Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater; I do, however, own the plot.

Chapter Twelve: This Stupid T.A.

"So we're still good to go to the movies tonight, right?" Maka asked at lunch, nibbling on her sandwich. Liz grinned and nodded eagerly.

"Yeah. But what movie do we want to go see, exactly?" She asked, taking a sip of her milk. She nodded her head over toward Kid. "He, Patty and I already saw that new parody movie so that's out."

"What about that new killer-thriller movie? I've heard it's really good; from both the critics and a couple of kids in my other classes," Maka suggested. The other kids nodded before eyes shifted to Tsubaki, whom had said nothing in agreement or disagreement. "You're still really upset about Black*Star, aren't you?" She asked worriedly.

The inky haired woman let out a low, whining noise around a mouthful of her school lunch. Liz let out a low growl and glared at her. "Okay, you're seriously still upset? You've been depressed about it since the end of that trip and that was back over summer vacation! Either get over it or go spill your guts about how badly you want to bear a million of his blue-haired mutant monkey babies!"

"Liz!" Maka hissed lightly before reaching over and setting a hand on the other girl's shoulder. Soul had tried to talk to Black*Star, but he said there was nothing to discuss. Kid had tried as well but that just ended up in them nearly beating the ever-loving crap out of one another. Tsubaki herself was too nervous and hurt over the whole thing to go try talking to him herself, though the other girls had tried to give her pep talks to better prepare her. "Look, if none of our advice is doing you any good why not talk to one of the guidance counselors? Or maybe one the teachers you get along with really well?" She suggested lightly.

"You could always talk to Ms. Mjolnir; I hear she's dating that weirdo Professor Stein," Liz recommended before chugging what was left of her drink. It wasn't that she couldn't sympathize with Tsubaki, because she really could. She had had her own heart ripped out of her chest and stomped on several times over the years. But she didn't hold on to it and she moved on to bigger, better things. Like Death the Kid, whom she had been officially dating for about two weeks now. "Plus she's the cheerleading coach so you know her really well. She won't tell anyone and she's probably got the best insight."

"That's a great idea!" Maka beamed happily, turning to Tsubaki. Azure spheres shifted between the faces of her three friends and the two gentlemen whom had joined their group. "Do you want to do that?"

"Yeah, that's probably best," She said, picking up her now empty tray. She picked up her bag with the other hand and nodded her head at them. "I'll see you guys after school, okay?"

"Okay," Maka agreed merrily. She nodded her head toward Soul lightly. "We got permission to take the Mustang tonight so we'll pick you up around seven. We'll be getting sushi after the movie, so make sure to keep up your appetite."

"Sure thing," She said with a small smile before watching her head off. The others watched her go before they let out a collective sigh.

"I love that girl to death but she needs to figure out what she wants," Liz sighed lightly, massaging her temples.

"Well, it is Black*Star we're talking about. Being in love with him certainly can't be an easy feat," Kid remarked calmly before munching on a chip from a snack size one he had purchased from a vending machine on his way over. Liz reached over and snatched a chip as well, though he didn't comment or seem to particularly mind.

"Not gonna argue with that fact," Maka said with a small sigh. She let her head fall back against the tree she was settled against. "I just wish Tsubaki would take our advice. It's probably the same thing she's going to hear from Ms. Mjolnir."

"That's a good point," The other blonde agreed before pilfering another chip from the plastic bag in her boyfriend's hand. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she scoffed at him. "What? You know that cheesy chips are my favorite. You should expect me to swipe at least a few, if not the whole bag." She said with a casual shrug.

Elsewhere, Tsubaki gulped as she entered the hallway that led to the teacher's lounge. Students were allowed to poke their heads in to talk to a teacher, since they rarely stayed in their actual classrooms. Tsubaki herself had never felt the need to enter the teacher's lounge and normally let the other cheerleaders come in here when they needed to coordinate with their staff supporter. "Ah, are you one of Marie's students?" A voice asked, causing her to jump and whip around.

