Him

"Heck no." He stood in front of her with blades ready. To heck with their treaty. If she ever laid a hand on her, he would cut off her arms.

"Calm down, Soul. I don't think she's referring to me." Maka clasped his arm then gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Why do you want Atarah?"

The witch stared at the meister with an almost pained expression. Silence hung on them while they waited for her to answer. "She's my daughter. We've been tricked by Peisinoe. She used the power of the Water on us to distort our memories. But because of your wavelength, I snapped out if it."

"Her wavelength?" His eyebrows shot up, incredulous. "It's all messed up now thanks to your sister."

"I know, but when Peisinoe captured her, there was a short moment where she resonated and her wavelength filled the orphanage. She unconsciously cleansed everything in the place, except for my daughter because she hid her real body somewhere. That's why I want her s- no. I want you to save Atarah's soul and give it to me so that I could use it to locate the rest of her."

"How do we know you're not lying?" He'd never trust her words unless she proved herself. His meister's life was on the line.

Ligeia directed her hand in their direction then chanted. "There, I removed the protection on you. Search my soul, Maka. Tell them what you see. Am I lying?"

She blinked like waking up from a trance, the dullness in her eyes disappeared. Her gaze trained on the woman in front of them before she shook her head slowly. "No, I don't sense any lie within her."

"I don't sense any spell in Maka either." Kidd added, subduing his suspicions. "She haven't manipulated her."

He shifted his blades back into arms but stayed vigilant. "We're already planning to save her though I can't say the same for Mabaa-sama. Atarah lied to her when they questioned her."

"I already talked to Mabaa-sama. She'd spare her because she was still under Peisinoe's control and also because I work as a double-agent to gather information."

"Alright. Now that's out of the way, tell us who are the people we need to protect and how to save Maka." Black Star demanded.

The witch opened her hand and a purple smoke rose from her palm. It flew towards his Meister, disappearing through her chest. When it was all absorbed, she nodded her head as if confirming something. "I protected her soul for the meantime. When the right moment comes, my mist will become a guide to the fragments and it will be up to her and the rescuer whether to piece it back together or not."

"You mean, you're not the one who will delve on my soul?" Maka paled. She looked like she wanted to be sick when she replied, 'No.'

Soul wanted to asked her what would happened to them when they delve? She mentioned it twice now. He had a vague idea about it but seeing her reaction made him think it wasn't just a mere visit in someone's soul.

"As for the spell, it requires the person with all influence, an evolved human, a witch's soul and the embodiment of both Purity and Insanity. My sister have limited magical powers now because Thelxipea was captured and I refused to cast it with her so she'd have to resort to her third plan which is to use fewer people. I'll use a searching spell to find them." Ligeia blew on her fist.

Five tiny, purple crow-like creatures came to life then flew around them. Black Star swat it away when they came close at him. Two vanished into thin air. One landed on his shoulder while the others set down on Maka's head and hand.

"No…" She whispered, obviously distraught at the outcome of her spell. "I should've known it'll be you three."

"I don't understand. Why them? I get that your daughter is a witch, Maka have anti-demon wavelength and Soul, the black blood." The assassin stared at them, lost. "But he's not evil and there's gotta be someone else whose wavelength is stronger than her."

Honestly, he agreed with the loudmouth. It didn't make any sense. Heavy silence was their only answer as the witch scrutinized them. She was also confused. Finally, she sighed then focused her gaze on them. Her eyes glowed. The very same way the scythe meister's eyes did when she activate a certain skill.

"Witches have Soul Perception too." Maka stated, at awe. "Cool."

"No, we usually don't. I'm the only one born with the ability and probably the last one, which is why Mabaa-sama asked me to hide it from everyone but her. You see, your friend isn't the first one to feel out of place with the witches' destructive nature. I, for one, specializes in mere protection, location and storing spells." Her lips curled up in a lopsided smile. "Anyway, I got the answer. Soul isn't bad. That much is true. So, I could only assume that the spell refers to the black blood that had grown more powerful with him since the battle on the moon. And about Maka… Dear, you've been unknowingly suppressing your own wavelength for some reason. You need to let your wings unfurl or else, you'll suffer."

"Okay. I get it." Soul ran a hand through his hair. Agitation clear on his every move. She's right about them, judging by the girl's uneasiness. "But are we really going to ignore the first requirements? What is it again? A person with influence and evolved human? We can't possibly fit into them."

"No, Soul. We are them." The meister looked at him with intensity that he had to turn away. "You told me that you're the only one with weapon blood in your family. It means your genes evolved. While I possess both Arachne and the late Shinigami's influence because of my parents. I have both weapon and meister blood in me."


