Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.


Chapter 7

Soul emerged from the cabin with heavy pants, hearing Tsubaki's light footfalls trailing behind, notifying him of her arrival. His eyes landed on Blackstar's back while he caught his breath, frowning at his sudden appearance before moving to the new person standing near the edge of the cabin path, holding a protective arm around the unconscious Guardian in his hold.

The position provoked something deep inside of him, but Soul shook it off, too preoccupied with the figure holding his Guardian. He blinked, reversing his thoughts for a moment as a confused look swept across his face. He just call her his Guardian. His. The possessive sound opened a small bud of feeling in his stomach, irritating him madly as he snapped back to reality. She was just a kid! Where had this sudden thought come from?

The newcomer shifted the girl in his arms, eyeing the three of them with a hardened gaze that read of pain for them if they dared to take a step closer. He looked like a provoked lion with his gleaming golden eyes; and one wrong move would trigger the appearance of his claws, or in this case, his Shinigami magic.

Soul wasn't stupid, he could easily point out a shinigami in a crowd with their overpowering presence and unnaturally good looks, but he wasn't tempted enough to feel and taste this impressive energy. Not today, anyway. His gaze locked on his face, watching him blow a strand of hair out of his eyes without lessening his glare.

How superficial.

"Yo, stripy," Soul called thoughtlessly, moving to stand beside Blackstar who looked back at him in confusion. Soul lazily rolled his eyes to the side, motioning for him to go stand by Tsubaki in case things took a turn for the worse. The shinigami didn't seem too pleased with the new nickname. "I would appreciate it if you could release the kid and hand her back ove-" He began, only to flinch and cut off at the feel of the shinigami's magic rising over him in warning tendrils, and his own flickered in the palms of his hands, both subtly clashing against one another.

As if sensing this, Tsubaki stiffly called out Soul's name and he reluctantly drew back, baring his teeth at the boy instead. He had the audacity to threaten him with magic, so why wasn't he allowed to do the same?

The shinigami straightened himself, throwing a concerned look at the Guardian before switching back to his glare as he stared at them. "What do you need with a Guardian from Lord Death's system?" He ground out through grit teeth, face full of suspicion for the trio.

Soul went to throw back a remark but Tsubaki held out her hand and stopped him, taking a cautious step forward, despite Blackstar's worried expression. "We have no ill intentions, but your friend was wounded," she explained calmly, her doe eyes innocent and clear. "I healed her wound but she thought I was a witch and ran out on me. We only wish to finish healing her, it won't take long." She said reassuringly, sending him a timid smile.

Kid inspected their facial expressions to see if any of them were lying. The girl appeared genuine and the blue-haired male seemed oblivious to their few worded exchanges. The snarky one, however, annoyed him immensely. His smug, crimson eyes held his gaze, egging him on to start a fight. He turned his attention back to the quiet girl. "Was the wound you healed on her leg?" He asked, and she bobbed her head into a quick nod. Kid cursed inwardly. She'd opened her wound creating the barrier, and he didn't know what to do.

Common sense told him to return to the North Pole to seek out Naigus' medical advice, but with how the sun was slowly beginning to set beyond the mountains, he knew she'd already be off shift by the time he got there. And with today being the last working day of the week, she wouldn't be back for another two days. Kid frowned, narrowing his gaze on the girl's calming soul. At first glance it looked like any other normal human soul, but if he squinted just enough, he'd be able to make out the small fraction of witch blood bordering the edges. He pursed his lips. Maka had been right in some sense, but the girl wasn't a pure blooded witch, not even half. But someone in her ancestral lineage had been.

"You come from a witch's lineage, so why should I trust you?" Kid asked distrustfully, assessing how she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"M-My grandmother was a witch, one of the survivors from the Witching War. But she wasn't like the others, she was one of the few White witches, a good one." She smiled sadly. "She dabbled in the healing arts and handed it down to my mother before she passed, who then handed it down to me. S-So I know a little thing about healing wounds, and I've already fixed her leg! It just needs another boost of magic and she'll be good to go," she said, fiddling nervously with her hands, keeping her gaze fixated on the ground.

Kid nodded, deeming her worthy. He threw a brief glare at the red eyed demon before brushing past them, flaring his power. "Fine, show me the way," he headed for the cabin door, "I'll let you heal her. It's just business, no friendship." He urged, carrying Maka through the doorway.