Though she had never seen Professor Stein before herself, the young woman had heard enough of him to recognize him. He was wearing the lab coat she heard he always wore, his grey hair not styled but not particularly messy either. He had a briefcase in one hand and a small ice chest hanging over the opposite shoulder. "H-Hello, sir!" She squeaked, bowing quickly. He chuckled lightly.

"You must by Tsubaki Nakatsukasa," He said lightly. She looked up at him in alarm but he merely chuckled again. "Marie's told me about you. Wonderful gymnast on the cheer team, hard worker in classes but very timid and with low confidence."

"Oh," She said with a tense little smile. Did everyone think she was so weak willed that even her teachers picked up on it? 'How embarrassing.' She lamented to herself but forced herself to return to focus. She needed to get advice about how to fix her current issues! "Yes, well, I hope I am not interrupting any plans between you two but I had hoped to speak with her."

"It's fine by me," He said with a shrug, "since we're just going to eat before grading some papers and such. Come right in." He walked ahead of her, opening the door and allowing her to slip past.

Given the conditions of the rest of the academy, Tsubaki had somehow expected that the teacher's lounge would be more glamorous than it actually was. It consisted of three large, round tables with six chairs at each in the center of the room. Against the left wall was a white refrigerator and counters, which played home to a microwave and a few cubbies with the last names of all the staff members on them. Against the right wall were four vending machines; two for snacks and two for drinks. Ms. Mjolnir was seated at the table closest to the opposite wall, a pair of glasses pressed up on her nose and a red pen in her hands.

"Marie, you have a student here to see you," Stein stated as he walked over and took a seat beside her. She jolted up, nearly knocking over a can of Diet Coke placed a few inches from her arm, before looking up. Her honey colored orbs lit up immediately.

"Ah, Tsubaki! Did you change your mind about helping judge for the cheerleading try-outs next week?" She asked excitedly, quickly capping her pen. Tsubaki took the seat across from the other woman, so that there was a chair between she and Stein.

"No, I'm afraid not," She said gently. Marie let out a small sigh, unable to conceal her disappointment. She had been so hoping that Tsubaki would change her mind and agree to help! The dark haired young woman was their only girl with any sort of experience with really gymnastics and it'd help. After all, the girls couldn't all be flyers; they needed some strong tumblers too! "I actually was hoping to get your advice with something a little more personal than all that."

She perked back up at this, head cocking to the side curiously. It reminded Tsubaki of a puppy. "Something personal?"

"W-Well, you see," She stammered nervously. She looked between the two adults and was sort of grateful that Stein seemed more occupied in his sandwich and the papers he was skimming over. And so, feeling much more confident and relaxed, she quickly blurted out the whole story from the very beginning. And by very beginning, she started with the day she met Black*Star and quickly talked her way up to the present situation. She didn't notice, but halfway through Stein had actually set the papers down and stopped chewing. "And so, you see, I was hoping you could tell me what to do." She sighed finally.

Both adults were staring at her with slack jaws before Stein made a small grunt and shook his head. "No wonder Black*Star's been doing even worse in class than usual; he's depressed. Hmm, to think he's capable of a human emotion other than pride is an interesting revelation," The man among them remarked with a small smile. Cerulean orbs widened to the size of dinner plates before welling up with tears.

"Oh, don't listen to him! He doesn't know what he's talking about!" Marie yelped quickly, shoving Stein lightly. He looked at her, clearly confused, but didn't try to argue with her at all. She then cleared her throat and took Tsubaki's hands. "From the sounds of it, you really do love him. And he told you he loves you too."

"But, I mean, is it really okay for me to make up with him? All these years I've let him get his way and never stood up for myself. Wouldn't this just be reinforcing that bad behavior is acceptable and will be rewarded in the end?" Tsubaki sniffled lightly.

"Where ever did you get that idea from, a dog training book?" Marie teased lightly. When Tsubaki looked down sheepishly and she didn't answer, the other fell silent for a while. "You… You do realize that dog training tricks don't apply to people like Black*Star, just because they have the energy of a disobedient animal, right?"

