Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.
Chapter 9
Maka didn't wake until mid-morning the next day. She awoke to the lively sounds of a working village, blinking back the sleepy haze as she recalled the previous nights events. The distant scent of burning wood was long gone by the time she'd dressed, pulling down Tsubaki's borrowed tight-fitted dress until it covered her knees. How the girl wasn't cold with all the bare skin on show she didn't know, and it baffled Maka as she tugged her red cloak over the top, glad that it was long and thick enough to cover her legs.
Her stomach rumbled loudly when she slipped on her boots, filling up the silence of the tent as she grabbed her rucksack from the floor and fished out some sort of cereal bar, taking a cautious bite. A flood of wheat and sweeteners filled her mouth, and finding nothing wrong with it she ate the rest, discarding of the wrapper into her bag.
"Maka!" Kid's voice drifted in from outside after she'd satisfied her hunger, meeting the orange glow peering through the gap in her tent. "Get out here, you have a visitor!" He called, making her frown.
Maka blinked away the light flares in her eyes. A visitor? She thought to herself, tucking back her hood. Maybe it's one of the elders, she mused as she left the tent with a fake smile, only to produce a genuine one at the sight before her. "Mizune!" She squealed, launching herself at the reindeer who grunted happily at her mistress, butting her head against Maka's.
The Guardian hugged her tightly, surprised that she'd recovered her magic so quickly. "Did you fly all the way here?" She asked, gaining a gentle nudge in return. Maka smiled and patted her head, glad to have the extra company. She turned to Kid and mouthed a thanks, snuggling into the reindeer's warmth.
The shinigami shrugged, "Don't thank me, she was standing outside your tent when I woke up," he grinned, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt cuffs. Maka nodded, giving Mizune another pat before pulling away.
"Do Blackstar's clothes not fit you?" She asked, seeing him in the same suit from yesterday.
"Of course they do, but they're just too...blue." He grimaced, fighting off a shiver. "My clothes are still clean and will remain that way," he said, staring at her new wardrobe before raising a brow. "Aren't you cold?"
"I'm freezing," she breathed, shaking her hands to keep the circulation going. "But my old clothes were ripped and covered in blood, I didn't have a choice in the matter," she frowned, closing the front of her cloak. "I'm wearing a dress, Kid. It feels so weird!"
Kid's eyes widened momentarily, staring at her with a look she couldn't decipher. "Whoa, stop right there. I don't want the details Vixen," he said, scooting away with an awkward smile. "I'm just gonna..." He trailed off, not bothering to finish his sentence as he quickly chose to occupy himself elsewhere and retreated back to his tent.
Maka furrowed her brows at this, sharing a look with Mizune. "...Do you at least know where the others are?" She asked, hearing his muffled reply vibrate through the wall.
"The three of them went to the main hall to check up on the rumour source."
Her frown deepened. "Aren't you coming?"
"I'm busy fixing Beelzebub, I'll join you later!" He said.
Pursing her lips at the shinigami's refusal to budge, Maka spun on her heel without another word and called for Mizune to follow, heading towards the direction of the main hall past the hustle and bustle of the village, feeling the curious stares settle on her form from the resident elementals as she walked. No wonder Kid had refused to come. Either my cloak is drawing them in, or they've never seen a reindeer before, she thought passively, quickening her pace.
One thing she did notice however was the reoccurring appearance of the coloured cloaks, finding that almost all of the residents wore them. Most were blue, with a few green that would pop up every now and then, and Maka was interested to know what they meant. However this thought was aside away for the time being as the entrance of the main hall came into view. She took a deep breath once she was closer, not understanding her jittery nerves. With one step forward she entered, rolling up the curtain for Mizune to pass through after her.
"Oh, Maka! Over here!" Tsubaki spotted her and waved, stood beside Blackstar and Frost as well as two new faces she hadn't seen yet. The Guardian ambled over almost hesitantly, and Mizune positioned herself at her back, pushing her on with a smug grunt. Tsubaki's gaze was instantly drawn to her reindeer as a wave of amazement flashed across her eyes when they neared, orbs wide and glistening. "Is that your reindeer?" She gushed and Maka nodded, scratching Mizune's chin.
"Her name is Mizune, she's quite friendly."
"Hmm," Blackstar stared at the reindeer for a brief moment as the two seemed to connect over something before he leant back and grinned. "OK! I like you!" He shouted, giving her a rough pat on the head.
Mizune grunted from the force, feeling her brain rattle inside her head. The human had a scent which reflected his boisterous nature so she forgave him quite quickly, taken in by the colour of his hair.
"Your reindeer isn't friendly," Soul spoke with indifference, crossing his arms. "She nearly mowed me down that one time."
"You were trying to kill me back then." Maka glared at him, patting her reindeer's head absent mindedly.
Mizune disliked this human rather hastily. She'd recognise his scent anywhere. Her back hoof hit the ground loudly, voicing her displeasure at his nearness to her mistress and she ground her large teeth, angling her antlers ready to barge the boy.
"Now look what you've done, Frost." Maka huffed, coaxing the reindeer with a gentle stroke to calm her down. "You've upset her."
"Me!? She was about to charge!" He yelled and Mizune growled but Maka's stare put her off. She was displeased by his attitude and turned her back on him ignorantly as she swished her tail, deciding to switch her focus elsewhere. Tsubaki jumped when the reindeer sniffed her hand, only to giggle at the ticklish sensation of her fuzzy muzzle brushing against her skin.
Maka rolled her eyes. "Well, you're lucky she doesn't breath fire like some of the others, she'd have fried you on the spot." She snickered.
"They can do that!?" Blackstar howled, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Maka winced at the volume of his voice, not understanding his excitement. "Y-Yes, Blitzen's reindeer can breathe fire, whereas others can sprout wings to enhance their flight." She explained, shooting a glance at her reindeer. "Mizune on the other hand is just a really good flyer, she can't do much else."
