Her

"What happened to her?" Kidd asked the woman while she sat at the foot of the bed.

"She was the granddaughter of Deathscythe Soul's help. The two of them were in Shibusen's custody when he left Europe and was granted permission to see him after the fight." The woman flipped a page from her report then resumed.

"The vehicle they're using to leave suddenly stopped and blew up. The help, and our staffs were fine but the child went missing for a whole month. It was only until recently that she was found in the Siren's former laboratory."

At the mention of the lab, Maka felt a chill ran down her spine. The children's lifeless eyes and bloodied chests flashed before her eyes but she willed it away. Her knuckles turned white from gripping her skirt. Calm down. It's all over. She released a breath then smoothed the fabric out.

A hand rested on her shoulder and she was grateful for the silent support. Reaching for the girl's fingers, she clasped it between hers.

The Shinigami released a heavy breath. Another problem added to their ever growing list. This time, it's their staff's inability to ask the higher-ups for help until it grew worse and out of control. She could only sympathize with him since she too had her hands full.

The responsibility of caring for hundreds recovering children, making sure they didn't got traumatized by the incident and offering support if they ever pursue the path of being a meister or weapon, fell to her and Marie.

Since the latter had a child of her own, she'd leave most of the time while apologizing profusely. Not that she minded. It was a welcome distraction. An exhausting but very welcome distraction. Besides, seeing the light renew in their eyes made all efforts worth it.

"Maka, Soul is on his way here." His voice was gentle, unsure. "Until then, I'll be leaving her into your care for a while. We need to settle this matter with the involved staffs."

"Okay. Alright…" She glanced at him then at Nygus, nodding slowly while exhaling. Trepidation settled on the pit of her stomach as she steeled her nerves to ask. "Um, how is he doing?"

A sympathetic but sheepish smile settled on his lips.

Shame burned on her cheeks though she swallowed back her embarrassment. It's natural for her to care about him. They'd been partners for almost six years! Anyone would be worried about their former partner if they'd been together for that long.

"He's having some episodes ever since the fight with the Sirens but doesn't want us to worry." He tapped her gently on head. A simple gesture of reassurance and she fought to hold back the tears stinging her eyes. Brandishing his cloak, he walked away. "He's strong. And so are you."

Their footsteps faded while she focused to even her breathing. Using her sleeves to wipe her eyes, she redirected her attention to the girl once more.

"Ivelle," She squeezed the child's hand and her blank eyes shone a dull recognition. Maka's gaze turned to the tear tracks staining her face. It broke her heart thinking how much pain she went through.

Thank Death, she didn't had the same ability as she did and that they found her again. She'd bring her back no matter what it took. They had the Shinigami on their side after all.

Soul Perception.

Hundreds of souls appeared in front of her like fireflies lighting up in the dimming twilight. All buzzed with life and character but she singled out one of it. The soul floated in front of her timidly and she cupped it closer.

An uncomfortable sensation ran through her elbows the moment she touched it. The small orb pulsated erratically on her fingers. She squinted and examined it intently. What she saw made her blood ran cold.

Slowly, she let the faintest of her wavelength seep into it. Static crackled around the parts where the Water resided, more than half of her soul. Wait.

She inhaled sharply when she recognized the deformed, purple orb latching like a parasite. A very familiar parasite, for it burned into her memory the second she saw it leave its owner's body. The day Peisinoe murdered her sister in the cold, dark basement of their school. Thelxiepeia.

"Maka?" A voice snapped her back to the present.

She looked over her shoulder and every thought flew out the window. Soul stood just across the curtain. Ivory hair pulled back by a black hairband, leather jacket wore over a plain white shirt, leather pants and boots. The epitome of cool. However he couldn't hide from her behind his facade. They both knew it.

Hesitation crept into his deep, ruby eyes marred by the heavy bags underneath it. His once tanned skin turned sallow and he'd gotten thinner since the last time she saw him. Sweat glistened on his forehead and, though he tried to mask it, his soul echoed pain.

It took her a few seconds to grasp for words. She wanted to scream at him, berate him, curse him for hiding but she also wanted to crush him into a bear hug. They stared at each other, anxious. Her voice cracked when she called out his name so she cleared her throat and tried again.

"Soul," she said thick with emotions she didn't realized she felt. "How are you?"