"It was my last hope at figuring out what to do with him," She confessed meekly. Stein covered his mouth with one hand to hide his laughter. A swift kick in the shin from Marie under the table worked much better at putting an end to his chortles.

"Okay, that's perfectly good! We can run with it like that, too!" Marie beamed happily. She then cleared her throat again. "Tsubaki, he did own up to the fact that he was wrong, in his own way. And the big thing with training a puppy is to reinforce good behavior with a treat, right? Well, you need to prove to Black*Star that it is okay for him to say he's sorry to you and that you'll only love him more for that! Men like Black*Star… Well…" She giggled, sending a discreet look toward Stein. "Let's just say that men like Black*Star are typically a little emotionally retarded, and as such need a helping hand understanding which signs mean what. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it actually does," Tsubaki said with a smile. She stood up and bowed politely. "Thank you so much Ms. Mjolnir!" With that, she turned and headed off, feeling renewed and alive. She knew what to do now! It was exactly like her friends had been telling her, it turned out; she just needed to talk to Black*Star herself!

"Emotionally retarded, hm?" Stein asked with a small smirk once the door clicked shut behind the young woman. Marie's cheeks turned pink and she looked away sheepishly. She rubbed the back of her head and giggled nervously. "You're just a little off in your statement, Marie dear. Allow me to give you proof of your incorrect statement." He mused while leaning in closer toward her.

Her cheeks turned even brighter red when one of his hands started to creep up her thigh. "Stein… No, wait! S-Stein, not here! Someone could… Could… Oh," She trailed as she surrendered, his lips pressing against hers to silence any other attempts of an argument she had.

Kami perked up when she saw Maka head down the stairs. The younger girl was wearing something simply and charming, in her mother's opinion, anyway. Her hair had been combed and curled a little so that it had a touch of wave to it. She wore an all black V-neck top partnered with a black and red pleated skirt. The skirt had a chain at her left hip that dragged a little down and brushed her knees. Black leggings partnered with black ankle high boots with hot pink laces completed the outfit. "You look adorable, Maka!" She said happily.

"Thank you, Mama," She beamed while plucking her red and black checkered purse from the table by the front door. She checked to make sure everything was in order before looking at her reflection in the mirror and adjusting her necklace.

"Where did you get that, by the way? I can't remember seeing you without it once all this summer," She commented lightly.

"I got it from Disneyland, in one of the stores at California Adventures," The younger girl said with a little giggle. Jade orbs widened before narrowing deviously.

"Oh, really now? Did a boy buy it for you?" Kami sang slyly, grin growing wider at the bright crimson tint that came to her child's face at this. "Oh, I was right~! What's his name? What's he like? Are you going out with him tonight, and that's why you got all dolled up?" She gushed eagerly.

"No, Mama! I bought this for myself and I'm just hanging out with Soul, Liz, Patty, Tsubaki and Kid!" She squeaked quickly just as the aforementioned male made his way downstairs as well. He was wearing a grey wife beater with a solid cobalt over shirt on top, unbuttoned to show off the muscles accented by the shirt he was wearing. It was partnered with a pair of dark blue denim jeans and his favorite black steel-toe boots. "You clean up pretty good, for a moron." Maka remarked with a smirk.

"And to think you can rock something that doesn't have a pocket protector… Don't know if I should be glad you can look cool or be worried that nerds are starting to learn to shape shift," He quipped back with a smirk. Maka glared at him and he looked at Kami. "We'll probably be out late, like usual. And don't worry about feeding us, either; we're going to eat after the show."

"As long as you two are home before eleven I'm fine," She said simply.

"Will do," Maka said.

"No promises," Soul corrected her before swiping the car keys from the hook by the door they were kept on and headed out. Maka waved to her mother one last time before following him quickly. Once they were safely in the solitude of the car he smirked at her. "You look great, by the way."

