Disclaimer: These next couple chapters are gonna be a little bit different. Please don't be put off by the format change, it will return to normal soon!
Chapter Seventeen
-Calmer Days-
Part I
A Celebration
Word travels fast around Needle Village, especially when that word involves babies and marriage.
It didn't take long for everyone to find out the news; by the end of the day, Soul and Maka had become the only thing people talked about. The excitement of a new life and proposal was fresh on the minds of every woman in the village, and Maka in particular became sort of a local celebrity. Everyone wanted to see and talk to the woman who had come from out of nowhere to tame the white Reaper. Rumors spread quickly that she was famous in the city of death. Back there she was known by another name, they claimed. The Eventide Angel.
Unlike Soul, she was immediately welcomed and loved. The village hadn't trusted him at first, and for good reason. Nowadays though, they treated him with respect. He'd protected the village numerous times with Black Star, and he was quite popular with the children. That now also extended to Maka, whom received a much warmer reception than he ever did. Within the first day, after the two of them had made their announcement, the villagers had decided that a feast was in order. Stein's house served as the main area, since it was the biggest building. Food was prepared inside, while a sea of mats and sheets were laid outside for people to sit on. Chairs were a luxury in these parts, but it was a pleasant gathering nonetheless.
Admittedly, it was awkward for both Soul and Maka at first. The latter more so because she had no idea who all these people were, and yet she found herself sitting in the center with her husband, surrounded by strangers who looked at her with joy and admiration. Soul was more put off by the incredulous stares of their friends, particularly Black Star who just couldn't stop snickering. He put on his usual gruff scowl in response to the starry eyed Kim and Jacqueline, while Tsubaki couldn't stop beaming in his direction. Their happiness was his misery.
To be fair though, it was a lot of fun. Food was scarce, but they made do with flat breads and a lot of desert drink. Maka of course didn't partake, and gave Soul side eye when he tried to himself. A glass is all he begrudgingly consumed, which paled in comparison to what many of the others downed around him. Black Star was among them, and he led the charge of drunken idiots as they started to sing and dance about halfway through the evening. Soul shook his head at the sight, but even he couldn't hold back a grin at his buddy's eagerness to party.
Stein and Marie sat in the back and watched the other villagers partake in the festivities. Chief Ox sat beside them, vocally lamenting the fact they were burning through too much of their wares. Harvar and Crona stood silently to the side, munching on sweet rolls as others around them threw their voices into a desert chantey. It didn't take long before half the village was singing along, with the other half getting up to move their feet. Children hopped around off tempo and giggled. Elders asked their longtime partners for a dance. Tezca Tlipoca, or rather the illusion he created, jumped into the line along with Enrique. Soon there were more people up and about than sitting down, and sheets began to get moved out of the way to make room.
As Soul looked around at everyone dancing, a hand was suddenly thrust into his view. He looked up to find Maka standing there, smiling brightly as she silently asked him to join her. He sighed and shook his head, but ultimately smirked back as he took her hand. She pulled him up and eagerly threw an arm around him as he did the same, and the pair fell into place with all the others. Both grinned as they bounced from person to person, each dancer knocking into one another though enjoying themselves all the same. They stayed close together mostly, but once or twice an older person or child would cut in and ask for a round. Soul and Maka would break away and entertain another dancer for a time, but always come back to each other in the end.
It lasted like that until well after the sun made its final descent. A party that went on until the the older crowd had grown too tired, and the young children were forced off to bed by their parents. Some of the defiant ones remained, though Soul and Maka were not among them. Tired themselves, they retreated back to their little shack, though not before thanking everyone for their kindness. Stein and Marie especially were given much appreciation for opening their home to everybody, though the latter assured them it was no trouble at all.
Friends waved their goodbyes and promised to see each other the next day. Hand in hand, Soul and Maka made their way back to the lowly flat that was now their home. Several people bade them a good night as they walked, and after a few more exchanges they had finally made it back to relative silence. The door closed behind them and all of a sudden things were quiet again. Just the two of them (and also Blair) ready to crash from a long night of partying. The first of many to come in the future, they hoped.
