Whispers

by Akire Rosales

Its been 10 years since the fight with Asura. Maka made her own life outside America, writting her happy ending with her husband, Soul. She has a good job, a nice married life, and keeps in touch with her friends... Why is she feeling so miserable then? Something is missing, and she knows what it is, she notices it everytime the letters of certain swordsman arrive in her mail.

18. A Lover or a Friend

AkireRosales: hehe... hahaha... bwahahaha... HahAhAHAha!

*The length of this chapter turned the author temporary insane, deal with it*

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Whispers

Chapter 18

"A Lover or a Friend"

She got close to no sleep at all last night.

Maka did her best to cover the bags under her eyes with a soft layer of make up. She was the kind of girl who didnt like to wear too much of it, unlike Liz, but that morning it was a necessity. The dinner with Soul, although it started as an attempt to mend their crippled relationship, Maka had been too out of it to really put the effort. Soul tried to make a conversation roll, and she really appreciated him for that, but she couldnt focus on him, or anything really.

What the hell was Eruka planning? Why was she toying with Crona? Maka knew that much, she knew the frog witch had no real interest in him, and she was most likely using him for her own amusement. She would NOT stay idle and watch how her best friend was being used. For what purpose? She had no idea, but she would find out, one way or the other. But first, she needed a coffee.

Without much thought, Maka walked towards the Teacher's Rest Room, a large leisure area with sofas, tables, TV and a coffee machine. Lord Death knew how much stress could a DWMA teacher be exposed to, and that room was more often than not the place where all of them would meet and take a five minute break time to time. As she opened the door, the sound of little chat made her notice it was being occupied.

"Good morning" She greeted to the air, not really watching who was using the room, until she heard their voices clearly.

"Morning Albarn" Eruka's voice greeted her, followed by a loud chocked squeak. Maka lifted her gaze, frowning, eyes open wide.

In the room was Eruka holding a mug, stirring what seemed to be a latte. Sitting next to her was Crona, holding tight a cup of tea with both hands, Ragnarok sitting on top of his head, gnawing some donuts. There were a couple more teachers sitting nearby as well, all giving her quick glances before returning their attention to the newcomer. Maka wasnt expecting them to be there, at all... Crona hated crowded places, specially small places that were unnecessarily crowded. He was the kind of teacher who would prefer to wait in his empty classroom rather than go to a busy restroom. The only explanation was that Eruka had dragged him there against his will.

"Wait wait, then... what? How can you use magic without being a witch?" One of the teachers of the NOT classes asked in english with a rough german accent, looking at the swordsman, who was now completely focused on the blonde meister who had just arrived. Maka wouldnt look back at him, completely avoiding his stare.

Eruka elbowed him slightly on his ribs, making him yelp.

"Ah... I-I'm a witch... b-by heritage... b-but for male w-witches it w-works differently" He stuttered, sad eyes looking down to the cup on his hands. He looked beaten down and tired, almost as if he didnt sleep at all.

"I've never seen a male witch using magic! This is so exciting, is it possible for me to be in one of your classes?" A female teacher asked, smiling charmingly at him, making him blush in embarrassment.

"Y-yes... t-that would be nice..." Crona said with a forced nervous smile. Liar, he hated having strangers in his classroom. Specially because his first year as an Assistant Professor, he got watched by meisters who had the order of shutting off his class if he didnt teach properly.

Maka took a deep breath, moving inside the room and walking straight to the coffee machine. Eruka didnt know him, she could think she did, but she didnt. If she truly knew him, if she cared about him, she would know how uncomfortable he was at that moment. She would know he hated being asked questions by strangers, how offended he would feel when asked about his heritage, how he preferred quiet lonely places instead of a small crowded room. She would know how he liked cream in his tea with the exact amount of sugar, and how he preferred chamomile instead of green tea because caffeine makes him anxious. Eruka didnt know shit about him...

"Maka, you will burn the coffee" One of the teachers warned her, talking to her in german, making her snap out of her trance, indeed the coffee was boiling. Cursing under her breath, she turned off the coffee machine, taking the glass mug off the heater. She didnt have to look to know Eruka was grinning at her.

"Classes are ending early today, right? I mean, the party is tonight!" Eruka asked to all the teachers in the room, her hands quickly grabbing the swordsman by his arm. Maka couldnt help but stare at those well cared manicured fingernails, digging at his arm. The thought of ripping them off one by one crossed her mind.

"Half day of classes and we are all off, truly I wont even try to give classes, the students are way too excited to pay attention" An old teacher said cheerfully, taking a donut out of the large box in the tea table in front of them.

"Crona! Give me another! Before they run out!" Ragnarok roared, pushing his meister's head down forcefully. The swordsman hissed with the rough manhandling of his partner, yet obeyed dutifully, reaching for one of the round pastries and offering it to his partner. The demon sword chomped it off his hand, covering his fingers with saliva.

"E-ew Ragnarok, t-thats disgusting" Crona complained, frowning while staring at his wet sticky fingers.

"Your face is disgusting" Ragnarok laughed, chewing on the sweet treat.

Eruka rolled her eyes at the two of them, yet handled a napkin for him to clean himself. The swordsman looked at the silvery haired witch, smiling softly at her as a sign of appreciation, taking the napkin off her hands and cleaning his fingers with it.

"So, any plans for today? You seem to be very close, are you two going together to the party?" The old teacher asked, looking at both young adults with a knowing smile.

Crona flinched at his words, midnight dark eyes looking at him before dragging all the way to where Maka was standing. The blonde meister was looking at him, frowning, a hot cup of coffee on one hand and the other resting on her hip. She looked more than angry, and the swordsman was starting to feel extremely anxious. Eruka's hand on his arm, squeezing him, called his attention.

"Oh we are like... childhood friends... so yeah he's taking me to the party, gecko" The frog witch grinned, leaning closer to the meister who shivered, fingers holding the tea cup on his hands tightly.

"Ey Crona! Take her out to dinner again! I want to try another of those restaurants. They serve good food" Ragnarok said with a grin on his cartoonish face, ball-like fists rubbing on his meister's scalp, calling for his attention.

"Nope, I have big plans for today, we are going to shopping, you are all mine tonight" Eruka grinned, making the swordsman gulp hard trying to ease his dry throat. Whatever the young witch was planning, couldnt be good for him at all. He knew that smile perfectly well, it was the kind of grin she would put everytime she wanted to blow up something.

And that wasnt the worst part. His eyes discretely moved back to where Maka was standing. Her eyes were piercing cold, like emerald daggers, and she was now staring at Eruka. The witch didnt seem to be bothered at all, instead, she answered with a smug smile. What was happening? Crona couldnt understand what was Eruka planing, and above all, why Maka was so angry at them. This wasnt doing any good, he was completely mortified with the idea of the scythe meister hating him. He needed to talk to her as soon as possible, but it started to feel like she was avoiding him.

The bell ringing sound, announcing the start of the classes, startled the swordsman who jumped on his spot.

"Well, time to work! See you all in the party!" The oldest teacher waved at everyone in the room, getting up from the comfortable sofa, stretching as far as his joints would let him. Following his lead, every teacher started to get up and leave the room.

Maka stayed there close to the entrance, sipping at her almost burnt coffee, merciless eyes staring at both Eruka and Crona who waited for everyone to leave. The swordsman stared at her, hopefulness showing on his features. Maybe she wanted to talk to him in private, maybe they could solve out whatever was bothering her... only Lord Death knew how much he wanted to hear her voice, saying his name.

"Eruka, can you stay for a minute, I need to talk to you" Maka said, staring straight at the witch. Her eyes darting towards the swordsman, who was looking back at her with those big eyes. "In private, please"

That hurt. The scythe meister could tell by the way he looked down, the light on his face dying. Looking how he hunched, the way he lifted his left hand to grab his right arm, his eyes looking at the floor and head slightly bowed, made her heart ache. They hadn't talked much since he arrived to Germany, and... after what happened in his room, she was afraid of being alone with him. She needed to talk to him, seriously, but she couldnt do it in a private room.

"Uh, sure, I'll catch you in the classroom in a while, you remember where it is, right?" Eruka nudged at him, forcing the swordsman to look up. He nodded, walking past the meister who avoided his stare.

What Maka did see was Ragnarok, who stared at her with a deep scowl on his face, his ball-like eyes looking at her. As the pink haired meister left the room, his weapon partner kept on looking at the blonde meister with an almost hateful spite. Both women waited for a minute in silence, just to be sure he had truly left, staring at each other. Maka's deep scowl and arms crossed on her chest contrasted widely to Eruka's grin, both hands on her hips.

"What are you doing?" Was the first question that left the scythe meister's lips, leaving her mug of coffee in the nearest table. Her voice couldnt hide her anger, making Eruka arch an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"You, taking Crona to the dance, abusing his good will and forcing him to take you to dinner and shopping. If you think I will settle idle while watching how you take advantage of him I-"

"Woah woah woah... I AM taking advantage of him? Really?" Eruka interrupted her, a sly grin spreading on her lips, knowing eyes staring at the meister. She huffed. "Its traditional courtesy that a guy invites a lady out when dating, you do remember how dating works, right?"

"You are not dating him. You are using him for your own sick amusement" Maka stated, arms still crossed on her chest and daring eyes digging holes on Eruka's soul.

"Maka really... okay I am taking him out for my amusement" The frog witch confessed, showing the blonde an apologetic fake smile. She noticed how Maka tensed with her words. "But that doesn't mean this couldn't go further, he has turned into a really handsome man..."

"Cut that crap" The blonde snarled, face slowly turning red with anger, yet tried to keep her voice as low as possible, afraid of anyone listening "You dont care about him. You don't even know him!"

"I know him enough... I lived with him, remember?" Eruka pointed out, taking a deep breath trying to cool down the conversation. One thing was teasing Maka, and the other was making her mad. Certainly she didnt want her as an enemy, those Maka-chops looked really deadly "Why are you so angry anyway? I'm not going to hurt him. I think we could really work out, dont you think?"

"Eruka please. You've told me hundreds of times about your type of men, Crona is NOT in your kind of tastes. I dont know what game you're playing, but you must stop right now" Maka was trying to be rational, and yet there was a hint of threat in her voice. Eruka grinned, sharp dark eyes glistening with evil intent.

"Oh dont be so sure. A lady can change her mind, you know? Okay he is not big and strong or manly but... there's something in him, like... he's so kind and gentle and attentive, and the way he listens to everything you say like its the most important thing in the world, and how eager he is to please you. Also he has that damn cute smile... I bet he is a good kisser too" The frog witch dragged those last words, noticing how Maka's cheeks tinted red. The blush contrasted greatly with the rage in those emerald green eyes.

"You've been asked out many times by other men while you've been here... why Crona now?" Maka asked to her, noticing how the witch just shrugged. It was obvious she wasnt interested in him, the scythe meister wasnt stupid. She was not buying her little tale for even one second, but then why she insisted in doing all this? She sighed, slightly exasperated. "I know you, Eruka, and this is one of your little games, you cant trick me"

"Ohh... cant I be taken out by some old friend? We got a really good connection last night. Like... two separated souls joined by destiny!" The frog witch pointed out, her voice cheerful and showing a big smile, yet her eyes kept on staring at her with evil joy "Maybe he is the boyfriend I've been searching for so long! I thought you would be happy for us"

"I would if what you are saying was real, and I know its not. I wont let you toy with his heart" Maka huffed, back straight and a determinate look on her eyes. Eruka couldnt help but shake her head, looking amused.

"Me?... Oh no Maka, I am not the one toying with him" The witch stated, dark eyes staring straight at her, a knowing glare thrown at her direction. That comment made the meister uncomfortable, forcing her to step back and clench her fists on her sides.

"Stay away from him, thats my last warning, Eruka" Maka ordered her with a low growl, yet her stance didnt last long. The witch looked at her with sudden wide open eyes and a frown on her face. She had stepped over a line, and the silvery haired woman's wavelength was swelling with anger.

"No one tells me what to do, Albarn" Eruka hissed, her dark eyes showing a sudden glare of pure hatred. Maka had touched a sore spot, that was obvious, as the witch seemed to be on edge, a deep scowl on her face. "No one will order me or tell me what to do anymore. I do what I please, if I want to date him, kiss him, or fuck him, I'll do it."

As Eruka said those words, she forced Maka to step back until her back met a wall. The witch's hands were twitching, and it was so good that she was bounded by the Soul Protection enchantment, otherwise she probably would have already taken out her bombs. The blonde meister was so used to deal with any threat by herself, that sometimes she would forget that she was only human... and Eruka was a witch. Yet, she couldnt help it... she was pissed off. What gave her the right to touch him? How could she dare of trying to take him away from her? He said so himself... he belonged to her. He promised...

"As if he would ever let you go that far..." Maka sighed, trying to de-escalate the conversation, trying to be rational. Eruka could try all of her schemes... but Crona wasnt a mindless being without will of his own. He promised her. He gave her his heart. "If you think he could have some interest in you, you're delusional"

"You know... if you weren't married, I would think you are jealous" Her words hit the spot. Maka looked back at her with wide open eyes, remaining silent.

Eruka softened her features, taking a deep breath before moving away from Maka, giving her some space. She could see the renewed security in the meister's eyes. Whatever happened between them, the blonde was too sure about her grasp on him... That's why she kept Crona on the sidelines? Because she was sure he wouldnt leave too far from her? Maybe not consciously, but that seemed to be the case. Maka could be really cruel...

"Mind your own business, Albarn. Crona is MY business now" The witch grinned, a wicked glare sparkling on her eyes. With a proud smirk, Eruka fixed her hair before abandoning the room, leaving Maka alone.

---

Why he always ended in such scenes?