"You're not too bad yourself, hot stuff," She giggled, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. She then buckled up and pulled her cell from her purse. "I'll text Tsubaki and let her know that we're on the way."

"Cool," He said while starting the car and backing out carefully.

It was a short drive to Tsubaki's house, and she seemed more upbeat than she had in weeks. She explained that Ms. Mjolnir had given her some wonderful advice and she was going to try talking to Black*Star in a week or so, after figuring out exactly what she wanted to say to him. Her friends all smiled and congratulated her on finally reaching a decision, but none of them asked why she didn't just handle things on Monday when they went to school. They enjoyed the movie well enough, though Kid and Liz got teased afterwards since Patty caught them making out at one point. "You guys can drop it now, you know!" Liz seethed as they marched out of the cinema and back into the actual mall.

"Never thought you were that kind of man, Kid," Soul sneered lightly, watching the other male's cheeks turn a slight pink. Never before had Soul had something he could hold over his friends head like that; thus, he was going to have to live it up while he had the ability to. "I have to say, though, I have to give you props for that. Not many guys can get a girl to let them slip in a little tongue after only two weeks!"

"Evans, my car is in the parking lot! I will bust out my wiffle ball bat and bust your balls if you don't can it!" Liz snarled loudly, shaking a fist in Soul's face.

"Now, Liz, violence never solved anything," Kid said soothingly, snaking an arm around her waist and trying to guide her away. She continued growling lowly at Soul but let her head fall onto Kid's shoulder, eyes closing a bit, much like a sated animal. The two started to whisper too softly to one another for the others to hear, incredibly enough, and it seemed to work in soothing her. "Feel better now?" He asked merrily when she lifted her head back up. She nodded and laced their fingers together, not caring that their friends were looking. "Excellent. Now, shall we all go get some food?"

"Kid?" A feminine voice chirped lightly and he tensed up. They all turned to see a woman standing a few feet away, wearing a sleeveless turtle neck top in a pale salmon and a pair of blue jeans. Her hair was a bright white that matched Soul's and was tied off in a high ponytail. The other thing to be noticed about her was her large, shining yellow eyes.

Liz recognized her immediately as Kid's M.I.A. mother.

"Mother?" He asked dubiously, as if this wasn't real. Liz couldn't blame him for thinking as such. He had revealed to her that shortly after his mother left he started having trouble sleeping and would wander around the house crying. It was because his lack of sleep started causing him to have hallucinations of his mother walking the house but never once acknowledging his presence. That was when he'd been put on his sleeping medication. It was the first in a long line of pills she learned he'd been forced to shovel down to aid in the success of his therapy over the years.

"It really is you, Kid!" She gasped excitedly, walking closer and hugging him tightly. She seemed oblivious to the agony in her son's face, as well as the clear tension in his figure. "Oh, I wondered if you still lived here!" She said while pulling back. Her hands rested on his shoulder and she smiled, looking him up and down. "You've gotten quite tall, though I always expected as much. Jerry and I moved out here because Tyler – Oh, Tyler is our oldest boy, you see, - was accepted at Shibusen Academy's grade school branch. He plays a mean French horn! Oh, and are these your friends?" She asked, turning her attention to the rest of the children.

Awkward introductions were issued, though she seemed oblivious to the emotions running rampant in the air. They all learned that her name was Eve and that, other than Kid, she had a son and a daughter she loved to pieces. Kid was silent the whole time and finally she glanced at him, a frown marring her features. "Kid, what's wrong?"

"He must be hungry," Liz jumped in quickly, giving his hand a light squeeze. He seemed to snap from whatever trance he had placed himself in to look at Liz and then all around him again. "You ate a lot less than you should have at lunch, you know. I know you wanted to make sure you would have an appetite for sushi but you shouldn't go around starving yourself." She scolded with a little smile. Anyone who knew Liz knew that the smile was a fraud meant to trick a stranger among them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't even think that you all may have plans for dinner!" Eve said quickly, covering her mouth with her hand. She then rummaged through her purse and pulled out a little pad of sticky notes and a pen, scribbling something down. She held it out to Kid with a smile. "This is our new phone number, my cell and our address. Feel free to stop by whenever you'd like, okay?"

