I do not own Soul Eater or Owl House.

If I did, this might actually get animated.

Soul could feel Maka's heartbeat through her palms. Even through the fabric of her gloves, made to reduce the development of blisters on her hands as she fought, the Meister's pulse was always more than apparent to the Weapon; it was a constant, a familiar beat to try and match. Most nights, it was steady, the routine of Kishin Egg collection lulling Maka into an almost Zen state of calm – not the boredom brought by monotony, but the certain tranquility that could only result from hours upon hours of practice.

Now, however, her heartbeat was resounding at an entirely different pace.

Within the black void in which his human form floated, reflected only faintly in the blade of his Scythe, Soul couldn't help but frown. He knew Maka was high strung by her very nature; it wasn't something she could help. She was always looking for something to do, always seeking something to keep her mind and hands occupied. It was never to the point where she disregarded the benefits of rest, but the very idea of being idle was something she absolutely abhorred. She genuinely loathed the idea of just sitting down and doing nothing for any stretch of time. In essence, it was almost impossible for the Scythe Meister to be truly at ease.

But even taking that into account, her heart rate had reached a height Soul had only rarely felt.

The final night of their fight with Blair.

The collections they'd conducted after she figured out her Dad had been cheating.

There was no doubt about it.

Something had truly upset Maka.

"I hope you two have been studying," Sid began. He looked like a sick parody of the man that had lectured Soul on the importance of coursework and punctuality time and time again; his skin had gone from a deep tan to a dark blue, as if his entire body had been afflicted with frostbite. His clothes were filthy with mud, dirt and dead leaves, a simple tank top and jeans as if he'd just grabbed whatever was on hand and had been wearing them for three days straight, his hair similarly greasy with oil and muck.

His eyes were milky, clouded over so thoroughly that his iris and pupils were indistinguishable from the whites, his mouth stuck in a permanent snarl that bared every single one of his teeth, which slated against each other, almost audibly grinding every time he tensed his jaw and only barely parting as he spoke.

But the worst part of it all was the gaping hole in the middle of his forehead. Perfectly round like a black moon, Soul had no doubt that if he were to shine a flashlight into that dark circle, he would see the crushed brain matter that remained within Sid's skull.

He hefted the tombstone, the upturn of his strained lips and his almost mischievous tone implying a sinister smile, "Because I won't be going easy on you just because you were students of mine. I've always judged based on merit; that's the kind of man I was."

"Can't say I find your "test" all that creative, Sid. Though then again, you did have a good chunk of your brain smashed into pulp," Maka's grip tightened as she carefully gauged the undead professor; their attempt to end the fight before it began had failed, his reaction too swift for either of them properly counter, and now a head on confrontation was inevitable, "In a way, it's impressive that you're even coherent, much less able to "teach.""

"Being dead alleviates many of the issues that come with living, Miss Albarn," Sid explained with an almost casual air, "The frailties and flaws of the human body, for one thing. In fact, why don't I give you a DEMONSTRATION!?"

He hadn't even taken a proper stance. Sid simply lunged with a newfound, animalistic vigour, throwing himself forwards and upwards off the closest tombstone; he rose into the air, five feet, ten feet, nearly fifteen before he reached the apex of his arc, gripping the base of his tombstone and driving it down, descending towards Maka and Soul like a rocket.

Maka's reaction was practiced and precise, shifting to the side right as the cross-shaped stone would have cracked open her skull; it struck the earth, sending a tremor up her legs and sending dirt and dust flying into the air, but she remained undeterred.

Instead, she spun, redoubling her grip and swinging Soul with deadly intent, aiming to strike Sid before he could regain his footing or retrieve his weapon from the dirt.

The Zombie, however, proved too agile; his hands gripped the base of the tombstone, and he spun with all the grace of an acrobat, easily dodging beneath the slash that would have removed his head entirely. His leg shot out, aiming to strike the Meister in the side.

This time, she raised Soul to block. Flesh and bone met steel with a resounding clang; Soul let out a breath, feeling the impact resound back and forth through his whole body. He was accustomed to high-force impacts at this point – he endured all sorts of slashes and blunt force trauma in Scythe form before, and even the occasional gunshot – but this was something else entirely.

The force behind the blow was enough to push Maka off her feet; she flipped backwards, easily landing on her feet once more.

A good thing, since Sid was already halfway through his next assault, roaring as he tore the tombstone from the earth in a spray of graveyard soil, forcing her to once again leap back to keep herself from being caught in the makeshift combination of smokescreen and hail of projectiles, each pebble flying forth with enough force to embed themselves in the trees as if they were bullets.

And once again, Sid was upon her, tombstone tucked under one arm as he drove a fist forwards, once again sending an almost painful, jarring crash through Soul as Maka blocked with his steel staff.

All of this occurred over the course of fifteen seconds.

If this was what Sid was like weakened from death, Soul did not want to know what it would have been like to fight the man while he was still alive.

And yet, all the while, Maka's typical clear focus was still missing; mentally, she was keeping up, but Soul could feel her frustration, how it caused missteps, however slight, that made it hard to counter the zombie's relentless barrage. Back she danced over the graves, struggling to maintain her footing and counter Sid's blows.

'Maka,' Soul reached out, the voice of his mind and soul quiet, reverberating through his steel and into her palms, where he knew it would reach her.

She didn't answer, taking a slash at Sid; Soul's blade cleaved through one of the neighbouring graves, but did not find flesh.

'Maka, what's wrong?'

'Nothing's wrong,' her response was not so much sound as it was raw sensation, like a vibration running up his spine; despite her words though, the snap of her tone betrayed her already fraying nerves, 'I'm just peachy.'

'You certainly don't sound peachy. Something's throwing you off,' he noted.