"Interesting," said a new voice, and Maka stared at the two elementals who had been listening in. She'd forgotten about them. "You must be that Guardian, Vixen was it?" Asked the old man, pushing back the hood of his green cloak.
"Obviously," joked the second man, adorned by the same coloured fabric. "She has a reindeer Padern, it gives her away!" He batted his hand against his shoulder, earning a laugh from the older gentleman.
Maka settled her curious orbs on the odd pair. The older man, Padern was similar looking to the Elder she'd met the night before, with the only difference being the way they styled their hair. His cropped hair framed his narrowed face in silver strands, curling lightly beneath his chin. Maka took a brief glimpse of the younger elemental who caught her in the act, meeting her gaze with his auburn eyes and laughing when she glanced away. His hair was a deep purple and reached past his hips.
"This is Padern and Felix," Tsubaki introduced them, cutting through Maka's inspection. "They're both from the earth tribe." She said before gesturing at Maka. "You both know Blackstar and Soul, and like you figured out before this is Vixen, one of the Guardians."
Maka nodded, looking at Tsubaki. "Kid told me you were checking up on the rumour Blackstar heard," she said, noticing the sudden dark hue appear on the girl's face. She took in her sunken posture, receiving an anxious tingle in her stomach. "What is it? What's wrong?" She asked when no one said anything, turning her gaze to the earth elementals for help.
Padern rubbed his neck in thought, missing the younger man's frown. Shaking his head Felix spoke up, threading his fingers through his hair.
"Padern here seems to have wrongly informed your friend." He sighed, disheartened. "Turns out one of the children we brought with us went exploring and lost control of his powers. Being an earth elemental we can control the life energy of plants and he accidentally dried up all the greenery around him. The dark vibes we felt coming from the area were just the effects from the dead plants."
Maka's forehead puckered as the built up tension left her system, replaced by her irritation. They'd travelled through the night to beat the witch just to be held back by such a mad coincidence? If her nest wasn't actually here, then it was possible they'd gone in the wrong direction. The thought filled her with dread.
"We don't know for sure though," Tsubaki countered. "It won't hurt to check the area," she suggested strongly, resting her hands on her hips. "We won't know until we try." Maka admired her for this, internally scolding herself for giving up so easily. "The location isn't too far from here and Felix can show us the shortcut. If we scout the area thoroughly I'm sure something will come up," she reassured them, lightening the mood with her smile.
Mizune pressed her wet nose into Maka's back, holding the ends of her red cloak in her mouth. Maka flicked her nose, not wanting the reindeer's saliva to stain it.
"Kid is fixing his hover-board so I'm not sure how long he'll be," Maka informed them, passing on his message. "But he said he'll join us once he's done." Tsubaki nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Then we'll set out after he's finished," she said before speaking to Blackstar and Felix. "Why don't we speak with the Elder and let him know what we're doing to keep him in the loop, he'll be less worried if he finds us suddenly gone." She said before leaving with the two of them, giving Maka a quick wave on her way out. Mizune trotted after them in search of something to eat.
With the three of them gone, Maka was left alone with Soul and Padern. The main hall was empty except for them and you could hear a pin drop with how silent it had become.
But this was soon broken. "Lookie here," Padern grinned manically, showing them his chipped teeth. "The two lovebirds finally have some alone time together," he hacked, wiping his nose on his sleeve.
Maka grimaced, feeling a shiver slip down her spine at his crude actions, taking a moment for his words sunk in. Her body suddenly froze, realising. "...L-Love w-what?" She stuttered with wide eyes, thinking she'd heard him wrong.
"Lovebirds!" He chuckled passively, waving his hands around. "The whole earth tribe has been buzzing about it, everybody knows! An elemental and a Guardian, such juicy gossip-" Soul had him strung up before he could finish, startling the old man as he clutched the boy's arm with his hands, eyes bulging from the lack of oxygen.
Maka gasped, shocked as her eyes landed on his hostile expression. She hadn't even seen him move. "F-Frost-"
"Listen here you old geezer," he spat venomously, ignoring Maka completely as his anger took over. "Whether we have a relationship or not, it's none of your business, nor your tribe's business, you hear? You betta learn the boundaries of our private life Padern, otherwise you'll end up with my fist in your-" Maka's hands settled on his arm and he shot her a glare for interrupting his speech. She produced her own glare, one equally as angry as her hands tightened around his wrists and she shot him a weird look, somehow easing the tension in his arms at just the touch.
"Soul," Vixen called his name calmly, throwing a worried glance at the old man slowly choking on his own spit.
Frost looked at her, really looked at her and watched a hint of confusion flickered across her gaze. He licked his lips, seeing the way she bit her lip in misplaced concern for the old geezer, gnawing on the rose coloured skin as her eyes widened ever so slightly, showing off her emerald hues. Something fluttered in his chest, snapping him out from his daze. Soul lowered his head, recollecting his thoughts. Could...Was he beginning to like-
"C-Ca-n't...br-eaaaath-ee-!"
Padern choked as Soul's grip slackened suddenly, dropping him onto the floor as the old man drew in a sharp breath, collapsing against one of the wooden benches with a red face. Soul looked at him in disgust before stalking out the room, shoving the curtain back aggressively.
Padern looked at Maka, eyes wide and crazy as he rubbed his neck painfully, choking out a breath. "H-He's crazy!" He barked. "To have the audacity to-"
"He had every right," Maka surprised herself when she defended him, balling her hands into fists at the old man's whining. Padern's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "It's not right to spread rumours about someone's love life, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this at all." She said, shaking her head. "But I'll apologise for him because he did step out of bounds, but keep in mind that you provoked him first."
Padern looked at her as if she was mad. "I provoked him? He was the one who just attempted to strangle the life out of me! A frail, old man!" He choked.
