Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot.

Intro image:

Tsubaki is seated on a large bed with Maka. She is sitting behind Maka, wearing nothing but a light blue kimono. It is drooping over her shoulders, revealing her pale shoulders and quite a generous amount of her chest. Her hair is set free, falling around her like a long inky train, and she has a small smile on her lips. She is twining Maka's hair together while the other holds up a mirror and makes a pouting expression. Maka is wearing a pink satin camisole with a pair of blue and white striped boxers.

Chapter Ten: Private Conversations and Private Plans

"It all sounds easy enough in theory but it's probably much harder to put to practice, huh?" Maka asked as she and Tsubaki got settled into the seats on the plane. Tsubaki had decided on a sleuthing mission and Shinigami-Sama had given her the okay to let Maka handle it to see if she'd pass the test or not. Thus here she, conversing with the other girl easily enough, and feeling butterflies flutter in her stomach. The other nodded, sapphire orbs alight with a calm joy that was rare on her. Maka liked how gentle and content Tsubaki looked when she wasn't stressed out over every little thing.

"It really is," She agreed while buckling her seat for takeoff. Maka did the same. They waited until they were in the air again to resume talking. "I don't think it should be too hard for you, though, since you've been catching on pretty quick with everything else. Liz and Patty have both come to accept you and Blair's been boasting to everyone who will listen that you're a master with the art of seduction." The younger girl blushed and laughed nervously. "You're really important to Blair, you know?"

"She means a lot to me too; Blair's always been like an older sister to me," She said with a small smile. She remembered once, when she was seven, she'd been really sad because both her parents had to work on her birthday. Blair was visiting and she took her out to a movie, dinner and even bought her a new book to help cheer her up. During junior high and high school, she would call Blair every two weeks on Thursday nights to talk about school, boys and other teenager things. The indigo haired woman was always there for her when she was going through the awkward time between being a little girl and young lady. "But what about you and Black*Star? You seem like you're really comfortable with one another."

"Well, it's a long story," Tsubaki said with a small giggle. Maka blinked then rested her back into her seat as the in flight movie started up with the trailers.

"I've got time; I'm not fond of this movie anyway," She said flatly. The other stared at her in disbelief and she shrugged calmly. "We had to watch The Glass House in a psychology class I took in high school." She explained simply.

"Okay. Well, I guess I should start with the beginning," She said with a small smile. She closed her eyes and thought back. "I met Black*Star on an early spring morning, when I was ten and he was about nine."

The birds were singing and fluttering about outside, oblivious to the large sapphire orbs fixated on them. "So pretty," A young girl whispered to herself while leaning on the frame of her window. She wasn't supposed to leave the house yet but she could certainly observe from her window. "I wish I was a bird." She sighed sadly, resting her head in her hands and pouting out at the world.

"Why would you want to be a bird?" An unfamiliar voice asked behind her, causing her to yelp and turn. There stood a boy wearing a black tank top and khaki shorts. His hair was spiky and a light shade of blue, similar to the sky she'd been staring at. They were stuck in an awkward dead-lock of staring at one another, Tsubaki too embarrassed to speak and the boy just seeming somewhat bemused at the whole thing. "Why would you want to be a bird?" He repeated upon getting no response.

"Because they get to fly," She said meekly. He blinked then grinned at her, showing off his pearly whites.

"Birds are measly beings when compared to one as great as I!" He announced while his hands fell to his hips. She tilted her head and swallowed hard, forcing her all her courage to let her speak up.

"But who are you?" His face fell at this and she feared she'd upset him. His eyes locked on her for a moment before he scowled and a pout came to his lips.

"What? They didn't tell you I was coming today? How dare they! I am the great Black*Star; my presence must be known by all!" He called loudly.

"Ah, so you're the boy they sent," She said in understanding. Tsubaki's family, the Nakatsukasa clan, were nobles in feudal times and continued to have a huge amount of political control in modern society. Because of this another family, known as the Star clan, would work as bodyguards for them. The Star clan apparently trained with a high class organization of assassins, giving them incredible power, and worked for her family at a decent price. A few weeks ago Tsubaki's father had told her the Star clan would be sending the rookie who would serve as her personal bodyguard until marriage.