Their cat stretched herself on the bed as the two stripped from their sweat stained clothes and tossed them into the hamper. Baths were a once-a-week sort of thing in the desert, for obvious reasons, so that was one thing Maka would have to get accustomed with. She voiced no complaints however, and simply accepted the situation in stride.
Soul pulled the sheets out just enough to where it didn't disturb Blair's perch. He absently ran his hand over the feline's coat and she purred from the attention. If there was one thing he didn't realize he missed after all these months, it was that stupid cat. Maka giggled at the sight of him being nice to Blair, and Soul feigned being annoyed. She said nothing more about it, and instead pushed him onto the bed and promptly crawled in there with him. Soul threw the sheets over them. The lights were turned off.
If anything happened after that, it was too dark to see.
Regardless, it was a fitting end for the first day of their new lives together.
Parenting Classes
Soul lamented the fact that none of his male friends had answered his plea for help. The idea that all of them, even Crona, who for some reason seemed like the most likely person to partake in this type of thing, bailed on him...it made Soul equal parts angry and depressed. Even more so when he thought about the implications for what skipping out on these classes meant; did they not intend to help out with the baby when it was born? What if the kid needed to be changed? Or if it got hungry? Did they know how to take care of any of that? Of course not!
"Bastards," he growled quietly, as several women around him continued to chat amongst themselves.
One session. One stupid session of this stupid thing that Marie had put together, that's all he'd asked them to attend. They didn't have to come once a week like he did. Then again, this was only his second time coming to Stein's house. His living room, to be more specific; repurposed into a classroom for all the women of the village that wanted to learn how to take care of a baby. Parenting classes, she called it. Maka had asked her for advice, and Marie had taken that as a calling to share her knowledge with everyone. She was insane.
"Parenting classes," Soul shook his head. "As if that'll ever be a thing."
"...Could you try not be an ass? I'd really appreciate that," a dull voice chastised him right in his ear.
Soul straightened out and glanced at the mother of his child. She stared back with a deadpan look, and he immediately coughed to cover his tracks. She shook her head and then turned back to continue talking with Kim, who sat next to her on the other side. Maka had bought into this thing, hook, line, and sinker. All the women assembled there had. There were at least a dozen people all crammed inside Stein's living room, and Soul was the only man among them. Stein himself had mysteriously vanished. Last week, too, as a matter of fact...
"Okay, everyone!" an energetic voice called out from the middle of the room. A tall women with golden blonde hair stood at the center. "Let's get started!"
Marie was nothing if not pleasant. Soul had to admit that much. She had an air around her that made people feel at ease, and that likewise made them listen more. She was definitely cut out for this teaching thing, even though he didn't quite agree with actually attending the damn thing. Despite his own feelings about the class though, it got started quickly enough. Within a few minutes, everyone had been sorted into pairs and each pair then received a bag filled with potatoes. Soul and Maka were of course paired together, and both stared at their bundle.
"This," Marie instructed, holding up a bag, "Is your baby for today. I figured it would be easier to explain things this week if you had an actual doll to practice on!"
Soul raised his hand. Marie's eyes lit up almost immediately and she happily called on him, expecting him to ask a question. "Marie, that's dinner, not a baby-"
A violent elbow jab right to his ribs silenced Soul instantly. He grunted in pain as Maka retracted her arm and sweetly asked for Marie to continue. A few giggles erupted around the room, and Soul bitterly slunk into obscurity. Marie just smiled and continued on with the night's lesson. Last week was mostly just introductions and how to change a diaper. This week though, they were learning how to correctly hold a baby. Specifically, a newborn. The potatoes were positioned in such a way that one stuck out and looked like a baby's limp head.
"...Hand on the back of it, Soul," Maka reminded him when it came time for the practice portion of the class. "You have to support the head."
