I nodded and sat down which she did as well, I then commenced our chat. "Alright Miss Albarn, what's on your mind? Do you have any questions regarding the mission?" Her face revealed hardly anything, but she seemed apprehensive and her tone showed she was trying to maintain her composure. "I know it's none of my business, and I shouldn't pry into others' lives, but I've been meaning to ask you something pretty important all day." I couldn't suppress my urge to sigh before addressing her, already having an idea as to what this discussion was about. I should have known that it was inevitable anyway. "No doubt this has to do with what happened yesterday afternoon. When you called Tsubaki during her visit to my home, right?"

She nodded and asked, "Is there something going on between you and Tsubaki?"

I didn't want to answer immediately, so I warily asked in reply, "What exactly did she tell you?"

She glared in response and countered sharply, "Answer my question first, Vlad. Are you two official?"

I kept a cool head despite her seemingly snappy tone. "No we're not, at least I don't think so. I mean we kissed and admitted that we like each other, but it's not certain where we stand. And even if we were, why does it interest you so much?"

"It interests me because she's my best friend and practically like my sister. I don't want her to get hurt by someone who would take advantage of her."

"Maka, I know I'm still a stranger to you and the others, but I can assure you that lying or purposely toying with a girl's feelings isn't exactly my forte. Besides, I'm aware that she's a sweet and wonderful girl, and I find myself growing fond of her. I couldn't bring myself to hurt her even if I tried."

Her frown softened only slightly, but she still remained steadfast in her attempt to pry information from me. "Alright, I believe you. So if you don't mind me asking, just how many girlfriends have you had?"

"What does that have to do with what we were originally talking about? I just said that I would never betray her by flirting with another girl." I began to feel uncomfortable and wary of the direction her line of questions was taking but I answered her albeit reluctantly, "But if you must know. I've only ever been loyal to and loved one girl."

"What happened to her?"

"If you don't mind, I'd rather we not talk about it."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because it's something that hurts to think about. Can we please just drop it already?"

She would not drop the subject, however, and started to badger me until I succumbed to yet another rampant volley of accusations. "Why don't you want to talk about it? Is there something you're not telling me? Did you hurt her? Did you two break up? How do I know you and her aren't still together while you're kissing and flirting with Tsubaki? I have to know because it concerns my best friend. If you have any trust in me or your friends, or if you really cared about her, you'd tell me the truth."

She succeeded in depleting my scarce patience until I snapped. "Damn it all to Hell! Alright fine. You really want to know what happened? Why I'm not with the same girl I was once utterly devoted to? It's because she's gone. No longer around. D-E-A-D, and she's been that way for four years. Fell in battle against a witch bitch, and I was too wounded and weak to save her." Maka sat silently still and looked at me with a stunned expression. I rose from my seat, ripping my shirt off in front of her as curious onlookers inside the cafe glanced in our direction. I then revealed the myriad of burns and scars that marred my neck, left arm, chest, back, my cheek and over my left eye. "These are my daily reminders of my failure to protect my Meister. As a Death Scythe, weapon-partner, friend, and lover I couldn't keep her safe. I barely sleep anymore because I'm still being plagued with nightmares. Do you have any idea what it's like to be constantly haunted by memories of the person you gave your body, mind, soul and heart to? The void left behind took a grim toll, tormenting me every hour, and nearly drove me to the brink of madness. My only solace is I rescued her soul, and avenged her death. Yet no matter how hard I've tried, I have lived with intense guilt, despair, loneliness and anger for four years. None of it will ever will go away, probably not until the day I die."

I put my shirt back on and sat down once more with my head bowed down, eyes closed, fists clenched atop the table and within my very soul I felt a brewing storm of emotions raging on. The last thing I wanted to do was break down in front of other strangers or Maka for that matter. Moments passed where neither of us said a word or moved. I took a deep breath to try and remain calm despite my raging inner turmoil and in hopes of suppressing the threatening tears from leaking out. When I finally looked up again Maka stared back and tried to keep her shock concealed. "I'm so sorry, Vlad. Please forgive me, I didn't know and shouldn't have pried. You warned me not to, and yet I've overstepped my boundaries." I said nothing in response and she spoke yet again. "I must be a horrible friend. First I accuse you of being volatile and starting fights on a whim, and now I'm upsetting you by bringing up dark things from your past." "It's alright, Maka. Don't beat yourself up over it. There are some things none of you know about me. I tend to keep secrets, yet only a small handful of people know the darkest of details, so I forgive you." "I won't pry into your personal life anymore. We can stop talking about it and drop the subject if you want, I'll understand." I contemplated accepting her proposal for a bit, but instead I decided to open up and tell her the truth. "No it's fine. I might as well be honest and tell you a bit more about her. There's no point in hiding things anymore, even amongst friends."