"I'm- fine." He replied then grimaced. Turning on his back, he walked away almost limping. "Excuse me."

But she followed him to the door. Never to let him escape again. They entered a wide storage room filled with medicines, bandages and other things necessary to restore ones health. If he sensed her following, he didn't stopped her. The door creaked closed.

He turned back, eyes narrowing slightly when he saw her. Pain and exhaustion seeped into his posture. Now that she saw him up close, she noted the insanity wavelength leaking from his body through pores, eyes, nose and mouth.

Kidd said he was having episodes, so this was what he meant. It reminded her of the time Asura's wavelength almost corrupted him. A very unpleasant memory.

Still, didn't make sense to her. Every time she saw him for their business talks, she couldn't even glimpsed a quarter of what he felt today despite her enhance Soul Perception. Judging from his state, he must've endured it longer than what others thought. If so, how did it slipped her notice? Was her eyes going blind or was it something he did?

It must be the latter. Rage coursed through her veins. If it wasn't he wouldn't hide from her. He knew what she could do. She balled her hands into a fist and glared up at him.

"What did you do?"

He refused to meet her eyes. Shoving his hands into pockets, he leaned against the wall. "I made the imp stop my symptoms every time we met. The sucker knew what would happen if you figured it out so he never complained about it. He can only do it twice though."

The last sentence was laced with regret and she fought the urge to smack him upside the head.

"But why? Why would you do that? I could've helped you!" Her voice rose and she heard the hurt in her words.

"Maka," his gaze softened as it landed on her. "You know why."

She did. Death knew she did. But she was selfish for she hoped he'd tell her sooner rather than later. Her breath hitched and unshed tears stung her eyes. Yet she kept them at bay with a long, shaky breath.

She wouldn't cry. Not while he stood in front of her now. Instead, she'd rather figure out the answer to why. Soul wouldn't hide anything from her unless it involved her or his past.

Kidd said it happened after their fight with Peisinoe so it meant the former. Something happened between them during the battle. Or was it before. It could be somewhere between the two. She wracked her brain to find the possible moment.

Soul watched her with an alarmed realization. "Let it go, Maka."

He walked over and clutched her shoulders, pleading with his eyes not to think of it any further. But it was too late.

She remembered an explosion of pure anti-demon wavelength. His bloodied face, blades protruding from every part of his body, black blood dripping on the floor. An hour after that, they fought the Sirens. Maka couldn't forget how the insanity kept up with her wavelength nor the way Soul seemed to struggle.

Then, she thought it was to keep her from going out of control but now, she wondered. Whose wavelength was he fighting to control?

Guilt churned into her stomach. The answer stared right back at her as if mocking her. All fight left her body.

"It's my fault, isn't it?" She held on his arm while staring up at him. "It's because I failed to restrain my wavelength then that you lost control of yours."

"It was an accident. No one expects an unconscious person to keep their skills locked." His fingers dug into her skin. "Don't blame yourself."

She look at him intently. The faint light coming from the sealed window illuminated his sharp cheekbone and ruby eyes. Dark eye bags and pallid skin. Sweat dripped down his cheek. His exhausted face warned her to stop insisting.

In spite of it all, she thought he was the most handsome man she'd ever seen. And she had to make sure his pretty head understand the gravity of her mistake.

"But-"

"Stop."

"Listen-"

"I swear to Shinigami, I'll kiss you if you won't let it go." He glowered at her.

Blood pounded in her ears. Anger blazed under her skin. Of all the things, he really chose to cut her words off. Fine then! If he wouldn't listen, she'd make him. She returned his glower, stood on her tiptoes, fisted his jacket and pulled him towards her.

Their lips crashed against each other. Pain registered for a moment until realization dawned on them, clearing other thoughts in their heads. He stiffened and tried to move away. But she held him in place.

The logical side of her mind kept repeating it was only to make him listen to her. Although the butterflies in her stomach said otherwise.

The butterflies turned to acid a second later as he stilled in her grip like a statue. She kept her lips from trembling while she pulled away, berating herself for making a fool of herself. He didn't love you anymore.

Shame warmed her cheeks and she reasoned it's only because of her anger. Hurt stung her heart yet she praised herself for channeling the rage at herself to hide it. Funny how much a glare could mask.