"Like this?" he held the sack completely sideways and supported it evenly, if not awkwardly, with both hands. He could tell something wasn't right, though.
Maka shook her head. "You weren't paying attention! You're supposed to use your arm to support its back, too. That just looks like you're offering it for a sacrifice!"
Soul furrowed his brow at the potato sack, and shifted it around in his arms until it matched the description Maka had given him. The bundle of potatoes rested snug on the length of his arm, while he held its limp spud head with his other hand. Soul blinked as he looked down at the makeshift baby and imagined an actual face looking back up at him. He was quiet for a moment, and Maka watched him space out. She maybe had a hint of what was going through his head, because when he finally looked up he found her smiling warmly at him.
"What?" he asked innocently. Soul assumed he was doing something wrong. "Did I mess up?"
"No, you didn't mess up," Maka shook her head again. She reached over for the potato baby, "Here, let me try!"
They traded off, and it was now Maka's turn to practice. Soul figured she didn't really need it though, since she got to hold the innkeeper's daughter way back when and probably got a couple pointers from her. His hunch was quickly proven right when Maka cradled the false child effortlessly in her arms, its pretend head tucked snugly in the crease of her elbow. She bounced the thing gently and hovered over it, making it seem like she really held a little, living bundle of joy. Soul watched, transfixed, while Marie came around behind both of them.
"-Just like what Maka is doing, everyone!" Marie informed the rest of the class. She bounced to the next group, but not before sparing them both a smile.
Maka hid her faint blush from all the attention, though that proved difficult to do when she looked up and found Soul staring at her. "What?"
"Nothing," he replied with a comforting smirk. The sight only made Maka burn up even more. "You're gonna make a great mom."
She immediately curled around the baby to hide her face, which now was pure scarlet, "...And you're going to be a great dad."
This time it was Soul's turn to get a little red. He didn't stop smiling though, and that only made it harder for Maka to look at him. She was kind of emotional with hormones, and he wasn't making it any easier to collect herself. To the rest of the room, they probably looked like blushing children who'd just told one another that they like each other. That's the only thing Maka could think about as they sat in silence for a minute or two; how much fun the rest of the girls were having at both their expenses. Not that she didn't necessarily enjoy it herself...
"...I love you," Soul said out of nowhere. Maka's head shot up, and found him right where she'd left him. Red. Smiling. Perfect.
It was wholly too much for her. Soul didn't know it, but he broke her with that. There was no way he could have, except when she suddenly jumped up and handed him the potato sack baby. His face went from smirking to bewildered as she quickly informed him that she needed a minute. I love you, too, Maka managed to ground out before turning around and making a dash for the bathroom. And just like that, Soul was left sitting there with their practice kid, wondering just what the hell all that was about.
This parenting thing was going to be harder than he thought. Women were complicated, Soul lamented as he positioned the baby in his arms like his expecting wife had. Of course, he already knew what he was getting into when he agreed to marry Maka. The more he thought about it though, the more he settled on the fact that maybe it wasn't so much the parenting thing was difficult, but the being married thing was instead. Both things were new to him though, and Soul could only sigh and try to keep a positive attitude about the whole situation.
"Next week those fuckers are coming whether they like it or not," Soul affirmed to himself as he bounced his starchy newborn. "I'm gonna need some backup."
Dirty Laundry
It wasn't so much that she thought he couldn't do his laundry himself, but more to do with the fact that she just liked feeling useful.
They'd kind of fallen into this routine. All of them had; her, Soul, and Black Star. But while the latter was used to Marie picking up after his man-child messes, Soul was thrown into everything without someone to watch out for him. Initially, at least. Of course, now he had a whole village and a wife to look after him, but in the beginning it was just the two of them. Tsubaki had taken it upon herself to do what she could for him. Helped him with chores. Offered to cook with Marie while he and Black Star were outside training. Bind his wounds.
It's what Maka would have wanted. That's why she did it.