'I'm fine, Soul,' she parried the heavy stone cross, finally managing to get in a strike to Sid's shoulder, shoving him back; a brief flash of catharsis flooded her before the former teacher countered, delivering a spinning kick that forced the Scythe Meister to once again back off.

'Come on, Maka, you're not proving anything by being stubborn. Now is not the time to get angry.'

'And it's definitely not the time for you to be distracting me, either!' she hissed, driving the Scythe down and launching herself up in a perfect vault, up and over the next swing of the tombstone; Maka then flipped, ripping Soul's blade out of the earth and aiming to put it directly through Sid's back.

He spun, blocking with his arm, a large cut opening across his forearm; no blood seeped from the wound, the muscles dark, almost desiccated… but even so, they flexed, visibly expanding and contracting through the cut as Sid immediately transferred from defence to offense, from block into grapple.

Sid's fingers closed around Soul's handle before Maka could return to solid ground; the Weapon's eyes widened, and Maka's whole body went stiff with shock and dread before the zombie spun, swinging the pair around as easily as a pit-bull with a chew toy.

This time, Maka couldn't catch herself, and Soul saw the same stars as her head cracked off one of the tombstones.

Even so, she held on, refusing to relinquish her grasp on her Weapon even as Sid spun to make another swing; this time, the Scythe Meister managed to get her feet back underneath her, her legs cushioning the blow against the tree. Her footing regained, she called out, 'Soul!'

'I'm on it!' he acknowledged allowing himself to transform once more.

It was always a strange sensation, going from one physical form to the other. In his Soul, he was constantly standing at the edge of a pool of unfathomable depth and dark, ready to plunge himself in; he would dip his fingers into the shadows, and flesh and bone and nails immediately transformed into small blades of hard, sharp steel. If he stuck his entire arm into the pool, the heavy blade of his Scythe form would manifest in full.

And when he fully submerged himself, he found himself floating, weightless, staring up at the light of the surface, where images of the world beyond his Weapon form would play out like a film, the sensations of his physical body distant, filtered to him through a body of iron.

As easily as curling a muscle, Soul pulled himself free from the pool. The world's vibrance returned to him; from the waist down, he remained in weapon form, Maka still keeping hold of the staff. Sid's hand was wrapped tightly around his wrist, making him grit his teeth as he felt the zombie's crushing grip shift the Weapon's bones in his wrist mid swing… but all the same, he could sense the Zombie's surprise, the faint shift in his dead facial features and the faltering of his movement just enough for Soul to take advantage of the opening.

He dipped his right arm back into the pool.

"Sorry to cut you off, teach," he grinned, and slashed, everything past his elbow once more razor sharp steel.

Sid's fingers uncurled; he pulled his hand back as quickly as he could, once more avoiding Soul's blade.

But Maka had already regained her footing; she pushed forwards, shoving her Weapon forwards as if he were a spear, encouraging Soul to continue hacking, slashing, thrusting, forcing the zombie further and further back.

Sid grit his teeth, and dove.

The earth parted for him as if he were simply diving into water, the soil swallowing him and leaving no trace he had been there.

"… damn," Maka growled, leaning on a gravestone, "Nearly had him."

"He's not gone," Soul reminded her, "This isn't over, not by a long shot. Think you can find him again?"

She shook her head, "The technique takes too long for me to use. If I were to try, it would leave us both open in a big way. I'm surprised he didn't attack us earlier when I first tried it."

"So he was following us?"

"Yeah. Seemed like he had been for a while, too."

"Well, crap," Soul sighed, settling back into his full Scythe form. He studied Maka, eyes narrowed, "You alright, Maka? You took some pretty good hits there."

"I'm fine," she breathed, straightening with a wince, "Bruised, but fine. I can keep going."

"… if you're sure," he acquiesced, "But you've been off all night; your movement's sloppy and your reactions are slower than usual. And I don't think it's just because we're up against our dead teacher."

Maka's breath hitched, and he could feel her frustrations flare up again; she tightened her grip, immediately letting her eyes sweep the area once more.

"Look, I'm not asking you to talk about it," Soul clarified, "Not now, not later. I know you don't want to talk about it with me, and I'm not gonna make you. I'm just asking you to put it out of your mind for now. You know it isn't going to help."

Silence was the only answer he received from Maka. But, slowly, he heard her breaths begin to even out; her heart rate gradually began to slow, the beat becoming more consistent, and her acute infuriation dulled, fire reduced to embers.

Soul felt a smile tug at his lips.

It was a unique comfort, in a way, knowing that for however much she might snark, or however angry she might get with him, she was still willing to take his words to heart.

"… okay," finally, her grip relaxed, a slow exhale slipping through her pursed lips, "Okay…"

'… we're on the back foot here,' Soul sent the thought through her palms, 'Any ideas?'

'Not much, beyond pay attention,' Maka admitted, her words echoing in Soul's head, 'He's got the advantage, and he knows it; we don't know where he is, but he definitely knows where we are, provided he hasn't gone after Black Star and Tsubaki.'

'You think he's changed targets?' he inquired.

'Not likely. He's already gotten some good hits on us, like you said. It doesn't make any sense for him to change targets now; any logical fighter would finish us off first rather than go for the other Weapon and Meister,' she squinted up into the trees, 'Especially considering that we weren't exactly quiet. We probably got Black Star's and Tsubaki's attention with that clash; they should be here before too long. Sid's either going to attack again to finish us off before they get here, or run.'

'So just stay on guard for now?'

'It's our best play,' once again, Maka sank into her ready stance, the ache in her head gradually beginning to subside, 'Provided Black Star takes this seriously, he might be able to finish this off without much trouble. We just need to be patient and hope that Sid hasn't chosen to retreat.'

