Authors Note: A shorter chapter than usual, mostly in Maka's perspective for a change.

"There, that should be the last of the boxes," Soul grunted as he dropped a cardboard box onto the hard floor by three others. He stood back up and popped his back before dusting his hands off, "Wouldn't be so hard if there weren't so many stairs to carry these down, though I'll take carrying these down stairs than carrying them up all these stairs."

The lighting was so dim down here and Maka couldn't help but purse her lips. Maybe they ought to get some lamps to help add in more light. "I still don't understand why they couldn't have used one of the overnight rooms that was above ground. These rooms are more like prison cells than guest rooms." There was a chill in the room. The barred windows and stone floors and walls didn't help it at all, either.

It bothered her that Crona enough had to sleep down here underground, and now Maleko was being relocated down here as well. He might have been better off sleeping in the infirmary than in the overnight rooms. But at the same time, Maka could understand the need to move him, as long as he was in there the students had limited access to the infirmary, for both their sakes; a lot of students were still very… unhappy with keeping Maleko here for the simple fact that he was a sorcerer. The faculty wanted to limit the possibility of some incident happening.

"Apparently he threw himself out a window at one point already," Soul said as he dropped to his knees and tore the tape off one of the boxes to open it before rummaging through, "Tore out his nails and got himself hurt worse than he already had been. Guess they wanna keep that from happening again."

"I doubt he's going to jump out a window again," Maka mumbled as she made her way to the bed. It was brightly colored with the sheets and bedding on it, all ocean themed with colorful fish printed on the fabric. Marie picked it out if she remembered right. "Crona, we can get you things to put in your room too, if you want. Liven it up a little?"

Crona had been lingering silently at the far wall, nervously shuffling a couple of stuffed cat plushies that had been left for the child and they gave a startled jump when Maka addressed them before stumbling to their feet and turning to face her. "No, no, it's okay, really," they stammered, playing with their hands and not looking her in the eyes. "I really don't need anything, I'll be fine."

She wasn't too happy with that but didn't push it. Maybe she could bring down some decorations for her friend later without them knowing.

"Well, the two of you are going to be neighbors now, if anything happens and you get worried for any reason, don't be afraid to call us," Soul offered. Even with how long Maleko had been with them so far, a few weeks at least, Crona and him hadn't really interacted. Actually, Maka couldn't remember seeing the two ever in the same room together, save for the few times that Maleko snuck into the classroom to be with Maka and Soul. There was a part of her, the corner of her mind, that was nagging her with worry.

Maleko and Crona were both followers of dangerous witches, they probably had some form of history together if the rumors that Kai and Medusa were working together are true. But from what she knew, she didn't know if they'd be able to get along. Maleko was a happy kid, he clearly didn't mean to cause problems or upset people, but he could be a bit… much at times. He could easily become more than Crona could handle. And of course there was also Ragnarok, the weapon might egg Maleko on to do something he wasn't supposed to, and the boy probably wouldn't even question it.

If either of them needed help, Maka would be ready to rush down to the overnight rooms to help them.

"We'll be fine, I, I promise," Crona mumbled, grasping at their arm tightly. It was amazing that Ragnarok hadn't come out of theirback yet to respond with some witty remark yet. But Maka knew that the peace wouldn't last, he'd come out eventually with some insult or snide remark that no one wanted to hear.

"Well… we don't have all day, let's try and get everything as set up as possible before Marie and Spirit come down with Maleko," Maka changed the subject as she headed over to where a small bookshelf was waiting to be put together. "Soul, I think there's a rug somewhere behind the boxes, if you want to get that unrolled and put down? Crona, can you unpack the boxes so we know what all is there?"

She wasn't entirely sure what all was bought. Though Maka and Soul had brought a few things for Maleko, most of the stuff Marie and Spirit had bought and brought. She suspected that the two enjoyed dealing with Maleko, like there were honorary aunt and uncle, or maybe they just liked being able to take care of a kid like a parent would.

