AkireRosales: Forget your worries for an hour and enjoy this chapter!
Whispers
Chapter 21:
Just as Guilty.
He was waiting for her, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
Soul had a deep frown on his face, his ruby eyes staring at the floor, his hands toying with a black hair band, stretching it between his fingers. He could hear the sound of the shower, Maka had been there for a while, and he decided to wait for her.
He wasnt angry... he actually had no idea how to feel. There had been someone in the apartment beside the meister, that was pretty obvious. From the pair of footprints on the snow, to the pair of water glasses on the dinning table, the disarranged chairs... but that wasnt what was bothering him. That was an everyday thing, with any guest, it meant nothing. When he got inside the bedroom, everything looked perfectly in place, with the exception of the bed quilt being slightly wrinkled but it seemed Maka took a quick nap there. That wasnt uncommon either. No, what caught his attention were three very subtle but unsettling things...
Starting with the odd scratch on the wooden floor of the dinning room. Maka was very picky about taking care of the floor, she hated chairs being dragged around... what caused that scratch? It looked like something long and sharp had caused it, like a knife... or a sword. His eyes looked up to the dresser in front of him, staring at the pair of perfume vials knocked over. The dresser didnt have much items, most were inside the many drawers, but Maka liked to have her perfumes at hand, for quick use. She loved those perfumes... didnt she notice they were knocked off in the drawer? And how?
His red eyes looked down, his hand stretching mindlessly that black hair band on his fingers. His mind insisted on solving the stupid puzzle, taking clues from everywhere it could, starting with the words of the little bat witch. The sudden silence announced him Maka's shower was over, hearing the sound of towels against skin. Soul took a deep long sigh, his ruby eyes staring at the object on his hands for a while longer before tucking it inside his pants pocket.
When Maka got out, she was wearing her light pink bath robe, a small towel covering her neck and chest like a scarf. That wasnt odd, she would often do that when she was cold, fearful of getting the flu. The climate had been pretty mean with her health during their first winter in Germany. No, what was odd was herself... she glanced at him quickly before walking towards their closet, searching for a clean set of pajamas.
He remained silent, his ruby eyes looking at her body from head to toe, scanning her. She was tense, very tense, and he had no idea why.
"Is everything okay?" He asked to her, wary of her silence, wary of her tense shoulders, of her eyes avoiding him. She seemed to have found what she was looking for, taking out a pair of loose pants and a long neck cotton sweater.
"Yeah... how was your day?" She asked, and his frown deepened. The question wasnt odd, she would always ask him that. The problem was her tone of voice, and the strength which she would grasp on the clothes between her hands.
"... interesting, at the lack of a better word for it" He grunted, his voice sounding monotonous and unimpressed. His cool attitude and laid back personality allowed him to hide what he was really thinking. "So... anything worth sharing?"
Maka finally decided to look at him. Her emerald eyes, wary and defensive, stared back at his deep sharp ruby ones. Soul held into her stare, unblinking, waiting, his heavy eyes forcing the meister to look away, walking back inside the bathroom and closing the door behind her. After five years he would never understand why she insisted on changing her clothes inside the bathroom, embarrassed of him looking at her. Hiding her naked body from his husband, so uncool.
He would always change clothes right in front of her, sometimes even teasing her, grinning when she would blush and scold him for having no decency. After confronting her about it, telling her she was angry because he turned her on, he earned a well deserved Maka Chop. The memory made him smile, for a little while helping him to ease down his worries... yet his eyes darted towards the dresser, and a deep frown returned to his face.
After a few minutes, the scythe meister walked out of the bathroom, drying her hair with the towel she had been wearing around her neck. She was wearing a navy blue long neck sweater and lose warm pants. She would often wear sweaters when it was really cold, but the temperature was just fine...
"Crona was here" She said suddenly, answering the question Soul thought had been ignored. He arched an eyebrow, yet remained silent, listening to her, watching her taking a seat on her side of the bed, combing her hair "We really didnt have time to talk since he arrived, he left a little while ago"
So that explained the footprints and the glasses, the disarranged chairs, it made sense. Yet... yet nothing made sense. His hand moved over to the wrinkled quilt beneath him, his palm resting on the warm fabric... She said a little while ago?
"Thats cool... why he didnt stay longer?" The scythe asked, his ruby eyes looking at his meister with a neutral tone, with an almost bored expression. That was his version of Soul Perception, you would never guess what he was thinking, but he could perfectly see through you.
"He... didnt want to cause any trouble, you know how he is" Her voice had that security in her tone, and Soul could tell she was telling the truth... at least some of it.
And yet, nothing made sense.
"Hmmm..." Soul hummed in response, his red eyes staring at the blonde meister not too far away from him. Since she was sitting on her side of the bed, he couldnt see her face, instead his sight traveled down her tense back, watching her drying her combed hair with a towel. "So... whats for dinner?"
That did it, as he knew it would. Maka glared at him, frowning, defensive, scoffing at him before looking away again.
"Have you even taken a look at the time!? I dare you to make me cook this late!" She growled, her tension showing in her words.
Who prepared the meals had always been a struggle between them, trying to stick to a role at all times, but their jobs would more often than not stand in the way. So, the one who had more time at home would take the bullet and cook for the two of them...
"Yeah, its quite late... why you didnt make dinner?" He asked with an arched eyebrow. She flinched at his words, and he noticed.
"I told you Crona was here, I had no time" She scoffed, getting up from the bed to take her towel back to the bathroom. Soul hummed again in response.
"Weird of you for not cooking for him..." He inquired, and Maka walked out of the bathroom with a deep frown, anger showing on her face. "I mean... we had a guest, is a little rude to not make a meal for them, as you use to do. You been so lousy with your guests is odd"
"What is it with you!? Is not the first time I dont make dinner! I see no reason for you to be a jerk!" The blonde meister barked at him, both of her hands resting on her hips, glaring at him.
"Ey chill out, I should be the one pissed off. I come home late and you didnt make dinner. If it was the other way around, I wouldnt hear the end of it! Thats really uncool Maka" Soul grunted, getting up from the bed ready to confront her wife. Why was she so at edge? His comment would usually earn a mild Maka Chop and that would be the end of it, but she was ready for a battle. Why?
"Yeah thats me, uncool as always, thanks for reminding me that everytime" She scoffed, sounding hurt, taking his words way too seriously. What was up with that? "Why are you so late anyway?"
Soul was about to keep on ranting, but that would take him nowhere. Taking a deep breath, the scythe shook his head, his left hand reaching up to the nape of his neck, rubbing himself lightly. His discomfort was obvious, apparently, making her meister to calm down just a bit and stare at him with worry.
"I had to take care of some research regarding to the Owl Witch... then when I was heading out of the school, the principal called me to his office" He started, talking as calm and slow as he could. He didnt want to upset her any further, specially when she would jump at any misplaced word recently. "He ordered me to take a partner with me and search for the witch, back in Russia"
That seemed to work. Maka frowned at his words, but she was no longer at edge, her anger towards him diminishing. Lets see how long it last...
"Its been two weeks since we returned... I doubt she is still there"
"Yeah the principal told me that too, but we have no other clues to follow... he wants me to leave as soon as possible" Soul explained, shoving his hands back inside his pants pockets. His fingers touched the black hair band inside, making his skin crawl.
"Alright... we can leave this morning. I just need to make a few calls for a teacher to take my place in school" His meister jumped into action, as he knew she would. Soul took a deep breath.
"I'm not taking you with me"
His words, calm and cool, resonated in the bedroom with the strength of a thunder. Maka stared at his weapon partner with wide open eyes, emerald green looking at him with confusion, and hurt.
"What do you mean?" She asked, standing very still in the middle of the room.
"You're not coming... its the principal's orders" Soul growled, slightly hunched, unsure of moving forward to touch her, or step away for safety. "I'm taking Leon with me, he already accepted and is packing right now"
Leon was the oldest teacher in school. Smart, gutsy, care-free and experienced, also a good friend of him. Despite being in his forties, he still had the stamina and reflexes of a feline. He was no Maka, but he would do just fine... hopefully.
"You're my weapon partner!" The meister snapped, walking towards him much for Soul's distaste. She didnt touch him, as she knew how much he disliked for her to get physical on him, but her aggressive posture towards him was enough to sour his mood. "What the hell does he think sending you against a witch without me!"
"And how are we supposed to fight her, if we cant resonate properly Maka!?" Soul yelled back at her, losing his cool, standing against her with the same hostile sensation. It was as if their wavelengths were now repelling each other, on edge, distrustful. "Because if you know a way, I'll gladly take you with me!"
"We were resonating just fine until the witch messed with us! That's why we have been training Soul! I cant believe you didnt stand against the director's order!" She yelled at him, distraught, emerald eyes staring at him with worry, anxiety and fear.
"I'm not going against that witch knowing that can happen again! If you think I will put your life or my own in danger, you're out of your damn mind!" Soul shouted, anger agitating his breathing, puffing his chest. "Its done Maka, I'm leaving for the mission and thats it!"
Maka frowned at him deeply, biting down her lightly swollen lower lip, her face blushing with restrained anger. Why was she acting like that?
"I dont know what the fuss is about! Is not the first mission I take with another meister." He scolded her, keeping his hunched stance in front of her, with his hands tucked in his pockets.
Instead of keep on shouting, Maka walked away from him, sitting down in bed with her hands intertwined on her lap, staring down at them. Soul took a deep breath, feeling the suffocating aura vanishing in thin air. She didnt look defeated... he didnt want to use that word on her, but she looked worn out, tired.