So far, she wasn't sure what to think of the loud mouthed young man whom still stood in her doorway.

"I'm not a boy; I'm a God in the making!" The boy suddenly barked. He stalked over to her, grabbed her hand, and pressed it to his chest. She blushed a little bit at the feel of his heart beating beneath the cotton of his shirt. "You feel that? That's the beating heart of a God! My father says that I'm still a little too young to be called a God, but once I breeze through the Shibusen tests for assassins, I'll be the king of everything!"

"That's… quite the dream," Tsubaki agreed. It was against her commonly docile nature to make snarky remarks or rude comments at the things other people said to her. She had seen her brother be that way, seen him speak down to others, and it made her feel uneasy. "I'm sure you'll accomplish it if you're willing to put forth the hard work and effort."

"What about you?" He asked suddenly, letting go of her hand. She blinked a few times, taking her hand back and placing it in her lap. "Don't you have a dream?"

She looked down with a sad little smile. "Well, I'd really like to do something different from the rest of my family," She said nervously. He tilted his head in confusion at her and she felt heat rising to her cheeks. He would think her idea was stupid, she could tell! Her brother had laughed at her about it too; told her that she couldn't be good at anything other than being a wife if she was lucky. "I'd like to get to see the world and do my own thing instead of just raising a family and being someone's wife."

"You should come train at Shibusen with me!" Black*Star announced after a small silence passed between them. She looked up and made a startled, strangling noise in the back of her throat. "It'd be awesome! We could go on missions all around the world, beat people up, and I'll even let you be my closest disciple!" His words struck a chord deep within Tsubaki that made her eyes water.

He wasn't like all the others; he thought she could be something else.

"Thank you, Black*Star," She said while looking down as the tears started to fall, "but my family would never let me. It'd certainly be nice, though."

He opened his mouth to speak when chuckling was heard from the doorframe. A man who looked almost identical to Black*Star stood there, grinning lightly at the two children. He was clad in a sleeveless black turtle neck with white shorts partnered together. What surprised Tsubaki was that his eyes, though the same olive hue as the younger boy's, had a little star in place of where his pupil should be. "Are you making friends, then, Black*Star?" He asked happily.

"Father!" Black*Star grinned before rushing over and hugging the other's legs. The older male picked him up and set him on his shoulders. "How did your meeting go?"

"Very well. Hello, young Miss Nakatsukasa," The other male stated while smiling at her. She recognized this man suddenly as White*Star, her father's personal body guard. She hadn't realized that her body guard was going to be the son of her father's body guard. "I see you've met Black*Star. I hope that the pair of you will get along very well." He said with a bow.

"Ah, I am sure we will. He seems very kind," Tsubaki said quickly while bowing as well. White*Star grinned at his now blushing son, hiding his face in his father's head.

"Excellent. Well, let's go get Black*Star here settled in his room. We'll see you again at dinner this evening," White*Star said cheerfully while heading out. Tsubaki watched them go then looked back out the window.

"He's a puny little brat, isn't he?" Her brother asked as he walked in without even knocking. She twitched and looked at him with a forced little smile.

"What do you mean, Masamune?" She asked gently. There was very little resemblance between the two siblings, really. Although Masamune's hair was the same inky tone as his sister's it looked more dull and, in the light, a touch more of a brown hint. His eyes were a soulless gray-silver that always left her unnerved. He was currently clad in a basic blue kimono, his arms folded into the sleeves.

"He's pathetic," He barked back out coldly. Tsubaki blinked a few times, her smile dropping to a small frown. Masamune smirked lightly at the now crest-fallen expression marring his sister's features. "It works out well, though, since you yourself are pathetic. Maybe a hit will be taken out on you and the pair of you can be taken out in one go." He laughed darkly before turning and walking away. Cerulian orbs filled with tears before snapping shut tightly.

