Her

She blocked and dodged the witches' attacks while Soul worked on hijacking their spells. The anti-demon wavelength and soul perception she usually held back, now ran on almost maximum. Yet, he took it all without any problems. The black blood worked to balance everything. Whenever her wavelength expand, the insanity followed. It kinda terrified her how great the insanity Soul kept locked up inside of him. Not that she's the one to talk when she actively suppressed her own anti-demon in fear it would affect him and he'd end up like Crona when Stein first defeated him. Seemed like all her worries was for naught. Or not.

The memory of him all bloodied came to her mind and she fought the guilt clawing at her heart. Black blood dripped from his nose as countless blades protruded on his skin. She could only imagine what pain he went through because of her. It was the real reason why she hesitated to resonate with him when they already did it before during the fight with Thelxiepeia. Then, she held Atarah's and the children's soul using her wavelength so it did little to no damage to him. Now, however…

Her steps faltered for a second and it nearly cost her life. Multiple feathers attacked her from every direction. A surprised shout got lodged at her throat when it suddenly flew in front of her. Blood pounded on her ears. She bended backwards then dropped to the floor, escaping by a handbreadth. It whizzed overhead before hitting each other and clattering to the ground. Rolling over to the side, she spun the scythe to block a barrage of assault and ran. It was all she could do because of the narrow hallway.

'Get a grip, Maka! Now's not the time to lose your focus.'

A familiar door loomed on the far side of the wall. Medusa's former prison cell! A small bud hope grew inside of her. She increased her speed, kicked the side wall and launched herself against the steel entry. It fortunately gave in upon impact. The spells zoomed past the room. It seemed unable to keep up with her sudden change of course. Using her weapon, she propped up the door all the while grunting from the effort.

"Are you okay?" Soul's concerned voice rang out.

She forced a smile, ignoring the warm liquid trickling on her arms, legs and temple. Even with the black blood armor, she still got wounded. Their spells must be something else. Her legs shook and her chest hurt just from breathing. All those running tired her out but she didn't dared say it. "Yeah, don't worry about me. Are you ready?"

"Almost. The feathers are surprisingly numerous." The tone of his voice signified they would be able to manipulate it very, very soon despite his words.

Thank goodness. They might need to finish quickly because there's no telling how long she could handle the fight. She could feel her consciousness slipping away from the blood loss. Their fight dragged on for minutes after all. Since they couldn't hit her and she couldn't close their distance enough to cut but only send air waves using the piano to stall the inevitable. Once, she did managed however Peisinoe's skeleton wings blocked her attack and her sister's bloody spell amplified further then crashed over her. She got away with few deep scratches, none too fatal, but it continued to bleed throughout the fight.

Not only that, she doubted both of them were in their best shape when they just got back from delving. Delving exhaust one's soul. If she took into account what happened after her wavelength got out of control… Yeah, they're in the worst condition possible at the moment.

Her eyes snapped back to the door. Not even a minute passed when the two witch's soul moved nearer. She leaped back just as they burst through.

Their faces, red from rage, lit up with derisive smiles upon seeing her backed in a corner. Their feathers, bloodied and bent, flew behind them. A manic light shone in their eyes, especially to Peisinoe's.

"Are you still that bold when you're like a small mouse in front of a crow?" The witch cackled. "How presumptuous."

But before they could unleash their wrath, she felt Soul calling to her. Finally. The real show was about start. Her lips curled up despite herself. Their voices echoed in the room. A mere whisper but backed with power. "Adagio of the Soul."

The feathers stopped a few inches in front of her. Slowly, it turned towards the stunned witches. Their spells turned back against them.

Without any word, wings extended on the scythe. She swung a leg over the weapon and relished the feeling of flying once again. The tables had turned they blocked while she attacked. Whenever they summon more, Soul would seize it. The situation repeated until they hijacked thousands of feathers. She used the same tactic they did. The plumages surrounded the two then attacked in all direction. The witches shrieked in anger and pain when it hit them.