"I spared you all the troubles so hear me out." She struggled to keep her voice even. "Because of my mistake, it'll be days or months before you recover. Until then, you won't be able to partner with anyone unless it's me and since I'm not your meister anymore, you'll be fighting solo."

He opened his mouth to speak but she held out a hand to stop him. His eyebrows furrowed but he didn't interrupt.

"I'll ask Kidd to help me with Ivelle so he can also retrieve the other part of Thelxiepeia's soul. I don't know who stitched it to her but I have a feeling Cris and his partner is involved in this. You have to find them."

"Does Kidd knows about this?" His frown deepened when she shook her head.

"I'll tell him after he finished with Nygus though we both know he'll still send you because you're the only one who met Cris." Her eyes went to the door where two familiar souls walked down the corridor to the clinic. "I suggest taking Atarah or Ligeia with you because they can find them with their skills."

She slipped out of the room then resumed her place at the foot of the bed. Soul followed her but instead of standing beside her like he used to, he sat on the opposite and patted Ivelle's head while saying she'll see her grandmother soon.

Kidd entered the clinic. His eyes drifted between her and Soul before sitting at the chair next to her. "We agreed on sending someone to reprimand the staffs and bring Rose here."

"I suggest on sending Soul." She replied then recounted to him everything she said to the weapon including her theory of Thelxiepeia splitting her soul and leaving it to the meister-weapon pair.

He studied the girl and his expression turned grim. "I see… Can't say I'm surprised seeing as Peisinoe only half-turned despite not being awakened. But how can she split her soul? Was there ever a spell for it?"

"No, but there is a cursed tool."

"Where?" They turned to her in surprise.

She hitched her skirt up and reached for the knife holstered on her thigh, ignoring the Shinigami's choked exclamation of, "What are you doing?" and Soul's panicked expression while shrugging off his jacket.

It might look unladylike but she wore shorts underneath. Shorts that she contemplated on wearing for missions since it's flexible and didn't hinder any movement. Not to mention, the holster was sewed on the said garment for ease since she wasn't keen on flashing anyone, thank you very much.

The cursed knife Atarah handed her before glinted in the sunlight. It could split the soul in half when stabbed in the chest. Thelxiepeia could've split her soul before they met her but she didn't realize because of the soul protect and the fact that she couldn't use any of her skills.

"Atarah gave it to me during the fight. I saw Cris use it against her in one of her memories."

"She showed that memory to me too." The weapon added quietly, placing his jacket on the bed.

Understanding passed through Kidd's face. "You want to use this to separate her soul from Ivelle now then cleanse her."

It wasn't a question but she nodded anyway. "Her small body wouldn't be able to handle both at the same time. I nearly died from it so I don't want to risk it."

"Okay. But first, Soul." He glanced at him. "Can you go to Europe now? You can bring a pair you want but you must hurry. Azusa spotted Cris and his partner on the cathedral an hour ago. I can send others if you want but Rose is anxious so I thought it would be more appropriate if it's you."

"It's alright. I'll go." His gaze moved to her. "After I help you cleanse."

"No." She could feel the rage back, burning in her chest. "You'll lose them if you don't leave now!"

"I'll help then leave." He said firmly, looking at the Shinigami as if daring him to disagree.

His eyebrows raised, contemplating. "I'll send another pair to monitor Cris's movements. You go after we're done here."

Maka gasped and the weapon rolled his eyes. She gripped the knife and glowered at him. If he only knew what she felt, he'd leave her in a heartbeat. Not that it matter now. The head of their school had decided.

Still, she had yet to recover from the pain strangling her heart. How could she conceal it? Kidd would know the second they resonated even if she hid it from Soul. They possess the same ability after all although his wasn't as advanced as hers.

Kidd stepped in the middle of them as if expecting her to jump across the bed and gouge the weapon's eyes out. "Let's start."

This was it. She would stab Ivelle in the chest and Kidd would take the witch's soul. Soul would amplify her wavelength so it'd be easy, right? Yet her stomach hardened and she quietly gulped down breaths to keep them from knowing she's close to hyperventilating.

Her knuckles turned white from gripping the handle of the cursed blade. The Shinigami placed a hand over her shaking ones and she flashed him a watery smile. Soul transformed into a scythe, landing on her other hand. Exhaling, she activated their soul resonance and used her skill.

