Regardless of her mother's protests, Reina was sitting primly in Maka's lap, straightening the last bit of the hair that framed her face. Breakfast had already started to arrive at the table, but as Franken and Star dawdled elsewhere in the house, it left the little girl more than enough time to fiddle with her latest obsession. While Maka had thought Masao was a point of interest, she was stunned to find the near obsession that Reina had fallen into with the pretend. It wasn't as if Maka was going to deny herself the comfort of the girl, especially since sweet doting had only been a part of her life when Papa was around.
Reina straightened the hairs that framed Maka's face again before murmuring conspiratorially: "Maka, when will you and Shiro-chan get married?"
She gaped before letting out a breathy laugh. "Well, the engagement is supposed to be a hundred nights, but…" You know we're not going to! Oh, Reina, being so good at pretend does wonders for our story, but sometimes…
"Can't you get married before then?" Light green eyes twinkled up at her expectantly.
"No." Maka's smile didn't want to take life, even with that darling face staring at her. "You have to at least do the hundred days, after that, Soul is supposed to decide." But I'll be gone before that. How soon before that, I don't know, but I know I'll have to be.
"Don't worry–" Reina paused to pat a comforting hand to Maka's cheek. "I'll tell Shiro-chan he has to."
Instantly, pink dusted under those little fingers as Maka stammered. "Please, Reina, don't be silly."
"Reina, I told you to stay out of Maka's lap," Marie chided as she entered the room again, another steaming pot to deposit on the table. "You'll make a mess of her kimono. Anyway, it's time for you to wake up Shiro-chan and have him take you to the temple."
"Can't Maka come?" Reina begged between the two of them, pleading eyes darting back and forth.
"No, I have to have a chat with her, so off you go." Marie shooed as Maka's gut lurched lower. Reina made sure to hem and haw just enough before grabbing her things and scooting out of the room. Her discontented grumbles could be heard all the way to the courtyard, and Marie stood absorbing them until they disappeared.
"Marie…" Maka had to prompt, the nervousness making her gnaw at the inside of her cheek.
That didn't urge her into much action besides sitting at the table to begin revealing each of the steamy dishes from their lids. Maka was sure the wafting smells would start to bring the men of the house, but Marie seemed unconcerned with the chance of being interrupted. Instead, she began to pick and choose for her plate, all the while leaving Maka to sweat. Finally, with her usual breakfast before her, Marie sighed. "Franken did something that I feel like I need to talk to you about."
"Is it about Soul's medicine?" That wasn't a difficult leap– the idea of his pipe lingering on her mind like the smoke it emitted.
"No…" Marie paused for a moment to let her smile stretch, her eyes softening as they danced over Maka's face. "It's nice that you worry about him."
Her blush answered for her, even if her mind tried to fight it.
Marie tented her fingers, a little of her glow dimming. "A while ago, Franken received a letter from Sid."
"Who?" Maka tried quickly but watched the word fail.
"During your training, I couldn't help but remember that pigtailed toddler…" Her hand reached as if she was going to mirror her daughter and straighten Maka's hair, but before contact, it tapped back to the table. "And how much you always did remind me of Rin, even if you have your father's eyes and the shape of his face."
Reina's scolding hadn't been necessary since Maka's fist clenched tightly into the silk, tangling wrinkled lines that in no way appeased the tumult in her heart. "Don't–" the withering plea barely made it off her lips.
"I want you to know that I knew them, and so did Franken. He was very close to Spirit, especially before his marriage to your mother." She shook her head softly. "I can't imagine what it's been like, but… I want you to know you're not alone. Not here. If you stay–"
"I'm leaving," Maka insisted as the tears started to sting her eyes. "I'm doing this engagement as a favor, and then I'm leaving." I am, I am, I am– tried to resound in her head, but each iteration brought another knife to her heart.
"I understand." The smile that followed was the most painful of all, piercing Maka like an arrow. Marie was staring through her, reading every last bit, and Maka's hands moved up towards her collars as if she could move the fabric to obscure her heart. "So you should know that Franken's doing his best to help you. He's sent out some letters and he's been following a few trails that might lead–"
"I don't need his help," Maka yelped as she lost the battle with her tears. "If you'll excuse me." She was up without permission, dragging her dress along as she rushed for the freedom of fresh air. There wasn't a set where, only a need for sun and a breeze that might offer just a hint of relief. She made it to the courtyard, dust hitting her hems as she started around the side of the house. The negotiation between the fence slats should have been nothing new, but Maka found her gown weighing her down just as much as her heart.