She could never tell anyone what her brother said, though; it was her own fault for being the beloved daughter, after all.

…

The following months were interesting, to say the least. Wherever Tsubaki went, Black*Star was with her; even when her private tutors showed up and were working with her. She loved getting to spend time with him because he was always so upbeat and kept her from thinking about how bad things were at home. "You're really good, Black*Star," Tsubaki said sweetly one day. He blinked then grinned happily at her.

"But of course! I'm a God and it's my job to watch after my loyal followers like you!" He cheered while laughing toward the ceiling. They were walking down the hall to head back to Tsubaki's room when they spotted her father and Masamune standing there. The two children blinked a few times and paused as he spotted them. His eyes were somber and filled with pain, while Masamune wore a small smirk.

"Father, what's the matter?" She asked worriedly as she walked over. Her father gently set a hand on her head.

"Tsubaki, I need to borrow Black*Star for a little bit. He and I need to talk seriously in private," He said gently before turning back to the young man. The usual confident and headstrong presence that surrounded the young man had faded, a confused frown marring his features. Tsubaki watched as her father led her bodyguard away before turning to her smirking older sibling.

"Do you know what's going on, Masamune?" She asked once the pair was out of earshot. He snickered before grabbing her wrist and yanking her into her room, making sure to shut the door behind him. She stepped back a few times, bumping into her desk and almost knocking over a vase of flowers. She had been working on her flower arranging earlier and had not had time to clean up before heading to her next tutoring session. She swallowed hard and stared at the flowers without really seeing them, unnerved by her brother's apparent excitement despite not knowing what was going on. She could tell this was not something that called for that kind of an attitude.

"In fact, I do," He chuckled lightly. He made sure the door was shut tight before turning back to her. "Apparently, White*Star and the rest of their clan got offed by another assassin clan they'd been having issues with for quite a few years. Since Black*Star was here, her survived but the rest of them are all gone! Isn't that just hilarious? Their murdering ways finally got them killed!"

Cerulean orbs widened in horror at what was revealed to her. How could her brother find this funny? Black*Star's parents and his entire extended family were gone! "You… You're sick!" She choked out in disgust. She had never taken such a tone with her brother and it left them both stunned; however, some switch in Tsubaki had been kicked on and was going to run with the time it had. "You think this is funny? You are so disturbed and it's scary! I am scared for you, Masamune!"

His fists clenched at her words and he growled, eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. A fury she had never seen crossed his features as he reached toward her desk. He grabbed the scissors she had been using to cut off the thorns from the flowers and held them like a knife, watching his frightened sister try to back away from him. "Like you have any right to criticize," He said flatly. His knuckles were turning white from the force of his grip on the scissors. "All you ever do is smile and nod, as if nothing really affects you. But in reality, you're just afraid that if you were to speak your mind you'd be hated; to be fair, you're right about that. You're nothing more than the spoiled brat of this family, given everything just because you're a pretty little girl. Why don't we level the playing field a little?" He screamed the last sentence before launching at her, planning to take her out.

A five minute struggle ensued before a few maids heard the young girl's horrified screams and managed to break the pair up.

…

She was fiddling with her hair while the maids set her bags in the car. She would be leaving her family estate today to begin her training at Shibusen with Black*Star. "Are you sure this is what you want, Tsubaki?" Her father asked, kneeling beside her and setting his hands on her shoulders. She gave him a tired little smile; he had asked her this same question nearly fifteen times in just the last hour.

After their scuffle almost six months ago, Masamune was placed in a mental hospital to receive treatment for his violent outbursts. Tsubaki had gotten mostly minor injuries in her fight with her brother and her hair had been cut at an awkward angle. Because of this, it all had to be cut into a tidy shoulder length bob that she was still trying to get used to. All her life she'd worn her hair long simply because she had loved having it that way. She missed it but she had forced herself to put up a front and pretend it was all okay like always.

And then, when it was announced Black*Star's training would be starting soon, she had begged her father to let her go too.