Back in Death City, he would always get dragged into most of Liz and Patty shopping frenzies. Mainly Liz... okay only Liz, but the main reason she needed him was for babysitting Patty... lets keep it at 50-50. It wasnt too bad really, he more often than not would let Liz be all by herself with her shopping, while he and Patty spent the day in the toy section or trying out video games. Sometimes the youngest Thompson would prefer to stay with her sister, and that was the moments when his main function was to carry most of the girls bags.

Just like that moment.

"She is sucking you dry Crona, and NOT in the way I would prefer to!" Ragnarok growled in his ear, shoving a rather soft punch on his skull. The swordsman stared at him in confusion.

"H-How can she suck me dry? I'm not a s-soda... I d-dont understand" Crona tilted his head, confused, sitting in the nearest bench of the store with three large shopping bags close to him.

"Dear god I'm attached to a moron" The demon sword moaned, exasperated, ball-like eyes glancing at the frog witch being pampered by two staff members of the store, handling her all kinds of accessories, shoes and whatever she would point her finger at. "Just when I thought Meena was the worst thing that ever happened to your wallet. She was a sea breeze compared to her! That frog is the hurricane of wallet-wrecking!"

"I can hear you Ragnarok!" Eruka warned the sword, while trying out what Crona believed was the sixth different pair of shoes in almost 2 hours.

"Oh NOW you can hear me! But if I tell you IM FUCKING STARVING! Then you get crippling deafness!" The demon sword roared, frustrated.

"Ragnarok, be quiet, there's people here" Crona tried to calm down his partner, who inmediately lashed towards him, pulling his nose. "Wagnawok! S-stoP!"

"I'm getting crazy sitting in here twiddling my non-existent thumbs! You wimp!" The demon weapon ranted, taking times between pulling on his meister nose and ears.

"S-stop it! You will make my ears sore! I dont want to deal with swollen ears!"

Eruka sighed, staring with a bored expression at the meister in one of his usual fist fights with his weapon partner. It would be kinda funny, if she hadn't have her lifetime supply of such scenes back in Medusa's lair. Although she must admit, it was rather empowering to stand up against Ragnarok now, so different to those times when the demon was a lot larger.

With a huff, the frog witch dismissed the store assistants after finally choosing a pair of shoes that were of her liking. There was no way she could focus with so much noise from her unwilling shopping partner. At least he was good carrying her bags, clumsy and constantly tripping, but he could get the work done. Now that she was ready with her outfit, the hardest part would be finding something to wear for Crona. She was so NO taking him in that black coat, she needed him to shine along with her, there were people to impress in that party after all. Starting with certain scythe meister.

The real problem was Ragnarok.

"Ey Ragnarok" Eruka called him out, making the weapon to stop his abuse on his meister.

"Piss off, I cant stand the sight of you!" The weapon growled, his little ball-like hands nudging his meister's head.

"Dont talk to her like that!" Crona frowned, receiving nothing but even more noogies. "Q-Quit it!"

"You are the worst partner in the whole world! You are supposed to stand by my side! Why you always team up with the very first bitch that gives you puppy eyes!? Are you that thirsty for some!? Is that so!? Tell me it isn't so!"

"I-I dont even know what youre talking about!" Crona complained, covering his nose with his hands, avoiding his weapon partner to keep on pulling it.

"You want to get under her skirt! I see it now! You perverted fiend!" The sword grinned, shaking his head back and forth.

"T-That is so not true! Y-youre gross!"

"I AM GROSS!? I am not the one who is into Milfs!"

"W-what even is that!?"

"Milf means Mom I Love to Fuck" Eruka suddenly said, fidgeting with something colorful between her hands. When did she get that thing?

"G-gross! Stop being disgusting, Ragnarok! I dont know anyone like that" By now his weapon partner was all over him, ruffling his hair and slightly choking him with his tiny arms.

"Oh so YOU are denying the cow now!? How much like you! Coward!"

"M-Maka is not a mom, what the hell!" Crona panted, trying to push away his weapon partner.

"Yes she is! She is the Mother of Bitches! First of her Name! The Unfuckable, Queen of PMsing Cows and Summoner of Books in the Ass!" Ragnarok roared, and much to Crona's displeasure, Eruka joined his partner, laughing.

"E-Eruka youre not helping..."

"I'm so sorry Crona, but he's kind of right, you know?" Eruka chuckled, suddenly lifting up a colorful artifact right into Ragnarok's line of sight. "Here, play with this, gecko"

The demon weapon finally got quiet, his large ball-like eyes staring at the artifact. It was a white and blue piece, with several buttons and highly articulated, it looked like some kind of large baby rattle though...

"The fuck is that" Ragnarok growled, looking at the thing squinting his eyes, suspiciously.

"Its a game. It tells you orders and you must do what it says right away"

"That is a frigging baby rattle! You are not tricking me for shit! You wanna die!?" Now the sword was into a full temper tantrum, if that was even possible. The frog witch flinched, no matter how small, she still remembered how scary the blood demon could be.

However, Crona didnt took kindly the look of fear in Eruka's eyes. With an exasperated sigh, the meister took the toy in his hands and shove it into his weapon's face, forcing him to grab it.

"J-just take it okay? So y-you dont get bored"

"What do I look like!? A five year old!?"

"Yes" Both Crona and Eruka agreed, at the same time. That only earned the swordsman a loud smack on his head with the toy. He hissed in pain, and the colorful toy came into life with beams of light and a voice calling "Good Job" on Ragnarok.

The weapon tilted his head, shaking the toy like a rattle, forcing beaming sounds and light out of it. The rattle ordered "Beat it!", and the weapon quickly smacked his meister's head with it, earning another "Good Job!"

"Ey... I like this..." The weapon grinned, now fully focused on the toy that started giving him random orders like "twist" "shake" "cradle", the sword following suit on the playful orders manipulating the toy, patiently waiting for another "Beat it".

"Figures" The frog witch grinned, looking at Crona finally taking a break from his weapon partner. "Searched for a baby toy while you were fighting, gecko. He looked bored"

"T-Thanks... I guess" The swordsman sighed, rubbing a sore spot of his scalp where the weapon smacked him with the toy. At least he would be entertained enough to stop calling so much attention.

Eruka stared at the swordsman, tilting her head softly to one side, studying him. Back in the time, while doing Medusa's dirty work, she really didnt pay much attention to him. Mainly because she was too scared for her own life to care for anybody else, but also because... she would often feel sorry for him. Feeling sorry for anybody was wrong, it was like seeing them as pathetic weak things, worthy of nothing but pity. The swordsman was too strong for pity, he didnt deserve anybody's pity. He was a child that was born in hell, and clawed his way out of it. Now he was a professor, managed to create a Death Scythe, and successfully tamed his own madness. He was worthy of nothing less than admiration.

"Uh... Eruka?" The swords of the tall man next to her made her jump, snapping out of her train of thoughts. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah... just think what is your size of clothes, gecko" The frog witch said with a tentative smile. "Okay! Carry the bags, we going to find a good suit for you!"

"Why cant I go with this?" He asked pointing at his long black coat, letting a long sigh escape his lips. Shopping was truly exhausting.

"That!?" Eruka gasped, staring at his regular outfit "Hell no! I already bought my dress, and that outfit of yours is NOT a good match for mine"

"I dont know how to deal with buying new clothes..." He moaned, overwhelmed by anxiety, his dark eyes looking around for some kind of relief. A corner would be nice.

"That reminds me... what happened to your robe?" The witch suddenly asked, still moving relentlessly towards the gentleman section. What kind of color would be a good match for her dress, and still look good on him?

"That old piece of rag!? Exploded! Thanks to Death for that!" Ragnarok growled on top of his meister, his little hands still twisting and shaking his new toy.

"What? Really? I never saw it having even one little tear!" Eruka pointed out, looking back at the swordsman who was carrying all of her bags with one hand, holding his arm with the other.

"Uh... L-L-Lady M-Medusa's magic wore off... it tore up beyond repair" Crona explained, a tone of nostalgia on his voice.

"I dont get that. Why would you miss such piece of clothing?" The frog asked, truly interested. By now they had already reached the tuxedo section, showing many sizes, brands and colors.

"I-It was easy to d-deal with... it had no laces, no b-belts, no b-buttons..." The swordsman explain, his eyes moving down to the belt on his waist, keeping the black suit pants on his place. "I never had to worry about shirts b-being out of place, or undone b-buttons, or underwear, or..."

"You never wore..." Eruka opened her eyes widely, interrupting him, staring at him in bewilderment. It seemed he hadn't noticed what he said, frowning in confusion when he noticed the witch's cheeks slowly getting all red... then it clicked.

"T-T-T-That wasnt w-what I... I-I m-mean I..." He stuttered, blushing a dark crimson red on his face, hands up front shaking as if trying to wipe out his words out of the frog's mind. Not until his very late teens he found out it wasnt a common practice to be like that, so the fact slipped off him time to time.

"NEVER, he never wore them! ever!" Ragnarok laughed, playing with his rattle toy until finally the glorious order of "beat it" came up, smacking his meister head with joy. Crona was in a serious need of a time-off in a corner.

"Just... you know, never mind, gecko" Eruka sighed, massaging her own temples in an attempt to stop thinking about it. "Just please tell me you are wearing something now, you need to try out clothes"

"Y-yes I am..." Crona sighed, embarrassed, his face slowly returning back to his pale tone of color.

The frog witch started digging hands into the many outfits around them, forcing the swordsman to stand still in front of a large mirror. She made him hold different pairs of suits in front of him, so she could decide which color suited him best. Since her dress was black, she didnt want him to use the same color, or they would look like a couple going to a funeral. The witch soon found out that light colors suited him a lot, making his dark eyes and pink hair stand out in a nice way. White, white suited him.

It was a fortune that Ragnarok was so focused on his new toy, because between choosing a matching shirt, a tie and shoes, the whole afternoon flew away. By the time they went out of the store, it was almost evening. To cool down from the exhausting task, both witches decided to sit down in a nearby cafe, ordering tea and a couple of biscuits. Just enough to endure until the party.

"Makes me think... what kind of clothes you use now for missions?" Eruka asked, taking a sip from her cup of hot tea. The end of the afternoon was quite cold.

Crona stopped toying with the small spoon on his tea to look up at her in confusion. After a few seconds thinking about her question, he just pointed out to his current outfit.

"That!? No way, that coat looks brand new! Didnt you tell me you fought against a giant kishin egg six months ago?" The frog asked, handling him a little basket with cookies.

"I-I did... this is a new coat, the last one got d-destroyed..." He sighed, accepting one of the cookies before lifting it up above his head, giving it to his weapon partner. Ragnarok accepted it, licking it off his fingers. "This one is the third coat I buy... shopping is exhausting"

'Why exactly that kind of clothing? You could wear anything you want" The witch asked in confusion, nibbling at a cookie. The swordsman sighed, long fingers toying with the handle of his tea cup.

"I d-dont like having exposed skin... this long coats are the c-closest thing to my robe. It would b-be nice being able to fight without worrying of ending n-naked. I cant deal with the idea of b-being n-naked..."

"Tell me about it! I'm the one who has to cover your fat ass" Ragnarok laughed, poking at his meister temple so he could handle him another cookie. Crona followed suit his silent petition, giving him another treat.

The frog witch stared at both beings in front of her with interest. She had never talked so much with the swordsman, ever. Mainly because he wouldnt be talkative at all, answering questions would always overwhelm him and he would either remain silent or answer with just a whispered "pass". Of course that had been ten years ago but... still, it was a brutal change. Was all that because of Maka Albarn? Was Maka Albarn responsible of how he behaved now? Of course the swordsman was now in a healthy environment with a loving adoptive family and supportive friends... but she saw him. She saw them, when both meisters stood there alone in his room. The way the swordsman seemed to suck on Maka's energy and confidence, the way the scythe meister would feed on Crona's calm aura and patience. She had never seen the blonde meister so vulnerable, and the swordsman so sure of himself. It was as if their soul wavelengths would merge and donate a part of them to the other. The Crona in front of her was different to the Crona that would show in front of Maka.

Her dark eyes darted down to the table, staring at the tea cup between her hands. Maka wasnt so bad, they had been talking and hanging out the last few months since she arrived... but she wasnt too sure she liked the way she was toying with Crona. Was the meister that blind? Was she so much in denial that she didnt notice how hurtful she was being? If that was the case, not even her plan of making her jealous, to give her a slice of her own cake, would work. She would either ignore it, or just be mad without knowing why. Oh bother...

"Eruka?" The voice of the pink-haired meister in front of her made her jump in her chair, looking up at him. "Uh... y-you okay?"

"Yeah... just thinking, gecko" She half-smiled at him. When was the last time someone spent so much time with her? Besides the Mizune sisters, who were her oldest best friends, or Free, who else? When was the last time someone genuinely cared about her? "You know, I'm going to help you out on that. It may not be a spell as strong as the one of Medusa, but I can find out something similar! If you learn it, you can use it on any clothes you want"

She had no idea what she was actually expecting. A thank you would be nice, but the swordsman stared at her with a frown, just his brows furrowing and dark eyes fixed on her. He didnt look mad... just confused, or even just focused on her, as if she were talking a foreign language he couldnt understand. His stare made her nervous, fingers toying anxiously with the tea cup in her hands. Was he angry? Did she say something wrong?

"W-Why are you helping me?" Crona asked, calling his weapon partner's attention, who stopped making sounds with his toy just to stare at both witches in silence.

"Uh... do I need a reason? Ribbit" She asked back, confused, wary of his serious expression. That look of his was itching on her nerves, it was so weird seeing his usual sad dodgy eyes so focused.

"I just... d-dont understand" He musited, his dark eyes finally glancing away from her, back to his own tea cup in his hands. "You said you wanted to help me with Maka, but now she seems just angry at me... and now you want to help me out with a problem that is only mine... I dont know what you are trying to do"

"I want to help you, Crona" The frog stated, her tone of voice sounding a little hurt. "You need to trust me, okay?"

"Why?" He asked again, suspicion rising on his eyes.