He nodded, knowing Maka would somehow sense the invisible motion; with that, he settled down, closing his eyes and focusing on the environment around them.

He saw everything that was coming in through Maka's eyes; no longer were they focused on any one particular thing. Everything, even that which was in her peripheral vision, was now sharply detailed, her vision now able to focus on everything at once without issue.

A sound from beneath the ground. Less than five feet to their right.

There was no need for words; as the zombie burst once more from the ground, Meister and Weapon reacted as one.

The tombstone sailed harmlessly past Maka's body as she sidestepped and swung, pivoting on the balls of her feet and shifting her hips, her hand sliding down the length of the Scythe; the iron staff caught Sid full in the chest, forcing him to stumble, the combined weight of his failed swing and the strike to his ribs forcing him off balance. The blow failed to break bone, Soul's blade slipping harmlessly past Sid's torso…

But that was what the two had wanted.

Soul's sharp blade was now directly in line with the entirety of the zombie's back.

Smiling grimly, Maka stepped back, grip on Soul firm; the Scythe's blade became a sharp, heavy hook, biting into his back further pulling the already out of balance zombie even further off kilter. The tomestone hit the dirt, forgotten; Sid's arms shot up to defend himself, crossing his face and chest on instinct.

"That won't help you!" Maka shouted, jumping, twisting in midair, and driving both feet into Sid's arms in a perfect drop kick, further driving the blade into dead flesh and bone.

Sid grit his teeth, then roared; he threw his arms out, the force of the movement dislodging the Scythe from his back and throwing Weapon and Meister into the air.

Gracefully, Maka flipped, and landed atop another grave, once more at the ready.

"… impressive, you two," he acknowledged, once more taking up the heavy stone cross, "You were struggling through the first few minutes of the fight, but once you calmed down, your reaction was perfectly timed and impeccably executed. If I hadn't been so tough while I was alive, that technique would have killed me outright."

"You really are one tough bastard, Sid," Soul said, "Dead or not, I'm surprised you're still standing after that."

"I wasn't a Three Star Meister for nothing, Soul," there was a smile in Sid's tone again, "And like I said – being dead comes with its own set of benefits. Among them being able to ignore my wounds completely, and keep fighting!"

The zombie's legs coiled, and he leaped, far, far higher into the air than before; he rose above the trees, arms outstretched over his head with the tombstone in hand, "The demonstration is over – time for you to apply it yourselves!"

As he reached the apex of his arc, he drove it down, diving, straight towards his students – far faster than he should have been able to, "A LIVING END!"

Through Maka's eyes, Soul saw Sid's Soul Wavelength pulse; it forced the air around him to ripple, brilliant violet light condensing into the heavy stone. An incredible amount of power was being poured into the grave.

Maka leaped, spinning as the zombie struck the ground, the tombstone driven directly where she had once stood; the stone erupted with power, the violet light turning a blinding white before it exploded outwards, a veritable lightning strike complete with deafening, rolling thunder that left both Meister and Weapon with ringing ears.

They were thrown backwards by the impact, Maka only catching herself by slamming Soul's blade into the earth; even with that, however, she continued to skid backwards, blinded and disoriented from the attack.

'Maka!'

'I know!'

She closed her eyes, tugging her partner from the ground as she heard Sid take off again; she raised her arms to defend herself, Soul bracing for imapct-

"YAAAAHOOOOOOOO!"

Metal clashed on stone as Black Star's voice echoed through the graveyard; slowly, Maka managed to blink the blindness away, and Soul gradually relaxed.

Sid's tombstone now lay partially embedded in the dirt, the zombie's hands still wrapped around its base; slowly, he turned his gaze up towards the trees.

Black Star gave a grin as he yanked back on the Kusarigama, catching the small scythes with a casual ease, "It's about time you showed yourself, Sid. I was starting to get bored."

"Ah, Black Star," the teacher's low voice drawled as he gripped the grave, and yanked it back out of the earth with a grunt, "Actually decided to show up for class alongside your partner, I see. A mild improvement over your usual behaviour, even if you are more than a little late."

"You're one to talk, you stupid zombie," the ninja sneered, "I go to all the trouble of tracking you down, and here I find you playing with small fry. What, were you too afraid to come after the star of the show?"

"I pay close attention to my students, Black Star. That's the kind of man I was," Sid raised his head, a hand on his hip, "I thought I may as well get the more difficult evaluations out of the way. After all, it's not hard to guess what your results are going to be."

"Recognizing that I'll pass with flying colours?" the blue haired Meister snickered, "Good to know you know greatness when you see it."

"No, Black Star… I'm just resigned to the fact that I'll never get to give you any grade higher than a D."

With that, both Kusarigama flew from Black Star's hands, each spinning directly for Sid's chest, the chain extending far longer than it should have; the zombie deftly parried each blade, the tombstone dancing in his hands with ease that should not have come from such unwieldy stonework.

The small scythes embedded themselves in the gravestones to either side of the animated corpse; the chains pulled taut, and Black Star threw himself forwards, Tsubaki's chain rapidly shrinking in length and reeling him in.

"What difference do the classes of a rotting corpse make to me!?" he shouted, "What do you have left to teach me, huh!?"

"Respect, for one thing," Sid simply adjusted his stance, and swung his tombstone like a bat; Black Star's feet collided with the stone, the impact creating an audible crack like a bullwhip; as the zombie followed through with his swing, Black Star was launched up into the air, his movements graceful, controlled as he once again yanked back on the chains, his sheer momentum enough to keep him from being pulled back down under his own strength.

Soul couldn't hear it, but he knew that Black Star and Tsubaki had to be communicating, much like how he'd been communicating with Maka; the Kusarigama went taught, before the tombstones encasing them cracked, and came loose from the ground.