He stared outside their apartment windows. Standing near their door was Sid and Nygus talking to each other. Beside them, Spirit sat on the steps, wary and ready to launch in an attack any second. After their discussion in the death room, Kidd insisted on assigning them bodyguards and of course, the old man volunteered to do it. Poor guy, flew to the city the instant he heard the news.

A day passed since they watched over them. He felt uncomfortable about it but if it meant protecting the whole city and Maka, he'll injure it with gladness though he couldn't say the same for her. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen the girl after they went back.

He was about to knock on her door when he heard voices.

"-already knew she was lying." The voice seemed familiar. "I could see some flashes of memories and Peisinoe wasn't in any of them. There are also times when my flashback would forcefully end when someone appeared."

"I'm guessing, she doesn't want to lose her hold on you because you had been useful to her. Still, I'm glad to see you're safe though I couldn't hug you, my darling." Ligeia spoke with both relief and regret. "Thank you for letting me see her again, Maka."

"You don't have to thank me. I'm just doing what is right. Besides, Atarah's soul recognized you despite being incomplete, it's only natural to let her talk to you. She was hiding it before but she trusted you more than Peisinoe."

There was a faint rustling and the door opened. He blinked, his hand still position mid-knock. "Sorry, didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"It's alright. I also owe you an explanation." Atarah replied while hovering on the bed. "Now that things are clear and you already met mum, I won't lie to you again. If you're not convinced, just ask Maka."

"What am I? A human lie detector test?" She muttered but beckoned him to enter.

He pulled out the chair on her desk then sat in front of them, confusion was visible on his face when the other witch was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Ligeia? I thought, I heard her voice."

"I'm here, child." The crow on the window jumped inside. Its beady, obsidian eyes stared right through him.

"Okay, Ren- Atarah? Which part of your story fabricated and why did you lie?" It was weird talking to a bird and ghost but he needed answers.

There was a glint in her eyes. Like she was pleased by his straightforward attitude. "The one on our escape. The truth is, Mum helped us got away but I promised not to tell anyone because it would get her in danger. Peisinoe was experimenting on how to transfer a soul and it's powers when Maka snatched the Book of Ancient Spells in the middle of a chant then ran away. Thelxipea chased us but Mum cast a spell on our cloak to conceal us from anyone but you as long as we're wearing it. We've been on the run since dawn until we saw you."

Maka nodded to confirm her story. "I didn't know what happened after we entered an apartment though. Only that I woke up because of Ivelle's crying."

"If you knew that Ligeia is your real mother then why did you snapped at Maka about taking your place? Is that an act too?" His eyebrows furrowed.

The moment he voiced the question, an uncomfortable silence settled on the atmosphere. They exchanged looks, a silent agreement passed over them. Finally, the meister turned to him with a sorrowful expression. "No. It was real. But she was being influenced. Like me, she was acting strange and protecting Peisinoe."

"I don't understand."

"Remember that I housed about a hundred souls inside my body?"

"Yeah."

"One of those was Peisinoe's own child. Her first failed experiment. He was barely ten when he died fifty years ago. His soul developed consciousness again when he felt her and therefore affecting both me and Atarah. I always thought it was because I was using the madness to make myself believe Peisinoe's lie that I was so protective of her but it dawned on me during the time Kidd removed his soul. It was him who was influencing us. Even in death, he seek acceptance from his mother."

A lump formed at his throat. He knew all too well what it was like to be in the his shoes. Until six years ago, he was suffering from the same scenario. Acceptance. Such troublesome word that many gave their lives to achieve and give either to themselves or to others like them. "Okay, this would be my last question. Where did you go when you disappeared?"

Atarah looked out of the window, into the gray, stormy clouds. "I was lying dormant inside of Maka to protect myself from getting swallowed by the Water and to hide from Peisinoe. It slows down the weakening of the body but speeds up the rejection process. She only let me out earlier."

"Oh no!" The bird squawked. "I need to go, dears. Peisinoe's looking for me. Atarah, I need you to conceal your consciousness again. If my sister finds you, it would be a disaster. I'll be back tomorrow, Maka. You know what to do."

She nodded then whispered something to her.

"Mum…" Atarah's voice trailed off. "Anissa- does Annie know? She didn't do anything to her, right?"

"Don't worry, love. I won't let anything happen to her. I'll do everything to turn us back to normal. Now, go." Ligeia's form shimmered and for a split second, she was a woman smiling fondly at her daughter.

They watched them disappear. The ghost's last words was blown by the gentle breeze. "Hopefully, I'll see you again soon."