Soul was a legendary Reaper, but at the end of the day he was just a lonely individual who craved companionship. Likewise, Tsubaki was The Grim's former herald, and yet ultimately had little in the way of friends. Liz Thompson was decent conversation, and her sister was entertaining in small doses. Other than that though, Tsubaki couldn't name a single individual that she considered herself close with. Except for Soul. At least, a long time ago, anyway. Back before he was the White Haired Reaper. Back when he was just plain old Soul.
She treated him then how Maka treated him now. Times were...very different back then.
Those old memories started to come back the night all three of them had met in the woods. Back then they were still distant, novel things that Tsubaki mused over somewhat fondly. But as time progressed and their adventure together continued, they started to slowly haunt her; once pleasant times became reminders of all the things she sacrificed. A friendship. A dysfunctional family of Kidd, Soul, and herself. The things she cherished back then, gone, and...for what? Why had she given it up in the first place? For Kidd? Why? What did that gain her?
Tsubaki couldn't for the life of her figure it out. As she hung up damp linens on the line to dry, the thought ate away at her. She didn't know why all of a sudden it came to plague her; it had been weeks since guilt had wracked her mind like this. That hardly seemed to matter, though. All Tsubaki could do was absently continue with her chores and play through the scenario over and over again in her head. She'd abandoned Soul. Pretended like he meant nothing to her, even though the exact opposite had been true. Because...why?
"You need some help there?" a voice cut through the static. Tsubaki blinked as she refocused and turned around.
A pair of emerald eyes gazed out from behind a pleasant smile. Maka stood there, arms behind her, as she waited for Tsubaki to answer. Caught off guard, the haze surrounding Tsubaki pulsed with a vengeance briefly. The sight of Maka caused it to thicken for a second, as if her presence only complicated things, but then it lifted just as quickly. She nodded with a forced smile, not unwelcome to the offer for help but also not necessarily in the mood for conversation. It wasn't because it was Maka, no. If anything, it was because she had nothing to say.
Thankfully, neither did Maka. At least, not at first. The woman came up next to Tsubaki and started to pick through wet clothes in silence. They simply went about their work in peace, and as time went on Tsubaki started to feel a little bit more open. She eased into Maka's presence, and soon they were both smiling for no real reason. Just the fact that they were doing something together was enough to get their mood up, and it wasn't long before they started talking to one another.
"I'm sorry that you had to pick up after Soul this whole time," Maka sighed, a clothespin clenched firmly between her teeth. "He's such a pig!"
Tsubaki shook her head. She stared at the white sheet in her hands before hanging it on the line, "No, it's fine. I was happy to help."
"Well, at least you won't have to do it alone anymore," Maka nodded as she handed Tsubaki the clothespin. "I'm here now."
Tsubaki took the pin and pinched it over the sheet. She thought about Maka's words, and her small smile grew just a little bit bigger. The help with chores isn't what perked her mood, though it certainly helped. Mainly, just the fact that she'd heard those words was comforting enough for her; I'm here now. For the first time in a long time, it felt like she could rely on someone. Even if all it meant was she'd get an extra pair of hands to hang up the linens, Tsubaki was thankful to be able to experience that much.
She continued on with her chores without saying much. That is, until Maka spoke up after another period of silence, "I know about you and Soul."
In an instant, those warm feelings Tsubaki felt turned to bitter cold and ice. Her veins froze. She froze. The laundry in her hands fell back down to the basket, and she couldn't think straight anymore. For a moment she just stood there, unable to turn and look at Maka for fear of what she might find. After painfully long pause however, Tsubaki couldn't avoid it any longer. She creaked her head to the side, just barely enough to catch Maka's face. Her smile was gone, though there wasn't a hint of anger anywhere on it.
She must have been furious on the inside. There was no other explanation. "W-what do you mean?"
"Back before he became a soul eater," the woman elaborated. "You two were together all the time. You were close."