"Why should I show you any respect?! I'm the biggest star there's ever going to be! Three Star Meister or not, you don't even compare!" he swung both arms, the chains twisting in his grip like puppet strings, "I'm BLACK STAR!"

Each gravestone, harder than cinderblocks and far heavier, rocketed towards Sid from either side; he only had an instant to defend himself before they smashed together, shattering and sending a cloud of dust rising into the air, completely obscuring the ground where Sid had stood.

Black Star landed with an uncanny silence, his footfalls not making a single sound; he grinned, "That'll teach you who's getting a D tonight, you stupid-"

"Now look what you've done."

Sid's voice cut off Black Star with neither pain nor awe; as the dust slowly settled, he stood with his hands on his hips, staring down ruefully at the pile of rubble at his feet.

'He must have used his tombstone as a springboard at the last second,' Maka murmured mentally.

'Pretty agile for a guy who should be riddled with rigor mortis,' Soul agreed.

'That's a Three Star Meister for you.'

"You've gone and shattered not only Mr. Graham's tombstone, but also Mr. Young's and Ms. Verningham's," Sid shook his head, disappointment more than evident in his tone, "Don't you know that when you fight, you need to avoid causing collateral damage? You're a Meister, for God's sake, not a street thug.

"And you, Tsubaki! How could you go along with such a recklessly destructive plan? Do you have any idea how expensive it's going to be for these peoples' families to have their graves restored?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Tsubaki called, her tone panicked, "I was just so focused on helping Black Star-!"

"You don't have to apologize to him, Tsubaki," Black Star scowled, rising to his feet, "He's just trying to distract you. Who cares about collateral damage in a fight?"

"You should," Sid snapped, "As a fully fledged Weapon and Meister, any and all collateral damage that results from your actions is paid for directly out of your wages. The only reason that you haven't had to worry about it so far is because you're both technically still students – and believe me, I have been sorely tempted to ask Lord Death to start cutting your allowance to help pay for some of the damage you've caused."

'He's distracted. You got your footing back, Maka?' Soul queried.

'Yeah, I'm good to go,' she nodded, glancing at his blade, eyes meeting his faint reflection, 'You?'

He grinned, 'All good here. Let's cut him in half.'

"And what about you!?" Black Star spat, "You're the guy who was swinging a tombstone around!"

"Out of necessity, not convenience-"

Before another word could be uttered, Maka took off. Momentum carried Soul like a wave, driving him forwards with his blade gleaming in the moonlight.

He only barely caught Sid's skin; the zombie had stepped back, his teeth grit as a deep red line opened up across his side.

"Interrupting me mid-lesson?" Sid chided, a note of amusement in his tone as he dodged another swipe of the Scythe, "I knew Soul was something of a delinquent, but I never took you for a disruptive student, Maka."

"You taught me to take every opportunity to end the fight, Sid!" she retorted, pivoting on her heel and swinging Soul back the other way, clicking her teeth as the Scythe's tip only barely missed her target's throat, "'When you must fight, end it with one strike!' That's your method!"

"Too true," he grinned, "But I haven't taught you everything!"

He stomped forwards, interrupting Maka's forward assault with a well-placed strike with his palm, catching Soul just below the blade; on impact, his Soul Wavelength pulsed, repelling the Weapon and propelling the Meister back.

'Dammit!' Maka raised the Scythe to defend herself, 'Soul!'

'I'll be fine! That's what I'm here for! Just don't take any more hits!'

Sid was moving faster now; he closed the distance with a ruthless speed, his hands flying faster than the tombstone ever had.

Ribs.

Solar Plexus.

Nose and mouth.

Throat.

Each strike was carefully aimed for the most vulnerable areas of the center of the body; they didn't have the same force as the tombstone, but Soul and Maka both knew that they didn't have to be. One didn't need a metric ton of muscle mass or a strong Soul Wavelength in order to seriously damage the human body; all they needed was a decently fast punch and some idea of where to land their hits.

Now that he wasn't hindered using a gravestone, it was clear that this was the entire basis of Sid's fighting style, Weapon and Meister growing increasingly frantic in their defence just to keep up.

"Any time you want to help, Black Star!" Maka snapped.

"I told you," Black Star's voice was a low hiss as he jumped, "Don't tell me what to do!"

He threw the first of the Kusarigama once more; the chain wrapped around Sid's left arm as he pulled back to throw another punch, pulling taut and stopping the next strike from following through.

But the ninja didn't stop there; he kept rushing forwards, Tsubaki's other blade gleaming with murderous intent, lunging outstretched like a claw…

Seizing her chance, Maka stomped forwards, swinging the Scythe with both hands; she pivoted on her feet, twisting her hips, her shoulders, her whole body, putting every ounce of force behind Soul's blade that she could muster.

"… disappointing. You aren't working together at all."

Soul only had a fraction of a second to process Sid's words before it all happened at once.

The zombie gripped Tsubaki's chain, and pulled; Black Star, pulled off balance, was reeled in like a fish on the line, refusing to let go of the Weapon.

At the same time, Sid didn't so much step as he did simply shift, almost shuffling to the side and out of the path of Maka's swing; even so, he kept pulling on the chain, swinging Black Star almost as if he were a flail.

It was too fast for either Meister and Weapon pair to halt their respective assaults.

Soul felt his blade catch Black Star across the shoulders.

Tsubaki's struck Maka in the stomach.

And then their bodies collided, both of them rolling across the dirt in a heap, coming to a stop at the base of a large tree.

"Maka!" Soul shouted.

"Black Star!" Tsubaki screamed.