"I dont want you to go..." The blonde meister said, her eyes dragging towards the dresser in front of the bed, staring at it for a while in silence. She moistened her lips, before looking back down to her own hands. "I dont want you to leave... I have a bad feeling about this."
"Maka..." Soul growled, frowning, looking at her with worry. Not thinking too much about it, the scythe walked towards his meister, sitting next to her and surrounding her shoulders with his right arm, hugging her. "I'm not fighting against her... we are just going to track her down. We have orders of telling the director her location for immediate back up."
The meister leaned on her husband, both of her hands going up to hold him by his clothes, hugging him back. He took a long contented sigh, squeezing her shoulders. Something was wrong, this was so unusual of her, despite lacking a resonance, Soul knew her enough to know when something was upsetting her. Worst thing was, it wasnt about his mission, at all. So far he had been patient, hoping for her to tell him when she was ready, but his patience had a limit.
"Can you please tell me whats troubling you so much?" He whispered, trying to sound calm, trying to give her comfort and security, hoping she would open up to him. Instead, she tensed in his arms, slowly releasing herself from his grasp. He allowed her to move away from him, watching her standing up from the bed, walking towards the dresser and slowly fixing the vials of perfume back in place.
The silence between them was tense, and the scythe wasnt sure he liked the way Maka was staring down at the wooden furniture, her eyes looking anguished, lost and worried. That look in her eyes, he saw it once, a long time ago, ten years ago. That time, when Maka was fighting off her duty as a student of Shibusen against the wants of her heart... helping a friend.
Helping Him.
"I'll tell you..." She whispered, her hands holding tightly into the dresser in front of her, giving him her back. "When you return... I'll tell you"
He opened his mouth to ask again, to pry on her until she would finally puke whatever was hiding from him, but he knew better. Forcing her into talk not only would lock her down into silence, but it would make her angry. If she wasnt telling him was because she wasnt ready, or it wasnt the right time. It had always been that way when dealing with her, and he being the cool partner he was... understood.
"Okay..." He sighed, defeated, holding back the anxiety that was slowly gripping his heart.
It was totally not okay.
It had passed a week since that day.
The early winter storms of mid November would usually be mildly cold, short and harmless, but that was back in their urban city with available A/C and a coffee shop at every corner. There, in the wilderness of deep Russia, the cold had fangs, and its strong jaw was mercilessly chewing at every muscle and bone in his body. Soul shivered harshly, trying to stay closer to the bonfire without getting his clothes burnt. The light of the flames danced along the walls of the cave they were in, the cold wind threatening to blow them off.
The old meister next to him grunted, using his leather boot to kick one of the logs inside the bonfire, making the flame larger. That was the reason why Soul liked to have missions with other meisters time to time, since he could learn a lot from them. Leon was a veteran of kishin fights and long cruel missions, he had the expertise and scars to prove it. His neat well-kept brown beard had a few white hairs here and there, giving him a wise kind of look. Soul couldnt help but think he looked like your usual woodcutter stereotype, he would just need those red and black shirts and blue jeans to match. Instead, the meister was wearing an old but apparently quite endeared black fur coat, matched with thick brown leather boots and gloves.
The scythe had to agree his temporary meister had been more than ready for that kind of weather. It was so different from his insulated red jacket and yellow cotton scarf, with matching light leather-like black gloves and boots. No matter how much he tried to rub himself and stay close to the fire, he was still cold.
"I told you... fur is best for this weather, that fancy jacket of yours is just for show off in the cities" The meister laughed whole-heartedly, his hands carving the end of a wood stick with his hunting knife.
"I-Its insulated!... t-this is a very expensive j-jacket made specifically for mountaineers" The demon scythe complained, rubbing his arms with his covered hands.
"Pfff... no respectable mountaineer would use something like that! Those colors are for sporty tourists on small hills, skiing." Leon laughed with a large grin on his face, eyes focused on giving edge to the wooden stick in his hands. "You know why they make them with such fancy colors? So you can spot their corpses easily when they are eaten by avalanches or wolves"
"Well excuse me M-Mr. Bear G-Grills for not having f-fur in my c-closet" Soul growled through slightly shivering teeth. "M-Maybe if we could have found a deeper cave, w-we wouldnt be so cold"
"Hah! You wanted to keep searching in this weather? By the time we could find another cave, you would be already a meat popsicle!" The old teacher explained with a playful tone of voice, shoving his hand inside his large backpack, taking out their rations of dry beef jerky. "Eat up, with this weather you consume energy three times faster just trying to keep yourself warm."
Soul grunted, rolling his eyes exasperated, yet accepted his rations, munching lazily on the rough leather-like salty meat. They had been on the road for almost five days, and during that time the meister really took into his teacher role. He had taught him exactly the kind of caves that had higher chances to be safe, how to make a bonfire, how to make traps for food, how to leave marks that could be tracked down in case of emergency, so on and so forth. The man was an entire encyclopedia of survival, and that was really great, he couldnt have chosen a better partner for his mission.
Even if they hadnt got any luck finding the witch. When they reached the wooden house, it looked completely in ruins, abandoned for a long time. The basement was still there, no longer protected by illusions, but it was empty. Now they were searching blindly for clues, guiding themselves with the stories of missing people in very specific spots in the wilderness... until that morning, when they got attacked by a talking deer, scared shitless, repeating "what am I?" with what sounded like a broken voice box. It sounded like... a deer trying to talk, no matter how stupid it sound. The scythe didnt need to inspect the poor animal's soul to know it was one Nebula's twisted experiments. She was leaving them clues to find her.
That damn bitch was up for a surprise, when he could get his hands on her.
Even thinking about that witch was a relief, that lasted only a couple hours a day. The rest of the time, his mind was far away, back in Germany, back to his problems, to his doubts and fears. His gloved hand searched through his inner pockets, reaching up to that black hair band he found in their bedroom that night. A black hair band discarded in the floor, with a pair of loose pink hairs tangled in it.
Crona had been in that room. Maka at least confessed that, but it wasnt enough. No matter how smart, she was a horrible liar... she had said they talked for a long while, and had left shortly before he arrived, and yet dinner hadnt been done? If they were talking the whole time, when did Maka took a nap? If she hadnt taken a nap, why the bed was warm? Why was Crona's hair band in his bedroom's floor? Why there weren't footprints of him walking out of the apartment? The missing letters he hadn't found, the swordsman avoiding him, the bat witch with her damn card reading...
"You've been betrayed"
Could it be?...
If it was not that... why was Maka lying? Maka would tell him if something was wrong. If Crona was stalking or harassing her... why she didnt say anything? Because that wasnt what was happening... no matter how much he wanted to believe that, it wasnt the truth. Oh no, the truth was cruel, insidious and was driving him crazy. Once again, Soul crushed the black hair band on his fist, shoving it back inside his jacket's inner pocket. Soul tried with all his mind not to obsess with the nagging idea of... it just couldnt be, could it? Why? How? When?... Maybe he was wrong, maybe he was seeing ghosts of the past, haunting his conscience, probably it was just that.
"Ey kid... you seem to have a lot in your head" Leon said, his hoarse voice resonating in the cave, making the demon scythe to look back at him.
"Heh... you could say that" Soul grunted, taking a long deep breath, his body slowly getting warm with the comfortable heat of the bonfire. "Leon... can I ask you a very personal question?"
"I love personal questions, they enhance resonance, go ahead" The older teacher smiled at him, his large hands carving what seemed to be a stake, sharpening the edge with his hunting knife.
"You divorced... but when you decided your relationship was lost?" The albino asked, noticing how his question forced Leon to stop his work on the rudimentary stake. "I mean... when you found out your marriage had serious problems?"
The large old man frowned, his usual kind and outgoing face turning serious, almost distant. Maybe he had summoned a bad memory, Soul thought to himself, quickly regretting asking. However, the teacher took a long deep sigh, his hands moving back again to the stake, sharpening its edge.
"Hmm... it wasnt one thing, I think it happened slowly... like certain fights were blown out of proportion, or how we had no patience for each other anymore, the lack of love details, the distance..." He seemed to remember quite well, his face remaining serious and solemn, a glimpse of old sadness flowing through his honey-toned eyes. "Heh... me having interest in other women was a big giveaway obviously, like... as a man you can never stare away, right? But... sometimes I just started to fantasize about being single again, meeting new women... thats a big giveaway"
Soul frowned, looking down to his own gloved hands. That was the kind of thing Maka's father used to do, but that was certainly uncool. Yeah he noticed other women, but he wouldnt even think on trading Maka for any of them. He didnt feel like being with someone else, so that really didnt help. However, the feeling of being distant... that resonated really hard on him. Like the sensation of losing her, no matter how hard he tried to hold into her, she was slipping away from his grasp like water.
"The other giveaway was when I found out she was seeing someone else" He grunted, lifting up the wooden stake close to his eyesight, nodding to himself before reaching up to the bonfire, burning the stake carefully with the flames. "She never really cheated on me... they were long distance friends, but I knew... I saw it in her eyes, that spark of life... something I didnt see in her for years. She was in love... and how could I stand in her way? Just for a piece of paper? A contract? Her happiness was more important to me..."
"Wait wait... you gave up on her? Just like that?" Soul frowned, staring at the teacher's honey eyes looking back at him with an arched eyebrow. Why was he looking at him as if what he was asking was nonsense? "Man, not cool, if you love someone, you fight for that person! If its real love, you must claw, bite and maul anyone on your way to reach it, right? Is passion! Like... you know? You want her, you need her, you fight for her and you die for her if needed... giving up on her is just wrong"
"Even if that means she wont be happy?" Leon asked back, looking down to the dancing flames in front of them. Soul bit down his lower lip, frowning at him. "If you get to see the person you love, happy, will you dare to rip that happiness away seeking for your own?... how you measure someone else happiness and how you decide theirs worth less than yours?"