Maka watched the scene unfold from above. Both sisters had their skin and clothes torn from their own spell. Their faces contorted into loathing as they looked at her. Only Peisinoe could block the barrage of assaults raining upon them. Thelxiepeia tried to take back her spells but before she could complete her chant, it strike her down.

"Surrender now!" She shouted without stopping the attacks.

"Never!" Peisinoe glared at her. The skeleton wing on her back twitched then stabbed Thelxiepeia on the back. Instantly, her spells dispersed leaving a puddle of blood on the floor.

"Why..?" It was the last word she spoke. Betrayal and pain flashed through her dimming eyes until her body slackened against the sharp bone piercing past her torso.

A gasp slipped out of her mouth when the witch took her sister's soul then devoured it.

"It's for the good of our kind, Thelxipeia. Don't worry, your sacrifices won't be forgotten." She ran her fingers through the other siren's gaping chest then tossed her lifeless body to the side. It fell with a dull thud.

Bile rose at her throat. Maka couldn't believe her eyes. How could she take her Thelxipeia's life for her own gain? Weren't they sisters? The disconcerting ease of her movements when she killed her turned the meister's stomach sour.

"Maka!" Soul's voice jarred her back to the present but it was too late. Her momentary shock broke her concentration.

Peisinoe managed to take back the control of her feathers. It flocked on her skeleton wings. The same one she used to steal her sister's soul. Once it settled, she looked at them with an unsettling smile full of razor sharp teeth. "You're next."

The soul in front of her became a deeper shade of purple with red staining it. Not quite a witch nor a kishin egg. It struggled against their web.

Maka dove into the air full speed when the witch flew up. They avoided colliding with her and went out into the hallway again abandoning the room. She let out a deep, cleansing breath then focused her consciousness in the Black Room all the while evading the witch. Standing up, she returned to her position behind the albino. Her fingers dug into the fabric of his shoulders. "I'm going to release everything, Soul."

"Don't hold back. Not even for my sake." He answered without missing a beat. "I can feel your exhaustion through our connection. We have to end it soon."

"I know. And I'm not the only one who's close to the limit." She replied with an amused smile though he couldn't see it. "We also need to cleanse the others. I'm not sure if we could cleanse the brainwashed children with this skill but we could at least snap our comrades back to their senses."

"I understand what you want but our connection had to be firm and strong to penetrate the spell Free and Eruka created."

"I trust you in that area. I'll be your eyes and instrument." Wrapping her arms around his torso and placing her head in the crook of his neck, she said. "You're the musician here. Do what you're best in."

His breath hitched and he grumbled something like, "This is unfair." Or something. She couldn't be sure. At last, he smirked then answered. "Fine. Anything you say."

Maka closed her eyes then expanded her soul even further. Her wavelength unfurled around her like wings extending into the expanse of the Black Room and she could feel Soul's insanity wavelength matching her. The tiles disappeared underneath them. They stood suspended in the air until white lines, no, connections ran from them into every direction putting them into the center of a web. A web of souls. Before she reached out to them, she cradled the closest one to her. Soul 'Eater' Evans. It pulsated with the black blood but it didn't recoil from her touch. The developed Soul Perception enabled her to see more than the soul's characteristics.

She could see and feel him. Not just his soul but his being in entirety. His train of thoughts, his attitude. All the things that makes Soul Soul. And because they're connected, they shared everything between them. It must've been weird for Soul to see himself reflected on their connection. So Maka decided to bare her own soul in front of him too. Normally, the fact that their feelings were mutual it was and shoved in front of their faces would cause one, or both, of them to spontaneously combust on the spot. However now, in the face of the danger, embarrassment was the last thing on their mind. A deeper kind of understanding passed between them. And she realized they had entered a new level of Resonance. The resonance of minds and souls.

Her hand rested on his arm and the anti-demon wavelength coursed from her fingers to his hands on the piano. It spread on the web, wrapping around the infected souls. A few more notes and the madness disappeared completely with the exception of some children. Peisinoe's soul tangled on their connection and no matter what it did, it couldn't release itself from the trap.