"Maka, I swear!" Tsubaki ground out, shaking her head vehemently. Her worst nightmare was coming true. "He and I never-!"
"-Thank you for always taking care of him," Maka cut her off. Whether or not she heard Tsubaki start to talk, the latter couldn't say. "You really are a good friend."
Again Tsubaki froze, but this time it was because Maka leaned over to throw her arms around her. The basket that had sat between them was pushed to the side as one woman embraced the other; eventually, after a second or two of pure shock, Tsubaki returned the gesture. Her eyes were still wide with surprise however, even as she tightened her hold around Maka. She thought for sure she was going to yell at her. Get angry with her. Call her out for being the two-faced person that she was. But...none of that happened. Instead, Tsubaki was on the receiving end of something forgotten long ago. A genuine hug. When was the last time she'd gotten one of these? It didn't really matter, now. She just melted into Maka's arms and closed her eyes.
"Actually," Maka hummed, her smile practically audible. "I think at this point it's safe to say you're my best friend. Right?"
Tsubaki held on even tighter. She struggled to keep the tears behind her eyelids in check as they quickly started to well. If Maka felt any of them on her shoulder, she kept it to herself. All either of them could do was simply keep holding onto the other. Tsubaki hadn't the capability to do much else. She was torn between wanting to feel bad for this undue kindness, and wanting to simply just embrace it. Ultimately she fell somewhere in between; maybe she didn't deserve any of it, but in the end it didn't matter. Tsubaki plunged headfirst into it.
She couldn't hold back the joy she felt right now, as unlikely it may have seemed in seemed in the beginning of their conversation. "Right...best friends!"
Maka beamed. She said nothing more, and just let Tsubaki take as much time as she needed. About a minute or two passed before it was finally time to break away from one another, and both women gave the other a heartfelt smile. Tsubaki wiped away any remaining tears and quickly composed herself. There was a brief pause as she and Maka didn't know quite how to proceed. As much as Tsubaki wanted to spend more time with Maka, she wanted to be alone for a little while to process her thoughts.
"I'll finish up here," she offered with a smile. "How about afterwards we go meet up with Marie? I think she wanted help cooking dinner tonight."
"Sure," Maka replied pleasantly. She spun around to leave, but not before waving goodbye to Tsubaki. "Don't take too long, okay?"
Tsubaki nodded and waved back. She watched Maka walk away and disappear around the corner of a shack. Soon it was just her again, like before, only this time she didn't feel alone. The guilt that had gripped wasn't there anymore, or at least there was something else there along with it. The thing that Soul had always craved; companionship. He found it with Maka and now, ironically, she had as well. Tsubaki couldn't hold back the smile that formed at the thought, and no part of her really wanted to. She just turned around and went back to work, though with a much better attitude than before. Old memories were still there, but took on a nicer sheen than before. They seemed fonder, now. Things she actually wanted to remember.
Maka meanwhile continued her walk. She initially started heading back towards Soul's shack, but figured there wasn't much waiting for her since he was probably out training. She instead took a detour and simply walked around aimlessly to pass the time, though she didn't get very far before the feeling of someone watching her stopped Maka in her tracks. The moment she cleared a corner, the woman looked over her shoulder to find Black Star leaned up against a wall. Arms crossed and silent, he looked back at her.
She knew why he was there. "Thanks for telling me about Soul and Tsubaki. I never would have guessed."
"I thought for sure you were gonna confront her," Black Star revealed. He raised a brow as if to ask her why she hadn't.
Maka shrugged. "They have a history together. There's nothing wrong with that. I can't be jealous and hold the past against either of them."
Black Star raised his other brow, impressed. He didn't really know what to expect from Maka, but he figured that any woman Soul could obsess over must have something going for her. He at first struggled with whether or not to inform Maka about all the things he knew about Soul and Tsubaki, but figured after a couple weeks of watching her that she was a good person at heart. She'd do the right thing, even though he didn't quite know what the right thing was himself. Still, this wasn't the outcome that he had been expecting.