Those last words stung, hard. Soul felt uncomfortable, looking away from Leon just to stare at the raging blizzard blowing outside the cave. That question wasnt fair, of course no one else's happiness worth less than yours, but it wasnt like that. If you dont seize your chance for happiness, if you dont fight for your loved ones, you never loved them enough in the first place, right? It just made sense, if he really had loved her, truly, madly, deeply loved her, he would have fought for her no matter what... right?
Right?
Leon's rough gentle laugh called his attention, forcing the scythe to look back at him. He had such soft tender eyes, they stood out of his rough woodcutter appearance quite a lot. Slowly, the old teacher stood up from the floor and walked to the cave wall nearby, carving his name in the stone with the coal remnants of the stake in his hand.
"You know... there's a phrase that says something like... If you love someone, set them free, if they return to you they're yours, if not, they never were... something like that" The teacher said in rough english, chuckling when Soul's loud growl resonated in the cave.
"That is the corniest phrase in the whole word" The demon scythe complained, but the laugh of the old meister forced a small smile out of him. In other circumstances, Soul would have never asked any question of the sorts with anyone, but Leon was understanding and discreet, quite a cool old dude. He never asked him the reason of his questions. "Why are you craving your name in the wall anyway?"
"Oh just an old habit of mine, heh... I often loose my mirrors and this is a way of marking where you were last seen, just in case you get lost" The teacher explained, making Soul roll his eyes. Of course the old man would put in use his survival techniques, why not?
"Whatever Bear Grills, knock yourself up" The scythe grinned, reaching up to his sleeping bag, ready to call it a day. "Can I take the first nap? I'm exhausted"
"Sure boy, I'll wake you up with a cup of fresh warm piss" Leon finally roared in laugher, specially with Soul's disgusted face staring back at him. "What? Is good for your immune system!"
"That is so disgusting! Stay away from me!" Soul demanded, getting inside his sleeping back as far away as possible from the meister, hearing Leon's loud laugh echoing in the cave.
Despite how tired he was, the words of his partner resonated deep and hard into his mind and soul. It wasnt like that, they weren't Iike that... he had to believe what they had could endure any hardship, what they had was deep, meaningful, and could stand any test. He had to believe what he did six years ago was right... fighting for her had been the right choice.
As exhaustion dragged him into a restless sleep, the loud storm outside echoed into his very soul. Fighting for her had been the right choice...
Right?
Maka silently took a seat in the Witchcraft class.
Crona's schedule was quite tiresome. He would help Eruka out with a couple classes at midday, where meisters, weapons and witches alike would share lessons regarding Defense against Magic. Since Soul and Leon were gone, now he had to give an extra class about Advanced Soul Resonance with the two star meisters in the morning, and in the late afternoon, he would give Witchcraft lessons to a single class of only witch-blood students. Despite having decent break times to rest, he couldnt actually leave the school until evening... that left them with quite little time to be together.
Sure, since Soul was gone into a mission, they had the apartment for themselves... but Maka couldnt risk it. She was afraid of being alone with the swordsman for too long, specially in places where no one would bother them... she knew what was bond to happen. The idea exhilarated her, and scared her shitless, but she knew what she wanted... and all that desire was frightening. So, for safe measure, they had the teacher's restroom. They could talk there, hold hands, and when they were sure all the teachers were in class, a furtive kiss could happen... but nothing more.
She could argue they were only adding wood to the bonfire. It certainly felt that way. She didnt give a shit anyway.
Crona noticed Maka taking a seat in one of the empty student's desk, his cheeks flushing madly, losing track of what Eruka was saying. His midnight dark eyes scanned her from head to toe, enhancing the dark tone of his cheeks. The scythe meister couldnt help but give him an amused grin, almost teasing him.
"Crona wake up you moron!" Ragnarok hissed, obviously displeased with his meister's reaction, giving him a hard punch on his head. The sword had been unusually quiet around Maka, quite odd, but probably he had some truce pact with his meister regarding her. "FOCUS"
"S-Sorry..." The swordsman rubbed the strike on his skull, forcing himself to tear his sight away from the scythe meister and looking at Eruka, who was looking at him with an arched eyebrow. "W-What were you saying?"
A few laughs sound around the class, and the frog witch only sighed, displeased.
"I didnt say anything, one of the students had a question." Eruka pointed out at one of the youngest students in the class. Barely a teenager, probably around his fourteen birthday, with an unruly purple hair with black and neon blue colors on his sport outfit.
"Professor Crona, you are the first adult witch male I met... how was being raised by a witch? I mean... I was raised by Shibusen so... I was curious" The student asked, quickly returning to his chair and hunching slightly on his spot.
The swordsman shivered at the question, the word "pass" almost slipping through his tightly sealed lips. Maka frowned, cursing through her breath at the naive student making such horrible questions. Focusing on the swordsman, she reached up to him with her wavelength, helping him to stop what was the obvious start of intense shaking. It seemed to help, Crona glancing at her quickly and giving her a soft smile. How much she loved that smile...
Eruka cleared her throat, her hand moving up to Crona's arm, gently tugging at him to call his attention. He nodded at her, stepping aside and letting her answer the question. The frog witch knew, more than anyone, how to answer that.
"Male witches are considered trash among the Witch society, gecko... being raised by one of them, you cant expect much but to be treated as-"
"Absolute trash" One of the oldest students interrupted Eruka. He was a tall old male witch, arms crossed above his chest. He had a large scar crossing his face from left side of his forehead, across his left eye, all the way to the right of his jawline. The milky look of his left eye was sign that he was half-blind. "Unless you are the descendant of some high and mighty witch blood, and even then you will still be treated like trash..."
"For a society that values magic power over anything else, magic-less descendants are useless" Eruka explained. They were hard words to be said, specially in a classroom where most students were male witches, but it had to be said.
"Well not entirely! We still need to breed" One of the female witches muttered, loud enough to be heard in the classroom. She was polishing her nails, her long fingers delicately caressing them with blue polish brush. "I mean, I dont support that kind of attitude, my mother killed three of my siblings for being males, but males with a family line of strong magic can get saved"
"Pff... yeah, only to be auctioned like cattle in the Witch Council when they reach sexual maturity, sold to the highest bidder" An older male witch growled, obvious distaste showing on his face.
"And then killed once the buyer milked them enough to get offspring" A female witch snarled, anger showing on her face. "My bitch of a mother killed my dad after he could no longer give her strong children... I left the witch society right after that"
More than a couple female witches nodded at her.
"Not only that, even the strongest families will kill their male babies, just to avoid giving their magic blood to another blood-line... that way you keep the power under your family name" Eruka pointed out, her hand rubbing the demon swordsman's back gently, trying to comfort him. She could tell he was obviously uncomfortable with the subject. "Unlike humans, male witches lose their last name to the family they join. For example, Crona will loose his Gorgon last name and be called Frog in a few years"
Her words made the swordman yelp, a bright blush filling his cheeks. The lewd comment helped to ease the tension in the classroom, making the students laugh at Crona's nervous fidgeting of hands and embarrassed look on his face.
"D-Dont say s-such things! Gah!" The tall meister complained, stepping away from her.
"Oh hush, you know how much envy I'll cause by adding your bloodline into mine? First class ticket!" Eruka grinned, poking at Crona's side close to his ribs, making him yelp.
"I-I f-feel used!"
"Deal with it!"
Now the whole classroom was laughing, even the most bitter students chuckled a little bit, easing the tension until it vanished. Maka wasnt laughing, but she didnt feel angry either. Comfortably sitting in the student's chair, she crossed her arms on top of her chest, staring at Eruka with knowing eyes. The little witch was annoying with her suggestive attitude, but she wasnt a threat, not anymore.
Because Crona was hers.
"A-A-Anyway!" The swordsman interrupted the laughs, giving a dirty look to his partner, who was laughing loudly along with the students. "E-Enough already!"
"Pfff Oh come on! Crona Frog? Just when I thought you couldnt get lamer!" Ragnarok snickered, ruffling his partner's pink hair with his little paws. Crona shoved him off him.
"T-Thats the reason why Lord Death insists on this classes..." The swordsman tried to get back in track with the classes, despite Eruka and Ragnarok's best efforts to disrupt him. "W-We want to give male and female w-witches the chance of a dignified life and independence... b-being able to choose what to eat, what to wear, who y-you want to b-b-be with... be free"
The students remained silent, apparently trying to digest his words, a few nodding at him. A few seconds later, the school's noisy bell marked the end of classes, making the students jump off their seats, grabbing their backpacks and start running away form the classroom as fast as possible.
"Remember to study the Weapons Chapter! Next classes will include live practice!" Eruka yelled at the students, taking a long sigh watching them leave without a word. "Ingrates..."
"W-Well... its the weekend" Crona smiled, his eyes moving towards the scythe meister, who was getting up from the student's chair, walking towards them. "H-Hi..."
"Nice class you both, I should come here more often" Maka smiled, giving them a thumbs up. Eruka arched her eyebrows, intrigued. Ragnarok rolled his eyes.
"T-Thanks..." Crona bowed his head slightly flustered, twiddling his forefingers with embarrassment.
"Shouldn't you be giving extra classes as well? I see you around us a LOT more often" Eruka suggested, staring at Maka who glanced at her with a challenging look on her face. The swordsman quickly stood up between both women, his body working as a physical barrier, breaking their deadly glare contact.
