Soul fixed his kosode, a lingering bit of anxiety straightened with it. Married. A smile bloomed on his lips as he leaned against the arbor, eyeing the courtyard for any life. My… my wife's in that house. Waitin' for me.

Not that his sweet thoughts could call her, since it was Black Star's face that appeared first as he stepped out onto the engawa. "You dog."

"Huh?" Soul tried to slip a casual hand into the fold, giving into a yawn.

"Even with the mask you suck at hidin' that smile."

"Dunno what you're talkin' about." Soul stepped up beside him, peeking into the living room. "Maka around?"

Star snorted a laugh, elbow jutting into Soul's side. "You know it's breakfast. They're all at the table. Just heard you sniffin' around the courtyard."

Soul grunted as he shuffled in towards the hallway. Soft voices were already filtering through, Reina's currently in control as she chimed through a story. As soon as he moved into the kitchen, her cry broke even stronger: "Shiro-chan!"

"Mornin'." Meeting eyes wasn't difficult but keeping them was, his fluttering away as soon as the blush struck Maka's cheeks. He slid in next to her, Reina quickly bounding from Maka's lap to his. "You almost ready for school?"

"I thought"—Maka interrupted Reina's answer—"we'd talk to everyone this morning."

He cleared his throat and reached slowly for his mask, pulling it up and into his hair.

"Shiro-chan!" Reina gasped, instantly reaching out and poking his cheek. "Your mask!"

Her mother held the same kind of awe from across the table, eyes darting over every inch of the grin that started on his lips. "Well, that's a nice addition to breakfast."

"The boy has a face," Franken chuckled.

"That a bad thing?" Soul raised his eyebrows at Reina, receiving a round of giggles. "Anyway, we're… this is like family, right?"

Star rolled in just at the right time to add a heave. "Can you get any lamer?" He nudged Soul with his foot. "So, Maka prepped us– we're all talkin' this mornin', so go on." As he folded his knees underneath him, Star grabbed one of the cups of tea with flagrant boredom.

"Yes," Maka started frankly as she folded her hands on the table. "We obviously have to talk about the options. Star and I are going to have to go back soon, and I-I'd prefer us all leaving."

"You'd go?" Marie's hand shot across the table, grasping as Soul's sleeve. "Really– you'd leave?"

Soul let his hand replace the cloth, but his eyes fell on Maka. There was a gentleness to his voice, but it was in no way weak: "I'm goin' with my wife."

Tea splattered across the table as Star choked on the rest of the spray. "Wife?" He shot wide eyes at Maka. "You married him? I told you to just stop pussy-footin' about your feelin's, not to marry the guy!"

Marie was no longer interested in Soul, instantly attacking Star by grabbing his ear. "You shut your mouth. They were engaged, now they're married."

Soul could barely get in a laugh before Reina was practically strangling him, arms hugging him tightly. "I'm so glad!"

"Me, too," he murmured softly as he let his eyes linger back to his wife. Her cheeks had pinked, one hand coming to cup the apple in an attempt to hide the glow. "Marie's right– we just went through with the engagement."

Star rolled his eyes, regardless of the violent tug that earned him from Marie. "As if the two of you couldn't just shack-up like normal people."

"We are normal," Maka snapped back. "And if you think I'd sleep with someone without being married to them first, you–"

He guffawed. "You had se–?" Marie squashed his head against the table to meet his leftover tea, but his cackles still rang loudly.

"We–" Maka flustered while her other hand came to her face and fed Star's amusement.

"We need to discuss the options," Franken interjected coolly. "Soul won't simply be allowed to leave on his own volition, and faking a kidnapping or something similar would lead to a search."

A sick grin hit Star's face as he lifted his head, just sneaking out of Marie's grasp. "That's why we kill him." That was a beaming declaration that was met with skepticism across the room. "Marie, you and Franken leave pretty early, right?"

"Yes…" Her reply entirely lacked any enthusiasm even though Star's shined.

"And it doesn't happen all the time, but the pip-squeak could leave with one or the other."

"Yes…" Franken's answer came with more amusement as he kept a twinkling glare on the other man's face.

"Be pretty unfortunate if the early risers left and a fire started, don't you think?"

Soul glanced at Maka, watching her eyebrows furrow but nothing more.

"Close." Franken wagged his finger. "The convenience of it only being you three could lead to suspicion. I say Marie is the only one who lives."

She startled to attention, eyes widening as she tilted her head towards Franken. "Just me?"