Maka narrowed her gaze. "If you were so old and frail then you'd have turned to dust at his touch," she muttered before following after Frost's example and stomping out the room.
Frost's reply had caught her off guard, creating nervous tingles in her chest. She felt weird. Maka had expected the treaty between them to be just that, with no other further conversations. But Frost seemed to cross the boundary time and time again, and she found herself falling into comfortable conversation whenever Kid was absent from her side. But what freaked her out the most was how casually she was able to argue with him without threatening to stab him with her scythe. He hadn't used his ice powers once since their deal, making her wonder how serious he was actually taking it.
Shaking her head, Maka adjusted her cloak before departing into the cold, spotting Frost almost immediately by his bright blue coat. She heard him growl, watching as he kicked his feet in agitation. Although he stopped when he felt Maka's presence, slowing pulling his gaze to rest upon her form.
"Are you OK?" She asked hesitantly, eyeing his clenched fists.
Soul scowled and stuffed his hands into his pockets, reigning back his anger. "I'm fine," he breathed a shaky breath, creasing his brows at the tremors. "D-Damn bastard."
Maka frowned at his use of language but shook it off, seeing his anxious expression. She sighed, folding her arms across her chest instead. "He had no right," she mumbled, feeling his eyes draw to her form, "b-but I also want to thank you, I guess. For, you know," she gulped, "defending me an all."
Soul blinked slowly, registering her words. Had a Guardian just thanked him? He couldn't believe his own ears as he frowned back at her, shifting on the spot. "S'alright," he shrugged like it was no big deal, staring at her booted feet. His gaze rose however at the sight of the tight-fitted fabric hugging her legs like a second skin, causing his brow to raise in amazed bewilderment. "Is that Tsubaki's dress?" He asked incredibly, looking up in time to see her blush.
Maka's hands fluttered to her cheeks in an attempt to cover her flush, but the action only dug her deeper as her cloak flagged higher with the movement, exposing her legs even more. She gasped at the sudden draft and Soul's eyes caught the brief show of milky skin before she hurriedly fixed her cloak, clenching the ends tighter around herself with gritted teeth. Frost's quiet laughter reached her ears and she suddenly found herself unable to look him in the eyes. With her blush growing brighter by the minute, Maka forced her hood down in hopes of some shelter before muttering something about checking up on Kid and dashing off.
Soul's gaze never left her until she vanished behind the line of tents, dropping from his line of sight and collapsing to her knees as soon as his presence disappeared from her back. Her hands slid to her knees and she hid her face in her hands. Now she wished she'd never worn the borrowed dress. She should have just stayed in her old clothes like Kid, then none of this would have happened.
"Vixen?" Tsubaki knelt beside her with a confused look splayed across her face. She reached out and placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder, shaking her from her self misery. "Are you feeling well?" She asked, voice filled with concern.
Maka jumped at her touch but met her gaze full on, rubbing her lips together out of habit. "I-I'm fine," she replied coolly, accepting the healer's offered hand to stand. "I was just...thinking about something," she sent her a reassuring smile, hoping she wouldn't delve for details. "What are you doing here?" She asked, hearing a cursed mutter rise from Kid's tent. The two girls shared a look, holding back their giggles at the shinigami's frustration.
"I came to retrieve my scarf, it's getting colder up here," she said, running her gaze across Maka's neck. "You should wrap up too, it won't do us any good if you catch a chill. I have a spare scarf if you need it?" She offered but Maka simply shook her head, telling her she'd be fine without it. The girl's expression fell but she didn't press her any more. Biting her cheek, Tsubaki mumbled, "I'll be right back," before disappearing into her tent, only to come back moments later with a pale blue scarf wrapped around her neck and a bright smile on her face.
Maka's gaze fell to the bundle in her hands. She scrunched up her nose. "Tsubaki, I said I'll be fine-" She began but the healer's hands were already twirling the thick scarf around her neck, throwing her refusal off with a giggle. Maka sighed when the girl's ministrations stopped and she took a step back, curling her pale fingers around the plump warmth gratefully. "...Thanks," she avoided her stare, sensing the happiness echo from Tsubaki's soul and warm up her own. Her gaze dipped to her hands, using her finger to trace the thin lines decorating her palm, fidgeting on the spot when a thought popped into mind.
Tsubaki watched the Guardian out of interest, frowning as Vixen's mouth opened as if to ask a question, only to close immediately before she started the cycle again. Pulling her lips into a taught line Tsubaki placed her hands on her shoulders and lightly pushed down, holding her in place. Maka looked up at the sudden touch and Tsubaki's frown deepened. "What is it?"
She bit her lip, holding her breath. "...T-This might sound weird, but has Frost always been so–so friendly?" She mumbled awkwardly, scratching her head sheepishly. A humoured giggle slipped through Tsubaki's lips at her strained voice, mistaking it for sarcasm. But this ended quite quickly at the sight of Vixen's eyes appearing large and clear, filled with a seriousness that broke through her laugh.
She blinked. "...Yes..." Before adding, "why do you ask?"
Maka shot her a surprised look. "Padern commented about the stupid rumour, saying we had a 'special' connection and it annoyed me. Soul was just as angry and he sort of defended me, but I wasn't expecting it; not too long ago we were enemies, and I can't help but find his friendly attitude suspicious."
Tsubaki nodded her head, rubbing the girl's back out of comfort. To think a Guardian was consulting her about friendship. "Underneath all these circumstance Soul is a nice guy. It's good that you've both agreed to a treaty and I'm happy for you, but it's understandable to have your doubts, Vixen. Soul can be quite protective of his friends with what happened during the Great Freeze. He cherishes us quite dearly, even though he might not show it, and probably understands your loss of losing loved ones."
"What happened in the freeze to make him like this?"