"Because... we are friends?" She asked back, arching an eyebrow, crossing her arms above her chest. She had no idea what answer she was expecting, but hearing him dropping out a sarcastic little laugh wasnt it. She frowned, slightly offended. 'What is so funny?"

"We are not friends" Crona said, his sad dark eyes looking at her. His smile was void, sardonic and filled with fake amusement. His eyes, however, looked hurt. "You've never asked me to be your friend, I never asked you, how can you call yourself my friend?"

"You dont need to ask..." She tried to explain to him, but she got quickly interrupted.

"Yes you do! What is the meaning of a friendship if you dont take the time to ask?" He insisted, his hands leaving the now cold tea cup on the table, hugging himself. "I'm not good at making friends... I cherish them when they stick around... but I'm bad at choosing them by myself..."

"I thought you had good friends in Death City" The frog witch asked, confused, looking at the hurt expression on his face.

"His last pack of self-made friends tried to turn him into a kishin!" Ragnarok pointed out, making Eruka open her eyes widely, shocked. "This idiot cant get friends by himself without the cow picking them out for him! And lets just not talk about Meena!"

"Ragnarok, dont" Crona looked up, frowning. But his weapon answered by swinging his rattle toy on his head.

"Deal with it! She was his girlfriend, just a gold-digger skank who cheated on him with her meister. And he didnt notice until Maka arrived and pointed it out for him. He is THAT stupid with people" The demon weapon laughed, looking down to his meister who now simply dodged the witch's stare, hugging himself "Oh dont get your panties into a bunch! You knew it! You just were too much of a wimp to do something about it"

Eruka didnt know any of that. Talking about having trust issues... couldnt he get a break from mean people? It was as if he could attract the worst human beings around him. No wonder he would get suspicious on her... and he had good reasons. If someone could hold some kind of real grudge towards him, it should be her. After all, he was the son of the witch who killed one of her best friends and threatened on her life for months.

"Well... we make mistakes... everyone has a bad choice in their lives, right? My bad choice was thinking I could handle Medusa one night" She grinned, fixing her pointy frog-faced hat on top of her head, just to see the swordsman sulking even further on his chair.

"I cant do anything right without her..." He mumbled, lifting up his feet on the chair, hugging his knees close to his chest. "If she's not pointing out the direction, I dont know where to go..."

"Are you talking about Maka?... or Medusa? Because I dont know anymore" Eruka said with a slightly annoyed tone in her voice, making the swordsman open his eyes widely, flinching at her words. "I always thought you replaced your mother with Maka, I mean... I'm no shrink! But she's bossy, demanding, mean, violent and has some anger-management problems... Now I think you have some serious mommy issues if you want to fuck her."

"Oh my god... that explains your blonde fetish... youre Freud's wet dream of a patient!" Ragnarok laughed, pulling on his pink-hair, making his meister wince in pain.

"T-that is not it! N-not a-at all! Y-you got e-everything w-wrong!" Crona complained, trying to keep his weapon partner quiet, pushing him away from him.

"My point is!" Eruka raised her voice, making them stop their fist fight. "You may think you need her... but haven't you been there by yourself for five years? You didnt die... you told me you managed to become a professor, and make Ragnarok a Death Scythe, during that time. Damn, even got a girlfriend? Okay she was a bitch, but most women are so... everyone pick rotten apples time to time. Bad friends, everyone makes that mistake too... it means nothing! You managed to do that all by yourself, without her"

By judging the look on his face, she could tell he wasnt too convinced about her words... but at least he looked thoughtful now. She remained in silence for a while, allowing him to chew on her words for as long as he needed. The frog witch took a long deep breath, letting it out softly before taking a sip from her tea. After a while in silence, Crona finally glanced at her, staring persistently, making her drop a little nervous "ribbit".

"S-Still... w-why you want to help me?... I dont understand..." The swordsman asked, wary, frowning slightly.

The frog blushed slightly, dodging his persistent stare, nervous hands twisting each other above the table. She took a deep breath, dark grey eyes meeting midnight blue, and she couldnt help but raise her hand to tuck some silver strands of hair behind her ear, trying to build some courage. She had never done that since she was a child, it was so weird doing it now as an adult... but it seemed it was a big deal for the swordsman.

"I've never been one of many friends. Besides Mizune and Free... I dont have much too. I dont trust people, but I would like to trust you, gecko" She explained, biting down her lip softly. Doing this was so weird, her pride as a woman and witch wary of rejection. She took another deep breath, before lifting up her hand in front of the swordsman, in an attempt to shake his hand. "W-Would you be my friend?"

Crona seemed shocked, why? Didnt she tell him just minutes ago she was his friend? She was just making it a formality, as he requested. The frog witch couldnt quite understand why we was making such a big deal out of it, but it probably had to be with the said fact that... he never made a real friend by himself, since Maka. Was probably that?... maybe Crona felt like he was unable to make his own friends, without help. That was nonsense for her, the man was a really okay guy in her book, now that she managed to know him better, at least. Besides... who wouldnt want to have one of the strongest meister's of Shibusen as a friend? She would be bragging about it with the other witches for days!

Her hand hanged on the air for quite some time, waiting for the swordsman to control his shaking, his hand finally meeting her own, joining his palm with hers. She felt his trembling, she saw the overwhelming emotion in his dark eyes, and how he just nodded, not saying anything else. It was a big deal for him, she could tell.

He was taking her seriously. That shake of hands didnt feel like a formality... but a pact. Eruka never took a friendship lightly, and it seemed the swordsman was thinking the same.

---

She had canceled her resonance appointment with Soul.

Day after day, both meister and weapon would participate in activities that helped out with their soul resonance. They were actively trying all the recipes in the book, from playing teamwork board games, to pillow talk, to shared meditation, and even lesson one level of battle resonance. That day, usually, they would meet at the school outdoor's gym, to practice their battle movements and skills... but Maka was too out of her usually sound mind to try.

Eruka had managed to mess with her thoughts. She had talked to her as if she knew something... but it couldnt be. She was sure there was no way Crona could have told her anything, so either she was blind fishing or she managed to deduce something. Either way, she using Crona to piss her off was too obvious... and she hated it. She hated the thought of the swordsman being used like some kind of tool, or worse, for someone else sick amusement. She knew the frog witch was hedonistic and cared for no one but herself, but could she go that far to use him as some kind of twisted hobby?

"Me?... Oh no Maka, I am not the one toying with him"

Those words kept coming to her mind, over and over again, like some foul taste in her mouth that came back no matter how much she tried to spit it out. She was not toying with him, she was not! Crona understood perfectly her situation, and accepted it. What was happening between them, although it had to end, it was sincere... she wasn't toying with him.

He gave her his heart. He said he belonged to her. The memory of him holding her in his arms, whispering in her ear how he was hers... That had been real. The way those sad eyes looked at her, that warm spark and his soft loving smile... all those were only for her. He gave her his heart.

And yet... what did she give him in return?

"Ey... earth to Maka" Soul's rough voice called her attention, making her snap out of her thoughts. He was fixing his white tie on the mirror, ruby eyes staring at her through it "You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking" The meister smiled at her weapon partner, who just frowned slightly before returning his attention to his reflection, combing his white hair.

Maka was sitting in their bedroom mattress, fixing her high heels on her small feet. Her trained body was tightly wrapped on a long dark blue dress, discreet small jewelry around her neck to cover some flesh and a pair of white pearl earrings on her earlobes. She knew that less was more, and she managed to look elegant and still pretty young, like during her teenager years. In her finger, a tightly secured golden alliance ring was the only jewelry on her hand.

Parties in the german DWMA weren't as common as the ones back in America, but they were really big and every student worked hard to make their own post to stand. It even seemed like a competition to who had the better outpost of the party. This year it seemed they would even have a DJ battle and a karaoke stand off. It all sounded really fun.

If only...

"Maka" Soul's deep voice called her attention, making her lift her gaze towards him. He was wearing his black suit with thin white stripes, a blood red silk shirt and his white plain tie. He looked elegant and sharp. Age gave him a more heavy and toned body, his back broad and straight contrasted greatly with his small hips and hard stomach. She had always loved how sexy he looked in formal suits, a soft blush showing on the meister's cheeks.

"You look cool" She smiled at him, making him snicker slightly, showing a bit of sharp teeth in his smile.

"You dont look so bad yourself, miss" He teased her, grinning widely, yet his smile didnt last long. Taking a deep breath, the demon scythe tucked his hands on his pants pockets, staring at his meister with a serious expression on his face. He leaned against the dressing table behind him, right in front of her. "Can you please tell me what is bothering you so much?"

"Uh?" His question sent her mind ablaze in fear, confused scared eyes looking up at him. He noticed her expression, it was obvious by the way he frowned at her reaction. "What do you mean?"

Soul took a deep sigh, sounding almost exasperated. Lifting up one hand, he combed his hair with his fingers, his hand traveling down to the back of his neck, giving himself a soft massage on his tense muscles. The scythe had never been good talking about their problems, he hated confrontation and more often than not would prefer to let the issues solve themselves by letting them cool down. That didnt mean he didnt notice them, or cared... he just didnt know how to deal with them without turning the conversation into a full blown out fight, which would happen way too often. His carefree cool attitude would always collide with Maka's short temper and even shorter patience.

He looked wary, conscious that he was stepping on thin ice, talking about something that it was obvious Maka didnt want to talk about.

"You've been on edge since yesterday, and today you've been unusually quiet for a party you've been waiting for months. This morning I went to your classroom and found out you dismissed your class, you never do that" He pointed out, frowning, his voice showing a tone of worry. "Does Crona have anything to do with that?"

The mention of the swordsman managed to get her nerves on edge, her hands holding on the bed sheets, trying to hide the sweat of her palms. She remained silent, allowing Soul to keep talking... she was afraid of what could come out of her mouth if she dared to talk back.

"Did you two have a fight or something? Is that it?... I saw the dude today at school, I mean... he has never been a sunshine but today he looked gloomier than usual. And when I talked with him, he was a nervous mess, so... what is going on?"

She had to tell him. If there was a moment to tell him, that was it. Nothing happened, nothing really big... she didnt have to tell him everything, either. Just... just that she slipped. She had a little slip, she resonated with him one night, and feelings got mixed up, she got confused, she kissed him and that was it. Nothing happened, and nothing would ever happen again. Just tell him...

But she couldnt... because it was a lie. Deep down she knew it was a lie. What happened wasnt a mistake, she didnt mix shit, she didnt get confused. What happened was something she wanted. When he arrived, that kiss... she started it. Telling him that wouldnt solve anything, because she would still be lying. She had to tell him the truth... but what was the truth? That she felt an unexplainable attraction towards her best friend? That she dreamed about him since the day their souls connected? That she couldnt explain why the more she thought about him, the harder it was to connect with her husband? What do you do with that kind of information? How can she explain that to him? She didnt know...

After a long silence, Maka looked down to her feet, frowning, fists clenched tightly.

"Just... some issues I need to fix with him, thats all" She said, plain and simple. It was a shitty answer, she knew that, but it was all she got. Soul frowned, staring at her in a long uncomfortable silence.

"Is that why you cancelled our resonance today?" He asked after a while. His voice had changed in tone, sounding more calm, solemn even. His red eyes studying her.

"I just... felt it would be pointless, I'm not in the right mood..." Maka explained in a low tone of voice, her emerald eyes showing a far away look, a curtain of pain and confusion awfully visible in her eyes.

Soul remained silent, tucking both of his hands back inside his pants pockets, staring at Maka who insisted in looking down to her feet. She wasnt the kind of women who would sit there and mop, only very certain feelings and thoughts could send the meister into such emotional constipation. She was fighting with herself, struggling with whatever she was thinking or feeling, and it was a bigger deal than what she wanted to admit. Could Maka really think he was oblivious to her feelings and actions? He was her weapon partner, her most intimate friend and husband, he knew her from head to toe, he had been inside her in body and soul. Maka was hiding something, and it was bad enough for her to be an emotional mess.

And it had something to do with Crona.

The sudden alarm clock of his wrist, breaking the tense silence, made both young adults to jump on their spots. Soul grunted, silencing the alarm before looking back at Maka, who seemed to have recovered from her train of thoughts. Whatever Maka was going through, she wasnt ready to include him into the equation... and although that angered him, he decided prying on her motives would only make it worse. So, he would wait... for now.

"Lets go to the party, alright? At least for a couple of hours, see if you feel better" He insisted, offering his hand to her so she could get up from the bed. Maka nodded in silence, accepting his help.

It really wasnt her worried expression that ignited the alarms inside his head. Neither her silence, or the way she was actively avoiding his stare. It wasnt the remembrance of all those failed resonances, or her constant ill mood or even the nights when she would lay awake in bed, restless. No, the alarm turned on in that moment, when he took her hand between his own, feeling the sticky cold sweat on her palm.

Why was she so scared?

---

Chaos wasnt the right word.

Chaos didnt fully describe the noise, the crowd, the yelling, the heavy lighting and the random fights all over the school. Chaos fell short as a description when the witch students shook off their Soul Protection and were making displays of their powers transforming objects, making them fly through the rooms, levitating and using them to tease and torment the NOT students. The non magical meisters and weapons were merrily following suit in the chaos, dueling outside the school, fighting with the DJs trying to make their favorite music sound through the many speakers, or just attacking mercilessly the snack bar.

Most classrooms were closed shut, to avoid students to use them for their wrong doings. Yet, the school was way too big and the teacher staff too short to keep track of every dark corner and hidden spot. The oldest students worked as helping staff and security officers all in one, making sure the facilities weren't used for anything else than the programmed party activities. Even the basement had been temporarily closed, forcing everyone living there as guests to wait for the party to be over, so they could access again to their dormitories. Any outsider would think the security was a little bit exaggerated... but Crona soon found out why they needed so much eyes watching over the students.