"I've got no issues with that," piped up the white-haired demon, much to Kid's distress. He turned away and ignored him, shuffling into the house.

The girl, who later introduced herself as Tsubaki took him to an empty room in their house, and he put Maka down on the bed, making sure to stay within reaching distance in case he needed to grab her and high-tail it out of there. Father wouldn't be too pleased when he found out about the new barrier, nor about him associating with a person involved with witches.

Tsubaki worked at healing the Guardian's wound, feeling the shinigami's blank stare graze her back while she worked, and she tried her best to not to be affected by it. She knew he was just being cautious, and so were Soul and Blackstar, hovering outside the door. The shinigami put them all on edge, Soul especially for some reason. And after giving Vixen's leg the once over with her magic and finally curing her fever, she deemed the girl well enough to leave.

The shinigami nodded in thanks and moved to leave, however a soft grunt sounded from the Guardian, indicating her wakeful state as she opened her eyes, meeting Kid's stoic gaze.

She frowned up at him. "Kid?" She asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

He relaxed as she spoke, feeling his lips curl at the corners. "Saving your butt," he scoffed and she furrowed her brows.

"...You're not angry?" She whispered.

"What, about you recreating the barrier? No, I'm furious." His face darkened rapidly, and Maka already regretted asking him as a red flush filled her cheeks. "I don't understand how you could be stupid enough to waste all of your magic while wounded! You're lucky you were found and picked up by these people, otherwise I'd have dragged you back to the North Pole to face father's wrath."

Maka involuntarily jumped at the mention of Lord Death. She knew she'd have to face her demons soon enough, but today just didn't seem right. Knowing how she was, she'd put it off for as long as she could. "Look Kid, I did what I thought was right for the people in the city, the barrier is what keeps them safe. And I don't care how angry you are, it's already been done and no amount of scolding from you will change my mind." She huffed, staring at the other occupant in the room, recognising her instantly as she turned her wide eyes back to Kid. "Y-You realise what she is, don't you?" She suddenly panicked, squirming in his arms. "And put me down! I can't defend myself like this!"

Kid groaned but set her down, grabbing her arm before she could jump the girl. "Wait, she's not a witch." He began, and Maka shot him a look of disbelief. "Before you say it, I've already looked at her soul. She has minor traces of the blood, and has already admitted that she comes from a witch lineage, but it was a White witch. A healer, in fact."

Maka bit her lip, glancing at the girl in question. She secretly took a peek at her soul to see if Kid was telling the truth, and he was. There was only a slight fraction of witch blood there. She pulled away from Kid's grip, sending the girl an apologetic look as a ball of guilt surfaced in her core. "I-I apologise for how I acted earlier, I was startled after waking up in an unfamiliar place," she said, forcing a hard smile.

The girl waved her off. "That's quite alright, I'm sorry for surprising you earlier on. It was an understandable reaction on your part," she giggled lightly. "My name is Tsubaki," she offered her hand in a friendly manner.

Maka stared at the extended appendage before accepting it. "I'm the Guardian, Vixen." She nodded back, still holding back on her real name. She trusted this Tsubaki a little bit, but not enough to indulge her with any precious information. She jabbed a finger back at Kid, however, smirking when she released his real name. "The shinigami is Kid, and just to warn you, he has a symmetrical problem-"

"It's not a problem," Kid butted in.

Maka kept silent, turning back to Tsubaki. "I forgot to mention this earlier so I'll say it now, thanks for bringing me here and fixing my wound," she rubbed a hand over her cheeks shyly.

Tsubaki blinked, holding up her hands as a stutter left her lips. "O-Oh, no, that wasn't me," she shook her head plainly. "I wasn't the one who found-"

"That was me," interrupted a familiar voice as he strolled into the room, hands in his pockets with a pleased look to his face. "And you're welcome, by the way."

Maka blanched, stumbling back as she tried to put some distance between her and the boy, but the room was only so big. Kid tensed beside her, baffled by her lightning reaction.

"What's wrong?" He asked, moving back with her out of instinct.

Maka pointed a shaking finger in the demon's direction, spitting out her reply. "He's Jack Frost!" She growled as a blue-haired figure walked in behind him, and she recognised him from their encounter outside.