"When Soul said he wanted to cross the wall for family reasons, he was talking about his parents. Just like yours, they vanished without a trace. His friend, our friend was taken from us during the same time by the Guardian's. Why they took her we don't know, but he became more protective of his close ones after this and takes any insult said to them as an insult on himself."
Maka stood straighter from what she'd just heard. The Guardian's took their friend? She'd never heard anything about it. Had she done something wrong to upset them? She cleared her throat, realising Frost and her shared a similar problem. "How old was your friend at the time?"
"Five, a year younger than me." Tsubaki replied.
Maka's eyes widened ever so slightly. She would have been around the same age at that time. "It seems the Great Freeze brought more misery than the Witching War..." She trailed off, only to shake her head at the thought. It was such a coincidence for both of their parents to disappear, let alone the same day. The cogs in her mind trembled roughly. Something didn't add up. "...Never mind, let's get ready to head off." She said, moving to depart. Her feet had other plans though and she stopped, twisting her neck around as she regarded the healer with warm eyes, sending her a brief smile. "Thanks for talking with me, it helped clear up some things." Tsubaki nodded back happily before leaving, probably to find Blackstar.
Running her hands along the scarf covering her neck, Maka walked into her tent and fetched her water canteen, knowing the scout was going to be long and strenuous without a keen water supply. Using her wits, she slung the bottle over her head and shoulder with a makeshift strap she'd crafted from some of the spare rope binds for the tent, leaving it to rest against her hip.
As she exited and zipped up her tent, her soul picked up on a familiar friend, locating her in Soul's tent. She frowned, moving towards the opening where she drew back the cloth, stopping short at the sight before her. "Mizune, what are you doing?" She groaned.
The reindeer turned her head towards her mistress, giving her a full view of the chewed up clothes hanging from her large mouth. Soul's rucksack lay trampled on the floor covered in hoof marks, empty of its belongings which were currently stuffed between her teeth. Maka drew her heated gaze to the culprit, shoving her hands on her hips.
"Mizune, what have you done?" She gasped while the reindeer carelessly munched on one of the sleeves of Soul's shirts, twitching an ear at the Guardian's shrill voice.
"What the hell!" Maka turned to see the tent's occupant, sending him an apologetic look as she cried out, "I'm so sorry! She's never done this before!"
"Never done what!? She's chewing up my clothes!" He exclaimed angrily. "Does she do this to all the people she hates?" Maka shook her head. "Then she's secluding me! Grr, could this day get any worse!"
Maka's shoulders slumped at his tone, feeling her own anger rise up in retribution to his own. "It's not my fault she ruined your clothes. I had no part in this!"
"She's your reindeer! You should be keeping an eye on her!"
Maka blanched. "Are you blaming me for this? How dare you!" She slapped his arm, earning a growl in return. She turned on her heel and stomped off towards the reindeer, sharply extending her arm. "Give," she said gruffly, boring her eyes into the reindeer's head until she gave in. "Mizune," she warned, grabbing the end of the strewn cloth hanging from her jaws. "Give it." The reindeer huffed when Maka tugged on the shirt, wagging her tail mischievously. "Let go or I'll-"
Mizune pulled on the end of the fabric with a grunt, sending the Guardian sprawling to the floor as the fabric slipped from her grasp. She landed with an 'oomph', finding her vision blocked by a blanket of blonde hair.
Soul raised his brow. "It seems your reindeer has jealousy issues," he commented before Mizune butted him in the stomach, knocking the air from his lungs. The baubles decorating her antlers rattled from the impact, leaking a magical glow.
Maka rolled her eyes as she brushed her hair aside, feeling the ends curl near her cheeks. "Like I said before, it's not my fault." She muttered, pushing herself to her feet before shooting her reindeer a glare. "That wasn't nice, Mizune. Apologise to Frost."
Mizune shook her white coat. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she defied her mistress' command, instead spitting the ruined clothes from her mouth before trotting out with heavy feet. Maka rubbed her temples while Soul recovered his breath, clutching his stomach.
"She's pretty strong for a reindeer," he coughed, rolling his shoulders as he took in a deep breath.
"She's an animal, idiot." She scoffed, mocking his look. "You know those twig things on her head? They're called antlers. They could pierce right through you if you're not careful."
"Did I miss something?" The pair turned towards the voice before they could start another argument. Kid peeked out from behind the curtain, staring at the dishevelled mess by their feet. He grimaced, pulling in a taught breath. "It's so...asymmetrical-"
"Not now Kid," Maka ushered him out, blocking his view of the tent. "Did you fix Beelzebub?" She asked. The shinigami nodded, eyeing the pair warily. "Then we'll set off right away," she declared and stalked ahead, her form tense and stiff. He drew his unrelenting stare from his friend and onto the demon, noticing the same rigidness to him.
"Seriously now," he frowned, "did I miss something?"
"NO!" They both shouted simultaneously before glaring at one another for speaking at the same time. Maka huffed and stalked on ahead.
Kid drew his gaze back to Frost. "Something did happen."
"Shut it stripes," he growled before plodding after the Guardian, hands clenched into fists in his pockets while the shinigami hurried to catch up, confused as hell.
Their scout had been unproductive.
The group had scoured the pointed area from top to bottom but their efforts had been fruitless –and that was putting it nicely. Felix had led the expedition up front and had expertly traversed the difficult terrain that had caused the others to stumble so easily in his wake. The spot where the elemental child had sapped the plants of their life lied barren and grey beneath their feet and the snow to a watery heap, and with the lifeless atmosphere there had been no other traces of life within a mile of the place other than themselves.
Maka suggested they split up, with Kid and Tsubaki sticking with her while Soul, Blackstar and Felix wandered off in the opposite direction, much to Maka's relief. A strange tension filled the air whenever Frost and her got close, both still upset from their earlier disagreement. Kid and Tsubaki didn't seem to notice which she was thankful for, whether it was done on purpose or not.
However this search had also been unsuccessful.