"I'm sure, Father," She said gently, locking her eyes with his. He nodded and sighed before hugging her tightly. She closed her eyes and hugged back, enjoying the warmth of her head on his shoulder. "I promise I'll get in touch with you whenever I can."

"Okay. And always remember, sweetie," He said while pulling back and cupping her face, "that this is your home. You and Black*Star shall always be welcomed here. I love you, Tsubaki."

"I love you too, Daddy," She said, swallowing back her tears. He kissed her forehead and hugged her one last time before they parted. She let their guide, a man named Sid, help her get buckled into her seat next to Black*Star. The blue haired young man was staring out the window, playing the silence card; ever since his family passed, he's been much quieter.

Tsubaki herself stared out the window, her fingers fiddling with the ends of her hair. It felt a little lighter but not in a good way for her. She missed the feel of a long whip draping down her head and gracing the space between her shoulder blades. "Hey," She heard Black*Star say softly, shocking her from her train of thoughts. He reached out and let his fingers graze the cut ends of her hair. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to protect you from Masamune. I still have a lot to learn but I'd be really happy if you'd continue to follow me."

She blinked before tears prickled at the back of her eyes and she smiled happily at him. "I'd be happy to continue following you, Black*Star," She sniffled lightly. He grinned at her and pressed his forehead to hers while the two laughed quietly.

Sid smiled to himself from the driver's seat at the young children in his custody.

"Oh, wow," Maka said in surprise as Tsubaki finished her story. The inky haired woman smiled lightly as she ran her fingers through her ponytail.

"That's why I'm so loyal and close with Black*Star. He's always been there for me and I've done my best to be there for him," She hummed with a faint pink tint coming to her cheeks.

"So you do love him," The blonde grinned, causing the other to squeak and flush like crazy. She winked at her and pressed a finger to her lips. "Don't worry, Tsubaki; it'll be our little secret!"

"Thank you, Maka," Tsubaki sighed in relief. The two girls giggled lightly at one another as they finally focused on the terrible in flight movie. They spent the rest of the flight making jokes about the movie in hushed whispers and muffled laughter.

…

There were many things Soul Evans hated in life; one of them was anything pink and the other was polyester. Thus the pink polyester uniform forced upon Shibusen agents when sent on restock missions was number one on his list. It was hot, itchy, and a neon pink that just screamed "Mock me!" The visor was pink as well, with a yellow circle with a skull that looked like Shinigami-Sama's mask on it. There was a nametag on his shirt shaped like the mask with the name "Derek" on it in black text. Pair that with the black slacks and the squeaky non-slip shoes he had to wear and he felt like a total nerd.

"Shinigami-Sama gave me the list and gave me a card with all the money we'll need on it," Blair said as she walked over. She was in the same uniform but she actually made it work. Then again, that could be because she had cut and tied the shirt so that it was less of a shirt and more a strapless bra with a name tag attached. She was beaming as she hopped into the driver's seat of the white van they'd be driving to the town about three hours away. It was a small town that people forgot about with only a select few stores; however, this mediocrity made it perfect to have a professional underground arms dealer stationed in it. "He said if either one of us wants to get replacement tools for ourselves as well, he said we're allowed to splurge a little on that too."

It was the only perk; if you volunteered for this horrific task, you'd be given the rights to get a new tool of the trade.

"Sounds good to me; I could use a new weapon with more durability than my last one," He said calmly as he buckled himself in. He waited until Blair had gotten them out of the base and on to the road to strike up the conversation that had been nagging at the back of his mind all this time. "You were right, by the way." He said while keeping his eyes transfixed at the passing sand dunes.

"Hmm?" She hummed curiously, looking at him through her peripheral sight. He sighed and scowled, sinking lower into his seat and crossing his arms over his chest.