He nodded, a gentle hand reaching out and toying with a tendril of hair from her shoulder. "Your kitchen duty always starts far earlier than any of us. Not to mention after all the deaths, you leaving your post would be expected. No one would think you'd stay in the place where your husband and daughter died."

Maka cleared her throat. "Star should leave early. He can make some excuse about going home to retrieve the dowry because I've expressed my attachment to Soul."

"You sure did," Star snickered.

She shot him a glare. "This way he can make sure there's no snares ahead."

"Yeah, yeah–" He waved away the daggers Maka was trying to shoot as he glanced at Franken. "Think you can get some bodies?"

Marie sighed in anticipation.

Franken smirked. "I suppose I could be done with a few experiments early."

"So, I'm gonna be dead?" Soul offered in the middle of all the amusement, a deeply blank wash coming to his face.

Both men nodded with a startling amount of surety.

Reina was still hanging around his neck, beautiful pale green eyes blinking up at him. "Not really dead, right?"

"No," Soul murmured as he ran a hand over her hair. "But we'd be able to go someplace together. We'll stay together." He raised his eyes to Marie and Franken. "If you'll come."

"How stupid are you?" Marie's hiss warbled into a sigh. "So, how long do I have to save these tears for weeping over your dead bodies?"

Franken slid his hand behind her neck, caressing gently. "The earlier the better. Star, you'll leave today."

"Finally," Star grimaced before it erupted into a jovial grin. "Well, see ya, sis." He tousled Maka's hair, and while the action would usually earn him a glare, her face softened to a smile. On the trip back, he clapped Soul on the shoulder. "Can't say I'll actually have a dowry for you the next time I see you, but I look forward to beatin' you to the dirt again."

"Same." Soul chuckled.

Star paused for one more look at the family, his last devious bit of focus on the littlest member. "Later, runt." Reina stuck out her tongue, still hanging off of Soul's neck. With one last wave, he disappeared into the hallway.

"Now, since Star will be telling Wes that the engagement is alive and well, that may create more trouble. Both of you need to be extremely careful." Franken beckoned Reina, the little girl coming dutifully to her father's side. "And you will be my shadow when you are not at the temple."

"Yes, Papa." Reina leaned in, her whisper only for Franken's ears.

His smirk told no tale of the contents, nor did his answer: "You may ask."

Reina inched over to Maka, using the same angle to deposit another quiet plea.

Soul tilted his head, watching Maka's eyes go wide as the pink came back to her cheeks. "Franken," she hissed at him, leaving Reina in a pout. "I– we're leaving!" She stood, snatching Soul by the sleeve to drag him quickly to follow her. He dutifully fell behind, letting her stomp out whatever swell of frustration had taken her.

It's cute… but he knew better than to give that a voice. Still, in the silence as they broke away to the courtyard, he gave himself the time to relish that. She is. And beautiful, brave, and–

"You just–" She stopped quickly, making him stumble to keep himself from tackling her outright. His arms still had to catch her and refused to do anything but linger in her warmth. Her eyes were hesitantly coming over her shoulder. "You just said it, like… as if it were…"

"Didn't want me to?" he murmured, tucking closely by her ear.

She sighed and wriggled in his arms, turning to face him so the bashfulness that colored her cheeks couldn't be hidden. "It's not that." Her fingers played nervously with the collar of his kosode. "I spent all morning practicing!" She dipped her chin, trying to hide with her forehead against his chest. "Since it's just all so… new, but I…"

Soul started to chuckle as he gently stroked through her hair. "Hard to imagine you without words."

"Hey," she huffed as she raised her head.

That brought her to the perfect spot, that defiant chin tilted just right for him to catch her lips with his. There was no hope for him, lost endlessly as he continued to stroke her hair during the soft exchange.

"Someone could be watching…" she murmured but betrayed her own words by staying just a breath away from him.

"Then someone else would know how I feel about my wife." He nipped at her lips again. "Not exactly somethin' that bothers me."

There was something so sweet and yearnful about her next breath along with that impatient tap to his chest. "I can come see you again tonight?"

"You don't even have to sneak." His grin widened desperately, making his muscles ache from the exercise.

She prodded him again, trying to huff in exasperation but finding it fluttering into a laugh. "Maybe we still should. Just to be careful like Franken said."

"Alright…" He dipped carefully back to her ear. "I-I'm sorry about last night. I know I should've taken it slower, so tonight I want to…"

"You didn't hurt me, Soul," Maka insisted as she tried to make space between them for a steady glare.