The group didn't have any other choice than to return empty-handed. Maka moved with a drag in her step as they crossed into the village, avoiding the curious stares of the passing villagers like the plague. Tsubaki left to inform the Elder of their disappointing results, with Blackstar, Felix and Soul departing to fetch the late breakfast they had so keenly missed.
Kid wandered back to his tent to put some finishing touches on Beelzebub's flying mode, stating she was still unbalanced which left Maka alone. Not even Mizune was around to keep her company. Having nothing else to do the Guardian decided to take a stroll through the village to grasp a better sense of direction, discovering a cluster of rocks partially hidden behind a large boulder, each topped with snow.
She glanced up at the northern mountains towering high before her, perceiving the rocks to have fallen from the heavy snow shrouding it of its greenery. She recalled Lord Death mentioning this area was known for its avalanches, and with the increase in snow this year she could clearly see why. The blanketing snow she'd seen from a distance was thick and tough up close, held in place by a thin layer of glistening ice. A passing breeze glided over her shoulders and Maka could have sworn she'd heard the snow creak.
Along with the wind came a voice, barely loud enough for her to hear.
"-about there being a witch."
Maka withdrew from her thoughts, glancing back at the two children whispering into each others ears.
"-he said she had animal ears too! So cool!"
Vixen hurried over to the children adorned in blue cloaks at the mention of a witch, meeting their startled looks as they heard the snow crunch beneath her feet. "What's this about a witch?"
The children looked at her in awe, recognising her as the Guardian from the wall. "It's Vixen!" One of them exclaimed excitedly while the other simply stood there, frozen in shock at being so close to a Guardian.
Maka sighed, waving them off. "Yes, nice to meet you," she spared them a glance, "now could you tell me about the witch?"
The frozen child snapped out from his shock and produced a large smile, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "We heard there's a witch in the village! She has animal ears and everything!" He gushed. "I wanna meet her so bad!"
"A witch in the village?" She frowned. She hadn't sensed any dark souls upon their return, let alone a witches. She turned back to the elementals. "Who told you this."
"Padern."
Maka couldn't help but groan at the mention of his name, muttering about him being a, "Senile old man," under her breath. Where he came up with these rumours she didn't know, wondering if he only spread such nonsense for the attention. "OK, thank you," she nodded through grit teeth before darting off, wanting nothing more than to give the old geezer a good ear-full on spouting lies.
It didn't take her long to find him, sitting amongst a circle of listening elementals as he repeated the same words the children had spoken, cracking a smile every time someone 'oohed' at his tale. Maka slipped in and out of the onlookers and didn't stop until she was in front of Padern, noticing the way his face fell when he recognised her.
"Old man," she said.
He flinched, absentmindedly rubbing his neck. "C-Crazy Guardian, what d-do you want from me?" He stammered, feeling the villager's gazes watching on intently.
"I was told you saw a witch somewhere in the village," she spoke sternly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Pray tell where exactly."
Padern gulped loudly. "I-I'm telling the truth this time! You have to believe me!" He cried desperately. "I saw her hovering near the frozen river with animal ears atop her head, c-close to your tents! She was trying to break the ice, attempting to obtain the power of the water but she fled when I got close!" He rambled on, quivering so much that his knees knocked together. "She was young, but you know what her kind are l-like! They try and trick your eyes with their witchery!"
Maka stepped back. She'd heard enough to set her into motion, back-tailing out of the crowd and towards the riverbank where a few stray trees and shrubbery sat topped in snow. She skidded down the bank and avoided the slipper river with a single jump, reaching for the weapon by her side. Her boots skirted around the trees at the sound of a rustle, pinpointing the noise to a bush. Extending her scythe, Maka prepared her swing and raised the blade to slice-
"MAKAAAA!" A black blur shot out of the bushes and tackled her to the ground, knocking her hand back as her scythe released and tumbled away. Maka cursed, feeling something wet seep into her cloak. Thinking the witch had cut her, she locked her arms around the child's waist to cage her to her chest, recognising the fuzzy ears adorning her head. And the wetness...was tears?
"Blair?" Maka gasped, feeling the girl tighten her grip on the fisted fabric in her tiny claws. "What are you doing here!?" She yelled but it only made her cry harder, bawling into her chest. Maka didn't know how to comfort another being, however one thing she did know was that she was going to need a new top. The cat's tears weren't stopping and her dress was absorbing them quite well, too well. It displeased her.
The Guardian slowly sat them both up, brushing the cold snow from her hair. She was still shocked, unable to comprehend how the little feline had reached her so quickly. Maka stared at the frozen river as Padern's words surfaced to mind, noticing the visible claw marks on the surface. Putting two and two together, she grabbed her water canteen and jostled the child to grab her attention. "Are you thirsty?" She asked. Blair's cries died down long enough for her to greedily gulp down the cool liquid before starting up again.
Maka sighed at the empty bottle, drawing her gaze to the bank and the group of villagers who stood above it, having followed the fascinating Guardian after witnessing her outburst. Their eyes were fixated on Blair's form as some of the children exclaimed to their parents about wanting animal ears too, making Maka roll her eyes.
After recovering her scythe Maka made her way back up the bank, excusing herself from the watching elementals as she went to find Tsubaki, knowing she would be better at comforting the child than she could. She found the healer outside the Elder's tent, accompanied by Soul whose crimson eyes settled on her when she came into view before lowering to the child crying into her chest.
He raised his brows in amusement, opening his mouth to mock her but Blair's loud cry cut him off. "W-What did you do to make her wail so loudly," he winced, covering his ears. "She sounds like a banshee!"
Maka shot him a glare just as the Elder's head popped through the opening of his tent, making them jump when he sighed.