The meister became distant and rigid around him though he didn't know why. They hadn't fought or anything and he never said a sarcastic comment at her. After their conversation in her room, she avoided him like the plague all day. Just a few hours earlier they're talking then the next thing he knew, she had sealed her mouth shut. What the heck did he do to deserve the cold shoulder? It must had something to do with Ligeia's words. About something she had to do.

He opened the door to his room with more force than necessary, almost hitting the bane of his existence, Maka, who was about to walk past it. If he wasn't irritated, he would shrink from the sheer animosity in her expression. But he was and he wouldn't pass up the chance to confront her about her childish behavior. With a grunt, he pulled her into his room.

"Why are you ignoring me?"

They stood there, glowering at each other for Death-knew-how-long without speaking.

She huffed, crossing her arms over her rumpled dress shirt. "You could've just ask me instead of almost killing me with your door and dragging me all the way to your room."

"Why didn't I?" he scoffed, pointedly ignored the argument bait. "Oh, right. Every time I came five feet away, you escape either to the bathroom or your room. What in the world is your problem?"

"I need you to hate me."

"Why?" Unimpressed, he leaned on the door with arms crossed.

Maka opened her mouth then closed it a few times, looking torn. Her frustrated grunt echoed in the room as she stomped her foot. Finally, she faced him with a resigned sigh. "Soul, you're more important to me than my father. I respect your privacy with your past and I don't want you to sacrifice that."

"Er… thanks?" His mind wasn't prepared for her sudden declaration and he internally strangled himself for being such an idiot.

Irritation flashed in her eyes. A warning. "I'm telling you this because in less than twenty four hours, I will delve with one of the closest, not blood-related, people I have. And knowing you, you'll be the first one to step in to save my sorry soul."

Her words felt like a punch to the gut and he couldn't stop the spark of anger and hurt from taking over him.

"And what's wrong with that? What's wrong with caring about you? With protecting you?" He stood in his full height, glaring down at the girl while suppressing the ache in his heart.

"Because I'm a meister! We don't need to be protected! Heck, we're trained for the sole purpose of fighting!"

"It's not just about that! Every time I try to help, you're pushing me away! Why can't I help you? I may not be your weapon anymore but I'm your friend-"

"Because I'm not your responsibility! I never was!" Her skin flushed and her eyes blazed with rage when she closed the distance between them. "And every time you try to help, you are always left with injuries! Do you think I enjoy seeing you in pain because of my recklessness?"

"And do you think I enjoy seeing you getting hurt? Stop being so dang reckless!"

"Maybe, I will if you stop jumping headfirst to save me! Why do you even risk your life to save me?" She jabbed an accusing finger on his chest.

When he didn't answer, she kept shoving him to the door with every question. Desperation was clear in her misty eyes. Her lips trembled as she screamed her throat raw. "Why? Why can't you just let me suffer alone?"

A vein pulsed in his head. His breathing sounded loud in his ears. He snatched her hand then gripped it tightly. "Because I love you, dang it!"

Their shouting contest died the instant they realized his words.

She looked at him with an unreadable expression. Her face turned a deeper shade of crimson and he could feel his own face warming up too.

There was something about her gaze that made him think, maybe, just maybe she felt the same way. That he wasn't the only one who developed feelings. That somehow, along the way, they had fallen for each other. But it would be crazy!

Love was the last thing on her mind. He was sure of it. She watched her parent's relationship fell apart. Watched as her Papa fool around with other girls then proclaim how much he loved their family. Watched as her Mama left her to travel the world. Watched as love faded in the dark.

When her free hand rose towards his face, he forgot how to breath. She bit her lip in a moment of hesitation, accidentally drawing his attention to it. He swallowed hard, prying his eyes away to the soft looking trap. His mind drifted back to their conversation in Europe. The words she whispered that night played on repeat in his mind, especially the last one: "Call me selfish but I can't lose you, Soul. Not in a million years." His brain almost short-circuited right then.

Maybe it did. Because he wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not.

She moved dangerously close to him. His heart hammered against his chest. No, he can't do that to her. He couldn't betray her. He shouldn't…

But he was leaning towards her too. His whole body buzzed in anticipation. Her breath fanned over his face. It smelled like mint and strawberries. Like her favorite toothpaste. Their lips was a breadth apart now.

She pulled away then cleared her throat, looking at anything but him. In her softest voice, she told him. "You shouldn't delve in my memories. It would bare your soul to me and mine, to you. Every secret would be uncovered and I know, you don't want me knowing about your past."

Maka left him confused but with a little bud of hope that refused to vanish.