The drinking age in Germany was 16 years old. And although the director had been very strict about not offering alcohol inside the party, the students brought their own beverages and were handing them around with no cost to their peers. That would explain the very high spirits of everyone in the school, who were laughing, cheering, running around and teasing each other, with beers on their hands. The swordsman had no idea how they allowed the students to get such things inside, he knew first hand how that liquid could make everything get out of control way too fast. And yet, despite the dangers, everyone seemed so relaxed, and even students who disliked each other were solving their issues in the traditional duels of Shibusen.

Even so, it seemed that the students had opened many game outposts, and were actively dueling the other stands trying to get the highest amount of students to their business. They had a "popping balloons" game, a bowling game, there was a large table with card games, and even a small room with a large "DnD" sign, occupied by meisters, weapons and witches, all settled inside designed open classrooms. This was the very first time that the swordsman saw witches and humans enjoying each other's company, like equals.

"Kim would love to see this..." Crona thought to himself out loud, looking around the classroom. Despite being a guest, he was still a teacher, and was making sure every designed student was doing his part keeping the classrooms closed and the youngest students in order.

"The witch you work with?" Eruka asked, dark eyes looking up to the tall young man next to her. He was wearing a white suit, with a light sky blue colored long sleeved shirt below. The light colors suited nicely with his dark eyes, his pink hair loose yet well kept, falling slightly below his shoulders. The black tie was undone and hanging around his neck, slightly wrinkled. It was obvious the swordsman wasnt good at doing ties.

"Y-yeah... w-we try to make our witches to feel accepted in the school... a-and it works but... well outside Shibusen is a bit d-different" He explained, remembering his small group of witches under his care. All wary of Shibusen and hiding their magic as if it were some dirty secret. Maybe they should try to let them use their magic more... would that help? He wondered.

His midnight dark eyes looked down to the witch next to him. Eruka was wearing a long black dress with sparkling dots all over, like coated in diamond dust. Thankfully it didnt have a cleavage, instead her chest was covered with a slightly translucent silk cloth. The dress had an opening on her back, that traveled from her shoulders and all the way down to her lower back, and despite her long silver hair covered most of it, he tried hard not to look at her from behind. The dress fit tightly on her small frame, making her look petite and fragile. She looked cute.

"I still cant believe you are a teacher, gecko" She snickered, walking alongside the swordsman while checking every classroom door was closed shut. "I thought your stu-stu-stu-stutter would get in the way"

"R-Rude" He frowned, staring at her slightly unamused, yet couldnt help but smile a bit after a few seconds, knowing she was just teasing him. Swallowing hard, he lifted his hand and dug a finger around his collar neck, trying to open it up a bit.

"Too tight?" The frog witch asked, dark eyes staring at him. He hummed in response.

"N-no... I-I'm just not used... its a little stiff" He unbuttoned the first two buttons of his neck, giving up on keeping it neatly closed. He was used to long necks, and they actually felt really comfortable, but they needed to be soft and elastic. This one was too stiff, making him feel trapped. He sighed. "H-how long does this party last?"

"All night long!" An unknown voice answered, merrily, making both adults to look at the source. It was a senior student, his shirt had a little pin with the words "NOT staff" on it. "Since its the weekend, this party is going to last until dawn. Nice to meet you Professor, hope you think about joining us to the ball?"

"B-B-Ball?" Crona stuttered, eyes open wide.

"yeah! We gonna have a karaoke contest and a dancing contest! You too look way too good together, I bet you could win!" If there were words that could trigger a deep soul consuming fear that the swordsman was unaware about, he just had discovered them.

"That sounds really fun!" Eruka grinned, gripping on his sleeve. Hell no!

A sudden splurging sound was heard on his back, and soon enough Ragnarok was sitting on top of his head, frowning.

"No! No no no! If I allowed your fat ass to come here, is because SHE promised me food!" He growled, pointing at the witch frog close to his meister. "I was promised food and so far not even a whiff of it!"

"We got food... in the indoors gym where the dancing will take place, we have settled already the tables..." The student tried to explain, his wide open eyes staring at Ragnarok in bewilderment. "Are you... the demon sword?"

"Yes I am! Now fuck off, we have a meeting with that food! Move on Crona!" Ragnarok roared, pulling on his meister's hair who just looked up at him with a frown.

"Behave Ragnarok... f-forgive him, t-thanks for the information" The swordsman gave the student an apologetic bow, who just half smiled at him and waved them goodbye. Eruka chuckled, pulling Crona away with her by his arm.

"Try not to embarrass us Ragnarok, gecko, I dont want the students to be laughing at us during class" The frog witch said to the little demon, who looked down at the witch with a deep frown.

"Me!? The only one who is the personification of embarrassment is this damn wimp!" The demon roared, throwing a soft punch on his meister's skull. "You tell him not to be such a pussy! That would help!"

"I just want to dance and have some fun, is that too much to ask? Ribbit..." Eruka sighed defeated. Probably taking Crona as a date for the party had been a terrible idea. He looked very uncomfortable, jumpy and wary of everything, fidgeting with his arm holding himself. He most likely would stay in a corner waiting for the whole party to end so he could recluse himself back into his room.

Crona looked down to the young witch, who now had a serious kinda boring expression, looking defeated. He frowned, his dark eyes fixed on her while they walked towards the school gym. It had been arranged in such a way that most students could sit and chat in the gym benches around. In the edges of the court gym, there were arranged tables for teachers, so they could sit more comfortably. Close to the basketball net, a large table filled to the brim with food made Ragnarok grin.

"Oh boy, finally! Crona! Take me there right now!" The demon sword vociferated, pointing at the large table like a two year old begging for the toy section.

"Uh.. w-we probably should go to one of the tables? I see t-that one is reserved for us..." The swordsman pointed out, looking at a neatly settled table with a foiled paper that said "Witchcraft Teachers". Eruka said nothing, but walked towards the table, sitting down and crossing her legs and arms, looking unamused.

"Why would you damn go sit down! I want food you moron!" Ragnarok yelled, but ended mumbling for himself and cussing, as his meister completely ignored him, sitting in front of the frog witch. His dark eyes stared at her, who had an annoyed pout on her lips, her eyes looking around at the students who were laughing and chatting merrily.

Now he felt really uncomfortable. Eruka had been real nice with him the whole day, despite taking him to do her errands, shopping, and basically helping her out in anything she needed... but she had been a nice company. Now that they had finally settled their so called relationship, Crona was a lot more comfortable around her, and yet...

"S-Sorry..." He started, calling Eruka's attention, who looked back at him with an arched eyebrow "I-I know I'm a bad company... If you want to go somewhere else I wont mind"

"Oh shut it, I knew how this was going to be from the start" The frog witch shrugged. She couldnt ask much from a socially awkward, shy, know nothing meister such as Crona. It was obvious partying wasnt his thing, but at least she didnt arrive to the party alone, so it was a nice plus. "I want to dance though... I really do"

"D-Dance?" He gulped, his eyes darting towards the large gym court that was being used as a dance floor. Many students were already on it, moving wildly at the pace of a quick beat. Two DJs in each opposite side of the large gym taking turns with the music, fighting who could make the most people go out and dance. No, hell no, the place was starting to get crammed with people, and the idea of being pushed, stepped on and elbowed quickly got on his nerves. "I... I dont think I can... its... sorry"

The frog witch stared at him with a deadpan look on her face, taking a long breath before getting up from the table. He followed her movements, thinking for one moment that she would leave. He couldnt blame her, she was an extroverted funny young woman trapped with such a boring man like him, of course she would leave. However, he looked at her with surprise, when Eruka dragged a chair and sat right next to him, way too close.

He flinched when her hands moved towards him, around his neck.

"W-What?" He asked, nervous, feeling the witch's fingers traveling around his neck, tugging at the neck of his shirt.

"Dont move, gecko, I'm fixing your tie" She ordered, her dark eyes staring at the silky fabric that was hanging loosely around his neck. The swordsman took a deep breath, relaxing slightly, yet his cheeks showed the smallest of blushes, embarrassed.

"Sorry..." He apologized again, for what? He wasnt sure.

He stared at her face, how her dark eyes followed the traces her own fingertips did across his neck shirt. Manicured fingernails ran down his chest, undoing the buttons of his suit so she could have access to his torso. The swordsman felt the sudden need to look around, feeling like he was being watched, studied, but he was too embarrassed to actually try and see if his fears were true. Instead, he fixed his eyes harder on the witch, who grabbed the messy tie on his neck and ever so slowly started to fix it into a knot.

"Uh... where did you learn to do this?" He asked, interested, seeing how her fingers started to measure the length of the tie before fixing the knot. She looked up at him, dark eyes meeting each other.

"... If I tell you, you must promise you wont laugh" She pleaded, her eyes staring back at him, a slight blush showing on her cheeks.

"I dont promise shit! If its funny I'm will roar with laugher!... and where are those guys serving drinks? I want some beer!" Ragnarok said, his high pitched tone of voice barely audible in the increasing chatting noise in the room, yet loud enough for both witches to snap out of their thoughts, looking away from each other.

The demon sword looked around, searching for the waiters. His round eyes seemed to notice something not too far away from them, making him grin widely, almost wickedly. The sword licked his lips, looking down to his meister and the witch that was finishing fixing his tie. Discreetly, he pushed Crona's head towards Eruka, making him yelp slightly.

'Well tell us! I can barely hear with the noise!" Ragnarok eyes looked at one side of the room for a second, then moved back to the witch. She stared at the demon sword for a minute, before returning her attention to the swordsman.

Despite the tie being already done and tightly secured on his neck, Eruka's hands remained resting on top of his chest. He looked down at her, dark eyes fixed in her features, how the dots on each side of her lips curled into an embarrassed smile, her fingers drawing small circles on his shirt.

"D-Dont laugh okay?..." She ordered, staring at him with all seriousness, before sliding closer, so no one else could hear. That really was impossible, the sound in the room was pretty loud, and Crona could barely hear her voice already. "I always practiced ties... I liked to imagine one day I would get a boyfriend who likes using nice suits and ties, so I could fix them for him... the idea is so romantic, you know?"

"Ugh, girly stuff, should have known!" Ragnarok growled in annoyance, losing interest quickly. The black demon waved at a waiter, hoping to call their attention so they could fetch him some drinks.

Eruka's blush deepened, hands tugging slightly at his suit for a minute, before slowly buttoning it up again. Her hands fixed the subtle wrinkles of his shirt, smiling at her well done work. It was so odd for a witch to hang out in such a way with a male, yet it felt so right too. Most witches were raised to despise the opposite sex, using males for their advantage and mere breeding purposes, and although Eruka shared those beliefs... she have always had the fantasy of having a perfect loving boyfriend. Someone who would listen to her and protect her, who could obey her every demand and just... just all the little perks she would often read in drama novels.

She was a romantic, it couldnt be helped.

Crona's lips slowly turned into a small smile, a doubtful hand moving up to holding the witch's hand that moments ago was holding on his suit. She looked up, staring at his midnight dark eyes.

"I w-would never laugh at that" He said, keeping that small smile. He was happy Eruka would share such things with him... it meant that she trusted him, at some degree, at least. It meant a lot to him, for someone to trust him. "T-thank you for sharing y-your dreams with me..."

As the frog witch stared at his face, the deep darkness of his eyes, and that soft smile, she couldnt help but think how handsome he was. It happened so suddenly, the rush of heat on her cheeks, the chill that ran up and down her spine, that she had no time to hide. A hard blush fell down her face, her skin too hot, and Eruka quickly untangled her hand from the swordsman's grasp, getting up from her chair. She fixed her long dress, trying to recover some common sense.

"Well if you are not willing to dance with me, I'll find someone else that wants to!" She said with a huff, brushing her silvery hair away from her shoulders, before leaving the table and moving straight into the dancing floor.

She hadn't moved too far away, when one of the german teachers intercepted her, offering his hand to her. Well, that had been quick, and the swordsman kept his smile while watching her being dragged to the dance floor, as she had wished to. It was nice seeing her having fun... he could remember her tears, her desperation, anxiety and fear when they worked together, and how much his mother had tortured her. It was nice seeing her happy, she was a nice funny girl, she deserved happiness.

---

Outside, it was so cold that in any moment snow would surely arrive.

Despite the merciless weather, many students just zipped up their jackets, fixed their beanies on their heads, and were fooling around outside the school, filling the air with laugher. Maka secured the warm coat around her body, lifting up her gaze to stare at the night sky, how the stars sparkled above, and the black moon, silently floating, barely visible. How could she take him out of her mind, when even the sky on her head would remind her of him? When would it be over? She wasnt sure she could keep going like this.

She lost her chance of confessing. Maybe if she had told Soul the truth, they would be at home in that moment. Maybe yelling at each other, maybe talking and trying to fix their mistakes... but all that died the moment she couldnt express herself with him. How could she explain her husband something she didnt even know how to explain to herself? She knew it wasn't just some lustful desire, it wasnt just a fixation or a need to try something new. Her desire for kissing him wasnt as strong as her need to just hold him, feel his soul or smell his scent. She would be elated just with the chance of laying in a couch being held by him, like that time in America... the memory was now faint, so far away, like out of a dream... sometimes she wasnt sure it even happened. If it weren't for the letters she read time after time, she would be sure it all had been nothing but a dream.

Thats why she had stopped writing to him. She needed to forget, and move on. She needed to protect her marriage, she needed to abide to her promise... for better and for worse, in sickness and in health, for eternity...

But he didnt know that. She hadn't explain to him about her reasons, her resolution... she needed to sit down with him and talk, to tell him it was over, they had to stop. Or at least thats what she had intended, but seeing him with Eruka last night, and that morning... she felt like vomiting.

"Maka" The steady firm voice of Soul called her attention, making her look away from the night sky and straight into his ruby eyes. He handled her a soda can, his left hand carrying a beer "Lets go inside, its freezing in here"

"You better not start drinking Soul" She scolded him, frowning at the sight of that beer can on his hand.