"You were right; I like Maka… I like Maka a lot," He grumbled bitterly. He had been thinking about it since waving her a farewell three days ago, when she was leaving for her mission with Tsubaki. She would return today, later into the evening, and he wanted to get things in order. Although he had accepted the feelings he held, after what Black*Star had done, well… He had been nervous to tell Blair. Suddenly he heard an ear-splitting squeal and his face was shoved between two large fleshy mounds. He felt his eye twitch and blood started gushing from his nose.

"Oh, I knew it! I knew you'd see things the way Bu-Tan said so soon enough! You've come to me for help on how to charm her, right?" She gushed excitedly. The sound of a car horn caused both to tense up as they realized no one had control of their vehicle. She suddenly released him and grabbed the steering wheel, swerving just in time to miss colliding with the station wagon driving in the opposite direction as them. "So, what caused you to change your mind?" She asked excitedly.

"I had a talk with Black*Star; he said I should go for it," He said casually while rummaging through the glove box. He pulled out some napkins that had been left in there from some fast food restaurant and pressed them into rolls in his nostrils. Blair made a disappointed noise in the back of her throat but he chose to ignore it. "So, would you?"

"Would I what?" She asked without looking away from the road. He could tell it now; she was upset that it had been Black*Star that changed his mind instead of her. Well, he could remedy that for her in a heartbeat.

"You've known Maka since she was very young; therefore, you know what would work at wooing her," He explained calmly. When she didn't even look at him he sighed again and rolled his eyes. "I'm asking for your help, Blair. You're the only person I can trust and confide in once I start working to make Maka fall for me."

"It won't be too hard for you," Blair said with a smile slowly crawling onto her lips. She turned away from the road to flash him a cheery grin to reassure him that she was on his side. "She's already interested in you; she's always liked the cool-and-seemingly-bad boys, you see. You've managed to catch her eye and the two of you do have some good chemistry but it'll take more than just that to get her to agree to be yours. You'll have to be honest with her at all times, tell her if you think she looks good or not, and you'll have to perhaps get romantic. You know, candle-light dinner with dancing and pleasantries."

"How am I supposed to do romantic shit like that when we live in a small underground city?" Soul groaned while smacking his forehead. He had expected that Maka might like a little bit of spoiling, of course, but he couldn't think of a single way to be romantic with her in Shibusen.

"Leave that part to Bu-Tan; give me few hours and I can get something arranged for you two for tonight, when she gets back," She hummed musically. He raised an eyebrow but he chose to let her keep that secret to herself. Blair worked in mysterious ways and could make basically anything possible; she was like a sexy, busty version of what a fairy Godmother would be like. "I'll make sure everything is fabulous but you'll have to make sure you dress nice yourself. You've always looked good in those pin-stripe suits; wear one of those for your date with Maka and I can assure you she'll be too star struck to try and run away."

"Maka would run away from a date with me?" He asked with a small frown on his lips. She wrinkled her nose in response to his words.

"She's never been on a date with a boy she actually likes; she'd go on pity dates with the nerds at her school but she's always been too shy to actually pursue one she likes," She explained gently. She giggled lightly. "The nerds were always nice but the dates were always awkward for her. Because of that, she's been worried that, since she's a bit on the geeky side herself, if on a date with a boy she liked, she'd end up being the fish-out-of-water."

"I guess that makes sense," He answered calmly. Blair was humming excited, singing some song about being the greatest matchmaker in the world. He stayed quiet and humored her for the amount of time left before they reached the city. "So we need to go talk with Grandpa Steven, right?" He asked as Blair parked in front of a small wooden building.

"Yup! We just have to give him the list and then we're free to poke around for our own little surprises," Blair hummed happily. He nodded as they headed in. Their arrival was signaled by a small bell attached to the doorframe. The store looked a lot like the typical convenience store one might hit to get some snacks on a long road trip.

An elderly man suddenly hopped up from behind the front counter. The man as bald under a green John Deere cap he wore all the time. Paired up with his red and black plaid flannel shirt, raggedy old jeans, and his black leather cowboy boots and he seemed to be the perfect portrayal of a generic red neck. The last thing about him was his long, white beard that always had one small, strange braid going down the center of it. He grinned at them widely, his tongue visible through a gap in his teeth. "Well if it ain't pretty Miss Blair and young Soul Evans! 'S been a while since I've gotten a nice ole' visit from the pair of ya'!" He laughed happily, his words coming out with a bit of a whistling undertone.