There were probably going to be more rules put down once he got moved into the overnight rooms. Spirit said he wasn't going to be under constant observation anymore; he was young and couldn't use Soul Protect yet, so even if he ran off so long as he was in range they'd be able to track him down. But he wouldn't be able to leave the room without someone with him, either, just to keep him from causing problems or others causing problems. But he was a good day so Maka didn't think they had to worry too much about that.

"Hey, Crona, I've been wonder. Do you know anything about Kai or Maleko?" Soul asked as he pulled the rug so that it was at the side of the bed. "I know that the teachers probably already questioned you on this."

Crona mumbled something that Maka couldn't quite hear as they pulled a few childrens books from one of the box, placing it in a pile on the floor. "I mean, I don't know them that well. Kai never, she never really came to meetings with other witches often…"

As though waiting for that moment, Ragnarok tore out of Crona's back and rested on their head. "Kai is a Hell of a crazy bitch, I'll give you that," he said, ignoring Crona's cry of complaint as he snatched one of the books from their hands. "Like damn, I thought Medusa was bad, but she is something else."

"How so?" Maka asked as she pushed a piece of wood into place on the shelf. It was hard to imagine someone especially bad when thinking of Kai Palakiko, not with how much love and adoration Maleko had when he spoke of her. But at the same time, Maka knew that Kai was a danger, a threat to the people around her. It was jarring, really. Maleko spoke of her as though there was no one on this planet that could be even a fraction of how good and amazing she was, but her actions told a different story.

With a grunt, Ragnarok threw the book into the pile and started digging through the boxes for something to occupy himself with. "She's crazy. I've never met someone who can kill like her. When you kill someone you feel something, regret for some, others get an adrenaline rush, a thrill or some kind of satisfaction. But Kai? The woman feels nothing when she kills. She feels nothing for anything. It was like she didn't have any concept of emotions, no empathy, no desire. The only time she really seemed to show any feeling was when she was angry, and you did not want her angry."

"Kai can control water… La—Medusa told us stories of the ways that she could use the water in our own bodies to kill someone," Crona's voice had gone quiet, a shudder running through their body. Maka took a breath as she imagined the possibilities that kind of magic would have.

She had suspected that the magic only allowed her to control water from outside sources like rivers, faucets, oceans, that sort of things. She hadn't considered that Kai could control the water in bodies. That made her dangerous, more dangerous than Maka initially thought. Though there was already reason to catch the witch, the urgency and priority that task held was growing more prominent in Maka's opinion.

"I don't get how Maleko can like someone like her so much," Soul spoke up from where he had gone to sit on the bed. "He's a good kid, kind of, well a lot naïve, but even he would have noticed that Kai isn't that good of a person. How'd she even get her hands on him? Can't imagine he'd be so happy to follow her if she abducted him from his parents or something."

"Well, it's not like that," Crona said softly, and when the two looked at Crona, they flinched back as if they had said the wrong thing.

But Maka stepped forward and held a hand, reaching for them to comfort but not actually touching Crona to try and respect their personal bubble. "What do you mean 'it's not like that'?" She asked curiously. "Do you know how Kai got him?"

With pale hands fumbling together, Crona's eyes darted about with all the attention on them, and so Ragnarok spoke up. Driving his fist hard into the back of Crona's head, he pushed his meister to bend forward. "What it sounds like. We don't know a lot about Kai, she's crazy private. But we know the gist of how she got the kid, at least rumors. First off, obviously Maleko aint her blood kid. Despite his name, the kid isn't Hawaiian like her, he's Japanese—no amount of tropical tan is going to hide it."

Well, that much she knew already. Even though his name, Maleko Palakiko, was Hawaiian in nature, the kid wasn't. It was a name Kai had given him, though he never said if he knew a name that he had before the one she gave him.