"I-I'm okay," Maka managed, her voice weak; Soul could feel the ache of her entire body, the struggle of her lungs to take air back in, the impact having winded her entirely.

Though her Soul Wavelength toughened her body to the point where she could shrug off the impact itself, Soul could still feel the open wound from Tsubaki's blade. It was long and thin – thankfully, the strike had been glancing, so it wasn't deep, but that didn't mean the cut wasn't painful.

Black Star grit his teeth, pushing himself up, "Ugh… yeah, that one hurt… what the Hell was that, Maka?!"

"Me!?" she wheezed, finally managed to sit up, "You're the one that got swung around like a ragdoll!"

Black Star turned, opening his mouth to shout, but a series of harsh footsteps shut him up before the argument could even begin; Tsubaki's other blade hit the dirt with a harsh clank as Sid cast off the chain, staring down at the four with marked disapproval.

"You're not making any effort to communicate with each other as a team," he lectured, crossing his arms, "You swung from the same direction with too much momentum to stop yourselves. Not only did this give me an avenue of escape, it gave me the perfect opportunity to counter you both. A pincer attack like that is a viable strategy, but only with due consideration for both your target and for your team. A crossfire only works when you're certain that you won't hit your teammates."

"Still lecturing us?" Black Star shakily rose to his feet; Tsubaki transformed, her chain and blades disappearing into a long dagger, the ninja unsteadily assuming another low stance.

"Once a teacher, always a teacher, Black Star," Sid intoned.

Slowly, Maka pulled herself up, a hand on her stomach; she glared at Sid, once again raising Soul as best she could…

Only for Sid to turn away, "Class is over for tonight."

"… what?" Soul asked.

"There's no point in continuing the lesson as you are. Riled up and angry at each other, you'll just keep making the same mistakes," the zombie began walking away, "Reconsider your strategy and learn to work together. Then we can continue the lesson."

"… don't you dare," Black Star snarled, eyes glowing blue with murder, "Don't you walk away from me!"

Sid ignored him, moving with a confident stride.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" Black Star lunged, blade in hand-

Only for Sid to dive into the ground – a cloud of dust and an open hole being the only proof he was ever there.

Silence fell over the cemetery.

"… dammit," Maka managed, finally doubling over from the pain, "He got away…"

Soul pulled himself from the dark pool, returning to human form; he wrapped an arm around Maka's shoulders, "How's your cut?"

"… bad," she confessed, pulling her hand away from her stomach; her glove came away bloody.

"… I'm sorry."

Soul raised his head; Tsubaki had transformed as well, and was looking over Black Star's shoulders with marked concern. Eventually, she met Maka's gaze, expression clearly remorseful.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, "I at the very least could have tried to stop myself from cutting you…"

Maka gave a weak smile, "… it's okay… I'm fine…"

"I'm sorry, too," Soul sighed, taking in Black Star's back; he could tell just from looking that his cut was far worse, longer, deeper, thin trails of blood seeping down his arms, "This was on all of us. Sid got away, and we all got hurt."

Black Star scoffed, kneeling over the hole Sid disappeared into, "Saying 'sorry' isn't gonna do much good. Doesn't change what happened… I'm going after him."

"… Black Star, we need to regroup," Maka declared, taking a step, "There's no way we're gonna beat Sid without working together-"

"Speak for yourself, Maka."

Black Star's tone was harsh as he rolled his shoulders, glancing back at the Scythe Meister; his eyes were narrowed in a glare, fire burning deep within, "You might not be able to beat him on your own, but don't you lump me in there with you. Tsubaki and I can beat him by ourselves."

Maka grit her teeth; though the resonance was broken, Soul could still sense her temper as it fouled further, "You can't brute force this. You're strong, Black Star, but not nearly as strong as Sid."

"Sid's just a rotting corpse," the blue haired boy affirmed, clenching a fist and looking away, "I'm the guy who's gonna surpass God. There's no contest."

"Are you hearing yourself?" Maka asked, incredulous, "You just got trounced, and you're still insisting that you can beat him on your own!"

"I'm the strongest that there is!" Black Star snarled, turning to face her, "I'm not gonna give up over one little cut. Unlike you."

The Meisters glared at each other for a long moment.

"… that's enough. Both of you."

It was Tsubaki that spoke this time, tone stern as she cast her gaze upon them; it was only when she was certain that she had their full attention that she continued, "We're hurt, we're angry, and we're tired. I hate to admit it, but Sid is right; even if we were to catch him, I don't think we'd be able to beat him tonight."

Black Star cocked an eyebrow, "You don't think so, Tsubaki?"

"Black Star, I don't doubt that you could power through that wound," she gave a gentle smile, "I've seen you work through worse. But even if you chase after him now, he could literally be anywhere. He might even still be watching us right now. I think you know that if we go after him now, we may as well just be chasing our tails."

"Besides," Soul added, hoping his voice would add to Tsubaki's reason, "Even if he didn't have all sorts of hiding spots underground, he's dead. He doesn't react to pain, if he can even feel it – that in mind, I think it's safe to assume he doesn't feel fatigue, either. 'Run and you'll die tired' doesn't apply to him anymore. If anything, all he has to do is give us the run-around until we're all exhausted, and then what?"

Black Star closed his eyes, chewing on his lip and clearly searching for a reason to insist on chasing Sid regardless. Eventually, though, when he opened his eyes again, they had returned to their normal deep green.

"… I hate giving up on a chase, but I suppose a good assassin always knows when it's time to retreat," he grumbled, folding his hands behind his head.

"That's right," Tsubaki agreed, approving.

"… good," Maka sighed, her voice betraying relief, "Then we can all head back, treat our wounds, and discuss our next steps."