"W-W-Why dont we all go out to d-dinner? H-How does t-that sound?" He jumped into action, much to Maka's surprise, obviously trying to avoid an argument. He was shaking slightly, unsure dark eyes looking at her and Eruka with uncertainty.
"Oh hell no! Fuck all both bitches! They haven't left you alone since we got here! I'm sick of them both!" Ragnarok roared, frustrated, pulling harshly into his meister's hair, making him wince. "I'm tired! I want to be left alone for a change!"
"Woah... Ragnarok... you actually dont want to go out to eat?" Eruka gasped, reaching up to the little demon, resting her hand on top of his head. "Do you feel ill?"
"Piss off frog!" The demon sword growled, shoving the witch's hand away from him, just to feel the poke of a finger on one of his sides.
"No no, this is odd, you refusing food? We should take you to the infirmary" Maka suggested, poking his side until Ragnarok slapped her hand away.
"Stop touching me!" The demon roared in frustration, only to feel another hand on his back, petting him. Crona shuddered, trapped between both girls and his weapon partner above him, who was instinctively recoiling against him, searching for protection.
"Poor Ragnarok, maybe he has some kind of virus" Eruka pointed out, quickly removing her hand when the black blooded demon snapped at her with his teeth.
"Bitch you're the one who has warts!" Ragnarok ranted, shaking off like a wet dog trying to keep the witch and the scythe meister away from him. "Get off me! I dont want to catch your cow flu!"
"Crona, lets take him to the infirmary, a good couple of shots should do the trick" Maka grinned, enjoying the little sword's frustrated screeches.
"Ragnarok d-doesnt like shots... Kid shot him a couple times and h-he really disliked it" The swordsman pointed out innocently, taking the word -shot- literally. Both women noticed, and they couldnt help but laugh. "W-What?... w-what did I say?"
"You are so fucking retarded! You are so retarded these two bitches are eating you alive and you dont even notice!" His weapon partner yelled, punching his skull in annoyance. "Crona! I need a guys day out! PLEASE! I need a break from these two!"
"Awww... Ragnarok misses having Crona all for himself" Maka teased, grinning widely when she noticed how the sword tensed. "Thats so endearing!"
"Somebody is jealous~" Eruka laughed, much for the swordsman's surprise. Usually the frog witch wasnt that bold in her treatment towards his weapon partner, but she seemed to have a bravery burst, probably because Maka was there, helping her along with her bullying. They were teaming up, and that gave the swordsman a little pinch of happiness.
"Crona say something dammit!" Ragnarok hissed, punching the meister's skull, taking him out of his thoughts.
"Uh... w-well... I-I dont see why we cant have a guy's day out with them... that works too, right?" The swordsman offered, receiving in response a pull of his ears. "R-Ragnarok that hurts!"
"Having girls in a guy's night out beats the whole purpose of a guy's night out! You imbecile!" The sword ranted even further, pinching his meister's cheeks and nose. "Fuck you Crona! You're the worst partner in the whole world!"
"Oh just look who the hell is talking!" Maka growled, annoyed at the demon's antics towards Crona, reaching up to her reliable heavy book, ready to blow some sense into the parasitic weapon.
"DID I JUST HEAR A -MOO-!? thats all I hear! A fucking farm with cows and frogs! Mooing and croaking!"
"Just wait a second there!" Eruka hissed, slightly offended.
"Shut up Kermit's unwanted child! And you Miss Piggy! Get that book near me and I'll shove it back into your ass where it belongs!"
"E-Ey! Ragnarok that is rude!" Crona warned him, reaching up to hold into his weapon's tiny hands, keeping him in place. "Apologize!"
"I wont apologize for shit! This is a frigging muppet show and I wont be part of it!" Ragnarok was now in a full blow up rant, trying to free himself from Crona's iron grasp. Unfortunately for him, he was too focused on his meister to notice when a large book and a small freshly made bomb collided on both sides of his face.
The impact took the swordsman by surprise, ducking as much as he could to avoid the damage. Ragnarok fell on top of his head, deflated and steamy, slightly misshapen due to Eruka's bomb and the unholy heavy book of the scythe meister. Both women stared down at the demon, who grunted a couple curses before retreating back inside his meister, defeated. A grin spread on both women's faces, looking at each other triumphantly. Maka reached up her hand, offering a high-five Eruka answered quickly, not giving it much thought.
Slowly Crona stood back, blushing in embarrassment.
"I-I'm so s-sorry... I-I dont know whats up w-with him, h-he's been quite f-frustrated recently..." The sword meister sighed, holding into his right arm for comfort.
"Buy him a chew toy, that can help" Eruka chuckled, earning a wholeheartedly laugh from the scythe meister.
"Well... castration works for cats..." Maka's words made both witches to look back at her with wide open eyes. "What? I did some research!"
"I-Is that why Blair fears the vet?" Crona asked, his tone of voice a mixture between shock and disbelief.
"You know, I'm so grateful you weren't born a witch, Maka" Eruka said with relief on her voice, both of her hands resting on her hips. "You would have ended being the Witch of Death or something..."
"Oh thats sounds badass! Could I have some awesome skills? Like... Grim Reaper's attack or something?"
"I think Kid could sue you for copyrights there" Crona chuckled along with the girls, slowly relaxing, staring at them actually talking and joking together. It was nice.
"Alright its quite late... why dont we all go to rest? I kinda dont want to go out if Ragnarok can pop out anytime with that foul humor he has now" The scythe meister offered to both of them, staring at Eruka who tilted her head, not looking quite convinced.
"Yeah... you're probably right... but I call a hangout tomorrow! My places, my choices, you either stick up to them or I kick you out, deal?" Eruka pointed out with determination in her voice, much for Crona's surprise. The frog witch wasnt the kind of girl who would try to call the shots, specially when someone much more dominant than her, like Maka, was involved.
Indeed, Crona's trained eye noticed a slight twitch in the witch's eyebrow. She was bluffing. If Maka wanted, she could tell her off and the frog wouldnt have the will to impose herself again. The swordsman stared back the scythe meister, who looked unimpressed.
"... alright, deal" The blonde meister agreed, making Crona open his mouth in shocked surprise. "But I choose where to eat, otherwise Ragnarok will end choosing and I dont feel like going to an All You Can Eat with him"
After a few second, Eruka nodded at the scythe meister, offering her open hand in front of her for a shaking. Maka arched her eyebrow, unsure at first, but slowly reaching up and holding Eruka in a firm handshake. Crona couldnt feel happier in that moment.
"Great! Then see you both tomorrow, same place as always Crona! Dont be late!" Eruka cheered, giving him a knowing look before taking her backpack on her shoulder and leaving both meister's alone in the classroom, closing the door behind her.
Probably Crona didnt notice, being so focused on the scythe meister, but Maka arched an eyebrow, noticing the quick movement of fingers in the doorknob. The frog witch locked the door behind her. That was interesting... did Crona tell her anything about what happened?... No, he wasnt like that, she probably had figured it out, after all the swordsman was an awful liar. It was interesting to know Eruka was helping them out... why?
That frog would never do something for free... what was she having in return? Why would she help them out if she had kissed him? Wasnt she interested in him?...
"Thats was very nice of you, Maka..." Crona's voice took her out of her thoughts, curious emerald eyes looking back at him. He had that little shy smile of his, toying with his own fingers nervously. "I mean... going out with us... I thought you didnt like Eruka"
"Is not that I dont like her" Maka sighed, rubbing the back of her neck trying to give herself some stress relief, moving to the desk and leaning on it, close to him. "I decided to go with you both because I dont trust her"
Crona's wide open eyes stared at her with what seemed to be disbelief. Embarrassed, he rushed stuttered explanations.
"W-Why? I-Is because of the party?... B-But I told you, nothing happened!" He tried to explain himself, getting worked out because of Maka's lack of emotions in her face. She was just there, leaning on the teacher's desk, staring at him unamused. "She's just a friend"
"I dont trust her or any woman close to you" The blonde meister pointed out, her face coldly serious, her voice firm and steady. She meant business, and was single-handily turning the swordsman into a nervous wreck. "No woman can know you and not feel something for you, that's just nonsense"
"W-what? Now thats really nonsense!" Crona complained, reaching close to the scythe meister, both of his hands close to his chest. "I-I have a lot of f-female friends! L-Like Kim, and Angela, P-Patty and Liz, Blair..."
"Yeah I might as well start spying on them, so I'm sure they don't try anything funny with you" Maka grinned, unable to help herself, yet her grin came out more wicked than it should, sending a shiver down the swordsman's spine. He looked sincerely frightened, anguish coloring his face with a pale tone.
"W-What? You mean they can try something with me? B-But how am I supposed to know? That would be awkward and weird and I dont like that!" He shook his head, confused, giving her that cute little pout of his lips. Despite being an adult, his feminine features made him look so young... so beautiful. She couldnt help herself.
Maka reached out for him, confident of being alone and locked, safe from any intrusion. Her hands took him by the nape of his neck, pulling him down to her height enough for their lips to meet in a deep long kiss. She heard him moan in surprise, but his hands slowly reaching for her waist let her know it was a very welcomed caress. He moved closer to her, surrounding her body with his arms, a warm hand gently holding her against him. He was more secure of his touch, more daring, they didnt need the resonance anymore for him to know she would never push him away. She couldnt push him away, not anymore.
Slowly, tenderly, the blonde meister broke the kiss, her hands moving to his neck, thumbs caressing his jawline. She grinned at him in the way she would always do when she was messing with him, and he stared back at her with a gasp, looking slightly offended.