"Apparently she found him on some excursion of sorts into the wilderness, some jungle or another," Ragnarok continued as he used Crona's head as an armrest. "when she brought him to the his first witch meeting? The kid was completely feral. Like I don't think he knew he was a person. He walked about on four as often on two legs, sniffed everything and everyone, and only ever just growled or whined, no words. Sometimes he got aggressive, in the way animals would when challenging others. But whenever Kai said something, he'd look to her and come back to her side without complaint, even if he probably couldn't understand anything she said. I don't know if it's because he saw her as some kind of 'pack alpha', or if he imprinted on her or something, but he listened to her."

Sure Maleko was weird, he was wild and a bit… well, not as developed as other kids, but Maka wouldn't say he was feral. There was no records of who he was or where he came from, she had assumed his behavior a result of his upbringing. But if what Ragnarok had said was true, that may have been worse.

"So he was abandoned in a jungle? That's terrible," Maka couldn't help the venom in her voice as she spoke, "even for witches, if his parents just left him like that, that's terrible!" She hadn't had much expectations for witch parents, not with how Medusa had treated Crona, but still.

"Kai was probably the first person he met who was good to him, I can… I can understand why he'd latch on to her," Crona mumbled, head still facing the floor as Ragnarok leaned on them. "He made her nicer, though. She smiled sometimes at the meeting when he was around."

Even still… even if he was a sorcerer, he wasn't a bad person. Maleko deserved a healthy family, not to be living with someone who would only take advantage and use him, and it was impossible for Maka to think of Kai and not to think that she was only manipulating him like Medusa had to Crona, only where Medusa used cruelty and violence, Kai was using kindness and affection to get her way.

There hadn't been a lot of progress in even finding Kai despite how much time had passed. Whatever lead was found went cold, didn't matter how many times DWMA found her trail, they'd lose it all the same. There were meister and weapon pairs all over the globe now keeping an eye out to try and find any sign of her in their region, but from what Maka could tell by the snippets she heard from Spirit and Marie, they weren't having any luck. Not even the investigation Lord Death sent Kid on was bearing too much fruit.

He learned more about Kai than the others had by questioning her town, but even he couldn't discern where she came from. In fact, apparently the intel that Kid had gotten contradicted the snippets of information they were getting in the field. According to the people who knew Kai by living near her, she was a solitary person, and yet investigations showed she was working with Medusa's group.

It was frustrating to think that someone so dangerous was still free.

"Maka," Soul began slowly and she looked up from the shelf to turn and face him, "You're making that face again. Somethings bothering you." Despite all appearances, Soul could be pretty perceptive.

But Maka just shook her head, "Just thinking of how the search for Kai and Medusa are going," she admitted. "Sorry," not that she had anything to apologize for. But she forced her mind away from that topic to focus on the task at hand; assembling the shelf and then stocking it full of things that Maleko might like.

She hoped he liked them.

…What age did a sorcerer start feeling the affects of the sway of magic? Kids didn't get that destructive instinct, at least not on the same level of grown witches and sorcerers. But when he did start gaining that instinctual need for destruction, and he was going to feel it, he was a sorcerer, would he still…

Would he still be the happy and sweet boy that she knew? Would Maleko still be a friend?

Maka didn't realize how much she'd come to care until she realized how much the worry for him was eating her away. He was a sorcerer, his magic was primarily fire, though she had not seen him use it personally, it was a relatively destructive force, a primal force. Was the child just a time bomb with the timer ticking down to when he succumbed to his need for destruction and burned the academy down? Would they have to fight him when that time come? Would someone have to kill him and his soul be used to turn their weapon into a Death Scythe?

Was that day tomorrow? Would it be next week? Next month? Was next year the year the pull of magic came for him? Would being friends even matter to him when that moment came or would he be unable to overcome an instinct like that?

No, no, she couldn't think like that.

Maka shook her head to get those thoughts out and doubled her effort to sorting the books and toys onto the small bookshelf for him. They only had so much time to put things together after all, she would like to have the room all set up before Marie or Spirit brought Maleko down. From what she understood he was still in the infirmary getting his stitches removed and some last examinations before he'd be brought down to his new room. It probably wouldn't be the same as his room back home, not that he could go back there considering the house was completely demolished, but maybe he could think of this as home too.