Instead, Soul held her tightly, wrapping his arms around her to feel her heartbeat next to his. "I think I know that, but…" His ears burned with a blush, happy she was safe against him instead of witnessing the sight. "There's things a man can do for a woman."

"Oh–" warbled up from her throat.

There was a definite attempt at sure and steady, maybe a pinch of bravado in the swell of his voice. "I want to make sure you get just as much from this as I do."

The delicate pads of her fingertips found skin, tickling at his chest. "Do you– you know how to do that?"

He choked, all of his calm wanting to slither away. Suddenly, it was as if her warmth reminded him she was there, holding onto him just as much as he was her. "If I don't"—he nuzzled a kiss into her cheek—"I think I know someone who's willin' to give me lessons."


"Marie, don't spy," Franken cooed as he watched his wife attempt to look busy at the hearth.

"I wasn't!" That was barely believable, especially as she settled back from tiptoe to turn to him. Reina was still leaning against her father's back, pout twisting her lips upward. "And what's gotten into you?" She nudged her daughter.

"Maka didn't answer my question," Reina grumbled as she turned to bury in her mother's skirt.

"Well, if Papa told you to ask it…" Marie raised an eyebrow at him, only receiving that cat-like grin in return. "Franken…"

"You know that Reina is quite enamored with the idea of another child." He leaned on his elbow, fist propping up his chin.

"Oh, Reina, you didn't," Marie sighed. You're entirely too much of your father.

"Papa said it was alright!" Reina complained from the safety of the cloth.

"Franken, let them be in love, will you?" Marie fiddled a foot into his back, tapping at his spine.

"Or just let them learn the surprise of compatibility on their own?" Franken raised his eyebrows. "We learned that lesson just as quickly as Rin and Spirit did."

Well, maybe Maka will be better at keeping her knees crossed than we all were… Marie let that failure of a thought sink her stomach.

"Speaking of Spirit…"

Obviously, that only encouraged another spin before Marie dared to fall into his trap. "What about him?"

"Oh, simply that maybe someone should write to him about his daughter's nuptials, that's all." Franken wound his other finger in the air as if to urge the thought further. "A father should know when his daughter marries. And if he were to choose–"

"And you accuse me of butting in?"

Franken chuckled. "No, darling. I'm just thinking of another weapon in the fray."

Marie was ready to produce more annoyance, but as frost started to creep up her spine, she sighed. "You think it'll be that bad?"

There was no more amusement in his face, drained out with her question. "Spirit will be here in a few days. He'll stay at the temple so we can have a contingency plan for Reina. She'll get to know her Uncle very well."

She let her knees collapse, bringing her to the floor to throw her arms around his neck. He accepted her, stealing her weight and bringing her comfortably into his lap. As his lips softly brushed against her cheek, Marie let only one more painful thought flutter across her mind: I hope you can protect our daughter better than your own.


They lingered in what little darkness the arbor offered, watching the figures in the courtyard. It was an odd exchange– two bodies dancing too closely as soft words slipped between brushes of lips.

Looks like you're nobody's favorite.

Crona shook their head, trying to dislodge the voice in vain.

And what a sweet lil morsel she is– will be!

Blood drew from their lip as they bit to keep back a groan.

Our first soul in a while. Just enough for one bite.

They turned away from the scene, shaking steps drawing a jagged trail along the side of the main house.

She was nice.

A good show– a good lie!

No, she really, really was! She–

Remember what Medusa said…

Even the thought of her name conjured her, those golden eyes narrowing at them from the edge of the garden while a taloned hand beckoned them forth. Once they were within reach, those nails dug into the usual spot in the flesh of Crona's arm. "Well?"

Crona shook their head.

"Use your words…" It came as a sweet coo from her lips but Crona knew the dark caution that was hiding there.

"I-I couldn't go see her. He was there. They were… k-kissing."

Medusa sighed, that hand traveling up Crona's arm to the nape of their neck to tangle in their pale hair. "A kiss of death." Deep, throaty chuckles snuck from her as she leaned into Crona, tenderly nuzzling her nose to their cheek. "Now, darling, it's so unfortunate but we can't really prolong this game. You're hungry, aren't you?" She tenderly cupped their chin, turning their darting eyes towards her. "So, so hungry after all that time in the dark. I think that little dutiful dove will be just the right feast to set you free."