Steven Golden was a retired member of Shibusen whom now worked on getting supplies for the group. From what Shinigami-Sama had told all the new recruits as they came in, Steven had been one of the first agents to ever join Shibusen long ago in its meager beginnings (which then raised the unanswerable question of how old Shinigami-Sama was). Due to this, the older man had been given the affectionate nickname of "Grandpa" since he's always been like a grandfather of sorts to the new recruits. With his infinite patience, cheerful demeanor and generally likeable personality, it was no wonder so many agents viewed him as a member of their family. Hell, even Soul viewed the other as a pseudo-grandfather since he'd never had one by blood.

"It's good to see you too, Grandpa Steven," Soul said, walking over to give the other a quick handshake. Once he reached him the other pulled him in tight, laughing, and hugged the young man. Soul smiled lightly and hugged back, patting the older gents back a bit. After they parted, he hugged Blair as well and turned back to Soul.

"It's been quite a while since ya' been the one gettin' the goods. Any fine young gals ya' need to be tellin' me bout, Stud?" He teased while winking and nudging the silver haired male with his elbow. The younger responded with a small laugh, rubbing the back of his head nervously, while Blair giggled cheekily at them. "Well, ya' can tell me all bout it while we get yer things together for ya'." He chuckled before heading back behind the counter. He clicked a button next to the register and the floor parted, revealing a staircase.

The trio headed down while Blair pulled the list of things they needed from within her cleavage. "Here's the list for you, Grandpa Steven!" She sang happily while offering him the paper. He raised an eyebrow before taking the sheet and shaking his head slightly.

"Ya' kept it in yer bosoms? What's this world comin' ta, when sweet girls be puttin' important lists in their chests?" He sighed in a somewhat appalled tone of voice. Soul and Blair both decided against laughing outright as he mumbled about how "Back in my day," but did flash one another a secretive little grin. Steven let out a grunt as they reached the bottom of the stairs; they were greeted by aisle upon aisle of large wooden crates. "Well, it seems like the usual is all ya'll need. I'll have Luke get this order put together and tossed in yer van while ya'll sniff around a bit fer yer rewards." And then, he stepped forward a bit with a hand cupped to his mouth and hollered in a jovial tone, "Luke, ya' lazy ole dog! Git out here and git this all together!"

A buff man, whom appeared to be in his late thirties walked out, wearing a cheeky grin that didn't quite fit on his face walked out of one of the aisles. "What'cha need, Grandpa Steven?" He asked cheerfully. The elderly man pointed to list calmly and started explaining how to get things together. After their brief chat, Luke wandered off. Blair took off after him eagerly, asking him where she could locate the throwing knives.

"Soul," Steven said suddenly, causing Soul to glance back over at him. The older man was smiling in a sentimental, almost sorrowful way. "I have somethin' fer ya'." He said before leading him toward a nearby office. Once inside, he shut the door and started rummaging through the drawers of the desk. "I came across these while I was cleanin' the other day; made me think of ya' so I saved'em fer yer next visit."

"Huh?" Soul asked in clear cut bemusement. Suddenly Steven popped back up holding two leather gloves. He tossed them over to Soul, grinning wider as the other inspected them. The leather was old and worn, faded to a rough color trapped somewhere between dark brown and black, with a strange weight not typical of a simply leather accessory but it was comfortable as he slipped it over his arms. It reached right up to his elbow. The fingers of the glove just reached his first knuckle on each finger and both hands. He flexed the digits and twisted his arm this way and that, seeming how it fit. "This is really cool." He said with a small smile.