"Ugh, Maka, give me a break, its a party" He growled, yet her undeterred stare forced him to leave the unopened beer can in a table, abandoning it. "So uncool"

"No, drinking is uncool, Soul. How are you taking me to dance if you're drunk?" The meister complained, walking inside the gym with her weapon partner following her closely.

"Psh, its just one little beer, I'm not getting drunk by just one little beer! Besides, I need to be drunk to follow up your dance moves" Soul teased his meister, ducking when a hard cover book flew to his head. He chuckled. "Oh come on Maka, if you wanted to dance you should have told me! I would have brought my hard labor boots, for protection"

The next book he didnt see it coming. Maka rammed a dictionary with all of her strength against his skull, denting it. Soul groaned, falling to the floor holding his head, almost knocked out. She huffed, leaving the sorry body of her husband beaten down on the ground, searching for their designated table next to the improvised dancing floor. It wasnt hard to spot it, being one of the very few tables that was still unoccupied, with a folded paper with the word "The Evans" on it. Really, why would the students keep insisting on giving her Soul's last name? He didnt like it! He would hardly use it! She just shook her head, taking the piece of paper and crumbling it on her hands. Maka glanced around the large gym, just to see who had arrived already... would he be there?

He wasnt hard to spot, the pink mane stood out in the crowd like a sore thumb. Her emerald eyes took a good luck at him, wearing what seemed to be a white suit. Seeing him in any color other than black was rare, but white suited him so nicely. Then her eyes moved to his companion, and she felt herself being filled with killing intent.

Eruka was sitting next to him, way too close, so close that one of her crossed legs was touching Crona's knee. Her hands were touching him, fingernails running down his chest before attempting to fix his tie. Too much unnecessary touch for such a mundane task... she was doing it on purpose. Maka sat down on her table, emerald eyes fixed on the couple that were sitting barely four tables away, in the same row. Her stomach turned inside her, filling her mouth with a sour taste, feeling nauseous. Her eyes widened when she saw Crona leaning closer to the witch. She seemed to be telling him something, sporting a very obvious blush, then he took her hand between his own...

She was touching him and he wasnt flinching. She was touching him and he was accepting her touch, smiling at her, staring at her in a way that made her feel sick. He was being too kind with her, he was too comfortable around the witch, and she couldnt stand it. Why the sudden comfort around her? They hadn't seen each other in years, and now they were the closest of friends? Bullshit, what was going on? Didnt Crona see how she was using him? Of course he didnt, he was too naive, too innocent, too trustful and Eruka was a witch.

Maka glanced away, clenching her fists above the table. At the end of the day, it wasnt her business. Eruka said so herself... Crona was not her business, not anymore. He wasnt a little kid anymore, unaware of the real world and his dangers. More than anyone, the swordsman already knew about treason and hardship... didnt he remember Meena? This was just like it, Maka wouldn't believe for even one second that he didnt see it. So, she had to step aside, she had to leave him be... he wasnt a child anymore. If he wanted to be used by another witch, so be it, it was his life after all. She had no right to meddle with it...

Why was she standing up from her table then? Why was she walking towards Crona's table? Why would she sit down in front of him, staring at his scared eyes, frowning at him... why did she do that? The answer was so simple, so obvious, so natural that the questions were plain idiotic.

She cared, she cared a big deal about him. She always had, and she always would.

"Maka..." He whispered, staring at her with wide open eyes. The music was loud, so much that she couldnt actually hear him, but she read his lips, saying her name. How much she wanted to hear her name in his voice...

Talking would be pointless, when they couldnt hear each other. There was so much she wanted to say to him, so much they needed to talk about... but that wasn't the place to doing so. She wanted to settle their predicament, she wanted to write down their limits, to put an end once and for all to the dangerous game they were playing.

But it hurt. It hurt so much knowing that it had to end. Not only that, but their very friendship would suffer greatly. Did he know that? Did he know how much they had screwed everything up? How could she return to normality, when she could no longer even hug him now? The slightest touch would trigger their need, their hunger, their desire. Even now, just sitting in front of him, staring at his eyes, she could feel her very soul fluttering inside her, longing for his own. Did he feel the same? His eyes, that look of need and despair, of hunger and longing... how could she doubt him? She had been inside his soul, she knew how he felt...

Those dangerous, soul consuming feelings he held inside him...

"Piss off!" Ragnarok roar managed to be heard by the blonde meister, who looked up with a deep frown on her face.

"Ragnarok!" Crona gasped, moving up his hand to get a hold of his weapon partner. He slapped his meister's hand, furious ball-like eyes staring at her.

Maka wouldnt waste any effort in trying to beat Ragnarok in a yelling contest. Instead, the blonde meister just stared at him for a moment, before returning her attention to the swordsman. Crona managed to grab one of his hands, forcing the demon sword to look at him. They didnt talk, probably they didnt need to, but Maka could tell he was pleading his weapon partner, his expressive eyes were almost begging him. She clenched her fists on the table, frowning, feeling anger bubbling down her stomach. How much she hated having to stay put while seeing Crona struggling with Ragnarok, begging him, as if he owed him anything. The black blooded demon growled in annoyance, but finally recoiled back inside his meister, leaving them alone.

The sword meister sighed, his dark eyes slowly looking up, finding her emerald green eyes. They locked gazes, both meisters staring at each other in silence, the party noise being nothing but background. He looked so handsome in that white suit, the color suited him greatly, it was pure and clean, like his soul. Crona's eyes darted from her eyes to her face, and down to her neck and the dark blue dress she was wearing. He blushed, his face coloring a dusky red before looking away, flustered. His reaction managed to ease her temper, feeling how ever so slowly the anger she felt before started to drain. No matter what, she just couldnt be mad at him, or around him... even without their resonance, his presence was so soothing for her. Maybe it was his submissive attitude, or the way he would fiddle with his own fingers on top of the table, nervously. Maybe it was the way his sad pleading eyes stared at her, as if begging for something only she could give him. What was it? She didnt dare to ask...

The loud song started to falter, growing quieter, until there was no sound but the voices of the people inside the large gym. Her ears were ringing slightly, and she looked around just to notice the students and some teachers were still standing in the dance floor, waiting for new music to start.

"Alright folks! Its duel time! What couple can stay longer dancing? All couples to the dance floor!" The student working as a DJ announced, his hands quickly moving on his sound board, changing the songs. After a few seconds, a slow deep song started to resonate in the whole gym, making more than a couple to rush into the dancing floor, while others decided it didnt worth the embarrassment.

Her eyes fell on Eruka, who kept on dancing with one of the young teachers, holding her by her waist. Maka looked back at Crona, who kept on looking at her, his attention unfaltering.

"Aren't you going with Eruka?" She asked, a pinch of sarcasm slipping off her lips. She couldnt help it... it really hurt.

"N-No... s-she's h-having fun... a-and I'm not good at d-dancing..." He said with an apologetic expression on his face, his voice barely audible even with the now more tolerable volume of the music.

"That is not true and you know it" Maka scolded him, staring at him with a small frown on her face "I know it, I've danced with you before, remember?"

He looked down to his own hands, tightly intertwined together in a nervous grip. His dark eyes suddenly filled with sadness, yet he managed to curve his lips into a soft smile.

"Yes... in your wedding..." He musited, slowly looking up at her, dark blue eyes meeting emerald green. The way he was looking at her, the way his eyes shone in the light, it was like a grip squeezing her heart.

How could he do that? How could he summon such unbearable feelings within her? She wanted to reach him, hold him in her arms and never let go. But there was no way she would do that... maybe she would never get to do that again. The only reason she was sitting with him was because they were in a public place, surrounded with people. And even in such environment, she was feeling the danger of being close to him, the emotions that swelled in his presence. How could they recover their friendship when now she couldnt stand being near him?

"Maka?..." Crona asked with a worried tone in his voice, staring at her with a slight frown. She had remained silent for a while, just staring at him, unmoving.

"Yeah, my wedding..." She repeated, blinking a couple of times before looking down to the table. His hands were on top of it, gripping each other nervously. The impulse of holding them into her own was almost unbearable. "That was my favorite part of that night... dancing with you"

The swordsman remained silent, his eyes glancing down to the table, looking sad and lost. How much she hated seeing him like that... and the worst part was she was the cause of it. She was hurting him, and she couldnt do anything to help him. What could she say to make it stop, when she didnt want it to stop. How could she resign to his touch? How could she move on from him? Quit the wish to hear his soft voice against her ear, or having his arms surrounding her in the most intimate of embraces? As her eyes stared down to his hands, she couldnt help but remember that six months ago those hands held her and caressed her, those hands knew the shape of her body and the warmth of her skin. How much she wanted to touch him, to hold his hand just to feel the contact of his skin against her own, just to have the faintest feel of connection.

The music in the party was now a soft melody. Rhythmic footsteps could faintly be heard, as the couples in the dance floor held each other tightly in intimate dances. The light around them had turned dim and soft, making the students lower down they voices. It was a well-organized effort of all the students to participate and make the best possible atmosphere. Even though, not many couples dared to jump out to the dance floor and allow others to scrutinize them. She took a quick glance at the students, how they moved slowly in circles with hands tightly intertwined or even holding each other in arms. What was the song she danced with Crona in her wedding?... she couldnt remember. It had been a song she never have heard before, and after that, moving to Germany... she quickly forgot about it. What song was it?

She remembered how much of a nervous wreck he was while dancing, but after a minute in it, he quickly got a hold on his footing. Once, during their shared mail, she asked him where he had learned to dance, he didnt answer her. No matter how, he was so good at it...

The silence between them got long and uncomfortable. She looked back at him, who was still staring down, straight to her own hands resting on the table, his dark eyes fixed on her alliance ring. She unconsciously hid her ring finger with her other hand, forcing the swordsman out of whatever trance he was in. She heard him taking a deep breath, his stare moving back to his own hands. What was he thinking? There were so much problems and unfinished issues between them, that she couldnt pick up her mind of what was bothering him right now. She needed to talk to him about the witch, she wanted to know why was he there, why him specifically, she wanted to talk to him about... them. She wanted to tell him about her resolution, explain to him what seemed to be very obvious now. Was he thinking about that?... what she said to him in his room?

"Crona..." She called for his attention, making him jump on his place. This was not the place to talk about that, but maybe... "We need to talk, but not here"

The swordsman lifted up his gaze, dark eyes meeting emerald green, and he saw how he swallowed hard with her words. His fingers started to grip each other tightly, so much that she had to actively restrain herself from holding his hand. She would always hold his hand when he started to get nervous like that.

"We... we could go to the b-balcony?" He offered, doubtful, his eyes filling with a faint glimpse of hope.

"No, in here there's always people there and... how do you know there's a balcony in this school?" She asked, frowning slightly, curious about that. She hadn't told him that, although she had wanted to show him.

"E-Eruka showed it to me, we had lunch there today, its nice..." His words died in his throat, looking shaken... maybe because the punch of anger in her gut got reflected in her face. Eruka again... Eruka this... Eruka that... Maka clenched her fists.

"Why you let her push you around?" She hissed, frowning. She had wanted to show him that balcony herself...

"D-dont be mad... she's not, well I... she's not that bad..." He musited, his voice barely audible with the music around them. That was one more topic she wanted to talk with him about. She took a deep breath, trying to vent out her anger... it wasnt his fault. Whatever Eruka was planning, Crona was surely oblivious about it.

Where could she talk with him where they weren't surrounded by people, yet there was no chance for... really anything to happen?. Some place where they could sit down and talk freely, without anyone eavesdropping. The park? Still crowded. Taking him to the woods? Too lonely... She needed a middle ground where they could talk comfortably, yet not too comfortably...

"My place" Maka said, suddenly, making Crona jump slightly on his spot. "My apartment, we'll talk there, while Soul is in his Death Scythe Meeting."

The swordsman stared at her for what seemed to be the longest time. There was no resonance between them, Maka didnt dare to start one no matter how much she wanted it, and yet she didnt need it to figure out what was he thinking. He looked... disappointed, scared, doubtful. She could see the tired bags under his eyes, and she was sure she didn't look any better. The sooner they could solve things out, the better. After a while, he nodded at her, his eyes looking at their side, where couples were dancing.

She followed his stare. He wasnt seeing anyone in particular, just the students dancing, smiling and laughing, whispering to their partner's ear. Some couples were just moving softly on their spots, saying nothing, just enjoying each other's presence. Dancing was good for aligning soul wavelengths, it required combined effort and coordination, physical approach and intimate touch. The music would often help out to settle the feelings and thoughts into the same channel. When was the last time she danced with Crona? She had danced with him only once, in her wedding... almost six years ago.

The thought rammed into her head as an intrusive guest. She looked back at the swordsman, who felt her gaze on him, staring back at her. She could remember it, but barely, their joined hands, the soft smooth movements... what she remembered the most was his soul, singing to her. He felt so sad and yet so elated, two confusing mixed emotions that until now she had no idea could be there together at the same time, with the same intensity. Now she could understand the reason of his feelings that day... but what about now? What would she feel, dancing with him? There was enough people to be safe, it wouldnt look odd, no one would be suspicious.

She opened her mouth, but the words died in her throat. She couldnt do it... how could she be so much of a bitch, to dance with Crona after what happened? To dare to dance with him, in her workplace, where her husband could see her. No, she couldnt do it... but how much she wanted to.

Suddenly, her hands felt a warm touch, making her look down. He was touching her, his slender hands holding her own in a comforting grasp that set her skin on edge. She didnt react, not right away, allowing him to hold her like they would always do. This touch had nothing wrong, they would always hold hands since they were kids, it was a natural familiar touch, an innocent touch. There was nothing wrong with it.

And yet, everything was wrong with it. It wasnt innocent anymore, it wasnt innocuous, his touch wasnt the one of a good friend. How could she let him touch her, knowing the undertone of such actions, knowing their real intentions... her real intentions. She couldnt allow it.