"Y-you're just t-teasing me aren't you?" He complained, trying to give her an angry look, but the intense blush on his cheeks was too cute for him to look frightening. Maka chuckled, still being held by him.
"I'm just joking Crona..." She smiled at him, hands moving down from his neck to his chest, caressing him through the thick layer of his black long coat. "Except for Eruka, I dont trust her just yet"
"O-Okay..." He gave up, understanding how stubborn she could be when an idea rooted in her mind. How much she loved that of him, instead of pushing her into his point of view, he would try to see her own. Gently, the dark meister leaned his head towards her, his forehead softly meeting her own. She welcomed him with a smile. "I-I'm happy you're coming along... E-Eruka is nice, y-you'll like her..."
"Nicer than me?" She arched her eyebrow, a teasing smile spreading across her face. Her hands, resting on top of his chest, slowly started drawing circles with her thumbs. The swordsman face lighted up in a dusky red, swallowing hard.
"N-No... n-never..." He stuttered, shivering in her arms. How much she loved that. The feeling of empowerment, of being able to summon so much emotions from him. He, who used to be a numb mindless killer, would surrender to her with just a touch of her hands, a gentle word of her voice, whispered into his ear. It was the most enticing feeling in the whole word.
Maka leaned against him, resting her cheek on his chest, holding him tight. She wanted to drown in his warmth, his smell, feel the soothing waves of his soul, like a gentle cool sea breeze in a hot day. After a few seconds, the swordsman's arms gently surrounded her in a tight embrace, making her sigh pleasantly.
How wrong it was. How sinful of them... but it felt too good to stop it.
Seven days had passed since Soul left to his mission.
He updated the director everyday with a call through the mirror. So far, they were just following traces of the witch, without a solid clue of her whereabouts. The principal had ordered a ten day travel only... so he would be back in a few days. Soul would be back... and she would need to talk to him, to tell him the truth, and make a decision. That thought, haunting her mind, managed to single-handily sour her mood. She wasnt ready, she wasnt sure if...
A yelp called her attention, making her face back forward. They were in a clear in the forest, often used for training by the Shibusen students. It was quite far from the school, common people was not allowed near the area, it was nicely secluded and quite large. The yelp came from a student, falling down face first into the floor, dropping his weapon partner.
"Dont drop me!" The weapon yelled in german, a large hunting knife with light brown leather handle and shiny silver blade, the edge still dull. It was a weapon in training.
"Sorry, you make my hand itchy!" The student complained, clearing his face off, slightly muddy. His light green hair was messed and dirty, damped with sweat. A male witch student, no older than fifteen.
"Y-You guys okay?" Crona asked in english, not quite understanding what they were saying. Despite studying the language, it was still quite a hard task. Holding into Ragnarok's hilt, the meister reached his hand to the young boy who shook his head, refusing his help and getting up from the floor by himself.
"My weapon itches my hand, and look! Its swollen!" The green haired boy pointed out, showing his hand up to the professor. The weapon, growling in annoyance, materialized back into his human form. Red spiky hair and fierce blue eyes looking at his rookie meister.
"Its not my fault! Your grip sucks!"
"Uh... y-you're not syncing your wavelengths..." Crona sighed, noticing how many students started to get closer to them, complaining of similar problems with their weapon partners.
Eruka, sitting close to Maka in a fallen wooden log, far away from the students training ground, sighed with boredom.
"I dont understand any of this... this is so boring" The frog witch complained, stretching lazily and throwing a long yawn.
"No one asked you to come over" Maka pointed out, crossing her arms on top of her chest. Eruka shrugged, dark eyes looking back at the sword meister stuttering a class about resonance to the young students.
"Says the three star meister watching a starter's class" The witch grinned, one small hand reaching up to her hat, fixing it on top of her head more comfortably.
True, they shouldnt be there, this was one of Leon's class, the old teacher that was in a mission with Soul, and Crona was temporary taking his place. Although there were more meisters and weapons working as teachers, they got chosen to give more advanced courses, leaving the swordsman with the easiest ones, filled with rookies. Maka was far beyond teaching freshmen, it would be a high waste of her knowledge, and Eruka had no clue about Soul Resonance... why were they there then?
Easy, Eruka was bored and had no money to go around the city by herself... and Maka had been hoping for a time alone with the swordsman after his class was done. Apparently, none of them would have what they wanted. Frustrated, the scythe meister ignored the witch's taunting comment, emerald eyes looking back at her friend.
His tall figure, slightly hunched, stood out in the crowd of teenagers. Holding into Ragnarok, he was explaining the basics of Soul Resonance with a weapon partner. Truly, if you would ask her ten years ago, Maka would have said there was no way Crona could be a teacher... but there he was. Stuttering, nervous, but eager to teach and help. Probably teaching was a way of getting the attention and respect he had been so starved for during his whole life. She liked watching him teach, and sometimes she could notice some lessons she had given him sometime during their schooldays. He never forgot about her lessons, and that filled her with some kind of silly pride.
Despite the almost non-existent time together since the party, the little minutes they could spend together alone were... very well managed. Nothing big, like that time in her apartment, but they made it work. Like taking tiny sips of water, just to give some relief to the scorching thirst, they would find ways of give themselves a time alone.
She couldnt help it. If there was a way to describe it, the word "addiction" would certainly pop into her mind. The more she had him, the more she wanted. The touch of his rough hands, giving her the softest of caresses, his lips taking her breath away, the taste of his skin, everything. It was the normal fixation of a new partner, the vicious need of being with him, although Maka couldnt remember if the same thing happened to her with Soul. It certainly didnt happen so fast, but back in the time Maka's inexperience had played a big role making her go slow and wary.
Not now, not with Crona. As her eyes fixed on him, on his slender figure moving around the open field showing his fence moves with Ragnarok, she couldnt help but think she had it bad for him. Her emerald green gaze followed his movements, and she couldnt help to take a big long sigh.
"Take a picture, they last longer" Eruka said, dark eyes staring at her, forcing her out of her thoughts. Maka frowned, tearing her stare away from the swordsman to look at the witch. "If you stare at him like that in school, people will make questions"
"He told you?" The meister asked, resting her elbows on top of her knees. Her long white fluffy coat covered her head with a hoodie, olive thick pants protecting her from the early winter's cold.
"I saw how you threw yourself into his arms in the basement, when he arrived" The frog witch confessed to her, a teasing small smile showing on her lips. She lowered her tone of voice, only for the meister to hear her. "I was really shocked at first, gecko, the big and mighty Maka Albarn, cheating on her husband..."
"You know nothing" Maka growled with anger. It wasnt as if Eruka was offending her, she was telling the truth... but it still hurt.
"Well I know you are cheating on your husband" The frog chuckled, dark eyes staring at her with a playful look, apparently enjoying her discomfort. "Dont take me wrong, ribbit, we witches dont care about such things. Hell, if I were you, I would have already taken him for myself"
"I bet. Thats why you convinced him to kiss you?" The scythe meister asked, her emerald eyes staring at the witch with a bright flame of jealousy and anger.
The frog opened her eyes widely, taken by surprise. She looked back to the swordsman who, clueless of their little argument, was focused on the students practicing with one another their fight moves. Now it was the turn of the frog to look uncomfortable, petite fingers toying with the edge of her polka-dot skirt. After a minute of silence, the frog curved her spotted mouth into a soft smile.
"I didnt convince him of anything... he did it willfully... he actually surprised me" Eruka said, her dark eyes softening with what seemed to be a very fond memory. Maka felt her skin crawl.
"You are just a lying bitch, spitting poison like Medusa" The blonde meister snarled, angry and defensive, feeling herself fuming when Eruka chuckled at her.
"Believe what makes you feel better, Albarn, I dont care." The witch huffed, stretching herself a little bit. Despite the security of her voice, she was clearly uncomfortable and anxious talking about that with her. "Well... in our defense, we were a little drunk. And if it makes you feel better, he stopped himself telling me he belonged to you."
Maka didnt want to hear it. She didnt want to know any of it, but the witch's words made sense... it would be something Crona would say. She didnt want to know, the idea of the swordsman being with somebody else hurt like a stab in her chest. Just the image of him being... no, the thought was nauseating. Yet Eruka noticed her discomfort, the rage in her face, the pain in her eyes... and continued.
"If it weren't for that, I would have claimed him as mine that night... we were so close"
"Shut up already" Maka hissed through tightly closed teeth, biting her own tongue trying to quiet herself, choking a scream in her throat.
"Why are you so angry? Is not as if he really belongs to you. Thats just some lie you said to him to have him under control" Now that was a phrase that made Maka's fist tremble, at the edge of actually delivering a nice sucker punch into the witch's face. The meister glared at her with spite.
"That is not true..."
"Really?... Have you already told Soul you are leaving him?" Eruka questioned, noticing how Maka's rage drained from her face, turning into doubt and fear. "No?... how are you going to tell him you've been messing around with one of his friends for six months?"
In Shibusen during her student's years, meisters and weapons would get taught that witches were beings that find pleasure in chaos and destruction, because of the very nature of their magical powers. Right there, Maka was witness of such need for causing havoc: Eruka was actually getting a sick pleasure out of her distress. She could tell by the way those onyx eyes stared at her, her lips curved into an amused smile. It wasnt as if the frog witch was lying, she was telling the truth but... it was so crude. It wasnt like that, she wasnt "messing around" with Crona. What she felt, what they felt, couldnt be described like that.
But probably she was just justifying her behavior by thinking that.