Again, Black Star snorted, "Don't get the wrong idea, Maka. You can't tell me what to do. Tsubaki and I are going back, getting some sleep, and then we're gonna do a search for all of the little hidey holes Sid might be using."

"… seems a bit haphazard," Maka noted, eyes narrowing again, "Don't you think he's liable to change location after tonight? Make us re-do our entire search?"

"Better than just doing nothing," Black Star shrugged. Then he levelled his eyes at her once again, "But let's get one thing straight. It doesn't make any difference to me whether or not you tag along. You wanna give up? Fine by me. You wanna stick around?... then you don't tell me what to do, and you stay out of my way."

Soul could hear Maka's teeth grind as Black Star turned away, hands stuffed in his pockets, "Come on, Tsubaki. We're going home."

Tsubaki shot one last "I'm sorry" back over her shoulder before moving to walk beside Black Star, the pair disappearing into the mist.

"… I hate him."

Soul only spared a glance towards Maka, but one look at her pale green eyes was enough to know that the venom in her tone was real.

He didn't try to placate her. He didn't try to defend Black Star.

Instead, he gently rubbed her back, "You okay to walk?"

"… I think so," she took a step, wincing, "… this trip back is gonna suck, isn't it?"

"… here," gently, he tugged on her arm, pulling it up and over his shoulder.

She blinked, surprised, but her expression finally softened back into a smile, "… thanks, Soul."

"Hey, don't mention it," he felt the corners of his lips drift gently upwards as he led Maka back to the cemetery gates.

"That's what partners are for, right?"

Luz couldn't help but give a broad grin as she finally pencilled in the last of her math; with this, it was all done. The last of her homework, the whole year was finally over with, finals aside.

She glanced at the clock, "Just short of nine… and here I thought this was gonna take all night. I'm gonna have to thank Maka later."

She perked up as knuckles rapped at her door.

"Luz? You alright?" Papi's voice rang out, "You've been in there for a while."

"I'm good," she spun her chair to face the door, folding her hands in her lap, "Come in!"

The knob clicked, and Dad stepped in, another steaming ceramic mug in each hand, lips upturned in his usual easygoing smile as he offered the blue one, "That's sure taken you a while. Need any help?"

"Just finished, actually!" she chirped, reaching out and gratefully accepting the mug, "Maka was a huge help; reminded me how algebra works."

"Gave her a call, did you?"

"No, actually. She called me," Luz took a sip, letting out a contented sigh, "… Mami's hot chocolate is the best…"

"So's her coffee," her father chuckled, idly swirling his own cup.

"Coffee?" Luz cocked an eyebrow, "Don't you think it's a little late for that?"

"Remember that I still have to drive tonight, Luz," he raised a finger, "I gotta get back to my hotel, and I'd rather not fall asleep at the wheel."

"I still don't get why Mom won't just let you stay the night," she admitted, "We might not have a guest room, but we do have spare blankets and pillows. I'm pretty sure we have a roll up futon somewhere, and even if we don't, you could at least take the couch."

"That's between your mother and I, Luz," he sighed, finally starting his coffee, "Much as I'd love to stay here, your mother has drawn some lines I don't want to cross. Especially since she has good reasons for drawing those lines in the first place."

"… I guess that's fair enough," she conceded.

"… still, Maka called you?" it was Dad's turn to cock an eyebrow, "Aren't you the one usually calling her?"

"She just wanted to give me an update. From the sound of it, she's got a tough two weeks ahead."

"Oh?"

"Remember you told me about Sid?"

"I do," he smirked, "I still think he'd be a favourite teacher of yours, if you ever met."

"… about that," she set her hot chocolate down, idly tapping her fingers as she bit her lip.

"… is something wrong?" he asked.

"… Dad, Maka said that Sid was murdered a few days ago… and that he might have been turned into a zombie?"

At this, Papi winced, his smile morphing into a grimace; he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, "So… you've heard about that, huh?"

"… is that what he called you about, earlier?" she ventured.

"It is," he confirmed, "He didn't want me to come back to Death City with any nasty surprises."

"… which, when combined with the fact that the Grim Reaper sanctioned it… basically means this whole murder mystery Maka has been asked to solve is completely staged," Luz rested her chin in her hands, elbows on her knees.

"… you always were pretty clever, Luz," a melancholy smile crossed Dad's face as he leaned back against the wall, "You were always able to figure out who the bad guy was in most mystery novels."

"I can find all the clues to figure out a mystery, but can't find the social cues to navigate a conversation to save my life," she gave a slight chuckle, "Luz Noceda in a nutshell, I guess."

"I know the feeling," he mused, "But yes. Sid's death wasn't faked, so much as the circumstances around it were faked. He was murdered, yes, but if you were to ask him, Sid would say it was in the service of tutoring his struggling students – something he takes extraordinarily seriously."

"So seriously, he'd let himself be turned into a zombie?" the perplexion in her tone was a perfect match for her visible confusion.

Papi shrugged, "That's the kind of man he is, Luz. Or, was, rather. He prided himself in his honesty and in his dedication to being a teacher. When I asked him why, he said he just… didn't want to lie to his students."

Luz squinted, mouth slightly open as she struggled to process the absurdity behind her father's words. After a moment, she leaned back in her seat, a hand pressed to her temple, "That… that's just absurd."

"That's what I told him," he raised his hands helplessly, "But I guess his principals are worth more to him than... well, being alive."

"… I mean… on the one hand, props for dedication, but… on the other… you'd think his life would be worth a little more than that to him."

"Black Star's grades must be worse than I thought," Dad muttered. Then, he smiled again, "Although, then again… the DWMA is full of off the wall people like that. Sid becoming a zombie is definitely one of the stranger things to happen, but he's hardly the only teacher with such dedication to his students."