She glanced over at Crona still huddled by the boxes, working in determined, if not nervous, silence as Ragnarok lounged on their head. She would have to go to the store and find some decorations for them to brighten up their room while they were out. Sure Crona said it'd be fine, but she wanted to do something like that for them.

For now, just focus on the task at hand. No more letting her mind wander to what ifs and maybes. Just focus on getting the room all prepared.

It had only been an hour but they had just barely gotten everything put together and sorted out when they could hear footsteps drawing closer in the dark halls beyond the door, followed by the familiar energetic yipping noise and bouncing feet. Maleko was on his way, and not a moment too soon.

The door opened and Marie smiled as she saw the room, "I'm glad we weren't too early," She said and looked down at Maleko who had his small skinny fingers wrapped around her own. He blinked owlishly at the room as he was led into the small space, green eyes roaming from face to face then to the room itself. He was dressed in an blue sleeveless shirt and a pair of shorts today, and Maka was sure she had seen Blackstar wearing that shirt before, the large star on it just cemented that belief.

Marie nudged Maleko into the room further, still smiling at him, "Well, Maleko, this will be your room from now on," she said in a tone that could almost be considered motherly. The child looked up at her and made a strange noise as he cocked his head like a confused puppy. "We can't keep you living in the infirmary the whole time, we thought it was time to give you a bedroom in the guest dorms. Is that okay?"

Looking back at the room, a smile finally broke across Maleko's face, "Mine?" he asked and was given nods in return. Letting go of Marie's hand, Maleko bounded across the room to jump onto the bed before scampering off to look at the toys on the bookshelf and the different children's books. "Mine! All mine! Thank you!"

Marie laughed a little as he pulled a bunny from the shelf and hugged it, giggling as he spun around the room, exploring all the new things in there like he had struck gold and wanted to see just what treasures he had now.

The way that his smile radiated joy and life, childish innocence, Maka couldn't help but feel warm inside and feel the worry in her mind get gnawed away. He was too kind and too sweet, how could the pull of magic ever change that about him? How could magic ever make a sweet child like him destructive and cruel?

He was a feral being once, her mind argued, he could easily go back into an instinct based state again.

She couldn't block out the worry and concern.

The night had settled and the others had left Maleko alone in his room to sleep until the sun rose again.

It wouldn't quite fit to say he was happy, he had been ecstatic to get his own room and his own toys again. He hadn't had any of this since he had been taken from his home, and sure this wasn't like his bedroom back home, it was underground, dim and chilly, but it was his and that's what mattered.

It wasn't like the lighting or cold would bother him. His magic, the fire flowing in his veins kept him warm enough, and if he was bothered by the lighting, he could light a fire in a corner and give him more light and more heat. But he was happy.

There were toys, there was a comfortable bed, and he had a window, though it was barred up. He couldn't complain, he had all that he needed, all that he really wanted. Well, not all that he wanted, but it was only a matter of time before his friends found Mama for him.

And his injuries were healing nicely, Nygus said so herself! They took the weird string stuff they had sewn onto him out earlier, so that was a good sign, right?

There were so many new scents that filled the room, and he had spent plenty of time exploring it all until the sun had gone down. Now Maleko was content to just curl up on his new bed, cuddling the bunny plush that they had given him until sleep overtook him.

There was a pecking at his window.

Maleko sat up and crawled across his bed to look at the closed window. Sitting between the bars and pecking at the glass was a hunched over bird. He couldn't tell what kind of bird it was, but it was pecking insistently at his glass.

The boy got off his bed and made his way to the window. It was twice as high as he was tall, as so he had to climb onto the little kids desk just to peer up at the bird.

It was big, brown and stopped pecking when Maleko got closer, staring at him with bright yellow eyes. It's feathers ruffled a little and it hunched a little lower as it stared at him.

Maleko smiled, tapping against the glass of his window, "Hello."