Maka remained in silence, dodging Eruka's stare to look back again to the swordsman, fencing against a male witch holding a dull axe. Of course it would be a simple thing to do for witches, just choosing the best option for that moment, out of commodity or just because "one works better than the other", but the scythe meister wanted to believe that humans were above that. They had to be... otherwise she wouldnt be better than her father.
She wasnt messing around with Crona. What they had was real, was meaningful, it was deep and strong... But what about Soul? She owed him respect, loyalty and thrust... not only as a wife, but as a friend and partner. She betrayed him, no doubt about that, and the thought hurt so much. Even so, she was tired of feeling guilty for something she liked so much... being with Crona.
And yet... is not as if she wasnt feeling anything for Soul. She loved Soul, he was her best friend, her weapon partner, her first boyfriend, her first love, her first kiss. She loved his teasing smile, and those calm secure red eyes, the sound of his soul merged with her own. Losing him, in any way, was heartbreaking for her.
Why it all had to be so difficult?
"You're not planning on telling Soul... isn't it?" Eruka asked in a low whisper, onyx eyes staring at her with a frown. Maka bowed her head, arms hugging her legs close to her chest. "What is it then? Are you planning on keeping Crona as a side fuck buddy? Meeting with him during solo missions or when Soul is not close? Is that your plan?"
Maka remained in silence, hiding her face in her crossed arms, hugging her legs tightly. She felt lost and confused as a child, without a single easy road to follow, without a compass to guide her. Who could hear her without judging her? None of her friends for sure... only that silvery haired witch, who's heavy dark eyes and hissing tongue drilled the crude reality into her brain. Even so she wasnt being helpful... if any, she was making her feel worse.
"I'm terrified..." Maka whispered, her face hidden in her arms. "I'm terrified of losing Soul..."
Faintly, the meister heard the witch take a long sigh.
"You better pick up your mind. You're neck deep in shit. No matter what, one of them is going to end badly hurt, and you cant avoid that. I would start asking myself, who I choose to hurt, instead of asking who I choose to keep."
Maka stared at her in bewilderment. What kind of deranged, deluded, crazy half-assed suggestion was that!?
"You dont know shit." Maka hissed, her voice low so no one would hear them. Her emerald eyes glared at Eruka, who remained calm, staring back with an arched eyebrow. "What can you know if you have never cared about anyone in your life? You have no idea how hard this is."
"You're right. I dont know. But I know how much you mean for him..." Eruka pointed out, her eyes searching for the swordsman, who seemed to be finishing his class, talking to the students who were now sitting on the floor, listening to him. "You have the wrong idea Maka. I think you're okay for a human, but I'm not doing this for you."
Eruka reached up to her silvery hair, fixing her long locks on top of her modest chest. Her onyx eyes looked at the swordsman, a small smile showing on her lips, the little dots on each side of it moving up cutely. It was a witch thing, apparently, looking always young and soft, probably to hide their own dangerous nature. Maka felt that was exactly that thing... since when Eruka cared for someone beside herself? Wasnt she the same witch that sold her best friend, Mizune, to save herself from Medusa? There had to be something else moving the frog witch, and she wasnt sure she wanted to find out what it was. The voice of the witch, sudden and soft, called her attention back again in reality.
"Among all people in the world, if there's someone who would forgive you for breaking their heart, it would be Crona..." Eruka said, her dark eyes looking down to her own fingers, holding into the edge of her skirt. "If you decide to preserve your marriage, he would understand."
Yes. Yes he would understand. With that kind tender soul of his, with that eternal patience he had, with just how... used to pain he was... he would forgive her. With no resentment, without any complain, he would be happy just to remain as friends. If she called it off, he would step back, she knew he would. The question wasnt that, the real question was if she could live with that memory on her shoulders, if she could live out with no having him on her life...
But on the other side... could she throw away six years of her life?
"M-Maka?..." The soft voice of the swordsman pulled her out of her thoughts. The scythe meister looked up, emerald green eyes meeting midnight blue. "A-Are you okay?"
She blinked a couple times... had she dozed off in her thoughts? Looking around, she noticed the students were already leaving the clear of the forest, following a stone-traced path that lead to the school. Eruka was standing not too far away, staring at her with an arched eyebrow, slim arms crossed on top of her small chest.
The blonde meister didnt answer. Taking a deep breath, she got up from the fallen log she had been sitting for quite some time, avoiding Crona's worried stare. There was no point in try and lie to him, show him a fake smile and cheerfully try to shake off her worries. He would see right through her, and get even more worried. But how could she even start that conversation? How could she express her worries without hurting him? How could she express her needs and wants without feeling like scum? She felt like a scared child standing in the diving tower, staring down at the pool below, unable to jump.
It frustrated her to no end, because she knew how much she desired to make that jump.
Just as she feared, Crona noticed her discomfort, the worried look on her face, the stress in her body. His eyes, showing deep concern, glanced towards the frog witch who was waiting for him, not too far away.
"C-Can you take the students b-back to the school? I-I'll catch you in a minute... please?" The swordsman asked to the witch, who huffed in response.
"This is your class! Am I supposed to do your work?" Eruka complained, looking offended.
"N-No... b-but it would be a favor... yes?" Crona tried to negotiate, obviously hoping for the witch to leave them alone for a moment. Maka wasnt sure she wanted that right now.
"Oh... are you implying you would owe me something? Gecko... Now you have my attention." Eruka grinned, obviously teasing the swordsman who looked at her with a pout. "I maaaay need a pair of new outfits you know?"
Crona winced, apparently thinking on how much the frog witch had recently raided his wallet. He was no good at valuing money, since he never had it before, but apparently having less and less everyday was bad, or at least thats what Ragnarok had tried to teach him.
"C-Can we discuss that later? T-The students might get lost..." The sword meister urged Eruka, making her chuckle in amusement.
"Theres no need, I have to go" Maka sudden voice, interrupting them abruptly, made the swordsman jump in unpleasant surprise. Both witches stared at her with frowns in their faces.
"M-Maka... c-can we talk?" The swordsman asked her. The tone of his voice, insecure, fearful, gripped her heart painfully. She didnt want to hurt him. She didnt. She really didnt...
But there was something she had to do, something really urgent.
"Crona..." The blonde meister stared at him, her hand moving towards him for a moment, but she hastily retreated it back. No, no more, not until she could figure out what to do, not until she was completely sure.
Without another word, the scythe meister ran off, leaving Crona confused and worried, and Eruka cussing under her breath.
The week had gone so well.
After Soul left, after dealing with her worries for her weapon partner and the deep guilt for keeping such horrible secret from him, Maka found consolation and comfort in Crona. It was awfully wrong, since he was the reason of all her problems, but he also was the antidote to all the confusion poisoning her mind. When they were together, she could forget every doubt, every bad thought. Around him, everything was alright.
But the feeling would only last so far.
At night, every night, Maka would stay awake for what seemed hours, thinking about what to do. The thin line that separated her needs from her wants seemed to turn into an abyss when he wasnt around. It was almost as if his wavelength had a soothing effect on her mind, as if his lips were loaded with a poison that numbed her reason. When she was with him, nothing mattered, nothing... just them.
He was addictive... like some kind of madness.
After the little chat with Eruka in the woods, Maka found herself unable to sleep the whole night. How could she tell Soul what had been happening without hurting him? The answer was... there was no way. There was no way she could tell him without hurting him. The truth would hurt him, badly, maybe to the point of madness, but what else there was to do? Keep lying to him? No, he would find out, sooner or later, or the lie would turn her insane first.
What else there was to do? Tell Crona to stay away and never search for her again? That was the right thing to do, right? That was what she had to do. She had to preserve the promise of everlasting love to Soul, to be loyal and faithful, the very promise she scolded her father for breaking. Pushing Crona away was the correct answer, it was very simple... but it was laughable. There was no way she could do that... it would destroy them both. Maka knew, oh how much she knew, she couldnt do that either. Not seeing Crona, not hearing his voice, not seeing his deep dark eyes, or feeling him close... The thought of not having him, his soul, his touch, the taste of his lips, induced a deep anguished fear into her.
She had no sleep at all that night, and by morning she was a complete mess... so much she had to call ill at work. She needed time for herself, to think, to measure her options and find the solution that would cause the less amount of damage. Yet, the more she spend the day thinking, the more bizarre the options turned. At some point she started to plot the idea of using her solo missions as an option to escape and see the swordsman at least every once in a while. Would that work? yes. Would that make everyone happy? Absolutely not.
It was at those times of confusion and inability to make up her mind, that Soul would knock some sense into her skull. Her weapon partner had always been a source of reason and logic for her, when she would always choose the most straightforward and impulsive answer for every problem. Now, when she had a problem she couldnt share with him, who else there was to call for help? Crona usually was the second option. Not as cool-headed as Soul and absolutely not as calm, but he would always listen to her carefully and help her to find the answer that was correct in every sense. But she couldnt go to him either, for obvious reasons...
Crona would tell her to leave him. As always, the swordsman would help her choose the correct answer... which was to leave him. He said so himself... he just wanted her to be happy, and he was ready to sacrifice himself in order to make her happy. She didnt want that... there was no way she could feel happy again without him.
The longer she though about the problem, the problem seemed to become bigger and bigger, suffocating her. Her momma would know what to do... it happened to her, at least in some way... right? Her momma could tell her what was the correct answer, the right path, but writing to her and waiting for an answer was a luxury he had no time for. Soul would be back in hopefully a week, and he would demand an answer of what she had been hiding from him. She needed help, she needed to talk about this with someone, anyone...