I pulled out my wallet to show Maka a photograph I kept. She looked down and saw a young girl smiling back at her with her hands up making a heart gesture. She had straight, silky golden hair that reached down to her shoulders and draped over her collarbones, gentle eyes that glistened like stars, and milky-white skin that glowed in the sunlight giving her an angelic appearance. Maka smiled at the picture before looking up at me and commented, "Wow! Is this her, Vlad? She's so beautiful." I nodded while taking the picture out of my wallet and flipped the picture over to show her a brief handwritten message in cursive purple ink. It read: "To my darling Vlad, I love you so much more than books, fall and Legend of Zelda. Your Angel in Eternity, Sareena " Maka looked up at me and saw tears cascade down my eyes as I smiled. "Her name was Sareena Engel. Her birthday is on August 30, from a small town in Nebraska, and she was the kindest and sweetest girl I've ever known. I think you both would've gotten along greatly. We met when we were children in Death City." She stayed quiet so I asked, "I'll bet you want to hear the story as to how exactly we met, huh?" At that she nodded while smiling so I explained after wiping away my tears.

"I arrived in early August when I was 10, but I think I mentioned that to you guys already. Anyway, I was to stay with a sponsor family until I was of age to enroll in the academy. Unfortunately my parents had no idea that the family I was to stay with were abusive pricks. They had no intention of taking care of me, rather just to exploit my parents for money. I only stayed with them for a week at which point I grew sick of the beatings and not being fed. So I ran away out of necessity. I had no clothes, money or food. So I lived a bit of a delinquent lifestyle: stealing food to survive, avoiding the cops and fighting to defend myself from people who sought to hurt me. Constantly living in fear and hunger was my life for a month. Then one day in September, while wandering around the woods behind the school, we crossed paths."

*Flashback*

"Ow! Please stop! I-I'm sorry I got you guys suspended, just leave me alone! I won't tell the teachers on you anymore! I promise!" I heard a feminine voice pleading desperately somewhere to somebody in the woods. I considered ignoring it and moving along. Yet as soon as those screams turned to crying and I heard boorish laughter and sneers, I went against my better judgment and trekked towards the commotion. There I saw a girl, kneeling on the ground: her face in her hands weeping. Her blonde hair was a disheveled mess with leaves and twigs sticking from it, her school uniform torn in several places, covered in dirt, mud and leaves, her books ruined with pages torn out, and a strange, blue musical instrument lay broken in pieces on the ground in front of her. I looked over to see a group of rowdy older boys playing keep-away with her book bag, cackling like hyenas, mimicking her while hurling every insult imaginable at her and began gathering rocks to pelt her with. Just as they were about to throw them at her I made my presence known by yelling out: "Hey you stupid monkeys! Why don't you pick on someone your own size!?"

The four boys stopped and all turned in my direction surprised including her. They dropped the rocks in their hands as they approached while grinning, popping their knuckles to try and intimidate me and one of them said, "Don't mind if we do. You gonna actually fight? Or are you gonna run away and cry like that baby over there?" I said nothing in reply as they surrounded me. I looked at each one and kicked one of them in the groin as hard as I could, and punched another in the nose. Both boys fell to the ground screaming and caressing their damaged areas, while another tackled me to the ground. I received a punch to my eye and cheek, but before he could hit me again, I kicked him off of me and decked him square in the nose as he scrambled to his feet. The leader of the bunch looked at me with fear that a small runt like myself could take down three of them in just a matter of minutes. He put his hand behind him and drew out a pocket knife holding it up while grinning. I'm sure he expected me to cower, but I stood my ground. What he didn't know was I had discovered my weapon changing abilities at a very young age. So when my right arm changed into a long and narrow blade, his knife slipped from his grasp as he began to tremble. I took one step towards him and he took one back. This continued until he backed up against a tree, slumped down in a sitting position and peed himself. His friends saw this and they retreated leaving him behind. His lower lip quivered and he stammered as he asked, "W-what the Hell a-are you?" I looked down at him and said, "A bully beater, and if I find out you hurt that girl ever again, I won't be so nice next time. Now leave!" I laughed as he sped away running and crying. My arm returned to normal and I grabbed a rock throwing it at him as he fled and yelled, "Who's the baby now!? Baby!"

After my arm reverted back to normal, I walked towards her blue shield shaped backpack, picked it up and saw a big yellow triangle made of three smaller ones inside. I walked over and handed it to her. "I think this is yours?" She sniffled as she took it and said thanks nervously. I then offered her my hand, but she retreated like she was terrified of me. "You don't need to be scared anymore. I won't hurt you." She hesitated but then took my hand allowing me to help her up. We said nothing as we gathered her tattered textbooks, and scattered school supplies. I gave her what I collected and asked, "What's with the shied backpack anyway?" She gasped and asked incredulously, "You've never heard of "The Legend of Zelda?" I shook my head and she began to enthusiastically rattle off about a beautiful princess who helps a young boy rescue the kingdom of Hyrule from an evil man named Ganondorf. I kept quiet as she continued to explain this game to me until we walked towards the broken instrument. She frowned forlornly and said, "I just got that ocarina for my birthday, and those jerks broke it." "Why were they being mean to you, anyway?" She told me that many kids at school pick on her for being a know-it-all, a tattletale and a goodie-two-shoes. I frowned and said, "That's no reason for people to be assholes." She winced before saying, "You said a bad word." I shrugged and told her, "You need to fight back next time someone is being mean. Otherwise you'll always be bullied." She shook her head and pouted again as she said, "But I don't want to be mean and hurt people. I just can't." I sighed and said, "Okay. If you can't hurt people who deserve it, then come to me, and I'll make sure no one hurts my friend again. OK?" She wasted no time in holding up her pinky finger and asked meekly, "Pinky-promise?" I couldn't help but smile as I brought my pinky towards hers and coiled it affirming my pledge.