"Why did you tell me, though?" Maka asked. "I was actually pretty surprised. I thought you were head over heels in love with Tsubaki?"
"Yeah, well," Black Star kicked off the wall. "I figured everyone should clean their dirty laundry before the kid's born. Better now than later."
Maka watched Black Star start to slink away. "That's very mature of you, Black Star. I guess that's why Soul wanted to make you the god-father."
Black Star immediately stopped. Maka smiled as she turned away, not even waiting to see him do a complete one-eighty in her direction. "Wait, I'm the god-father!?"
Maka said nothing as she started off, leaving Black Star to frantically hop in place as he continued to call out to her. She ignored him, and Black Star only became more distraught as he begged her for more information. Maka picked up the pace, intentionally walking faster as Black Star started to take off after her. The sounds of her giggling and his shouting could be heard throughout the village as they both took off into a run, both causing a ruckus as somewhere off in the distance, Tsubaki smiled to herself in warm content.
The Ceremony
"We appreciate you two meeting with us," Harvar thanked Soul and Maka as they sat across from him and Jacqueline. "We know you're probably busy."
"Not really," Soul shrugged. "Ox has been talking with the other chiefs using Tezca's mirror, but they can't agree on anything. I'm on standby."
The four of them sat in Stein's kitchen, sipping on coffee that had long since been brewed and continuously reheated. The professor himself was hard at work next door, doing more of his experiments in peace while Marie was out doing something with Kim and Enrique. He had let them conduct their meeting there on the agreement they keep it quiet, which was fine with them. Harvar and Jacqueline were by far the most calm members of their group, and Soul and Maka missed talking with them after all this time. It was nice to finally sit down with them again.
"Harvar and I wanted to share something with you," Jackie revealed. She turned in her chair to reach for something behind her.
Soul and Maka looked at each other with interest before turning back to Jacqueline. She quickly pulled out a large, white sack and placed it on the table in front of them. The top was bound in ornate gold string, but other than that it just looked like any other bag. Puzzled, they waited for her to explain what its significance was.
"In order to explain this, I think we should probably tell you what a soul collector is," Harvar piped up, looking over to Jackie. She nodded back.
"A Reaper that collects souls...?" Maka's question sounded less confident as she said it, and she turned to Soul. He also seemed to be less sure of that now.
Jacqueline giggled, "Yes, you're right. But you see, only wicked souls become Reapers, and when wicked Reapers are punished, they're turned into soul collectors."
Maka's eyes widened, as did Soul's. He especially seemed surprised, since it felt like that was something he really should have known. Harvar, Jackie, and him went way back. Not necessarily friends this whole time, but he was definitely closer with them than most other Reapers. They also seemed like pretty nice people, and they were, so it was doubly shocking to hear that they were at one point considered wicked enough to be punished for something. He vaguely thought what they could have done, though he dared not ask it aloud...
"...What did you do?" Maka asked bluntly. Soul immediately gaped and smacked her leg, which drew her attention. She blushed when she realized her rudeness.
"Everyone's got their sins," Jackie mused somberly. She turned to Harvar, "But I guess if we hadn't committed ours, Harvar and I would never have met."
Maka smiled at her reasoning, and Harvar nodded. "Soul collectors work in pairs. We were placed together. That was well over a hundred years ago."
"In that time, we've been working towards the same goal that all soul collectors spend their lives trying to fulfill," Jackie motioned to the bag.
She leaned over, grabbed hold of the gold string that kept it shut, and pulled. The bag opened, and immediately a couple glossy white orbs started to rise from it. Maka gazed at the glowing spheres and marveled at their beauty, while Soul seemed particularly taken with the sight. He recognized those souls for what they were, and relayed the information to Maka; those were pure souls, something that was difficult to come by in everyday society. There were good souls and bad souls, but souls free from sin were rare. Exceedingly so, in fact.
"We collect all kinds of souls as a hobby, but these in particular are special."