And that was the reason why she now was in her bedroom, staring at a large full body mirror in front of her, the reflection that minutes before was showing her tired eyes now worked as a window to another place. A large clear room with light blue sky, fluffy clouds, and a pair of piercing golden eyes staring back at her.
"You sure you dont want to talk about it?" Kid's worried tone of voice made her turn her lips into a half smile.
"Is that bad?" She chuckled, her fingers combing her drying loose hair. She had taken a bath an hour before, after deciding to make the call, just to avoid looking too bad. It seemed it didnt help.
"You look quite tired... and asking me to talk with him above all people, it was a real shocker" Lord Death pointed out, holding his chin on his index finger in a thoughtful expression. "... does this have anything to do with Soul leaving for that mission?"
"... yeah, you could say that..." Maka took a long deep breath, looking down to her own body. She was wearing a comfortable light yellow cotton sweater, matched with lemon green pants. Certainly it wasnt the outfit for an official call to Lord Death, but she wasnt planning on talk about her issues with him.
The scythe meister wasnt an idiot. She knew Kid was smart enough to figure out what was going on. His sharp suspicious mind wouldnt let slip something as obvious, and by the way his piercing golden eyes were looking at her, she could only guess what he was thinking. But at least he was still a gentleman, avoiding the subject or asking her directly. For that, Maka was grateful.
The large door of the death room opened with a loud strike. The image of a desperate redhead entering the room, looking around like a mad dog chasing a rabbit, forced her to take a long deep breath, holding back her natural cringe reaction.
"MAKAAA! Papa is here!" Spirit's loud voice boomed in the room, making Kid grunt in annoyance. The old man rushed next to the Death God, holding the mirror close to his face, staring at his daughter with tearful eyes. "I'm so happy you want to talk to me baby!"
"Papa, please... control yourself" Maka sighed, staring at her father unamused, wincing when Spirit cleaned the snot of his face with the back of his hand.
"You are so mean Maka! Its been six months and I haven't got a single letter of you! You are going to kill me with worry!" The death scythe whined, shaking the mirror slightly in his hands.
"Ey, careful with that! If you move it out of place you will ruin the room's symmetry!" Kid warned the weapon, pointing at Spirit with anger in his voice. "Stop touching that and move away right now!"
But Spirit was way too into his own little Maka world to hear any reasons, cuddling against the cold mirror, rubbing his cheek against it much for the blonde meister's distaste. She knew the conversation would be awfully difficult, but that was ridiculous.
"Kid, can you leave us alone for a while? Its really important" The scythe meister asked her old friend, trying to make eye contact with the god despite Spirit's body blocking almost all possible view. Kid frowned at her.
"Maka, I appreciate all you did for the world, and you are my friend, but my mirror is not your personal chat room" The god rested both of his hands on his hips, standing his ground. "You are getting a bad habit of kicking me out of my own Death Room"
The blonde meister pouted slightly, a frown showing on her face. That was technically true, but it only happened a couple times! Certainly Kid could spare his mirror for some minutes, right? In other circumstances Maka would take her time to sweet talk Kid into her demands, but with Spirit's horrible face and whining voice chewing on her nerves, she was quite in a hurry to finish the call.
"I'm going to tell Patty to disarrange your whole manor" Maka threatened him, her emerald eyes staring at the god with a sudden deadpan look in her face.
"Y-You wouldn't dare..." Kid's golden left eye twitched slightly, turning pale at the meister's threat.
"And I'm telling Blair to drop a party there with her friends... all witches welcome to vanish and disappear things at their leisure."
"Maka this is outrageous! How dare you threaten me like that?" The black haired voice pointed at her, obvious anxiety making his finger tremble slightly. "This is a complete travesty! I refuse to be a victim of your mind tricks!"
"Papa, I wont be able to talk with you because Kid doesnt leave us alone..." Maka sighed, imitating what seemed to be a displeased tone in her voice. "Maybe if you could take 5 folds of toilet paper out of one of his bathrooms without telling him which one is..."
Spirit blinked a couple times, thinking about her words before looking back at Kid, a wicked grin quickly showing on his face.
"W-What!? N-no! You cant do that!" Kid horrified expression almost tore a laugh out of the scythe meister, but she managed to keep her poker face intact. "If you do that then I'll have to undo every single toilet paper in the manor and count it back into a symmetrical equal number and that would take forever and I have no time for that!"
Finally, as Maka was hoping for, the Death God dropped on his knees, both of his palms together in a pleading sign, staring at her from the other side of the mirror with tearful eyes.
"Please! Please dont! I'll do anything!" Kid begged, forcing Maka to held back a huge grin on her lips. Score!
"Please let me talk alone with my father, is that fair?" Maka asked, giving the shinigami a gentle fake smile. Eruka was probably right... it was a relief she hadnt been born a witch. If she could prison a Demon God, make a mini demon god her lover, and turn Lord Death himself on his knees... what could she be able to do with magic? Ohh the possibilities...
"Yes, yes it is fair... I'll be waiting outside" Kid quickly agreed, color slowly returning to his pale features. Combing his hair with his fingers, trying to keep the three symmetrical lines of his head in place, he regained his composure. Taking a deep breath, the god glanced at the blonde meister before abandoning the room.
Maka's emerald eyes stared down to her father, who took a step back from the mirror to take a better look at her. Her unreadable face should be enough hint for Spirit that she wasnt up for his antics, but as always he would try and play the fool.
"How is my little girl doing over there? Is everything okay baby?" Spirit tried to sweet talk her into submission, as if not remembering she was an adult woman, and not some five year old who could be bribed with ice cream and tickles.
Maka wasnt amused, and her cold features forced Spirit to frown, apparently sobering up. The death scythe hunched slightly, tucking his hands inside the bags of his black suit pants. She meant business, and at least Spirit had noticed that already.
"Maka? Are you okay?" The serious voice of her father made her huff slightly. Since when Spirit would take anything seriously? Only when it suited him of course. But she couldnt allow herself to let her feelings get the best of her. She needed to know...
"Papa..." The scythe meister started, moistening her lips and swallowing hard, trying to clear her throat. When she was a kid, asking such questions was easy... because she could stare down at him from a high moral stand. Now... now there was a chance they were equals, sharing a same trait, the same sin. "I need to ask you something"
Spirit noticed her discomfort, and damn sure he looked worried now. It was highly odd for Maka to search for him, much less for asking him about anything. The weapon stood in front of the mirror patiently, his face showing with a small frown on his face his concern. He waited in silence for her to continue.
Maka hadnt taken consideration about the hour difference when she decided to make the call. It was probably around midnight in Nevada, she had been really lucky to find Kid still awake and inside the Death Room. Spirit looked sober, quite a shock knowing him, but a little tired. He probably was sleeping when he got the call that she was looking for him. She should soften her behavior for him, just a little... maybe he would tell her what she wanted to know that way. She took a deep breath.
"Please... for once in your life... I need you to tell me the truth" The blonde meister stated, noticing how her father tensed with her words. She continued. "Tell me why you cheated on mom"
"Maka..." He gasped, fear showing on his face, tired cobalt eyes staring at the mirror before looking away. "Its quite late for this conversation..."
"No, dont you dare running away Spirit!" Maka hissed, anger and frustration bubbling out of her, showing off in the poisonous tone of her voice. It wasnt easy for her to swallow her pride and call for him for help, and certainly she wouldnt let him slither his way out of the conversation. "I'm not a little girl anymore, I'm your daughter and I deserve an explanation! So man up and tell me what happened!"
"You know what happened" The redhead frowned at her, his eyes showing pain and a hint of resentment. He hated it, he hated being asked about it, but Maka couldnt care less about his feelings.
... Would Soul end up hating her the same way she hated her dad?
... Would Crona hate her if she...?
"Dad... please..." She lowered her tone of voice, emerald green eyes staring at him with desperation, anger and pain. She couldnt hide the doubts swelling in her soul, she needed to know... "If you ever cared about me, please tell me..."
"I care about you more than anything in this world, Maka" Spirit said with a secure tone in his voice, yet his eyes stared at her with a deep frown. He looked offended. "Dont you dare saying I dont care. You are my whole world"
"Then show it! Show it by telling me the truth!" Maka yelled at him, her hands tightening in fistfuls, holding back her insecurities and fears as good as she could. "Why you cheated on mom? Why you kept on doing it despite she begged you to stop? Why did you throw away your marriage just to be with other women?!"
Spirit stood back, his pale face showing fear and remorse, clumsy feet taking a couple steps away from the mirror. He was a coward, he had always been a coward, running away from any question regarding the matter. Hiding from her prying, trying to cover the ugly truth of his doings. But Maka knew, she could remember all the pain, her mom's tears, the restless nights when Kami would wait for him awake, while he was out in brothels getting as many diseases as he could. She had a deep, painful resentment towards him... a resentment that now was turning in bitterness.
Because maybe... she was just like him.
The Death Scythe looked away, dodging Maka's stare, cobalt eyes glancing down to the floor as if the answer to all of her questions was written there. The meister couldnt help but chew her lower lip, feeling the cold grip of anxiety slowly reaching to her. She needed to know...
"Why you care about that now? It happened a long time ago" Spirit growled, avoiding his daughter's eyes digging holes on him. Suddenly he rushed his eyes towards her, wide open, his features blushing with increasing anger. "What happened?... Did Soul cheat on you!? Did he!?"
She couldnt help but snort at his conclusion. It was the most ridiculous thing he had ever said. He wasnt half wrong tho...