At this, Luz's smile returned, "Well, it is better than any of the teachers I've ever had... does he tutor?"

"Not normally, no," he noted, "Buuuuuut, maybe I could talk him into it for your sake. He's never one to turn down a prospective student who really wants to learn."

She giggled, picking up her hot cocoa once again for a sip.

"… you realize I'm gonna have to ask you not to tell Maka the truth behind Sid's murder."

Both eyebrows climbed Luz's forehead this time, "Why not?"

"Because, as much as I personally disagree with the extremes Sid has gone to, telling her would defeat the purpose of the lessons," he pointed out, "Given that she's working with Black Star on this, I'm assuming that the lessons are mostly intended to get Black Star to pull his head out of his butt and actually take things seriously – and to get them used to working together as a team. Usually, Maka and Soul fly solo, but they're almost finished their first year; before too much longer, they're going to be expected to start performing joint operations with other Weapon and Meister pairs to take down more dangerous targets, so they're getting a bit of a head start on their training in that regard."

At this, she gave a sheepish smile, reaching back with her hand, "… well… might be a little late for that…"

He raised an eyebrow, silently asking for her to elaborate.

"… Maka called me to tell me about her lessons and ask me not to worry... she told me about Sid… I told her Sid called you…" she tapped her fingers together, taking a large swallow of hot chocolate, "And we might've… pooled our knowledge and put the clues together?..."

A long moment of silence passed before an exasperated, but thoroughly amused wheeze escaped Papi. He was clearly struggling not to laugh, his face morphing back and forth between stern stone and a broad grin, setting his cup down on her drawers to keep his coffee from spilling, his hand going to his forehead as laughter slowly won out.

It didn't take long for Luz to join in, breaking down in a fit of giggles, kicking helplessly as her chair spun in place like a turtle on its back.

"A-At the very least," she managed, "I-I didn't figure it out u-until after I hung up… hoo… maybe Maka hasn't put it together yet?"

"I… ha… I don't know, Luz," he let out a long, slow, but pleased sigh, "Maka's a smart cookie. Depending on how she's been spending her night, she might have figured it out already, too…"

"Is it really that big a deal, though?" Luz asked, "It's not like Sid did a very good job of hiding his tracks."

"I guess not," he acknowledged, "If Maka has figured it out, then no big deal. If she hasn't, then keep it to yourself."

"Alright. Will do," she nodded.

"… so. What were you going to do for the rest of the night?"

"Well, I was gonna check in with you again," she began, "But, well, here you are."

"Your Mom wants me out of here by ten, but that still leaves us with about an hour," he glanced at the stack of paper on her desk, "… howsabout I look through your homework and check it over? Make sure it's done right?"

She wrinkled her nose, "Is that really how you want to spend your time here?"

"Making sure my daughter gets good grades? Of course," he smiled, "And then after…"

He stepped over to her computer, hitting the search bar and typing in four letters.

The game popped up, the heavy metal, heavy stone letters and dark orange glare causing Luz's eyes to shimmer with delight.

Dad grinned, gesturing to the title screen, "Whaddya say about trying to teach an old man some new tricks?"

Luz immediately snatched up her homework, sifting through essays and worksheets to find her worst subjects. After a moment, she looked up at her father once more, "Where do we start?"

"Well, you did just finish all your math… why don't we start there?"

"Sounds good to me!"

Blair let out a yawn as she unlocked the window, her fingers flicking lazily; the window slid to the side as the screen popped out, letting her slip in with absolutely no difficulty, her floating jack-o lantern disappearing into thin air behind her.

"I spent my whole evening looking for places to work," she mumbled, "Death City really is old fashioned in its construction… not a whole lot of places for me to use my usual skills, and I don't really wanna go into accounting again.

"But at least I found that Chupacabra's place," she smiled, ears twitching as she removed her hat, spinning it off her finger and onto the couch, "It's been a while since I worked as a bartender. Though I might need to practice making drinks again..."

She sank into the couch, kicking off her boots; much as she loved them, wearing heels for an extended amount of time, even if she wasn't really doing much walking around, tended to get pretty uncomfortable.

"I'm hooooome~" she sang, stretching out her toes with a sigh of relief.

No answer.

"… Maka? Soul?"

When she still received no response, she frowned, glancing at the clock; it was well past seven, and the sun had long since descended past the horizon. The relatively small number of lights in Death City allowed the tapestry of stars above to shine and shimmer with their natural brilliance, the grinning moon casting its light over the crooked cobblestone streets.

"… they must be out late," Blair murmured, pushing herself back to her feet despite the protests of her legs, "Didn't Maka say that classes usually end by two?..."

She padded gracefully into the kitchen; there was no sign that anyone had been here since she'd left around noon. The frying pan she'd used for her fish was still in the sink, as was her plate…

"… I'm probably just worrying over nothing," she sighed, turning on the hot water, "At the very least I can get these clean…"

Her ears twitched as the door opened; she couldn't help but smile as she heard the telltale shuffling of two pairs of feet, the voices of her hosts muffled by the distance.

She pulled her hands out of the hot water, and stuck her head around the corner, "Goooood evening, you two-"

She stopped dead, golden eyes widening as she took in the sight; Maka was sitting on the chest cabinet against the wall, clutching her stomach, blood having seeped into the white of her shirt. Soul had the Tupperware of bandages in his hands, going through the supplies and only barely glancing up at her.

"Hi, Blair," Maka raised a hand in a wave, wincing.

"Oh, Titan," Blair hissed, immediately darting over, "Are you okay!? What happened!?"

"Got in a fight with a zombie," Maka gave a weak smile.

"Maka's stomach got cut," Soul stated, his tone almost clinical as he pulled out the bandages.