"Gotcha." Soul said, his hands flying over the black and white keys.

Maka opened her eyes just in time to avoid the feather flying towards her. Around them, the spell wavered then disappeared. No longer were they confined in the basement. She spared no time but flew out of the dark and narrow hallways towards the room they previously left. Their comrades stood ready to face the witch.

Kidd readied his cannons while Black Star laid out a trap. Ox waited on the far left with a crackling spear, Kim positioned on the right prepared to blaze the wicked witch with her lantern and Kilik stood on one of the gallows. Their bodies shimmered for a second before vanishing. A witch saw her watching and she winked at her.

Peisinoe caught up to them. They hovered over the trap to lure her but she slowed down in caution. In an attempt to rile her, Maka turned to her. "Do you know where the book of Ancient Spells is? You have plenty of time to activate the spell since we arrived. I, Soul and Atarah were enclosed on the magic circle when we arrived yet you didn't activate the spell. I wondered about that and came into a conclusion. You need the book to start the spell, don't you? Guess what, I'm the one who hid it."

"Give it back, thief!" She growled then chased them down.

The moment she crossed the room, a loud explosion resounded and Kidd's cannon hit its target. Still, she floated in the air despite her torn wings. Kilik leaped off the gallows then hit her with full power. She blocked it but the momentum forced her down where Kim waited. A ginormous fire engulfed her falling form. When she landed on the floor, Ox pierced her and lightning surged through her body. As finally, the trap wrapped around her. Chains pinned her wings to her body.

It would've been overkill had they did that to Peisinoe at the start. But now it was necessary to immobilize her now that she'd consume her sister's soul. They didn't need to tell them since Kidd must've felt it already which explains their readiness.

She hopped off the weapon and joined her friends crowding around the body. Despite everything that happened to her, Peisinoe still struggled against the trap. Her dark, beady eyes full of loathing glared at them.

"Let go of me!"

They parted for Mabaa and Kidd. Behind them, the male witch stood with a stern look on his face. "You made a fool of our Order and even ate the soul our kind! You are therefore sentenced to death over a thousand times alongside banishment!"

A stunned silence filled the room. Kidd, Kim and the witches didn't seem surprised so they must've known it but death over a thousand times? How would that be possible? Also, they didn't even wait to come into their dimension but sentenced her right then and there.

"Death? Are you kidding me?" Peisinoe cackled. Her whole body convulsed with manic laughter. "How about this?"

A portal opened over them and it didn't even took a moment for the scythe meister to recognize what would happen. Water gushed from above them. Not just an ordinary water, but the River of Lethe rained over them.

In an instant, Maka and Soul understood what to do. They acted with the same purpose in mind. Her anti-demon wavelength extended to the room while the blade grew in size. She swiped it down across her body. "Demon Hunter!"

The portal closed as soon as it appeared. Her wavelength managed to cover every single person in the room from the destructive power of the water. It shone over them like wings and every drop of water that came in contact with it evaporated with a hiss, leaving only a smoke. She looked down on the soul floating in front of them. At the purple and red orb. Guilt lodged at her throat. In the heat of the moment, she disregarded their treaty with the witches and killed their kind in front of them.

"Let's leave. Nyamu." Mabaa broke the silence.

Maka's eyes snapped to her then back to the soul. "Er…"

The fox witch looked back to her with a raised eyebrow. "Is there a problem? Kishin is Shibusen's problem not ours, isn't it? We don't see any reason to stay since our conflict is now resolved."

"Thank you for your assistance." Kidd swept in between them with a grateful smile.


After they settled the problem, Kidd, Soul and all three star meisters and Deathscythes decided to hold a confidential meeting. Maka felt a little sad knowing everything would change between the scythe and her but she pushed aside all those feelings away. She spent the rest of the time and two days after cleansing the brainwashed children Peisinoe and Thelxiepeia kidnapped. The Researchers also asked for her assistance to heal the remaining children. Before she knew it, months had passed in a blur. During her time with them, she learned about the embarrassing nickname they dubbed her during the fight with Peisinoe. 'Angel of Death.'

