"
"I know, but if it does-"
"It won't!"
"If it does," he said sternly. "You are my priority. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, I will make it back to you." Mia blushed. She had heard stories about Maka and Soul. How they had great respect for one another, even though they fought practically all of the time. It astounded her. But this...this was something beyond any of the stories. She started to feel guilty. She didn't know Maka was in danger, that she needed someone who could protect her. Of course she could never protect her. She understood why Soul felt the way he did. She couldn't help herself. She found tears tickling her eyes. He really would do anything for her, she thought with a sigh. Even give up being a Death Scythe. It was almost...romantic in a way. There was more of the conversation, but it went over Mia's head. She snapped out of her daze while she heard footsteps coming her direction. She quickly ran over to the water fountain to pretend she hadn't been listening. A figure came walking by, scuffing their feet on the floor. It stopped right behind Mia.
"Hey," it said. Mia jumped and turned around finding herself face to face with a pair of crimson eyes.
"Uhhhh..." she stammered. "C-can I-"
"Look," he said bluntly. "You're Maka's weapon now, okay?" Mia gulped. "But don't think that means you can just practice with her and that's it. You don't have the skills to protect her from the things she needs to be protected from. So, I have a favor to ask."
"Y-yes?"
"I need you to watch her. Just, keep an eye on her for now. And make sure she doesn't do anything...stupid." And with that be started to walk away. Mia stood there frozen.
"Y-yes, Sir. Mr. Death Scythe Sir," she managed to say. Soul froze, his shoulders tensed. Was it something I said? Mia questioned. But he didn't turn around.
"It's Soul, kid." He picked up his feet and started walking again. God he's cool, she thought with another blush. If what he said was true, then Maka really was in trouble. Why couldn't she fight like everyone else? Mia sighed. It must be really difficult to watch as your partner gets all the glory for something the two of you did together. Soul didn't seem the type to gloat. He didn't even seem like he wanted the promotion at times when he spoke. It must have been a lot of work. Maybe...he didn't really want to be...Mia shook off the notion. Of course he wanted to be a Death Scythe. Why else would he have joined the academy? She hoped that she could find a partner as kind and selfless as he was. She didn't care what Maka said. To her, the two of them would always make the perfect pair.