"Flex your wrist inward, toward your chest," Steven instructed with a bright grin. Soul did so and gasped as curved scythe blades popped out. The blades were shimmering silver in the light with a small curved tip like that of a fish hook. Soul reached out with one finger and winced a bit as a small stream of red followed the line of the blade. He took his finger off and plopped it in his mouth lightly. "Impressive little trinkets, ain't they?" He asked with a large grin.

"They are far more than impressive," Soul whistled, flexing his wrist back into its normal position. The blade returned to its cocoon, the leather sliding back into place so that the slit for the blade was practically invisible. "I've never seen anything like this. Where'd you get it?" He asked, eyes lighting up like a kid in a candy store.

"Were mine back when I was well nough to take the big field operations," Steven chuckled lightly before clapping Soul on the shoulder. His old brown eyes twinkled like a teenager's suddenly. "Yer a good egg, Evans, and ya deserve a good tool."

"Thank you so much, Grandpa Steven," Soul said warmly. The old man grinned wider and gave his shoulder another pat.

"Now, I don't want ya' to think that I gave ya' that fer bribery or nothin' like that, but I do need a favor of ya'," Steven said as he headed back toward the door. Soul took the gloves off carefully and draped them over one arm as he walked. "Ya see, I was out shooting the rattlers' that sneak round the back with the horses and the mutts. My best golden retriever just had a litter of pups and I don't need no snakes takin' out some pure bred trackers this soon. While I was out there, found me a scrawny lil' bugger wanderin' round like a chicken missin' its head. Kid gave me his name and I looked him up, seein' if maybe he was a lost one of ours, and I found'em alright." He was leading Soul past the aisles of arms to where the suppler bunkers were. Soul had spent a small amount of time working here, back when he was too little to do the real assassin work or the training, and remembered getting to spend his nights in his bed listening to the snorts of snores of his superior stockers.

"So who was it?" He asked curiously. Steven stopped short, his hand resting on the doorknob, and looked at Soul in all seriousness.

"Chrona Gorgon, the son of the banished Doctor Medusa Gorgon," He said. Soul twitched and stared at him with wide eyes. Medusa's son was found wandering near a Shibusen site? Did that mean that she remembered where more things were than originally thought? Stein had mentioned she was a serious threat; had it been because of her inside knowledge?

"Chrona Gorgon?" He gaped lightly. Steven nodded calmly. "Did he give you a reason for him being here?"

"Said his mother threw him out on the middle of a trip back ta their base. He said it was a few days ago and his physical pearance seems ta agree with his tale," He said with a small frown. He looked down at his hand on the doorknob and then back up at Soul. "I was wonderin' if ya'll could take'em back ta the main base with ya. Shinigami-Sama'll definitely want ta talk ta'em on his own."

Soul stared at the door and swallowed lightly. Chrona could have the answer to all their questions; have a way to reverse the black blood. That would help keep Maka from ever turning into something difficult to handle. It could help keep her safe. He nodded finally and took in a deep breath. "Okay," He said gently before heading in to try talking with the unknown individual.

End

Notes:

So many subplots. Why did I add so many subplots? Because I am a masochist, I guess.

Went to an anime convention this past weekend and met Johnny Yong Bosch (which is one of the many reasons this update was pretty late). And, let me just say; UNF! I friggin' love that guy's works~! If you don't know who Johnny Yong Bosch is than you are dead to me for the next three days (since by then I'll have gotten over this little fangirling session).

So, I just wanted to throw this out real fast; not comfortable with lemons? You should probably bail now then. Am I saying that there will be smut next chapter? No; I am just saying that there may be some coming up here shortly.

Wanted to just point out I noticed I'm getting less and less reviews with each new chapter. Kinda would like you all to give me more feedback, because it makes me a little sad to only get like three reviews even though a ton of people have added me to their fave's lists. :(

Next Chapter:

Chrona is unsure what to think about the Shibusen agents he is going to be working with; thus, he is left with less of a clue how to handle the situation than usual. Fluff warning: Soul decides that he should consider getting Blair's advice more often if it means he gets to start putting the moves on a certain blonde. Liz provides a helpful hand in progressing the plot (that I almost forgot about).