One of the Researchers, a man in his fifties, apparently witnessed their attempt to save their comrades and the witches. He said he never saw anyone looking as beautiful as her at that moment with her outstretched, shining wings and glowing scythe. Every time someone asked of her, he'd explained with more and more exaggeration until all she wanted was to crawl inside a hole and hide from all the attention and mortification. Seriously. It made her happy they recognized her as someone to look up to but it was all too much.

If she was being honest to herself the real reason she spent every time of her day into cleansing the children, except for wanting them to heal, was so that she could forget about a certain albino who didn't even spared a minute of his life into contacting her. They bared their souls into each other for death's sake! Couldn't he at least ask Kidd to leave for an hour just to talk to her? To clear up any misunderstandings she might have thought? Was she the only one who thought their feelings were mutual? Didn't he love her?

She sighed. Or maybe, he did felt something for her before but he grew out of it now. Feelings were fickle after all. Maybe, he moved on already. A lot of months did passed by. Ten months. Almost a year. It wouldn't be surprising if he did. She could remember few of her friends and colleagues saying they moved on from their feelings completely in about six months max. Maybe she should try to move on too? They did met occasionally but each instances, their exchange were stilted and business-like. Granted, they met for work. But still. They're partners before, right? It would do good to talk a little less formal.

Her heart ached the more she thought about it. Every thought felt like a dull knife sawing back and forth her beaten heart. The insecurities she buried resurfaced again full force. Weak. Useless. Worthless. Replaceable. Those words repeated on her mind until it was all she could hear. Shaking her head, she tried to focus on the task at hand.

On a calm day, Tsugumi swung by with a nervous expression. She told her they found another child on the Siren's lab when they went in a mission to clear it out. Maka didn't want to hinder their mission so she asked them to leave the child on the clinic. They agreed then left. Since she'd cleansed every single person infected by the madness, she told the Researchers where she'd go. They waved her goodbye.

The walk in the clinic was quiet for the most part. She spent most of it watching the new students file in their respective rooms. It's funny how they tend to gravitate to their partner without even knowing it regardless of the gender. They must've looked that way before to the alumni too. How nostalgic.

"How's the Angel of Death holding up?" A familiar voice spoke beside her. "I hope your work's not keeping you busy."

"I've had enough of that silly alias." She groaned then massaged her temples, doing her best to suppress a smile. "I've finished cleansing everyone so basically my job's done… unless you want me to cleanse Black Star from his god complex? I'm afraid he's far too gone."

He laughed, golden eyes sparkled with mirth. "No, I couldn't ask you to do the impossible."

The students in the hallway froze then bowed before scurrying out of their way. Some of the new teachers scrambled to get into their class. If only they knew the real Shinigami.

"Aw, look! You scared those poor people!" Her eyes examined him, noting the cloak around his shoulders and mask on the side of his head. "Where are you going anyway? I thought you're busy consoling mothers and establishing connections?"

"I am. But a small break won't hurt, right?"

"I suppose, not." The empty hall echoed their steps. "So, don't tell me you dressed up like that just to intimidate everyone? If you have nothing to do, you can join me in the clinic to check up on a particular child."

"Okay. Truth be told, Patty made a mess of my hair and suit so I'm kind of stuck with this look anyway. I couldn't show up in the meeting wearing this abomination." A resigned sigh left his lips. Bags formed underneath his eyes and a suspicious pink liquid peeked out from under his mask. "Thankfully, the clinic is near."

They arrived to the room and Nygus didn't need to ask the other nurses to leave. They left on their own the moment they entered. The older woman lead to the far side and pushed the curtain. A gasped came out unbidden from her lips. Sitting there was a familiar girl with curly ivory hair. Her emerald and ruby eyes stared blankly to the window. But most of all, small blades protruded on her tiny wrists.