Souls appeared in front of her, this time more than what she saw earlier. A flicker of jealousy entered their connection but it disappeared before she could find its source making her think it was only her imagination. Shaking her head, she let her wavelength unfurled around her.

She reached out to Kidd. Once they connected, she raised the dagger then placed it over the girl's chest. Ivelle watched them through hazy eyes but she could feel her trust through her soul. Kidd's fingers squeezed hers then brought it down before she could react.

Thelxiepeia's soul split from its host and he wasted no time to retrieve it. She wrapped her anti-demon wavelength around Ivelle's soul and felt the madness reject it.

Little by little, she added force to her wavelength to keep the water from acting out violently. Soul's melody drifted in their connection. A reassuring sound easing her doubts. Sweat beaded on her forehead.

Finally, the water diminished. Stolen memories resurfaced one by one though she stopped herself from looking at it. The madness did everything to resist her since it fed off Ivelle longer than it did to others.

However her anti-demon wavelength dissolved it into nothingness whenever it came in contact. She didn't know how long they stood there while she cleansed the girl. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Only Death knew. When the last of the water vanished, she breathed out a sigh of relief.

Ivelle relaxed and she snuggled against the blanket, sleeping in contentment. The blades on her wrists retracted too, though she failed to remember when it happened. She looked up to see Kidd staring at her. He smiled then gestured at her.

"You know, the wings do complete the look."

She groaned then buried her face to her hands while Soul shifted back to human. "I thought, we agreed not to speak about that."

"About what?" The weapon glanced at them, confused.

"I recall no agreement." Turning to him, he asked with mischief glinting on his golden eyes. "Have you heard of her nickname?"

"Kidd, stop." She lunged for him but Soul held her back with a hand around her waist.

"No?"

"Angel of Death, holder of the Last Deathscythe." He wiped the pink goo off his hair then glanced at the window. "I can't let the people down so I need you two to fly to Europe now. With your ability, it wouldn't even take you half a day in searching."

Maka froze then narrowed her eyes into slits. Kidd flashed her a knowing look. Her insides turned to ice.

He knew. He read their souls yet he wanted her to accompany Soul. She didn't know what he found exactly but he deemed it important enough to force them together. How could he?

She shrugged off Soul's hand then stormed to him. He signaled for the weapon to leave and though she couldn't see him, she sensed the hesitation drifting off of him.

"What in the world are you doing, Kidd?" She gritted out, poking an accusatory finger to his chest.

"Maka," he took her hand then spun her to face the door where she could see a shadow waiting outside. His voice dropped so no one could hear their conversation. "I don't know what happened between you two. There's a shift and unless you do something about it, your connection will suffer the most."

"I don't know what you're talking about." The words didn't sound believable even to her ears. Letting out an annoyed sigh, she whispered. "Fine. I'll fix it so don't send us both."

"You don't understand do you?" This time, he walked in front of her then placed his hands on her shoulders as if holding back the urge to shake her back to her senses. "I don't know if the blue haired buffoon mentioned this to you but when you searched for me in the Book of Eibon, Black Star and I faced something ancient. He had the same wavelength as Asura, only stronger. The former ruler of 'Power.' It unlocked our powers resembling madness.

"Remember the fight with Noah? You're injured yet you still fought. You had to because we couldn't fight without you. Why do you think I didn't asked for Soul until later?"

No words came out of her mouth though she knew the answer.

"There's no one who can wield him except for you. You're the perfect pair. The Ultimate Balance." He searched her eyes. "All I want is for the two of you not to throw it away for something you'll regret later."

"I know… I don't want that to happen too." she bit her lip to keep it from trembling. "But I don't know if I can resolve it without messing up."

"You'll never know until you try. Trust your partner."

"I do trust him. It's me whom I can't trust."

"Soul trusts you with his life. We trust you with everything except music. I think, there's a relapse in judgement here. You have enough trust to build an empire but you can't see it."

She let out a soft laugh at the music part. "I don't know what happened to me, Kidd. I think Envy's chapter is still getting to my head."

"Then fight it, Maka. Be strong enough to fight it." He gave her an encouraging smile. "If you do, I'll let you find Gopher to retrieve the Book of Eibon and Brew. You're the only one who can find him."

"I will. Thanks, Kidd." Her arms wrapped around him in a grateful embrace.