It took a moment for Kid's mind to register her words before he shot into action, backing them both against the wall with his eyes pinned on the boy. "Get out your scythe," he said hurriedly, ignoring the puzzled stares from across the room.

"I don't have it, Kid. The last time I had it was near the wall!" She shot back, cutting short when Frost's booming chuckle broke through their hushed conversation. He smugly raised his hand, showing the pair the silver rod dangling from his grip.

Maka exclaimed loudly at the sight of her possession on his person, shaking her fists. "I can fight you without a weapon any day you oversized jerk! I would rather use my fists to beat some sense into you for working with a witch!" She blurted through her anger, and Kid sighed disapprovingly by her side.

Tsubaki and the blue-haired boy both looked mystified by her angry shouts, turning their gazes to Frost at the mention of a witch.

"What does she mean, Soul?" Tsubaki whispered out of shock, holding her hands to her chest. Maka frowned at the name she addressed him with, presuming it to be his given name.

Frost shot the girl a glare, not too happy that she found out. Damn Guardians and their nosing. "I was going to tell you and Blackstar-"

"When I met him a few days ago he tried to cross the wall into the city," she interrupted loudly, "but he didn't succeed, and so he tried again the next day, only this time he'd borrowed the power from a witch," Maka explained venomously, ignoring his pointed glare. "It's how he broke the barrier the second time around."

"Whoa, man," said the blue-haired boy. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Soul rubbed his jaw, narrowing his eyes at the floor. "I didn't want to involve you or Tsubaki, Blackstar, it was my own problem until she blabbed," he huffed. "And to get the facts straight, I didn't ask the witch for her help. She approached me."

Maka raised her head, casting a quick look at the blue-haired boy after hearing his name. She looked at Soul. "S-She approached you?" She repeated in disbelief, sharing a look with Kid.

"Then it appears you've been tricked," the shinigami spoke up, meeting his fiery stare. "A witch wouldn't lend her power so easily, not without a price," he said. Tsubaki gasped quietly in the background. "So what did you agree on," he continued, twisting his lips. "To give up part of your soul? A little blood exchange-?"

"I promised to help her cross the wall." Frost flung himself into a nearby chair, hiding his face against his arms, swearing under his breath.

Maka took a step forward, eyeing the elemental's slouched position expressionlessly. "...Do you know where the witch is now?" She asked, watching his shoulders freeze in response.

"No."

Maka shifted closer, contemplating his look. When she had first met him she'd seen something in his eyes and it had sparked a familiar feeling in her own, fuelling her passion for protecting the city from his ice powers. The emotion wasn't visible in his eyes as he sat before her now. His whole being was drenched in self-loathing. She knew it was his own fault for meddling with a witch, but he couldn't possibly be the only one at fault. Witches were known for their devious influences, spinning their lies as easily as the moon could spin around the earth. Something inside her pitied him to an extent. She had to help somehow. "...Then I can cut you a deal," she offered quietly. Kid saw the mischievous gleam in her eyes and reached forward, not liking it one bit.

"Maka-"

"What deal," Frost looked up, scowling at her closeness.

"If we find the witch you struck the contract with and bring her in, we can let Lord Death deal with her repentance and let you off," she replied, watching his lips dip into a frown.

"Why would you want to help me out?" He asked, suspicious of her sudden friendliness. "I'd still cross the wall regardless of the contract."

"Oh...T-Then make a treaty with me."

"No, Maka!" Kid yelled, yanking her back by the arm. "You can't trust him! He's dangerous and an outcast-"

"Then I'm dangerous too!" She shouted back. "If you don't trust him, you can't trust me. We're not that different, Kid!"

"But that's-"

Maka shook her head. "I'm not going to argue over this, and don't you dare breathe a word of it to Death. He's upset with me enough as it is, and this will just send him over the edge. He'll lock me up for real next time. And would you want me hounding you 24/7 about betraying my trust? Because I'm a patient person Kid, and you know it. I'll drive you into the ground," she threatened loosely, staring at his shocked expression for a little longer before releasing a sigh. "...Look, I don't like this either, but this deal can lead us to a dangerous witch who is probably looking for revenge, and the first place she'll take it out on is the city. But with this we have a chance to stop her before any real damage is done. If we find her and deliver her straight to Death, we can forget this happened and go back to our peaceful lives."