She still managed to squeeze through, starting along the trail as brambles and brush tried to keep her back. Hitting the road suddenly became the goal, as if seeing the way out would make her declaration real. To step on that surface would be a promise set– no turning back. The kimono was obviously to blame for the stunted nature of her steps, and the tears blurring her eyes was the only thing making the direction unclear.
The crossroads gave her pause, the road just a step away from her. There was still something that pulled her eyes to the mountain trail that ended in the promise of atonement– the expression of grief. She teetered on her feet, one more sob rattling her before she grabbed at her hems to make the climb to Jizo.
Soul was still chuckling to himself, the remnants of Reina's joy always taking its sweet time to dissipate. Her chatter had mostly been of Maka– a topic that he couldn't deny as being one of the first and foremost in his mind. She'd promised him time, a frightening prospect that made his heart race with every reminder of her palms pressed to his.
But you didn't tell her, did you?
He sighed, that voice always leeching away those whispers of happiness.
You hold her hand, you buy her gifts, but none of that makes up for what you are.
No, he tried to press back as his fists tightened with each beat of his heart. Star told me, and while he's… whatever he is, he isn't a liar.
He turned off the road onto the path, but his feet stuck almost instantly at the divide. The morning was still young, the breeze pleasant without too much heat, so Soul started up the mountain path. The climb lacked all arduousness, easy steps bringing him from shade to sunlight between the trees. It wasn't until the muffled sobs hit him that Soul's stride lost all of its leisure.
The sound of it brought him back to his mother, ready to spy that stark white hair obscuring the face of Jizo. Instead, he caught the vibrant jade of the kimono, the ashe-blonde hair breaking across the back as Maka's head bowed all the way to the stone. "Maka!" This was a desperation he'd never felt, a swell of some new kind of fear that made him rush towards her as he ripped his mask from his face. As she gasped, he was already gathering her up by the elbows, mask tossed aside as his face inched so closely to hers. "What happened?"
She shook her head quickly, tears flinging from her cheeks.
"Did my brother do somethin'? My father?" Scenarios were painted across the back of his mind, each horrifying option worse than the last.
"No," she groaned as her eyes shut. This time the motion of her chin was slower, her lip quivering. "It has nothing to do with them– with this." Her fingers finally clamped into his sleeves, returning the fervor of his hold.
"Alright…" Relief trembled through his next breath. "What– please, let me do somethin'."
Her eyes widened, the green so beautifully accented by the flush of her cheeks. "Soul…" Maka's head dipped, shoulders trembling as he still tried to hold her together. "There's nothing you can do."
"Then…" He slipped one hand away from her to dig in his kosode. He exposed a pouch from the fold, holding it between them. "Take it."
"What is it?" Even without his answer she took hold of it but refused to separate from him enough to open it.
"Stones." Soul smiled glumly. "Just leave the green ones. Reina likes those."
She glanced from the pouch to him, the wisp of a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. "Why does she like the green ones?"
He shrugged. "She likes what she likes. The rest are fair game."
Maka withdrew her fingers, concentrating on opening the pouch to expose stones of various sizes. She dug for a while before bringing out a handful and turning towards the altar. Soul watched, still mesmerized by a process he'd performed hundreds of times simply because of the care she did it with. She was meticulous, not just releasing them but stacking one by one in neat towers.
"Why the stacks?" Soul murmured.
"It's what you're supposed to do," Maka corrected with that know-it-all air that couldn't be defeated by her sniffles.
"Well…" He reached out to gently toy with the fabric she'd adorned Jizo with all those months ago. "Why don't you tell me what else I got wrong?" There wasn't an ounce of annoyance in it– a simple question that let her talk, let her be right.
She listed a myriad of minute sins, and with each breath, her voice steadied. Her shoulders grew back to their normal stature, and her cheeks dried to just a pinch of rosy peach. It drifted into nothing more than one of her usual diatribes until she turned to look at him, eyes focused keenly on his face. "Why here, Soul? Why Jizo?"