She was just about to walk away when I called out, "Wait! What's your name?!" She stopped and smiled as she said, "Sareena Engel. What's yours?" "It's a pretty name. I'm Vladimir Blutmesser." She started giggling and I asked with confusion, "What's so funny?" She replied, "You have a funny name." I laughed with her and she said, "I should hurry home or my aunt and uncle will get upset. Maybe we can play Zelda together sometime." I nodded and said, "Yeah, I'd love to." She gave me a brief hug, and a chaste kiss on my cheek before saying, "Thank you for being my hero and becoming my friend. Bye Vlad!"

*End of Flashback*

"The following morning, I was found and caught by Sid and Naigus while I was sleeping. They dragged me all the way to Lord Death to explain my crimes. I told him that I was sent here by my parents because I wasn't a normal kid. He asked me to elaborate, and so I showed him I could change into a weapon. He sounded excited until he asked why I didn't have a home. I said I ran away from mean grownups who hurt me, and only stole to eat and fought to protect myself. He asked why I then attacked four boys and I told him because they were bullying a young girl. I told him the girl's name, he summoned for her, and fifteen minutes later she entered the Death Room with her uncle and aunt. She confirmed my story to him, and for that he pardoned me of all my crimes. He said I would have a supervised home where food and clothes would be provided and I was to be enrolled in classes on the conditions that I behave myself, keep good grades, and accept becoming Sareena's weapon-partner in due time. I agreed, and the rest as they say, is history."

By the time I finished recounting my story to Maka, dusk had arrived and we were the only ones left in the cafe. She had a large smile and broke the silence by saying, "Awww! That's the cutest story I've ever heard." I could feel my ears burning up, and I meekly said, "Yeah, you're not the only one. Marie had the same reaction when she first heard it." "Who else knows about you and your Meister?" "Stein, Marie, Sid, Naigus, your dad, Azusa, and Lord Death. Soul only knows a little bit, the others in our group have absolutely no idea, not even Tsubaki. You, on the other hand, know the story of how Sareena and I first met."

Not long after, the manager walked over and kindly told us we had to leave since it was closing time. We paid for our drinks and walked out of the cafe and towards my car. I offered to give her a ride home instead of letting her walk back which she graciously accepted. She got in the passenger seat and asked, "So, you really like Tsubaki, huh?" I got the car on and hummed in affirmation as I started driving towards her place. "Maka, be honest. Do you disapprove?" "Not really. I mean I can understand why you're attracted to her: she's smart, an amazing cook, kind, graceful, strong, and beautiful. I only ask that you be loyal to her and take good care of her. She deserves to be happy, and I'm putting my trust in you because I believe you can."

I had to pull over and stop the car to ask my next two questions which filled me with intolerable anxiety. I collected my wits before staring her dead in the eye and asked, "Maka, would you still feel the same despite the fact I'm a few years older, and failed to protect my Meister?" She paused to really think, yet she didn't seem all too phased. "First of all, how old are you?" "Twenty." She replied immediately, "Well she barely turned eighteen. So the age gap isn't that bad. Besides, I'm sure she'd be in good hands with someone older and more mature. As for your other question, I don't think you'd let anything happen to her. I've seen how cautious and protective you are, so I trust that you'd never hurt her or let anyone else do the same." I didn't hesitate to reply, "Never. I'd do anything to prevent any harm from coming to her." She smiled briefly but it abruptly vanished, and was replaced with a deadly glare as she said rather ominously, "If you ever make her cry, I'm going to make damn sure you regret it. You hear me?" I had half a mind to roll my eyes, but for the sake of avoiding her infamous 'Maka-Chops' gave her a salute instead and said "Crystal clear." She smiled again and said jubilantly, "Good. Glad we understand each other." I sniggered as I resumed driving towards her apartment and mumbling "Yes ma'am".

Upon arrival I dropped her off and watched her enter the apartment complex. Once she was inside I returned home and finished packing and preparing for the upcoming trip. I was excited to return to the south, but I was also nervous with the possible outcomes our mission would take. Yet what sullied my efforts to sleep the most: were rampant thoughts of Tsubaki and how I secretly yearned to feel her warmth again while savoring her intoxicating kisses once more. I hoped to be lucky enough to experience one, the other, or even both at some point, even if for a fleeting moment during our trip.