If Maka hadn't been so focused on their joined hands, she would have noticed how Crona was struggling with words that were knotted on his throat. She would have noticed his blush, and the way he was actively fighting to voice his wishes. He tried to talk, feeling the threat of unending stuttering on his tongue, silencing his voice. He wanted to say something, something important...

Maka retrieved her hands from his touch, taking them off the table and away from his reach. He stared at her, dumbfounded and hurt, his brows furrowing. Slowly, he took his hands back, grasping them against each other, hunching on his spot slightly. She looked away from him, repeating herself that she was just mirroring her feelings on him. His disappointment wasnt real, the look on his face, heartbroken, wasnt real. She couldnt look at him now, the way he bowed his head, away from her, how his eyes were filled with hurt. Why? Why now? He knew this would happen, right? He knew this just couldnt be, they couldnt be together. He knew it from the start, he said so himself... why was he now persistently making her feel like she was being a bitch to him? She was not, but this just couldnt keep going. He knew that!

And yet... just knowing she was responsible for making him feel so miserable, it was an unbearable thought. She couldnt leave him like that...

"I should have known you would be here" A familiar voice called her attention. Crona squeaked, jumping on his spot, his eyes looking up, terrified.

Soul was staring down at them, red eyes looking at Maka for a moment before moving towards the swordsman, who quickly avoided his stare. The albino's eyes studied the pink haired man sitting in front of his wife, frowning slightly before returning his attention to the blonde meister.

"Mock my dancing skills one more time and you will sleep in the sofa tonight" She threatened him, frowning, huffing slightly and crossing her arms on her chest. Soul teasing her was the norm, he had always done it and he would always do it, but when he mocked something about her body or her clumsiness, it wasnt that fun.

"Touchy. Come on Maka, you know I'm just messing with you. Cheer up a bit" Soul chuckled, bowing slightly as he offered his hand in front of her, like a gentleman pleading for her hand. "Let me amend myself... can we dance?"

The blonde meister sighed, staring at his waiting palm for a couple seconds before accepting his grasp, lifting up her hand and holding his own. He smiled at her, helping her up from the table and into his arms. Crona followed their moves, dark eyes staring at the scythe almost in awe, his face expression almost blank. Soul looked at the swordsman.

"Ey man, would you mind if I take my wife for a bit?" He asked out of politeness. He would take her out anyway, no matter his answer, but leaving him alone in the table without a word wasnt cool.

---

Crona could do nothing but stare at Soul.

His charming smile, those shiny ruby eyes, his fit toned body that looked so good in a tuxedo, and how he could hold Maka in his arms so comfortably. Above all, his security... how easily he could said his wants, how smoothly he managed to ask her out to dance, when he himself couldnt even make the words come out of his mouth. He had wanted to ask Maka to dance with him, so badly, but he just couldnt say it...

Soul was so much more than him, in every way.

Crona forced a smile on his face, small and void, and just nodded at him. The albino stared at him for a couple of second, before holding Maka's hand tightly and taking her away into the dance floor. His dark eyes followed their movements, watching how his hands traveled down to hold the blonde meister by her waist, her hands moving up from his arms to his shoulders. He was short, but it looked so right, he was at the perfect height to stare at her eyes, dancing cheek to cheek. They looked so good together...

"For fucks sake..." Ragnarok's voice called his attention. And just when did he come out of his body? Crona didnt even notice. His weapon partner stretched its body, looking at him for a minute before taking out his tongue, licking his cheek.

The swordsman closed his eye, noticing that Ragnarok was licking a trail of tears from his right cheek. He would do that sometimes, probably because he liked the taste of them, but Crona preferred to think it was some kind of attempt to make him feel better. There was no way to feel better about this, this was the worst possible scenario for him...

He was losing Maka, as a friend.

The way she eluded him, how she refused to stay near him, or how she deliberately rejected his touch. It was a nightmare come true... he was losing his friend. Why would she do that? He knew perfectly well their situation, he would never dare to try anything out of place without her consent... but she was rejecting every contact with him. Why? Just... why? They would always hold hands and it used to be perfectly fine...

"HERE GODDAMIT!" Ragnarok roared, moving his little hands above his meister's head. In a couple of seconds, a waiter handled on his table two large mugs of beer. "Finally! Handle me one Crona"

The swordsman looked at the drinks, frowning slightly. He knew very well that allowing Ragnarok to drink at will would end in him being severely drunk... but the thought of being so mind numbed was slightly enticing. Yet, he remembered very well what happened in South America, and that time in Kid's party...

"Oh come on! Dont be such a puss, I'll fucking control it, I promise" Ragnarok growled, looking down to his meister, little ball-like hands rubbing on both sides of his head. "You need it, Death knows I fucking need it! So gimme!"

The swordsman took a deep sigh, taking one of the mugs and lifting it up for his weapon partner to hold it. Ragnarok screeched in delight, taking the large mug out of his partner's hands and shoving it down in his own mouth, chugging at it like water. The weapon burped, shoving the empty mug on Crona's face and pointing at the other that was meant for the swordsman. He didnt drink, at least no anymore, so Ragnarok would always take his share of alcohol as well.

The second mug fell down the weapon's mouth just as fast, making him grin.

"Woah... this beer is strong! What?... I feel all dizzy and it was just two mugs! Damn! Germans dont mess up with their drinks" The demon weapon giggled, the tipsy look on his cartoonish face evident by the way his ball-like eyes started to roll around.

"That was like a liter Ragnarok, please dont make me drunk with that just now" Crona pleaded his weapon partner. As his blood, he could control which drugs could affect him, at least at some degree, or just slow down the effect for a while. The dizziness and drunk torpor would eventually arrive, but he hoped it would be when they reached their room. Hopefully it would help him sleep...

"Psh, dont hold your panties in a bunch! Two little beers are nothing... god knows I need them so I wont stab that bitch in her rotting heart" The demon sword growled, his ball-like eyes staring at Maka, dancing in Soul's arms. Crona frowned.

"D-dont call her that..."

"You cant possible keep on defending her! She's toying with you! She's using you as her little sex toy and you are letting her! You wimp!" Ragnarok hissed in a low tone of voice, only for his ears to hear.

"T-that is not true..." Crona tried to defend her, his eyes looking down to the table, his head bowed. "Its real... what we felt was real..."

"Yeah, keep saying that. See if you convince yourself" The weapon huffed. "She is just a thirsty whore in a boring marriage, using you for stress relief! Hear my words!"

"She's my friend..." Crona musited, his hands gripping each other on his lap, anxious and fearful.

"Is she?..." Ragnarok snickered, his ball-like hands suddenly grasping his hair in fistfuls, forcing him to move his face towards the dance floor. Crona stared where he wanted him to look.

The songs were being sang by the karaoke contestants, standing up next to the DJ who was taking requests and searching for records to play. The music sound was beautiful, slow and suggestive, deep and meaningful, the lyrics were a wonderful poem, and the singer wasnt too bad. Amateur hour no doubt, since it seemed everyone was still warming up. Not too far, Maka and Soul kept on dancing into a second song, their footing coordinated, the moves elegant and flawless. Seeing them dancing was just an example of how well they worked together, how comfortable they were with each other. The albino was smiling, looking relaxed and focused on the task of leading his meister around the dance floor. Maka was looking at him with those big warm emerald eyes, her hands intertwined behind his neck, staying close to him and allowing him to guide her.

The first time they danced, Maka had to lead him around at first, and actively had to teach him how to dance, so it got awkward and clumsy in the first minute. She didnt have that problem with Soul, moving around like dancing in the clouds, they were just... perfect. Crona would never dare to break them apart, as long as Maka was happy. Her happiness was the most important thing in the whole world, more important than his own, more important than his life. If her happiness meant for him to be jailed for eternity in a dark room alone, he would do it without blinking.

He loved her. It was painfully obvious, for himself and apparently everyone around him. He loved her and he would do anything to see her happy... even if it meant to let her go. And yet, despite his own resolution, it was so painful...

The sound of a chair shuffling in front of him called his attention. Right in front of him, Eruka sat down, her face contorted with a frown and a slight blush. He blinked a couple of times, confused, noticing that she was angry. The witch didnt wait for him to say anything, instead, she lifted her hand calling the attention of one of the students working as a waiter. He approached their table, offering a mug of beer which she took for herself, taking a deep long gulp.

"Y-You okay?" Crona asked, doubtful, staring at the witch that was pretty much fuming.

"That bastard!" She hissed, a deep scowl on her face, leaving half mug of beer on the table. "What the hell does he think, gecko? That I am an easy woman? He's lucky he got away with only a kick in the balls!"

"W-What happened?" He frowned, leaning closer to her, worried. The witch seemed to notice his interest, taking a deep breath trying to calm herself down.

"He's a teacher that had been asking me out many times... I thought it would be fun to amuse him with a couple songs, but for some reason he thought it was a good idea to try and kiss me, the damn bastard" She growled, her dark eyes filled with anger despite trying to cool herself off.

She was trying to shake off the issue as if it was nothing, taking a long gulp of her beer. She was thirsty, since she had managed to dance for a good amount of time, before he started to get way too comfortable and attempt that. That was the reason why witches hated males, with their stupid hormones and sticky hands and unruly instincts. At least thats what Eruka was thinking, breathing slowly trying to get a grasp on herself. The least she wanted was staring to blow up everything with her frog bombs.

"Where is he?" The clear voice of the swordsman called her attention, making her focus on him. Crona was frowning, staring at her with a serious expression on his face.

"Probably searching for some ice for his balls" Eruka chuckled, staring amused at the young pink haired man looking around, as if searching for the culprit "Ey, I told you, I kicked him in the balls. If I wanted to truly damage him, I would have shoved a bomb down his pants. Chill out, gecko"

Ragnarok laughed, making both witches to look up at him. The demon sword was not easy to make laugh, but apparently the image of a man having his manhood blowed up was amusing for him. That and the beer probably was helping out, but seeing his weapon partner laughing eased the swordsman mood, who ended chuckling ever so slightly.

"Why you looked so down? Missed me that much?" Eruka grinned, her smile slowly dying when Crona bowed his head, looking away. The witch followed his glance, spotting certain scythe meister dancing with her weapon partner. She shook her head "Seems its a shitty night for both of us, ribbit..."

"You tell me about it! This asshole hasn't taken me to the snack bar!" Ragnarok roared, throwing a punch on his meister's skull.

"Thats so we all can be miserable together, gecko" The silver haired witch stated, crossing both her hands and legs. Ragnarok started ranting, but she couldnt help finding it amusing. The weapon used to be quite scary, but in such a small form it was pretty tolerable, almost adorable, like a little black frog.

"W-We can leave if you want... I w-wont mind" Crona said, receiving a sudden punch of his weapon partner. "R-Ragnarok cut it out!"

"You are not leaving until I get my fill on that snack bar! You hear me!?" He roared, nudging the sides of his head with his ball-like fists.

"Oh no, this is a party and I'm not leaving until I've had the fun I want!" She declared, her face filled with determination that quickly faltered. She sighed. "I just wanted to have some fun, is it too much to ask? Dancing was fun..."

Crona looked at her in silence, watching how the petite witch lifted up the mug to finish her drink. He swallowed hard, his eyes darting towards the dance floor, searching for Maka and Soul. They were still at it, but it seemed they started to have problems. Accidentally, Maka stepped on his husband's feet, making him yelp. It looked like it wasnt the first time that it happened, since Soul looked quite uncomfortable now. As the song started to end, the albino called it off, holding Maka's hand and guiding her out of the dance floor, both walking towards their designated table.

Some teachers had joined tables together, and they were chatting and laughing merrily in german. As Crona looked around, he noticed they were now pretty afar from the rest of the teachers. That wasnt too odd, they were witches who could barely speak pieces of the language, so it would be hard and even a little rude to make them join if they couldnt understand them. That only meant that the only companion Eruka would have for the night was himself... he needed to make it good for her, as a friend.

Swallowing hard, he took a grasp on what little courage he could get, taking deep long breaths. Ragnarok looked down, staring at his face for a minute, then grinning widely.

"Oh is that so!? Bring it you wimp! I bet your breakfast you'll suck big time!" The sword laughed, before retreating back inside his meister's body. Eruka arched an eyebrow, curious about his words.

After a few second of heavy deep breathing, Crona lifted himself from the table chair, straightening up his white suit and fixing his cuffs. He combed his hair with his fingers, trying to fix the wild strands of pink hair Ragnarok had messed with his punches. If he was going to do it, he would at least try not to embarrass her too much, starting with his often scruffy appearance. The DJ was announcing the next song, it had a title in english, and the karaoke contestant was getting ready, clearing his throat. If he was going to do it, it had to be now, before he get cold feet.

Crona walked towards Eruka, who stared at him with a curious yet expectant expression in her face. As he bowed slightly, offering his hand to her, he noticed her eyes opening wide, a small blush showing on her cheeks. He saw Soul doing it, so it had to be the proper way, right?

"M-May I ask a dance?... w-with you?" He stuttered, cursing himself for not being able to talk properly.

Eruka looked away for a second, her face getting red by the second. She took a deep breath, her hand doubting for a second before finally reaching up to him, resting her hand in his palm. She said nothing, but nodded with her head a couple times, and that was good enough for him. Crona took her hand firmly in his own, helping her getting up from the chair and leading her towards the dance floor. He had no idea what was he doing, he had only danced with his closest friends before, Liz and Patty mostly during the parties, once with Kim when she beat him out in a dare. Angela didnt count since she would only grip him into a hug and let him move her around. Did all that count as dancing, really? Patty would just aggressively throw him around, Liz would lead him all the time. Kim tried to dance with him seriously, but it got awkward really quick...