Soul eyed the bickering pair in mild curiosity. The kid had offered him a way out of his bargain with the witch, but was it something he actually wanted? He'd been waiting to cross the wall for years, training his powers to match that of a Guardian's. And it still hadn't been enough. He was given symphathy by a witch no less, and it wasn't cool. He wasn't the type to condole with their kind. He clicked his tongue. "What would this treaty entail?" He asked, attracting both their gazes. "If I were to agree, that is."

Maka pursed her lips, thinking it over. "As long as you agree to push aside your necessity of crossing the wall and help us capture the witch, I can cut all the ties you have with her and let you walk free without the other Guardian's breathing down your neck wherever you go." She replied, holding her hand out before his face.

Soul stared at her slender fingers and rested his head on his hands, flickering his gaze to her emerald orbs. "How can I trust you'll keep your word."

Maka sent him a taunting smile. "I could ask the same of you," she laughed. "We're both taking a chance here, so do me the favour and explain why you feel so strongly about crossing the wall, and I'll see what I can do," she admitted, keeping her arm hovered in front of her.

Soul held his breath. "It's for family reasons," he exhaled through his mouth. "Some relatives of mine disappeared during the Great Freeze, and I'm also looking for a friend who was taken from me," he glanced back at Tsubaki and Blackstar, "who was taken from us." He mended. "I wanted to question some of the city folk for any information on their whereabouts."

Maka nodded slowly. It was a plausible reason, one she was willing to risk. "...OK then, I agree." She wiggled her fingers for emphasise. "Do we have a deal?"

"You should take it Soul, it's the best you can get," Blackstar chirped up, nodding his head eagerly.

Soul squared his shoulders, nodding back. He threw the Guardian's scythe at her and she caught it in her hand, looking back at him in silent confusion. He smirked. "Fine, I agree to your terms. But there's something you should know." He said at her attentive look, hearing the shinigami mutter under his breath. "The witch did tell me something, about wanting to meet me at the barrier. She's planning to cross the wall tonight, but with the new barrier up, I'm sure she won't be able to."

"A Guardian's magic is like poison to a witch. She won't get near the barrier, and she won't be able to cross it. I'm sure you were the one she was betting on when you broke the first barrier," Maka said wearily, raising her brows. "So if we keep you out of her reach, she'll have no allies to help her through."

"Then let's capture her tonight!" Blackstar belted, startling them all with the volume of his voice. "My Godly powers will aid your puny magic-"

"Blackstar, stop right there," Tsubaki dragged him back. "Who knows how many witches there will be at the barrier, we can't take that risk." She tried to reason. Maka watched her intently, fully agreeing with her words.

"She's right, our best bet is to find their nest and scout them out."

"Ma-Vixen, you're not saying you're agreeing to this-"

"Do you want to save the city or not?" She asked Kid, needling him with her stare.

"Of course I do-"

"Then what's the issue?"

Kid adjusted his collar grumpily, flexing his hands. "...He's the issue," he scowled openly at Soul who mimicked him and sent one back.

"I don't like you either, but at least I'm being civil."

Maka rolled her eyes, catching Tsubaki's apologetic look. She shook her head, mouthing for her not to worry before perching herself on the bed while the boy's squabble fell on death ears, turning her gaze to the window in thought. The sky had darkened dramatically during their talk, hiding the sun behind the clouds as a steady flow of snow fell from above, fogging the window pane with light smudges. She thought about the truce she'd made with the elemental, already knowing why she'd done it. Half of it was out of sympathy because she understand how it felt to be cheated. The other half was purely from the strange connection she felt to him. She wanted to help, unbeknown to her, that Soul felt the same.

A hair-raising shriek made Maka's blood turn cold in her veins. Her head whipped to the side, seeking out the sound as she pressed her face to the window, sensing the brief flickers of a dark being.

Soul shot from his seat in alarm, meeting her widened gaze. "The witch," he growled.

Maka nodded as Tsubaki spoke up, mindful of Kid's fretful stare.

"Then we must hurry," she said, worry evident in her voice. She looked at Blackstar. "Did you hear any other news from the earth elementals, anything of use?" She asked swiftly.