Harvar let the spheres float for a moment before reaching over to shove them back into the bag. Jackie quickly took the string and tied it up again, making sure to pull it tight so the souls couldn't get back out. With their demonstration over, she then took the sack and placed it behind her once more so they could see one another properly.
"That bag is made from a sky whale's stomach," Harvar explained. "It has cleansing properties. Souls left inside will slowly start to become purified."
"It was given to us by The Grim as part of our punishment," Jackie added. "It's every soul collector pair's duty to obtain one hundred evil human souls."
"Once all the souls have been placed in the bag and completely absolved of their sins, they're supposed to be released back into the world to be reborn again."
Soul and Maka listened intently to the pair, both fascinated by all the things they didn't know. It was a little disheartening to realize that they knew so little about their friends, but also made them thankful to be deemed important enough to be included like this. Harvar and Jackie sat back in their chairs and seemed to take a little break. A weight seemed to lift from them slightly, and they smiled at one another before partaking in another cup of coffee. Soul did the same, as Maka thought about the information they'd just shared with them.
"So, I assume you've collected all the souls you need?" Maka reasoned, which earned her a pair of nods. "When are you supposed to release them?"
Jackie glanced at Harvar, "We wanted to do it tonight. Traditionally it's done when the sun goes down, so you can see all the souls more clearly."
"Once the ceremony's complete, we're no longer bound," Harvar added. "The Grim's order goes away, and we're free to do what we want."
"Yeah?" Soul grinned lazily. "What are you gonna do with your newfound freedom? Run away from all this craziness and get hitched?"
Harvar sighed as Jackie smiled with rosy cheeks. "Actually, we wanted to tell you that we planed to stay and help you fight."
Maka straightened in her chair. Taken aback, she looked to Soul and found he had a similar look on his face. "Why?"
The two soul collectors seemed to ask themselves that same question. It looked as if they had arrived at their decision without giving it a second thought, and now that they had it was worth at least mulling over for a while. They surprised Soul and Maka when, after a moment of silence, Harvar simply gave a shrug and went back to sipping his coffee. Jacqueline laughed a little and leaned over on the table. She rested her head on woven fingers, and stared at the couple.
"Honestly? You and the others are our only friends," Jackie smiled. "Plus, we want to make sure things have settled down before the baby's born."
Jackie sneaked a peak around the table to eye Maka's belly. Time had passed since they'd first arrived in the village, and her bump was now fully noticeable. Maka blushed awkwardly from the attention and placed her hands over her stomach, which only made Jackie smile even more. Soul looked to Harvar from across the table, and assumed he was looking back at him; it was always hard to tell with that visor of his obstructing his eyes, but the man's smirk was all Soul needed for confirmation. He gave him an understanding nod.
"Besides," Harvar spoke up. He pushed his chair back and rose to his feet, "Kidd's annoyed me for years. For what it's worth, I'd think you'd make a much better Grim."
Jacqueline followed her partner up and started to gather their things. Soul smirked back at his friend, though Harvar pretended not to notice. Maka bid them both farewell, and Jackie informed her and Soul to spread the word about the ceremony later. They'd do it at midnight just outside the village, right when the moon was directly overhead. Soul and Maka nodded their heads and ensured that they would, which earned them both an appreciative thanks. With one last goodbye, Jackie and Harvar disappeared out the door to go get ready for later.
Things proceeded quickly after that, at least for Soul and Maka. The latter went to work informing Marie, who then informed Stein, who then informed Ox, who then made an announcement to the rest of the village. Soul took it upon himself to do the grunt work of gathering torches so people could see later, though he was careful to not get too many and defeat the purpose of doing at night in the first place. Black Star was out there with him, throwing mats haphazardly onto the floor for people to view the ceremony on later.