The song was starting, taking him out of his thoughts. It was a piano combined with the sound of what seemed a guitar and maybe an harp. It sounded nice and slow, exactly what was he hoping for. He didnt know if he could deal with fast movement like when they arrived to the party. As they moved to a rather clear part of the dance floor, away from most dancers, he found himself in the predicament of having no idea where to hold her. His eyes looked down to her body, her half naked shoulders, the slim waist with the large open gap on her back. No matter where he put his hands on, he would be touching her skin, it looked really disruptive, he didnt think it would be okay to do so...

Eruka chuckled, a teasing smile showing on her lips.

"Dont puss out on me" She grinned, taking a hold on the swordsman shaky hands, leading his right hand to her waist, right above her hipbone. She seemed to find his shy reaction amusing, since her smile only widened. Slowly, she intertwined her fingers with his free hand, her left hand moving to his right shoulder, holding into him.

Crona was blushing, embarrassed and choking on his shyness. He could swear he was feeling eyes on them, and that only further his nervousness. He took a decision, now he had to follow suit. After all, leaving Eruka hanging on the dance floor would be nothing less than humiliating. He wanted to give her at least that, as an appreciation gesture, just to try and make her feel good. A thanks for going out with him that night, he really appreciated it... showing him some care when he needed it the most.

He would do it right for her.

"When I need you... I just close my eyes and I'm with you..." The karaoke contestant started singing. His voice was clear and sound, enjoyable "And all that I so wanna give you... is only a heartbeat away"

He could perfectly remember what Maka said to him, the first time they danced together. She said dancing was like sword fighting, the movements where pretty much the same. Moving one step ahead, then backing down one step, moving to the side just a bit, and repeat. He didnt want to move too much, the fear of colliding with other couples was mind-wrecking for him. Instead, he decided that a slow pace on their spot would be the best choice. Eruka was small, almost as small as Maka, so the witch had to look all the way up to meet his gaze.

"These are your fight moves" She chuckled, amused. Her hand squeezed on his shoulder slightly, reassuring him.

"I-Is it b-bad?" He stuttered, fearful of making her feel uncomfortable. Eruka shook her head.

"I always wondered why you looked like dancing when fighting" She said, smiling at him, dark eyes staring right into his own. "Its nice, gecko..."

The swordsman nodded, midnight dark eyes staring right into onyx orbes. Now that he thought about it... Eruka was the very first friend he managed to make by his own in a long time. Kid, Black Star, Tsubaki, Liz and Patty... even Kim and Angela gave him a chance only because Maka accepted him. They were his friends, sure but... would they had approached him in the first place if it wasnt for Maka? If Maka stopped being his friend... would they still accept him?

"When I need love... I hold out my hand and I touch love... I never knew there was so much love... keeping me warm night and day"

"What are you thinking, gecko?" Eruka asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. He blinked a couple times, still moving in slow circles on the dance floor. He dodged her stare, looking to their feet below.

"Y-you said you wanted to be my friend... why?" Crona asked, unsure, his gaze lifting up to meet her eyes. She was staring at him with an arched eyebrow.

"I dont need a reason. I do what I wish" She said with a firm tone in her voice, contrasting widely with an amused half smile on her face, following his movements in the dance floor with short steps.

Crona looked attentively at her, the cute dots on each side of her lips, curled into an amused smile. The silvery hair shone under the dim lights, moving in soft waves like silk. At first he thought dancing with her would be as awkward as with Kim, but... it felt right. Eruka wasnt a stranger, she knew him, his antics, his past, his sins, and all of his betrayals. She knew everything wrong in his life, and still accepted him, just like Maka did once. She knew him... and still she wanted to be his friend. He shuddered, feeling a rare yet well known tickling running up and down his spine. It was excitement, filling his whole being, but not the kind of excitement that would make him anxious... it was warm, soothing. It was hope.

"Miles and miles of empty space in between us... Death's mirror cant take the place of your smile... but you know I wont be traveling forever! Its cold out! But hold out! And do like I do!"

He had felt so hopeless. Since the day he talked with Maka in the Death Room, since he stopped receiving her letters again. Since the moment he arrived and... now that night, until that moment it had been the worst night of his life. Maybe it was Ragnarok releasing the alcohol into his brain, giving him a false perspective of his situation, but... right now things didnt look so bad as before. In that moment, even the music around them and the people surrounding them seemed to be vanishing, giving him some rest to his agitated mind. It was only him and the frog witch, a former accomplice, a new friend.

"Thank you" He whispered, giving the witch a sincere small smile, his dark eyes reflecting the light of the ceiling above them. The witch stared at him almost in awe for a second, before moving her face aside, dodging his stare.

"D-dont say such things! Its nothing!" She complained, flustered, feeling embarrassed. Nonetheless, her hand gripped into him tighter, getting closer to him.

"When I need you! I just close my eyes and I'm with you... and all that I so want to give you babe... it's only a heartbeat away"

Dancing was a weird thing, there was too much contact, too much touching, too much staring, he would always feel vulnerable and naked. That probably was the reason why it was said dancing was good for wavelengths... he felt like an open book under Eruka's touch. She was a witch, not a meister, so he was safe that she couldnt see or attempt to resonate with his soul... but he could see and feel her own. His soul perception wasnt too good either, Lady Medusa never helped him training that skill for something beyond tracking down souls and feel them around him, for hunting purposes. Most of what he knew about soul perception was because of Maka, the only person besides Ragnarok that would allow him inside her being.

Right now, feeling Eruka's witch soul close to him, noticing how calm and comfortable she was... it was really soothing for his own. He was feeling accepted, welcomed, he was feeling normal. He quickly relaxed in her grasp, his movements going smoothly, fluidly, keeping the pace of the song's soft beat. Crona focused his eyes on Eruka, his hands resting on her small frame, focusing on the warm comfortable feeling of her accepting touch and unflinching soul. There was no way they could resonate, Eruka had no training on that whatsoever... but he could at least pass her his emotions. He wanted her to know how grateful he was, for her giving him a chance.

"It's not easy when the road is your driver. Honey that's a heavy load that we bear... but you know I wont be traveling a lifetime! Its cold out! But hold out! And do like I do, Ohhh I need you..."

The karaoke singer was doing a really good work, putting all of his heart into the song, but the swordsman wasnt really paying attention to it. He heard nothing but the melody, the soothing beat, the rhythm he followed suit with his footsteps, holding Eruka close to him. The melody turned longer, into a solo of instruments that turned the whole gym quiet.

The frog witch kept her head bowed, her face sporting a blush on her cheeks, lips pressed together in what seemed an uncomfortable pout. The meister was about to ask her what was wrong, when her hand holding his own moved down, guiding him to hold her waist with both hands, resting on the small of her back. He blinked, staring at her with slight confusion, but there was no ill intent in her eyes, or hidden undertones in her soul. She finally looked up, a small frown on her face, eyes staring at him with seriousness contrasting greatly with her cheeks blushing slightly. Once she pressed his hands against her, indicating a silent order to not move them away, her hands traveled up his arms to intertwine her fingers behind his neck. It was like a hug, she was hugging him, her cheek carefully resting on his barely toned slim chest.

He couldnt help it. The feeling of that hug, of a reassuring warm touch of acceptance, after all that had happened... he had needed it so much. The hug wasnt coming from the person he wanted it the most, but... it felt so good as well. He fought hard against his own feelings, of loneliness, of abandonment, that just... he had needed that hug so much. Crona closed his eyes, bowing down his head to rest his cheek on top of Eruka's head, his arms holding her into a very needed hug, naked hands touching her warm skin of her bare back, pressing her small body against his own.

He could feel she had needed it as well, just a simple meaningful embrace to heal the shared loneliness. Away in a strange country, with no friends around, feeling apart from everything and everyone.

It felt so good.

---

In what darn moment her designated table turned into a teacher's meeting?

She was so not having fun. Maka was expecting to call it off as soon as they reached their table, knowing perfectly well that Soul had agreed to go just for her sake. The demon scythe hated large parties, and he was more of a small-meeting kind of guy, but she knew he was taking her because she liked them. Now, leaving would be out of the question, seeing how most of the teachers had taken all the tables together and were playing poker and other table games. Just as she dreaded, Soul got immediately dragged by them, and asking him to leave would make her look like the party-pooper... as always. So, she sat idle beside her husband, looking at the tipsy smoking teachers with repressed resentment.

How much she missed her teenager years, the years before marriage, where she could boss everyone around and do her will, without caring about being polite or nice just for the sake of society standards. That's why she loved being inside her classroom, where she could be herself, or back in Nevada where everyone knew her, and her friends were there. It wasnt as if she hated Germany, it was an amazing country, and teachers were well aware of her antics... but now it wasnt just herself. She was Soul Eater's wife, the strongest Death Scythe in the world, and boss him around like usual, in front of his peers, wasnt "cool". The last time, after she forced him out of a small get-together in another's teacher apartment, Soul had been in an ill-mood for an entire month because of all the mocking he received. That had been a hard blow on their marriage for a while.

She could only hope Soul could catch her discomfort and call the night off by himself. The scythe glanced at her, obviously noticing her frown, she making it damn obvious for him, he looking back to the teachers around.

"Just a couple rounds, I'm broke" He announced in german with a sheepish grin, receiving a couple pats on his back by the nearest teacher, a veteran meister, next to him.

"Then try not to lose your first hand boy!" The teachers laughed, a few euros being tossed in the middle of the table while everyone started to cut cards. Maka huffed, thinking that she might as well go to the snack table and fetch something for both of them.

Her eyes moved to the table where the demon swordsman had been sitting, blinking a couple times when she saw it empty. The light was dim, yeah, but still there was no way of missing out that pink mane of his. She looked around, surely the snack bar with Ragnarok... but nope, the bathroom maybe?

"That sneaky little...!" One of the teachers snarled, taking a very discomforted seat in the joined tables, eyes digging holes in the dancing floor.

"Whoahh... what happened to you man? And why you have ice on your crotch?" One of the teachers, a demon weapon, chuckled while seeing his partner holding a pack of ice against his legs.

"T-That is not your business! Look at that scrawny fellow! Touching my girl!" The meister growled, sitting next to his weapon partner who could do nothing but grin.

"I bet he took nothing, more like he saved her from you" Another meister reprimanded him, eyes unmoving from his set of cards.

"No no no, I'm telling you! There was chemistry and shit going on between us!" The young meister complained, pressing the bag of ice tightly against his most tender parts.

"Oh yeah, I can see all that chemistry pulsing right down there" His weapon partner laughed "Man, just give up, you've been flirting with little Eruka for months! She is NOT into you, is all in your head"

"And not the larger head, trust me" The oldest meister chuckled, making the rest of the teachers laugh. Maka however, was starting to frown deeply.

Her eyes moved to the gym court, where everyone was dancing. Emerald daggers moved back and fort from all the dancers, could it be...?

"But... just what the hell? He arrived what? Two days ago? How is it that she prefers a stick of a man instead of me!" The meister complained, punching his chest with self-pride.

"What?" Soul finally moved his attention towards the chat, red eyes looking at the teachers before searching for what they were staring at. His eyes widened, surprised, and a large grin spread on his face "Oh ho ho! So that was all the fuzz about? Crona my man... he grew up so fast!"

"What kind of sissy name is Crona anyway? Is that a name for a girl, right?" The meister kept on complaining, until the blade of a black and red scythe reached to his neck, startling him. The teachers around looked back at the Death Scythe, Soul's ruby eyes staring at him with a frown.

"Watch it, he's my friend" The albino said with a hint of a threat on his voice. The meister just nodded, wide open eyes looking at the edge. No one wanted to see an angry Soul, and triggering the cool guy was a hard task all by itself. The weapon transformed his arm back to normal, returning to his game of cards. "I'm not surprised, they are partners from childhood, and they both are witches..."

"S-still, Soul! I claim my right for a fair duel for her hand! To show her who is a better catch!" The meister cleaned the little bead of sweat running down his face. The rest of the teachers left their game of cards for a minute, hearing Soul chuckle and leaving his cards face down on the table.

The death scythe undid his tie just enough to unbutton his red shirt, uncovering part of his left shoulder and chest, showing an angry scar. The teachers around took a good look on him, eyes wide open.

"Good luck on that mate" He grinned, allowing the noisy meister to take a good luck. The meister gulped, sitting back with a defeated and scared look on his face. "My advice? Stay away from his catch, he's the kindest most lovable guy I know... but he can be fierce as a fiend"

"Just like my ex-wife!" The oldest teacher suddenly roared, making everyone around the table to burst into laugher, the tension quickly fading in thin air. For all, except for a small sized meister sitting at the edge of the table, eyes wide open, framed by a deep frown on her face.

It wasnt that he was dancing with her... that wasnt bothering her. He was entitled to have fun, to amuse Eruka into a couple songs even, he was too kind-hearted and too much of a gentleman to not agree if she asked him to dance. Yet, what was bothering her, what really was sending her mind into a confused messed up tangle of revolting, infuriated, pure rage... was seeing his face.

He was enjoying it. Crona was smiling at Eruka, his hands weren't shaking, his footsteps were firm and... and he was really getting into it. They were talking, the swordsman leaning down to whisper into the witch's ear, and she could see how her cheeks blushed. Her fists tightened into a grip when she saw how obviously the frog clang into him... and he just smiled! She was touching him all over and he was just letting her! Why wasnt he flinching? Why wasnt he trembling in his place, consumed by his usual inability to deal with new things? What kind of spell did she throw on him? Why was... he... embracing her?

"When I need love!... I hold out my hands and I touch love!... I never knew there was so much love... keeping me warm night and day!" The voice of the amateur singer was nothing but a faint melody, resonating deep inside her soul, screaming in pain.

Her emerald eyes were fixed in the couple, dancing without a care in the world. The way Eruka rested her cheek on his chest, that soft chest that despite being slim, it had a soft cushion of muscle to rest your head on. Her hands, tangled at the nape of his neck, fingers toying with his hair in the way Maka knew Crona loved it. Just that soft, circle motion of fingernails against scalp that could put him to sleep so easily. His slender elegant fingers holding the frog witch by her naked back, touching her skin, his thumb gently moving up and down in a caress. The way he leaned down into her, his cheek resting on her head, giving Eruka that smile...