"You all better come inside," he opened the flap wider for them to enter, not before shooing away the curious onlookers with a scowl. Maka hurried inside to save Blair from the onslaught of stares. She was taken completely by surprise by how large the inside was, appearing smaller from outside. The large space allowed for a wide shelf to fit in place, hoarding stacks of an endless column of books that made her heart flutter in appreciation. If it weren't for the child clinging to her chest she'd have ran straight over and happily immersed herself in one of the many volumes.
"Now," the Elder said, perching himself on a worn stool while Maka stayed standing, feeling their gazes switch to her. "Could you tell me who your friend is, child?" He asked. Soul and Tsubaki sat in a cross-legged positions, also waiting for her to explain.
"Er, well, this is Blair." She nodded at the child, biting her lower lip. "She's a Black Cat, not a witch." She stressed, shooting a quick look at Frost, "Padern started another rumour," she whispered. He grimaced. "I'm not entirely sure why she's here, or how she even got here. She's a resident from Death City, but she's just a child. I was quite surprised myself when she appeared."
"S-Sorry n-n-yya-aa!" Blair hiccuped terribly, rubbing her eyes fiercely. Maka frowned as her sobs racked through her chest, looking desperately at Tsubaki for help.
She reached forward to take the girl off her hands but Blair's iron grip wouldn't allow it. Tsubaki gave her a reassuring smile, mouthing something at her before making a hand motion of rubbing the air. Maka stared at her like she'd grown another head. Seeing this the healer giggled, pointing at the cat before repeating the gesture again. Understanding this time Maka nodded and gently rubbed Blair's back, soothing the child's cries into quiet sniffles.
"S-Sorry, nyaa, I-I didn't m-mean t-to upset y-you," she wept, choking on her breaths. Tsubaki took the notion to give them some privacy, pulling a distraught Soul away from the scene. Maka stroked the cat's hair back, patting her fuzzy ears.
"You haven't upset me, Blair. I was just...surprised by your visit."
"Sorry, I only w-wanted to play with Mizune." She explained, tugging on Maka's scarf. Maka sighed.
"How did you get here. We're a good three miles from the city and I already warned you before, the woods are dangerous."
Blair's lip jutted out into a pout. "Blair knows, she remembers. But you weren't there when we came to play. Crona even brought his creepy uncle..."
Maka looked down at her. "Y-You mean Stein?"
"Yep, but they couldn't stay and wait with me. I tracked your scent aaalllll the way out here. Blair doesn't understand why everyone's looking at her though, is it because of my ears?" She asked, flicking her tail behind her back.
"...Sort of, they reacted the same way to me, although it's nothing to worry yourself over. Now," Maka stood, bringing the child with her as she hoisted her higher. "Why don't we go see Mizune?" She asked.
Blair's eyes lightened as she wiped away a few stray tears, wiggling eagerly in her arms. "Let's go nyaa!" She said, brimming with a new-found happiness. Maka nodded, heading towards the tent opening. She looked back over her shoulder to let Tsubaki know but she wasn't anywhere within the vicinity. Neither was Soul or the Elder.
Screwing her lips Maka huffed and carried Blair away to find Mizune. She heard the jingling of her bauble trinkets before she saw her. Blair squirmed to be let down and Maka obliged, releasing her before she shot off like a rocket and pounced at the animal, rubbing their noses together. Mizune nudged the cat's cheek, happily allowing her to guide her back to Maka who smiled at them both.
A question circled around in her head that she need to ask, but she knew it would dampen the mood. It just couldn't be helped.
"Blair," she called for her attention, crouching down to her eye-level when she gave it to her. "I know you don't really want to hear this, but you should understand that by revealing your concealed side it made everyone mistake you for a witch. It was too risky, Blair, and I understand it's unfair for you to have to hide a part of yourself, but it's to stop others from misjudging you and trying to hurt you."
"B-But Blair wasn't the one who was releasing the evil intent." She sniffled.
"I know, it's not right- No, hold on." Maka blinked, registering the child's words. "W-What did you just say?"
"Blair said she wasn't the one releasing the evil intent." She repeated.
"What do you mean by that, what evil intent?"
"By the cave on the outskirts, did Maka-chan not go past it?"
"A cave?"
"Yes, it was dark and scary so Blair didn't enter just in case. It didn't feel right."
Maka's lips straightened into a thin line as she rose to her feet, rocking back and forth on her heels. By the way her nerves buckled, she knew something wasn't right with this. "Could you take me to the cave Blair and show me?"
The cat appeared frightened at the thought of going back there but nodded at Maka's reassurance, scrambling onto Mizune's back. "OK, Blair will show you, nyaa." She nodded before leading the way, leading Mizune with a short tug on her fur.
They veered off from the main village path, moving further and further away from the strong rattles of noise coming from the people. Sensing something off with this the Guardian sped up her pace, glancing anxiously over her shoulder.
"Blair," she called cautiously. "Where are we going?"
She met her gaze innocently, holding a hint of confusion to her eyes. "You told me to take you to the cave..."
Maka forced herself to nod, taken aback in mild anticipation. They were heading in a completely different direction to where they conducted the scout. "Never mind." She said rather quietly, walking slower this time.
The path grew uneven with every step. Maka's feet sunk deeper into the snow, feeling the chill bite at her neck. She wondered if she should have asked Kid or Frost for backup, but then again, what if there wasn't anything in the cave? She'd have wasted their time and energy with how far they'd already walked. But she wasn't one to complain.
"We're here," Blair spoke in a hushed voice, flattening her ears against her head.
Maka focused her gaze on the cave, noting its dark entrance. An uncomfortable feeling spiked up her spine at the glance, shrouding around her chest and squeezing her heart tightly. Her soul hummed loudly. She'd found the witch nest.
Maka had to enter. Needed to enter. She couldn't return to fetch the others in case the witch wasn't there when she returned; it was a risk she couldn't take. Steeling her nerves Vixen took a cautious step towards the nest, reaching out a hand to brace herself against the icy rock.
"...Maka?" Blair called to her, moving to follow.
