A/N: This one was suggested by thetimewalker2237. Thanks for the suggestion, hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Soul Eater whatsoever.

22. A Sensitive Plum and Cayenne Pepper

Something Completely New

"Tsubaki, you have a warm and loving father, correct?"

Tsubaki looked up from her textbook, surprised to see Spirit Albarn standing next to her table in the library, looking rather lost, almost like a helpless puppy. She glanced around as if trying to find whoever was supposed to be taking care of the older man before she realized the absurdity of it and quickly stopped.

In front of her, Spirit was shuffling back and forth, inspecting the area around him almost suspiciously.

"Um… yes, my father is a kind soul," Tsubaki answered hastily when a few seconds too many had passed. "Why do you ask?"

At this inquiry, Spirit collapsed into the seat across from Tsubaki's with an injured moan. Planting his face into the wooden surface of the table, he mumbled, "I'm trying to bond with Maka again but I don't know what to do. I'm trying to be warm and loving, but it's just not enough. I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

Tsubaki blinked in surprise at how abruptly the afternoon had gone from her reading a book on the varieties of soul wavelengths to her acting as a guidance counselor for the distraught Death Scythe.

Gently closing her book, Tsubaki thought for a moment before saying, "What have you been doing to earn her trust and affection?"

"I've been trying everything," Spirit sighed despondently. "I even went around asking other students about what their own fathers were like. The Thompson sisters didn't have much to say, I didn't want to ask Black Star, and Kid gave me an almost evil look and said, 'You already know what my father is like.'" Spirit raised his head to look at Tsubaki, smiling a fraction. "I remembered you have fond thoughts of your family and decided to ask you."

The Dark Arm weapon opened her mouth, sputtering nervously and went quiet. Maka complained about her father, and Tsubaki had been there to pat her shoulder or awkwardly zone out of the conversation when the scythe meister began a long rant. She'd never been on Spirit's end of the entire situation, and she now found it was a somewhat exhausting experience and she hadn't even said anything yet.

"I'm begging you, Tsubaki," Spirit whined, folding his hands together and leaning forward to stare intently at the weapon. "Tell me what I can do to earn Maka's love."

Tsubaki inhaled deeply, told herself it was a simple question and she was capable of conjuring up an answer for the poor, slightly pathetic soul.

"You've been going around talking to people about their own fathers, right?" she asked quietly.

"Indeed. One student began crying, so I think I accidentally brought up some bad memories," Spirit replied gloomily.

Pushing aside the startling thought, Tsubaki pressed on. "Instead of imitading the actions of other parents, maybe you should try coming up with something completely new. Switch around your approach completely. Tell Maka you are honestly trying to change."

"She'll think I'm just making false promises," Spirit mumbled.

"Convince her you're not, then," Tsubaki argued quietly. "Say you're turning over a new leaf and you absolutely mean it this time."

The Death Scythe looked thoughtful, narrowing his eyes and focusing up at the ceiling. "Turning a new leaf, huh? I've tried that before multiple times, but she never takes me seriously. This time feels different, though. I feel more confident." He smiled at Tsubaki and rose from his seat, giving her a brief wave. "Thank you, Tsubaki."

"Any time," Tsubaki responded, watching the older man leave the room with a little spring in his step. Picking up her book again, the Dark Arm weapon flipped back to her page. That wasn't that bad of advice. I guess I did alright. I'll find out for sure if Maka is complaining about him during class…

The bell rang a short while later, and Tsubaki meandered her way into Class Crescent Moon, taking a seat next to her meister while Maka took the one below her. The scythe wielder didn't say anything for awhile, only scanned the pages of her book intently. After a moment, she put it down and turned to look at Tsubaki, appearing almost troubled.

"My dad was being weird again," she began quietly, though she didn't sound angered at the recollection.

"How so?" Tsubaki asked, tilting her head innocently to one side.

"He was going on about how he was going to change and how our relationship would soon thrive, the usual stuff like that," Maka answered distractedly, tapping her fingers on the cover of her book. "They were the same promises he's always spouting left and right but this time he sounded… different. He seemed so sincere, I almost want to believe him…"

"You should, Maka," Tsubaki replied, maybe a little too frantically, and she leaned back to regain some composure. "You can be hesitant but give him a chance. Maybe he really does want to change for you this time. You should go somewhere with him after school."

"What?" Maka demanded, face going red at the suggestion. "I have homework, Tsubaki. I can't be bothered to spend some time with that creepy guy."

"Yes, you can," Tsubaki repeated firmly, almost like a stern mother. "And if you truly think the afternoon will be a waste of time, get him to bring you to a bookstore. You get something out of it then, right?"

The thought made Maka a little more open to the idea, and she turned around in her seat, murmuring, "Fine. I guess I can give him another chance, seeing as he seems extra determined this time. I need a new copy of The Great Gatsby anyway."

Tsubaki smiled, feeling quite pleased with herself.

-/-\-|-/-\-

A/N: Not many ideas came to me for this one, but Spirit asking Tsubaki for help about how to be a better father to Maka stuck out, so I used it. It's not my favorite, but I hope you all liked it anyway.