"Right," Kid pressed out softly, looking anywhere but at her face. He didn't even look to take the paper; she had to place it in his hand. She waved at the group before walking off, heading to meet up with three figures a few feet away they assumed to be the rest of her new family.

"Kid," Liz said gently, looking at him. He shoved the piece of paper into his pocket and quickly started to walk toward the doors.

"Let's go eat," He said with his eyes still averted to the floor. The blonde woman whose fingers were laced with his was dragged along but he didn't seem to notice her presence. She glanced back at the others and made a face that they just do as he suggested and try to resume their festive evening.

No one commented, but they were a little disappointed that things had to go bad again so quickly after yanking Tsubaki from her depression.

Monday had been a good day, up until sixth hour. Will clapped his hands after the bell rang, silencing the students. Liz had been telling Maka she was worried about Kid, because he wasn't talking much and hadn't been eating. She was even worried that he was losing sleep over his mother's reappearance, though he would never answer any of her questions. Both girls cast a worried look toward their concert master but he was just staring at the sheet music on his stand vacantly.

"Okay, everyone, your attention please!" Will said sternly, his tone much harsher than usual. He looked pretty irritated, though the students hadn't done much anything else different. Maka cast a questioning look to Soul but he merely shrugged to express he was just as confused. "Now, we're going to be having a teaching assistant joining in with this class this year. You know those college students that sometimes work with your teachers? Well, we're going to have one of our own."

There was a small clamor of noise among the students, twittering with gossip. Will whistled loudly and they returned to silence again. "Now, I did not want to accept this man as a teaching aid but Shinigami-Sama has left me no other options. I am sorry to any of you who are upset by this whole ordeal, as well as request those of you who may know this man to please keep your questions until the end of the class. We'll break from rehearsal a little early so that you may all talk with him." There were whispers but a harsh glare from their instructor hushed them yet again. "You may come out now." Will called flatly, glaring toward his office, the door cracked open a smidgen.

"You don't need to be so rude about the whole thing, you know," The man chuckled as he walked out. A few students squealed eagerly while Maka, Liz, Patty and Soul all froze. "We've known each other since we were just children, after all, William."

"I'd be better off forgetting that, Spirit," He barked at the red head blandly. He then gestured to the man approaching the podium, smiling warmly at the faces of the school children, eager to see the face of the assistant instructor. "Allow me to introduce Spirit Henderson. As I am sure you all know, he is the leader of the band Sickle Syndrome and is now trying his hand at teaching. Please treat him with the same respect that you would show any guest conductor."

And just like that, with powder blue eyes locking with vivid green, war was waged.

End

Notes:

Oh, yeah, Spirit finally shows up! Too bad he only showed up in time for the final act! :D

Thought I should explain how Shibusen Academy works, since Maka mentioned having Marie as a teacher in the first chapter. Shibusen, because it is a very high-class private school, hires a small faculty because there aren't a particularly large amount of student. There are a total of six teachers peer grade, not including the fine arts teachers. To avoid getting bored, the teachers will swap grades every few years and then move a grade up, so that they are always teaching the same batch of students. Therefore, Stein and Marie were shifted to teaching the freshmen when Maka and crew (excluding Patty, since she is a year younger) started, thus assuring they would be the ones teaching that freshmen class all the way up until graduation.

Stein and Marie would totally be havin' smexy times in the teacher's lounge and you all know it. Don't be afraid either, lovelies. Embrace it. :3

Also, did you think I was simply going to mention Kid's home situation and then never have anything come from it? Hey, I'm not that lazy (yet)! :D

Next Chapter:

It is a very thick line between being mature adults handling their divorce well and being selfish idiots who only think about themselves; take a guess what side Spirit and Kami land themselves on. I tie up all the loose ends in regards to everyone's situations. Time for my last, dramatic hoorah for the plot of this story~!