"Then what are you two doing here?" Blair demanded.

The Meister and Weapon blinked, looking up at her as if she'd caught them off guard; Blair herself was surprised by her tone, by the scolding anger in her voice.

"I mean… shouldn't you two be at the hospital?" she finally asked, doing her best to settle herself back down.

"… heh. Guess we forgot to tell you," Soul's expression softened into a gentle smile, looking back down into the packages of bandaids, "One of the first things we learn as DWMA students is first aid. We need to be able to determine how serious a wound is and treat it immediately."

"Okay. And?" Blair asked, crossing her arms pointedly.

"I've already taken a look at Maka's cut," he gestured, "She's gonna be feeling it for a few days, but it isn't anywhere near as bad as it looks. The blood that's seeped into her clothes is making it look like she's bleeding more than she actually is; right now, we just need to disinfect it and get her some bandages."

Blair bit her lip, once more looking to Maka; the Meister seemed uncomfortable, wincing every time she moved, but overall appeared relatively unconcerned. If anything, it seemed like her mind was elsewhere, grumbling every now and again under her breath about one thing or the other – her ruined shirt and stained gloves, and something about a black star.

"… may I take a look?"

"Hm?" Maka perked up, eyes suddenly fixed on the cat.

"Your cut," Blair emphasized, pointing at the bloody shirt, "May I take a look?"

Maka's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed, but a glance from Soul was all it took to get her to calm. She let out a long suffering sigh, pulling her hand from her stomach, "Fine. Go ahead…"

Cautiously, Blair knelt, parting the shredded fabric to get a look at the wound; the dark red line was long and jagged, almost more of a gouge than an actual cut, like something left by a claw. The blood around it had already dried, flaking off Maka's skin like old scales; the cat gently ran her finger along its edge, and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as she realized just how shallow it was.

"Just a little more than skin deep," she glanced up at Maka, "I still think you two should have gone straight to the hospital instead of coming back here."

"We know what we're doing, Blair," Maka assured, letting herself rest against the wall, "The cut's not that bad."

"But what if it was?" Blair insisted, "Would you still have come straight here?"

"Of course not," Soul finally pulled a bandage roll from the packaging, rising to his feet, "Have a little more faith in our judgement. We're young, not stupid."

She let out a hum, looking back down at Maka's cut; after a moment, she gently pressed her palm to the surface of the wound.

"Hey, whoa, wait," Maka's hand wrapped around Blair's wrist, "What're you-"

"Just hold still for a moment," Blair instructed, tone stern as she closed her eyes, reaching for her Soul Wavelength; she could see her own Souls, all a mix of deep violet and flaming orange, their Wavelengths perfectly unified.

'Just need the one,' she thought, focusing on one Soul; the Wavelength pulsed through her palms, turning from a cascading collision of purple and orange to a vibrant green, "Pum-Pumpkin, Pumpkin…"

She opened her eyes; as expected, forest green energy flowed from her hand and into Maka's skin. Beneath her palm, she could feel the wound slowly knit itself back together, the skin healing over milimeter by milimeter.

When she pulled her hand away a moment later, the cut was gone.

Maka blinked, pulling off her glove and feeling her stomach to be sure; a scar had been left behind, as Blair had expected, but the wound itself had completely disappeared, not a hint of red to be seen.

"… you healed me," she murmured, meeting Blair's eyes in a mix of wonder and confusion.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" the cat asked, still stern, "Any injuries to your head?"

"… I took a couple of bumps," Maka admitted, "But no blood, no dilated pupils."

"No wooziness? No difficulty with balance or memory?"

"I already checked," Soul confirmed, "Maka has no signs of a concussion."

"Okay," Blair rose to her feet, dusting off her hands before turning to the Scythe, "And what about you?"

He chuckled, raising his arms to display several small splotches of purple, "Couple of bruises, but nothing serious. Should be gone by morning."

"… if you're both sure," she crossed her arms, "But I still think you two should be heading straight to bed. Maka especially; my spell healed the cut, but you still lost some blood. I wouldn't be surprised if you're feeling lightheaded for the rest of the night."

"Trust me," Maka pushed herself up, testing her range of motion; there was still a slight wince when she twisted too far one way or the other, but the Meister was clearly enamoured with how much movement had returned to her, "We're not doing anything else that's strenuous tonight. We're eating and going straight to bed."

Finally, Blair gave another smile, "I can cook for you, if you want."

"Oh, come on, Blair," Soul laughed, "We're a little beaten up, not invalids. We're cool enough to look after ourselves."

"Alright, alright," she conceded, "But I'm holding you both to that. You only have one Soul each, after all, and I don't think I can lend you any of mine."

"Technically, you already have," Maka snarked.

"Ha ha," the cat turned, and padded away.

"… well, can't say I was expecting that," Soul stated, clearly thinking Blair was out of earshot.

"Me either," Maka confessed.

"… think it's enough reason to let her stay?"

"… well, she could save a fortune on bandaids; those are expensive."

"Heh… is that a yes?"

"Don't push it."

Blair's smile widened as Soul's chuckle followed her down the hall. She glanced back out into the night sky, her chin in her hand.

"I'll have to ask them what they were up to in the morning…"

FINALLY, AN ACTUAL FIGHT SCENE.

And more serious Blair, yaaaaay!

Okay, so this is probably the last chapter of strict setup for Luz; next chapter I intend to actually get to Stein at the very least, if not wrap things up with him outright so we can finally get into the Boiling Isles proper.

Or at least that's what I hope. You can never guarantee these things until you've actually written them out, you know?

Thank you all for reading and for your patience and understanding with me. Let me know what you think! I hope you all enjoyed the sixth chapter of Owls and Souls, Witches and Resonance!