"He's not like you" She stated coldly, maybe too much, since Spirit flinched from her words. Maka knew she had to keep on pushing her dad's buttons until triggering an answer from him, but if she was too cruel he would run away. The meister took a deep long sigh, trying to control her temper. "Papa... this is the first time in years I ask something from you... if you dont help me I swear for Lord Death that it will be the last"
That seemed to work. Spirit looked at her with the same frown, yet his eyes didnt hold that fight anymore. After a few seconds that felt way too long, the weapon moved out of the mirror's sight to pull over a chair. Placing the furniture in front of Maka, the redhead took a seat, breathing deeply. His tall figure, slightly hunched, reminded her of someone else for a minute... someone too dear for her. His father looked defeated, and for a minute Maka felt guilty for forcing him into something that was obvious he didnt want to do. But it had to be done... she had to know.
Spirit rested his elbows on his knees, leaning closer to the mirror, lifting up his gaze to meet his daughter's merciless emerald eyes.
"You are just like Kami... I never can win an argument with you both" He chuckled, his cobalt eyes looking at Maka with fondness. "Thats what attracted me of your mother, that fire... that hard to get attitude... she was my first girlfriend, you know? It took me months to convince her to have a date with me"
An acid remark was about to leave the meister's lips, but she bit down her lower lip, controlling herself. She had to listen, hoping that Spirit wouldnt ramble too much, hoping that he had the touch of actually answering the question he had been avoiding for 20 years.
"I wasnt bad looking, back in the time... but I had bad luck with women, no one would take me seriously, not even your mom... but she cared about me like no one else did. She was my meister, we had a connection, we had a relationship that only a couple of partners could have, that bond... that bond is unique. I thought it was love..."
Maka was surprised. She expected that she would need to keep on pushing spirit into talking, but he was doing just fine... he was actually telling her what she wanted to know. A sudden shiver of anxiety ran down her spine, making her tremble slightly, the palms of her hands rubbing against her pants. The bond of a weapon and meister, she knew what he was talking about... that bond was sacred, unique... and it felt like love. Maka had no doubt in her heart, it was love... it had to be. Spirit's voice took her out of her thoughts.
"We dated shortly. We loved fast... and when I discovered you existed I got scared... I wasnt ready, I didnt want the responsibility... me a dad? I was only 18 years old..." Spirit's face was calm and serious, his eyes holding a far away look, yet slowly a smile formed on his lips. "I spent the whole pregnancy thinking on ways of escaping... but then I saw you, I held you... in that moment I found out I never truly have loved before. The day you were born was the day I fell in love for the first time"
She had heard that before. Six months ago... one of Crona's memories. He and her dad had talked about it, the memory was foggy and felt like ages ago, but it was slowly coming back to her. It was weird having the memory of somebody else in her mind, but it helped her to understand. It didnt hurt any less, knowing her mother... had never been truly loved. The worst thing was that... it wasn't even Spirit's whole fault. He was a mess and an asshole, but he made a mistake... and her mom paid the consequences.
What really bothered her, was Spirit holding high his love for her, his daughter. As if loving his child was an achievement. As if a parent loving his child was an outstanding trait worth of worshipping. Damn, it was his damn job at best! Maka felt the heat of anger rising through her face, but she held back.
"So you didnt love my mom... then why you didnt leave?" Her words, sharp and merciless, forced a wince out of Spirit's mouth. The old man looked at her with tired eyes, quickly glancing away.
"You cant throw away a life of memories just like that, Maka..." He tried to explain to her, his words making her soften her glance. She could emphasize with those words. "Truth is... I was scared. Scared of losing you, scared of losing your mother, but... once I turned into a Death Scythe, the fame, the money..."
He didnt have to say anything else, there was no need to. Maka knew the story very well. All of his money wasted on brothels, the nights of him not going home, her mother crying his absence, wondering if she wasnt loved anymore. Those were hard painful memories, to both of them. The scythe meister wasnt sure she wanted to really dig into that mess, but still... she needed to know.
"I regret hurting you both, I regret it everyday... I wish I had been brave enough to confront her when it started..."
"Did you love any?" Maka interrupted him, hard emerald eyes staring at him with a frown. "All those women... did you feel anything for any of them?"
Spirit stared at her in silence, cobalt eyes looking at her with an unreadable expression. He seemed to be thinking about her words, analyzing them, measuring them. He shook his head.
"Not once" He confessed, looking down to his own hands, intertwined on top of his lap. "I loved the feeling they gave me... the freedom, the pleasure, the adventure... but I didnt love any of them."
Maka took a long deep breath, her hands moving behind her back, resting on the bed of her room. She leaned her weight on her hands, her head moving up to see the ceiling above her. How cruel those words were, how painful just to know her sweet mother had felt for someone like Spirit, someone so emotionally crippled who couldn't love anything but himself...
But that took a huge weight off her shoulders.
"For cheating... I forgive you.." Maka said in a soft tone of voice, not looking at her papa but hearing his gasp. There couldnt be any other way, blaming him for cheating would be completely hypocrite from her. In that part... she could understand him, at least at some point. After a long moment of silence, the meister glanced back to the mirror, looking at her father with a frown. "But I still don't forgive you for hurting mom so many times. Why you didnt end the relationship if you didnt like it!?"
A tense silence formed between them, it was short, but dense and uncomfortable. He wouldnt lie to her, she knew that much. After all that was said and done, there was no point in hiding anything.
"I was afraid of losing you..." Spirit said, his voice clear yet soft, almost a whisper. "I know staying there and hurting Kami was wrong, but I loved you too much to leave. I know by staying I hurt you as well, but... I guess I was too selfish to see that. All I wanted was to be near you baby... When I explained that to Kami... that was the day she left and left you with me..."
Maka remained in silence. Her eyes, emerald green, stared deeply into those cobalt blue eyes of his. She couldnt feel his soul, but she didnt need to. The eyes were, truly, the windows of the soul, and even with so much distance between them, she could still see his own. It was painful, hating on someone that used to mean your whole world. It was painful hating on someone you used to love. It was completely tiresome to stay away from someone you need.
At least now she knew.
A small smile formed on her lips, her eyes slowly softening.
"Thank you... for talking about this with me... goodnight papa." Maka smiled at him, touching the mirror with her right hand, cutting off the call before Spirit even had time to say goodbye. There was no need, she had heard enough.
She allowed her body weight to fall limply on the bed, arms spread and legs falling loosely on the edge. In silence, Maka stared the ceiling of the bedroom, thinking about Spirit's words, thinking about their implication, and what they meant for her.
It wasnt the same. She loved Soul, he was her friend, her weapon partner, her brother in mischief, her husband. That feeling she had inside her, the warmth, the worry, the care, it was love. There was just no way you could stay with somebody for half of your life without feeling something. There was no way just to not feel love and care for someone who was there in every single important event of your life. Soul meant so much for her, in every single way. She gave him her trust, her heart, her body and soul, and received the very same in return. The story they had forged together was strong, and there was no way she could rip it apart.
But why?
Maka shifted in bed, laying on her right side and pulling a pillow close, squeezing it in her arms, holding it tight against her chest. She closed her eyes as hard as she could, trying to focus on Soul. His teasing smile, his loud carefree laugh, his smell, the way he seemed to understand her without saying a word, their loud and explosive arguments. The memory of him, snoring loudly in the sofa after a long day of work, waiting for her to return home. She needed to make an effort, a last effort, to find the strength and resolve to do what was right, what had to be done.
The blonde meister hid her face on the soft pillow in her arms, nuzzling her cheek against it, allowing her thought to drift away... back to his shore. That soul, quiet and calm, mysterious like the deep sea, filling her with a soothing warmth like a gentle breeze. That link between them, as two sides of a coin, different but... part of a whole. How do you explain such a deep connection? How you explain that deep obsession? How you get rid of that fixation? She hated and cherished the memory of linking her soul to his for the first time... thats when it all started.
How can she get rid of his memory? She cant... she doesnt want to, either. And that was the problem... she didnt want to. She didnt want to be apart from him. She didnt want to end it. She didnt want to ignore those unbearable wants of her heart. Right there, she wished that pillow in her arms were him, holding her tight with those soft hands, whispering the wonderful language of his soul into her ear.
As realization settled into her mind, she cursed herself to no end. Indeed, she wasnt like her father at all. She would never be like him, it wasnt the same, it never would be... because her father never felt something for anybody.
That soft shy smile, the quiet controlled little chuckles, how the clumsy movements of his body in an afternoon walk could turn into elegant flawless dancing during a fight. His innocence, still there even after committing the most horrible acts. His soul, untainted despite the world's efforts to paint it black like his blood. His strength, of body and spirit, coexisting with the fragility of his complex mind. He was an amalgam of contradictions coexisting together, he was her fascination, her need.
His eyes, deep and dark, warm like summer when looking at her, cold and sharp when dealing with an enemy. His eyes, midnight dark like a storm, haunting her memory, wishing for those eyes to look at her and nothing else. The windows of his soul... she loved his eyes, she loved his soul... she...
Maka opened her eyes, filled with determination, framed by a strong frown of her eyebrows. As she climbed out of bed, her eyes glanced at the window, noticing the sun giving its last breath before allowing the black moon to take over. It was late, but not too late... she wouldnt let another day pass.
With that fierce determination, with that realization filling her heart, Maka took her white long jacket and left her apartment.
AkireRosales: I hope all of you my wonderful readers are fine and safe. Can you all drop a review just so I can know you are good and healthy? Let me know if you are enjoying the fic so far.
I want to keep a cheerful tone, because next chapter... Oh boy! OH BOY BOY!
Hang in there my readers! If I can, I'll drop some one-shot side-stories of this fic, just to keep you entertained during the quarantine! Stay tuned!
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