That smile that used to be meant only for her.

Why was he dancing with Eruka? Why now? That song was something that she should be dancing with him! Why was he smiling at her!? Why was he giving her THAT smile!? That smile belonged to her... that smile was always addressed to her! Why was he so comfortable!? Why was he enjoying it so much!? It wasnt fair! She should be the one dancing with him! No one but herself had that right! Because Crona belonged to her! It was his! HE SAID SO HIMSELF!

How dare Eruka to touch him? How she dare to get that smile out of him? How could she dare to step into her domain! Her territory! Crona belonged to her! He was hers! HE SAID SO HIMSELF!

And yet... at the end of the day... it was all in her head. All of her anger, all of her spite, revolting in her stomach like poison, she forced herself to swallow it all back. Who was she, anyway, to get a claim on him? As if he were an object, a thing without will... as if she were Medusa herself.

"Me?... Oh no Maka, I am not the one toying with him"

What she had of him... anyway? Nothing but memories, tender, soft, wonderful memories of meaningful bliss, safely locked deep inside her heart. They happened what seemed to be so long ago... could she blame him? He gave her his heart... and what did she give him in return? Herself pushing him away? Not writing to him on purpose? Confusing him? What... was she doing?

"When I need you! I just close my eyes!... and you're here right by my side!... Keeping me warm night and day!"

How could she be angry at him? How could she be angry at Eruka? She should be happy, elated, that someone else could give him in public what she could only give him in the shadows. If Eruka could make him feel so good for him to show that smile, that smile that used to be only for herself, shouldn't she be happy? She should, she had to be happy, not only for him but for the witch as well. They both had suffered a big deal, wouldnt it be right for both to heal each other? Shouldn't she be happy for them then? She really should, she should be smiling, and cheering them on, she should be right there next to Eruka giving her tips on how to make him happy.

Like how he despised gore movies, and instead he would be happy with children movies. How he would secretly gnaw on romance novels that kept on the top shelf of his apartment, or how happy he was just by having a walk in the park at sunset. She should be there, telling Eruka his favorite food was pasta, and how he liked it simple with a light creamy sauce. She should tell her how much he loved the beach, despite remaining sitting in the sand just watching everyone having fun. Or the way he could stay hours hearing her ranting about meaningless subjects and still stay focused on every word she said, as if they were sacred. His charming little smile, and how just a simple comment like saying he looked good could make him blush. The way a caress on his side would make him squeak, or how a soft slow lick on his neck could rip a moan out of his mouth. The way his throat could make low gutural noises of pleasure, or how his whole body would shiver as if running a high fever, right before climax. How going too fast could make him flinch, scared, but slow constant pushing would make him melt in her arms. Did Eruka know all that? Did anyone know that?...

She, being the only one knowing that, meant anything? It didn't. It meant for shit, if all of that were secrets slowly fading like whispers in the night.

Seeing him there, dancing with another girl, was painful. Seeing him happy, in peace, with someone else was way too painful. It meant that what they had wasnt special, that... what she offered him, wasnt that special. If Eruka, among all people in the world, could summon that smile of his... then what could Maka offer him? Why was she so special then? Why would Crona wait for her? It made sense, and yet it hurt so much. It felt as if her very soul was being ripped apart.

She wanted him. She needed him. Her thoughts, her very soul, was trying to reach his own in that reassuring embrace of resonance. But he wasnt listening to her, he wasnt focused on her... his soul was focused on his dancing partner, giving her everything she had craved for, for six months... since she left Shibusen.

She was losing him... and she couldnt take it anymore.

With a sudden movement that startled the teachers in the table, Maka stood up. Tears were dwelling in her eyes, threatening to soak her face in front of everybody, so she had to leave. With a natural controlled tone of voice, the scythe meister excused herself, walking out of the gym court without looking back. That stupid song was ending, just in time for her to be gone without him noticing... she wouldnt let Eruka see how much it affected her.

She didnt want Soul to see her like this... what explanation could she give him?...

When would she give him the explanation he deserved?

When would she give Crona the explanation he needed?

What was she going to do?...

Her vision was blurry, tears blinding her, barely restrained, as she walked back to her apartment, alone.

Probably as she deserved to be.

---

She had said she was going to the bathroom.

That had been more than three hours ago. Not that he just noticed, but after good fifteen minutes of herself not coming back, he got concerned. It was obvious she wasnt with Crona. By the time Soul noticed something was wrong, his first guess was the swordsman, but he was still dancing with Eruka, looking too focused to notice anything else. After searching for his meister in the bathroom, and being told she wasnt there, he felt ditched.

She left the party, without him. It wouldnt be the first time she did such thing, but without a reason? Usually it would involve himself being a jerk, her father being an idiot or Black Star getting drunk, for her to be mad enough to leave. Hell, he had wanted her to have a good time, so he tried his best to not piss her off too much... and still she ditched him. Would she be mad at him for whatever reason? There was no way of telling, but just in case, he decided to stick around a little longer. Hopefully she would cool down when he arrived.

The party was just getting good. As soon as the karaoke time ended, the DJs called each other for a duel, and the music turned into a full beat of electronic mess. Everyone went crazy on the dance floor, but by that time Ragnarok had a party of his own, gnawing on every plate in the snack bar, beating down every single eater on the room. Hell, the little demon was almost at the godly level of Black Star, in that place there was no competition for him. The swordsman looked in relatively high spirits, at least for his standards, but there was something off...

He didnt like the way he persistently, at random times, stared at him. What was up with that? No matter where he was standing, if Eruka was talking to him, or Ragnarok was trying to snatch more beer from the waiters, the swordsman would keep glancing at him, almost fearfully. There was that other thing too, how Maka and him were talking at each other... it looked wrong. Since when there was tension between them? Maka more often than not, would be all joy and tenderness next to him, and the dude would look almost normal, and not the messy bundle of anxiety he saw sitting in that table.

Also there was that other subject...

"Card reading?" One of the teachers thought, sipping from his beer, scratching his head for a moment. "Yeahhh I know someone! A witch student here, I think she's a bat witch or something, or was it a mouse? Anyway! I've seen her reading cards in the cafeteria, I think thats how she makes extra money... but I dont believe it, you really believe in that crap?"

"Not really... but I need to investigate the Owl Witch, right?" Soul shrugged it off, drinking from his fourth beer of the night. He was already tipsy, but what the hell? Maka wasnt there to stop him.

His red eyes darted towards the swordsman, staring at him for the longest time. By now he had already noticed Maka wasnt in the party anymore, he could tell by the way he started looking around, confused. That wasnt the weird part, the really weird part was... he hadn't asked him. Why wouldnt Crona approach him, and ask him where she was? It was the most normal thing to do, right? Youre searching for someone, you ask to the person that probably saw her last.

Why was Crona avoiding him?

As the party moved forward into late hours, the witch students started to use the gym court as a stage for their funniest magic tricks. It seemed the witch hour was in place, the gym turning into more dark neon kind of colors and bolder more sinister music. Despite it all, the students loved it. Year after year it was the same, but he liked to watch the impressed faces of the freshman students.

After the first teacher finally called it off, the rest started to leave almost in a dash. Usually some teachers had to stay during the whole ordeal to make sure everything was being kept under control, but the Witchcraft teachers seemed to be in for a long run. It was the perfect moment to make a run for it himself.

It was two in the morning when Soul arrived to their apartment. Usually that would have been a pretty early hour back in his teenager years, but he wasnt a kid anymore and his resilience to until-dawn-parties had diminished a lot. He wasnt drunk, but he was hoping for Maka to be sound asleep, so she wouldnt freak out about him smelling like beer. His eyes looked around, the place being in complete silence, all lights off.

Taking off his shoes, he gently walked towards their bedroom, finding Maka sound asleep in their bed. He smiled, shaking his head slightly, amused of how much he knew his meister. As he started to undress, he lighted up the dim light of a lamp in his side of the bed, and that was the moment when he saw Maka's puffy swollen eyes.

She had been crying.

Soul frowned, concerned, staring at her tired face and the bags under her eyes. She looked awfully tired, worn out even, but why? The weapon tried to make memory... did something bother her? There was something he did to piss her off? He couldnt remember, although their relationship hadn't been in the best of terms since they returned from Russia, it wasnt THAT bad to make her cry...

Changing his tuxedo for a warm set of pants and a wife-beater, he walked silently at Maka's side, just staring at her. There was a dry trail of tears on her cheeks, her face free of make up showing how tired she actually looked. The scythe took a long quiet breath, allowing himself to sit down in the floor, just staring at his wife.

"I dont know what to do for us anymore Maka..." He whispered, his red eyes staring at her with longing. How much he missed those times of old, where there was true trust between them. They knew everything from each other, every antic, every wish, they even knew what they were thinking without saying a word. Their resonance was that strong... but that seemed so long ago now.

What frustrated him even more, was that... there wasnt a thing he could blame for such downfall of their relationship. Nothing had changed, not really, she was still the same bossy know-it-all party-pooper wonderful meister, and he was still the same lazy lay back cool weapon of always. So... why would their relationship change, if they were the same? It seemed that, as time moved on, they started to get intolerant to details that during their youth looked mundane. He didnt want to believe that but... what else there was to blame? Could time really make people chance that much?

His eyes looked down to the floor, the intrusive thought of... not being enough for Maka... kept popping on his head. No matter how much effort he put, she would always complain about something he did or stop doing. What was he supposed to...

Soul frowned, his ruby eyes catching something out of place. Right under the bed, at Maka's reach, was the cardboard box with her collection of letters, misplaced. Had she been reading them? Right now? Why? It made no sense for him, reading old letters when Crona was in town. He felt air dragging into his lungs, painfully, and a grip squeezing his heart. His eyes looked up, staring at Maka deep asleep... would he dare? The thought was already in his head, like that old demon locked inside his subconscious... whispering to him. Would he dare?

He looked away, his breath quickening slightly. He was tipsy, too many beers, he wasnt thinking straight. Reading Maka's letters would be the highest most uncool thing he could ever do. He would be violating her privacy, where was the trust if he dared to do that?... yet again... where was the trust in Maka's side, if she didnt tell him what was wrong? What if Maka did tell Crona, and the answers were in those letters?

It could save his marriage...

Why not asking the swordsman then? If he knew what was wrong, he should ask him. But no, Soul knew him way too well. If Maka had forced him into a promise of not telling, he would certainly not tell to anybody even under torture. Also, it looked like Crona didnt want to talk to him at all...

Why?

As his hand took a firm grip on the cardboard box, his ruby eyes stared at Maka, sound asleep. Silently, slowly, he dragged the somewhat heavy box towards him, the many white envelopes perfectly organized by date. He wouldnt read it all, just the latest, just a couple, if there was nothing that could give him a hint, he would let it be. His fingers traveled through the latest cards, frowning when he didnt found them... where were them? He knew there were cards of the last 6 months, at least 4 of them, he saw when they arrived. Saying that Maka would be disorganized in her stuff was like saying Kid would allow a picture in his house to be asymmetrical. He started searching for them, one by one, as fast and silently as he could... why they weren't there? Would she save them somewhere else? No way, he had seen her putting them there.

That just meant that she deliberately had taken them out, and placed them somewhere else... or could she have destroyed them? Why? Why would she destroy letters she wanted so much, specially when he saw her answering them?

He placed the box back under Maka's side of bed, ruby eyes staring at it, trying to solve a mental puzzle. He didnt want to really think about it, the idea sounded preposterous, but... he was feeling a hunch. Not quite a premonition, but... just a hunch, a suspicion, he really didnt want to think about it, because then he would get obsessed with whatever conclusion he could get, any explanation that could give him some answers. Maka's discomfort, her travel to Nevada, the letters, and now seeing her acting so weird, emotional and irrational... everything pointed out to Crona.

Did something happen in Death City?

What kind of issue could be so bad, so big, that she couldnt tell him? Maka was deliberately lying to him, hiding him stuff, avoiding his prying... why? What could be so bad to force her into not trusting him? Crona wouldnt hurt her, Soul could bet his title as Scythe and his honor as a man in that. But... what if he hurt her without meaning it? What if...

What if he said something to her? Something she shouldn't have known...

What if he did something to her? Something she didnt know how to solve?...

That would explain why there was so much tension between them. Also, that would explain why she would get rid of those letters. It would also explain why he hadn't seen her writing to him in a while. Could it be that Crona confessed his feelings? Maka probably got forced to ditch him out, and he damn sure knew that would crush her heart. She had a soft spot for the swordsman.

Yet, that wouldnt explain why she couldnt trust that information to him. Maka knew him, she knew he wouldnt judge her or him. Damn, if that were the case, he would do everything to help them both, even more if Crona was heartbroken. The swordsman would never be called his perfect match for bromance, but he was still his friend. He may have no patience for him, but he loved the dude still. Why Maka wouldnt trust him if that were the case?

Whatever Maka was hiding, it was big, and she had no idea how to solve it... thats probably why they couldnt resonate. Even if their resonance problems started way before her travel to Nevada, he did notice it only got worse since her return.

Soul got back up from the floor, tucking Maka in bed before moving towards their dresser. Opening a drawer, his hand searched through his underwear until finding out the large Tarot book he had been investigating. There, working as a bookmark, were the tarot cards of the Owl Witch.

If those cards really worked, he would soon find out.

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AkireRosales: The second longest chapter of Whispers... I just cant keep it small! I have a schedule to meet and each chapter must end perfectly how and when I want it!

For the reader that guessed one of the future songs... You rock!

Okay... this is it. Next couple chapters will be the last where I can write down suggestions and desired scenes into this fic. After that... nope, so you better review if you want to see something done! This is your last chance!

Please dont forget to review! Your review is what keeps this story alive!

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