Blackstar laughed. "Of course they did! I am a GOD, worthy of their rumours! My presence alone had them cowering at my feet as they ran their mouths about Soul's secret love with the Guardian Vixen-" He prattled on, mumbling about his 'god-like' deeds while Maka frowned at the mention of her name.

"You mentioned that earlier." She said, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"Blackstar," Tsubaki raised her voice, "you've already told Soul and I this, was there anything else? Something new?"

He brought his mumblings to a halt, holding her stare proudly. "Of course, my loyal subject. I was getting to it! Supposedly, there's an area up North where the plants have stopped growing. The land has turned black, and one of the elementals claimed to have seen something evil, but a God like me could sort it out in no time. I AM THE MIGHT BLACKST-"

Soul punched his shoulder. Hard. "Why didn't you tell us this before!?"

Blackstar winced, rubbing his abused skin. "Ouch! That's because I'm a GOD- WHOA, WAIT, wait, wait!" He suddenly cried as Soul raised his fist, getting ready to hit him again. "OK! Chill, Soul, I'll tell you!" He held up his hands. "I-I didn't think it was relevant at the time, and you know what the old earth elementals are like, they talk more rubbish than truth!"

Soul's veins throbbed in his neck. "Like the nonsense you spouted about my love life?" He raised a brow sceptically.

Blackstar's shoulders dropped, giving him a weary smile. Tsubaki intervened, drawing them back to the present. She looked at them in disapproval. Blackstar gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Tsu."

She sighed, feeling the shinigami's and Guardian's eyes on her. "We'll have to pack some things if we're heading north. The animal trails will get us there quicker. If we time it right, we can beat the witch, minding that she sticks around the barrier a while longer."

"With Soul out of the picture she'll be too busy trying to find another way around it before she returns to her nest, giving us enough time to scout out the north if her nest is there." Maka added, resting a hand on her hip. "If we're going to do this, we have to do it now." She turned to Kid who had been sulking for the past five minutes. "Are you coming?"

He blinked, surprised that she had to ask. "O-Of course Vixen, I'm not leaving you by yourself." He said, throwing another glare at Soul.

Maka tilted her head, looking at the others. She licked her lips. "Good, we'll pack and leave immediately."


The witch released an animalistic screech, peering through angered slitted eyes at the resurrected barrier before her. She was beyond furious, and yet the Guardian Vixen was no where to be seen at her spot on the wall, and neither was Jack Frost. He hadn't come to meet her.

"What is the meaning of this, Medusa?" Shaula questioned her angrily, perched on her broomstick. Her hair curled back in anger, mirroring the shape of a scorpion tail. "You promised our revenge on the city tonight!"

Medusa's tongue flickered as she turned to face the younger witch. "Calm yourself, sister."

"Did you lie?" Arachne crept from the shadows below, running her hand across the bark of the tree. "Or was it a simple...miscalculation, on your part?" She suggested wirely, finding an interest in her nails as the snake witch hissed, slithering along her broom.

"We will get our revenge soon enough!"

"It was supposed to be tonight you stupid bitch!" Shaula retorted furiously.

Medusa shrieked and backhanded her off her broom, baring her teeth at her from the ground. "Do not take my kindness for granted, Shaula!"

Arachne stared at her fallen sister with boredom, flicking a piece of dust from her sleeve. "Hmm, then what do you suggest we do, Medusa?" She tapped her finger against the bark, taking her time when meeting the snake witch's gaze.

Medusa's eyes narrowed by a fraction as her fingers tightened around her broom. She lifted her head boldly at the spider's remark, jutting out her lip. "I always have a second plan, sister."

Arachne grinned a sinister smile, flashing her teeth. "We'll see."


Original Posting Date: 21st December 2012

Posting Date: 1st January 2016

Symm: Happy New Year! And just to let you know, this story will continue running through January so I'll see you all in the next chapter, have a good one! (੭ु。╹▿╹。)੭ु⁾⁾

Fun Fact - Ancient people like the Druids used to considered mistletoe sacred because it remains green and bears fruit during the winter when all other plants appear to die. They would cut the plant with golden sickles and never let it touch the ground, thinking it had the power to cure infertility and ward off evil.

Thanks for reviewing ChaosreigN!

You better come back- Or I'll take your Soul!