"Stop, don't come any closer," the Guardian told her, shaking her head. "It's not safe, return to the village Blair."
"B-But, nyaa-"
"I won't be long, just do as I say. Please." She whispered before darting into the cavern, brushing off the cat's concern without another look back. She prayed Blair would listen to her and not enter. She couldn't. Mizune would keep her safe either way. She just had to focus on the witch. In and out as fast as she could. "In and out," she repeated to herself, narrowing her sights on the darkened path.
Vixen tread lightly, making sure to keep her steps quiet as she lurked between the shadows, nearing the presence she'd sensed from outside the cave. The air grew stale around her, shrinking away with what little confidence she had left when the tunnel branched out into a wider space and the soul grew more ever-present with each intake of breath. She manoeuvred her way through, catching herself in a large spider web that tangled in her hair. She should have pulled up her hood.
Maka stuck out her tongue and removed the silver strings from her person, batting away the crawling feeling irritating the base of her neck.
"She's such a bitch, kero...why can't I ever catch a break?"
Maka immediately pressed herself against the wall, the spider web long forgotten at the sudden interruption of the voice. Her gaze lingered on the open space before her, landing on the female figure in the centre where the light leaked in, lightening her surroundings. The girl before her was definitely a witch. Her soul was filled with malice.
Maka's senses were high on alert. Her blood pumped with every heart beat as her soul enlarged with adrenaline, filling her core with an uneasy feeling as another presence made themselves known, but she couldn't pinpoint its location. It flickered on and off, as if they had a switch attached to their soul and were hiding themselves from her.
He was baiting her with Soul Protection.
Pulling her weapon from its sleeve Maka stepped into the light and extended her scythe to its full length, making the witch jump from the sound of the metal grating against itself.
"Witch," Maka said, gripping her scythe like a life-line as she readied herself for an attack. The witch's eyes bulged like a flies as she held up her hands, mouth agape, shaking like a leaf. Maka hadn't been expecting this.
"W-Wait! Shit! Don't kill me, kero!" She cried, sounding like a frog with her added suffixes. "I haven't done anything!" Her mouth moved in a narrow disposition, accentuated by a prominent black circle at the corners, reminding Maka of the air sacks on a frog's mouth.
"Being a witch is a crime in itself, but the darkening encasing your soul says otherwise. You've killed, you're just like the rest." Maka murmured, seeing the light flicker across her silvery hair.
"N-No! It's not my fault I was born a witch, destruction follows us in our path, we can't help it! P-Please spare me!" She begged quite convincingly, leaving a slight hesitance in Maka's grip.
This slightest lowering of her scythe was all it took.
The next thing she knew she was face down on the ground with a knee digging painfully into her back, grinding her face against the dirt, inhaling rock dust through her nose. Maka yelled in frustration as her scythe fell from her grasp, clattering to the the floor out of reaching distance. She bared her teeth at the witch holding her down, recognising him as the being who had been teasing her with his Soul Protect.
Before she could react the female witch jumped forward and threw a black orb created from her hand. The tadpole-shaped creature bounced when it hit the ground and stretched out its long tongue, setting its sights on the discarded weapon. Maka could only watch in despair as it snatched up her scythe and swallowed the thing whole, all in one go.
"Nice distraction, Eruka." The male witch laughed heartily, pinning Maka harder with his weight. "Your cowardly act let me get the drop on this kid."
The witch shrank back, reaching a trembling hand into the pocket of her black and white polka dot dress. "I-It wasn't an act, kero! She really did scare me Free," she whimpered, staring feebly at the restrained girl who was glaring daggers at her tadpole. She gulped. It wasn't worth the risk. "I-I'm out of here!" She pulled out a set of black orbs, using her magic to expand them into bigger balls before tossing them forcefully at her feet, yelling out, "Tadpole Bomb!"
They exploded into a screen of smoke that made Maka cough. The remaining tadpole bounced after its fleeing mistress, its movements slow and heavy, altering itself to slither instead to try and catch up. Eruka had already vanished by the time the smoke cleared.
"Hoho, it seems I've been left with the clean up once again!" Free grinded his foot into Maka's back, sending a bolt of pain through her body. She gritted her teeth to hold back her cry. Free leered forward, flashing her a grin. "Hmm, you're just a little kid," he raked her form with his wolfish gaze, lowering himself closer. "This will be over quickly," he whispered repulsively into her ear, making her flinch at the wet sensation of his breath on her skin. She wanted to vomit.
His words were soon replaced by a howl of pain when a set of icicles pierced through the bone of his shoulder blade, penetrating Maka's ears with a deafening buzz that made her head spin. Mildly distracted by the deafening screech, Maka covered her ears to stop the pain, biting her lip so hard that it drew blood.
Free growled from behind her, a loud rumble that vibrated through her chest as he ripped the shards from his being, spraying a gooey thick substance that splattered across the floor. He was suddenly struck from behind and flew off the Guardian, flipping in mid-air before skidding back with an excited grin on his face. Now that she had a better look at him, the witch looked more wolf-like with his scruffy hair and fangs.
"Stay down, Vixen!" Maka heard when she tried to move, but the buzzing in her ears still dazed her. She blinked slowly, finding her vision had doubled as the four hazy figures grappled with one another, letting out grunts and curses and throwing punches. Maka shook her head, watching as the four figures merged into two, making her groan at what she saw.
"Godammit Frost!" She growled, shifting to lean against wall as she tried to stand, finding the mediocre task much more difficult with a dizzy ringing in her ears. Her hands held onto the footholds wedged into the rock. She swayed, feeling unsteady on her feet.
Soul dodged an oncoming fist, throwing his own punch into the disarray of attacks until he felt a hard pain in his gut, suddenly air-borne before he hit the rocked wall with a grunt.