Others contributed in their own way. Tsubaki took it upon herself to make some snacks for the children to eat while they watched, as Crona and Enrique helped with whatever she needed. Kim stood outside on a nearby sand dune to coordinate Soul and Black Star, whom admittedly had no sense of direction or plan to speak of. Tezca dangled from her hip as she shouted orders at the two, and he snickered when they shouted back at her to shut up. An argument ensued. Kim invariably won.
Night came sooner rather than later. By the time everyone had finished their individual chores and reconvened at the agreed upon meeting place, it was already getting close to midnight. Villagers claimed their spots and waited patiently for the two soul collectors to arrive. A few minutes after the last few stragglers arrived by torchlight, Jackie and Harvar appeared; both donned in bright white cloaks and carrying the sky whale bag between them. There was some clapping and a few cheers as they approached. Both grew red.
Nearby, Soul and Maka sat atop the tallest sand dune and watched from above. They smiled as Jackie and Harver turned away from the crowd, probably to focus, and held the sack out a little farther in front of them. A hush fell over those gathered as it began to glow a dull white; like a mini moon in the dark to guide the ceremony, it seemed to almost hum with soothing energy. The villagers all waited with bated breath. They didn't know what was supposed to happen. All had a feeling, however, that whatever it was would be spectacular.
"A hundred years, a hundred souls," Jackie's calm voice rang loud over the area. "A day for each sin. For each sin, time to reflect."
"We offer these souls as proof of penance," Harvar rumbled. "Our journey comes to an end. Let our punishment end along with it."
They spoke the last words in unison. "Return to the cycle and be born again anew! Bathe the world bright in your newfound light!"
Together, Harvar and Jackie pulled the string back and let the bag fall from their hands. As soon as it did, a sudden force seemed to rush past them both and sweep up a sea of souls high into the air. The crowd watched in awe as pure white lights funneled into the sky all at once. They glowed brighter than they had in Stein's kitchen, and twinkled like newly formed stars that made the torches seem dull in comparison. After a second of stunned silence, everyone erupted into gasps and cheers. This time, the clapping was greatly welcomed.
In the middle of all of it, Harvar put his arm around Jackie. She did the same, and together they looked up at the souls as they slowly started to drift away. Likewise, from their perch, Soul and Maka held one another close. His arm around her shoulder, Soul pulled his wife in as she tucked her head into his chest. They saw everything from up there; the souls, the excited crowed, Harvar and Jackie. It was a moment that would be etched into their hearts forever, and they knew it even then.
They said nothing to each other. Instead they elected to just watch it all play out before them as they cuddled on the sand dune. Soul mused that this was strangely kind of like getting married, even though it was technically the opposite. Harvar and Jackie were celebrating being unbound, though all that really meant was they were free to be together on their own terms. He thought about that for a long while, and then finally realized something. He was surprised that it hadn't crossed either of their minds before.
"Y'know," Soul spoke up when the idea hit him. Maka looked up. "People who get married usually have a wedding."
"Yeah, usually," she commented. Soul's statement didn't strike her as odd, just seemingly out of place.
His lips curled into an amused grin. Maka hadn't caught on yet. "I think...we should have one."
There was silence for a moment. Soul didn't look down, mostly because he already knew what to expect. A blushing Maka. A look of surprise. At this point he'd come to expect her not expecting things from him, and it kind of made him proud to able to get a rise out of her like that. Still, he waited patiently for her response and said nothing more until she gave him one. It came in the form of a heavy embrace, one that immediately caught him off guard. He nearly fell over from the force of Maka throwing her arms around him, though he could voice no objection to it. She wouldn't allow it if he wanted to; her mouth crashed into his and together under the light of a hundred starlit souls they kissed. One or two people saw them and cheered. They didn't care.
It didn't last long enough. Maka pulled back and smiled as Soul opened his eyes, "I love you."
He opened his mouth to say it back, but then thought against it. He grinned again, "Save it for the wedding."
Maka smacked his shoulder playfully. She went in for another kiss, and this time stayed around for much longer.
A.N
You have no idea how much fun I had coming up with all the different ways to say "potato baby"