Any lingering smile from being with her slowly dissipated at the question.
"I'm sorry–"
"Nah," he muttered, wafting away her worry with a weak hand. "I just feel like I'm always singin' the same song… my mother would come here." Suddenly Maka's fingers were clenched over his, her silence leaving him room. "I wasn't the only child born after Wes. She had two girls who barely lived long enough to cry." He snuck a hand towards the stones, pointing at the pinnacle. "These help them get to the afterlife, right?"
"Yes," Maka murmured.
"When she died, I figured it was my turn." He withdrew his fingers as he turned his head to look at her, finding new tears on her cheek. "And it doesn't hurt to leave some for her too."
"I'm sure Jizo doesn't mind." She sniffled again, both of her palms withdrawing to clear the moisture. "You're… you're a good man, Soul."
Even though his heart could swell with the momentary pride of it, it drifted away just as quickly. "That depends." He stood slowly, sure that he needed the distance to even manage to get the question out of his mind: "Do you think lyin' and havin' secrets are different?"
"I never thought about it like that until you said it the other night," she answered quickly as if that had been the only thing on her mind. "But the more I do, the more I agree with you. Secrets aren't lies, and you're allowed them just as much as I'm allowed mine."
Then maybe I could be a good man. He offered a hand between them and she took it without hesitation, letting him pull her to her feet. Maybe with you…
"Can I ask for just one?" She lifted her chin to study his face.
The scrutiny along with that whisper in his head was setting his chest alight. "A secret?"
"Yes…" The softest of smiles graced her lips. "Since there's just one thing I can't seem to figure out."
"Ask–" his voice faltered, but he tried not to let his eyes do the same.
"The book—The Bamboo Cutter—how did you know that's my favorite?"
Oh, how that sprung a spark that made a desperate trail through every last one of his nerves. I knew. I knew from the first time you read it because I felt it. How do I tell you that sometimes I feel you? He slowly pulled apart the layers, finding a truth that he could give her: "When you read it, your voice changes– your face and your smile. You're always excited to read, but… that one makes you glow."
There wasn't a way he could savor this more, especially as pink painted her cheeks. "And you saw that?"
"Every time," he murmured as he squeezed the connected hands between them.
Maka's smile trembled, a sigh escaping her before the words: "My father used to read it to me when he would come home. He would go for so long that hearing that story always reminded me he was safe and that he was with me again. Before he left the last time, he read it to me, so I always hear it in his voice, not mine."
"I'm glad it's a good memory." His eyes fell to their fingers, his thumb toying over her knuckles. "Thanks for tellin' me."
She didn't offer him any reply to that, only whispering as she slowly slipped her hand out of his grip. "You are a good man, so will you walk me home?"
Lovebirds, twittering along in that asinine way of young adoration. Medusa leaned against the fence to watch the sickening exchange. The girl stood tall on the engawa while he looked up from the ground below. Smiles, laughs, gentle bats of eyelashes were all exchanged in that grand farce that was love. She cleared her throat and both started to a stop, pink hitting their cheeks for the embarrassment of being lost in a world of only them. "My lord, my lady."
Soul's warmth disappeared, cool eyes flicking in her direction. "Need somethin'?"
"Your father has been looking for you, my lord." Medusa bowed her head dutifully.
"And what– you're my father's page now?"
That bit of acid in his voice brought a thrill to her gut. It's so wonderful when he gives into that anger– when that blackness swallows him whole. "Actually, I was just excited about the news myself." She lifted her head, offering a glowing smile while she steadied her eyes on Maka. "His great lordship has planned an engagement feast this evening for you and your lady. I know you'll want to hear the particulars from your father and your brother, but I wanted to give the lady enough time to prepare herself."
"Thank you," Maka replied shortly. "Soul…"
His eyes were all hers again, making Medusa's grin sour. That thing's gotten a little too much attention.
"I'll have to spend the day getting ready." She dipped closer to him, her fingers dancing down the arm of his kosode. "Come get me before dinner?"
He nodded before turning back to Medusa. "Anythin' else?"
No, no, I've seen all I need to see. "No, my lord, my lady."