Maka cursed, squeezing her eyes shut until the buzzing calmed down in her head and her vision snapped back clearly. She was instantly met by a dark gaze, unable to pull away from the witch's left Demon Eye as Free charged at her. Maka arched her back and rolled to the side, feeling her back ache from the previous dig. She leapt to her feet and caught the witch off guard, hitting him square in the jaw with a clenched fist.
Free laughed evilly, unfazed by the hit as he grabbed the front of her cloak and lifted her into the air. "Nice try, butterfly, but it's gonna take a lot more power than a kid's punch to hurt me," he grinned, slamming her body into the wall. Maka gasped from the hit, scratching at his hand with her dull nails to release her. His free hand moved back as he curled his fingers, and Maka watched his claws grow in morbid fascination before he struck.
Maka shrieked, hands shooting forward as she managed to catch his hand inches from marking her face, barely holding him back. His claws were too close! She cried out desperately, tensing her arms, seeing him grin from the corner of her eye. "F-Frost! SOUL! Get my scythe!" She yelled, remembering she wasn't alone.
"Where is it!?" He yelled back, rolling to his feet.
"It's in the tadpole!" She gasped, feeling Free's hand push closer.
"Tadpole?" He held his aching gut, seeming oblivious to Maka's life-threatening situation, yelling for him to hurry as Free's claw nicked her cheek. Summoning his powers, Soul spotted the escaping blob and shot after it, cutting through the large tadpole with his ice sword as if it were a piece of meat. The creature melted into a black liquid to reveal the Guardian's scythe. He reached forward and seized the weapon, grimacing when his fingers grasped the saliva-coated pipe. With a powerful swing Soul threw the Guardian's scythe into the air.
The time seemed to slow around Maka.
Her hands released from their hold around Free's wrist as the held back strength made his claws shoot forward with sharp precision. Maka slung herself to the side, feeling his claws slip across the skin of her neck. Her mouth opened in a cry as she snagged the scythe from the air. Warm liquid seeped down her throat when she twisted her arm and slashed with all her might, cutting and slicing the witch in half with a scream.
She killed him in one swing.
Without the weight holding her up Maka crumpled to her knees, panting for breath from exerting her energy so quickly. Her fast heart beats gradually slowed in her chest as she watched the hovering skin left behind from Free's swift departure distort and shrink in on itself, wrapping around the witch's glowing soul. It stood suspended before her, sliding against her warmth before the glow dispersed into an explosion of sparks and it vanished from sight.
She could only sigh in relief.
"You alright?" Frost knelt beside her, eyes filled with a light mix of red and white as he held out his hand. "Vixen, can you stand?" He offered generously. Maka blinked up at him and accepted his hand.
"Thanks," she mumbled, standing too quickly as she suddenly felt nauseous. She placed a hand to her neck, only to pull it back at the wet sensation against her fingers, finding her skin stained with red. "Ohh," she made a funny noise, scrunching up her nose.
"Here," Soul took her hand and used his sleeved to clean off the blood, much to Maka's surprise. He unfastened Tsubaki's scarf from around her neck which was now ripped and covered with red. Frost tore off a large chunk while Maka watched, staring intently at his placid expression.
"...How did you know where I was?" She asked to fill the silence, watching him fiddle with the thread.
"Blair told me," Soul shrugged. "She was pretty upset that you sent her away from her first encounter with a witch," he chuckled grimly, bandaging her neck using the threads as his tongue poked out of his mouth in concentration.
"Hah, that's Blair in a nutshell," Maka scoffed, shaking with laughter. "She crossed the barrier despite the danger just so she could play with Mizune."
"Strange kid," he agreed, seeming to contemplate her expression before prying his hands away from her neck. "There you go, all done." He smirked.
Maka smiled, rolling her neck from side to side to adjust to the constricting fabric before quietly thanking him. She rubbed her lips together at the sticky feeling covering her hand.
Soul pursed his lips, mimicking her expression of disgust. "Do I even want to know?" He asked as Maka frowned, wiping the tadpole saliva coating her scythe against her cloak before doing the same with her hands.
"There was another witch but she was a coward," she said, slipping her scythe back into its sleeve. "She made her black creature swallow it to hold me back before she fled. She wasn't that powerful in comparison to the other," her frown deepened as she skimmed her hand against the shallow claw marks marring her cheek.
"Who'd think we'd actually find a witch nest," he laughed, passing off her glare with a shrug.
"But they weren't the witches we were looking for."
Frost threw her a grin. "And yet we rid the world of yet another evil soul, so in that retrospect I'd say we've done a good deed today." Maka looked at him to see him looking over at her with glowing eyes, boldly scratching his neck.
"Yes," she slowly nodded before averting her gaze. "I guess we'd better get back and tell the others the news," she said, dusting herself down with a nod.
"Come on then," Frost moved towards the exit, not before eyeing her state of dress wearily with his gaze. "You need new clothes."
Maka's brow dipped into another frown, showing her displeasure. "I know." She grumbled, forcing her feet into motion. Soul chuckled from behind, grating on her nerves. "Just hurry up."
"I was only letting you know, kid." He murmured, lowering his gaze. "It's just that...certain parts of you aren't big enough to-"
"MAKA CHOP!"
Original Posting Date: 27th December 2012
Posting Date: 4th February 2016
Symm: I was trying my best to finish this story before January ran out, but I've been so busy trying to meet my final project deadlines in college and was hoping it wouldn't run into February since my other stories are also on hold. But every time I write I can't help but add more ideas, it's like a never-ending idea train! Eruka and Free weren't even supposed to show up! I can't help it. ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д`ﾟ)ﾟ｡ Goddamn brain. I really like this story a lot but I think I need to sit down and have a talk with my brain to tell him off. He's too creative!
Fun Fact - Early illustrations of St. Nicholas depicted him as stern, commanding man, holding a large birch rod. He was more a symbol of discipline and punishment than the jolly, overweight elf children know today.
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