"You're just as stubborn as ever, aren't you?" Maka said to Black Star as he finished regaling the story of meeting with fortune tellers.
"Look who's talking," He said, nudging her with his elbow. She missed this banter; she'd be lying if she said she hadn't. All the happiness and camaraderie, she missed being so casual and carefree. It was all so familiar, yet it had been ages since she'd experienced it.
"'Sides," he added, folding his arms back behind his head. "You'd have agreed with me. We need justice."
"You're joking, right?"
"What do you mean? You're saying you would have let them talk you into forgiving any criminal because you found out they had lived a poor life? What was it you told me? 'Tragedy does not excuse monstrosity?'"
"I'm saying I have a brain and I have ears and would have thought that maybe what they were saying actually means something."
"You don't know that, you weren't there. One look at those bastards and you would have thought the same thing as I did. Or have you changed that much since you left?"
"What the hell are you talking about? You think I wouldn't have listened and thought about what they said before I left? Do you even know me?"
They were both standing up and shouting again at this point. Maka thought of how she was just reflecting on the casual and happy conversation. It figures that it wouldn't have lasted long, given the circumstances of why she was back.
"Of course I know you, or at least I did! Why have you changed so much, Maka? What happened to the old you? What is this new person and where the fuck did they come from?"
"Black Star," Tsubaki's warning voice came up. Black Star instantly dropped his gaze to his feet and his shoulders slumped. Maka could tell he was already regretting shouting. "Black Star, Patti wants to speak with you."
He nodded a silent apology and jumped over the log, over exaggerating his normal swagger.
"Sorry about him, he's been a little… irritable lately." Tsubaki said to Maka.
"Yeah? And exactly how long is 'lately'?" she replied, sitting down on the log with an exasperated sigh.
"Oh, you know." Tsubaki said, with an air of elegance that only she was capable of, sitting down with that same poise and grace. "So… How have you been since you...you know."
"What do you mean how have I been?"
"Just tell me about your life as an angel. What's it like? Is there anything...new?"
The way she stressed that last word made Maka want to laugh. Of course there were new things, but what exactly did Tsubaki want to know?
"Well, I guess there is something new. Let me tell you about this one time when-"
"Wait," Tsubaki interrupted her. "Is there a story you can tell me about you and Soul?"
"Um yes, why?"
"No reason, carry on." There was a mischief in her voice, one of the only things that ever replaced her calm, elegant tone, though there was a little bit of sadness in her eyes.
"Okay..." Maka side eyed her, suspicious of her intentions and thoughts behind her tone. Then she perked up, having thought of something to ask in return. "I'll tell you about Soul and what's new in my life, if you tell me about you and Black Star finally got around to talking to each other about your feelings for each other. Like, who asked who, and who talked to who, and all that."
"Deal."
Maka was woken up by very loud grunting followed by a loud clap of thunder. She sat up and rolled her neck and shoulders. After three months of sleeping in that metal cage, she would never get used to it.
The grunting continued, sounding weaker and more weary by the second. It was too dark in the cave to see anything, but she could tell it was not an animal that was making the noise.
If it was a human, that meant it was either Soul,-but he shouldn't have been out; it must be the middle of the night and storming terrifically,- or it was another traveller, maybe a kidnapper or something equally threatening that Maka couldn't think of in the fear of the moment.
The grunting was getting closer, and now she could hear another set of sounds. These new noises weren't grunts- and they weren't from a human. She knew it was an animal, and definitely one she recognised, and it sounded injured and in pain.
The grunting stopped and she heard something - or someone? - fall to the ground just outside her cage. Lightning flashed in the sky, illuminating the cave for just enough time for her to see a head of white hair on the floor next to a red stained griffin.
Her heart stopped. What happened to the griffin? Did Soul hurt it? No, of course not. He wouldn't do that, that's not like him. But how did it get hurt?
She called it over to her, hoping with all that she could that it could make the very short journey over within arms reach of her. She held her arm out in hope that she would feel it if it came over to her. The rain drummed on the roof of the cave, it was loud and heavy, and made it hard to hear whether or not the griffin was moving toward her or not.
Normally the rain was calming to Maka. She would hear it and feel at peace, even if there was danger, the sound would comfort her and help her keep a level head. But this time was different. It was violent rain, and there was something about it that made her blood pressure spike and heart rate speed up.
She dropped her hand, losing all hope of the griffin's mobility. Her head dropped, and it rested against some of the bars, and she felt a tear roll down her cheek.
Why was she crying? She didn't need to cry, and yet the tears were coming. They poured down her face like the rain did the outside of the cave.
Her eyes wanted to stay closed, wanted a break, wanted to go back to sleep. She was almost about to decide to lie down, when she felt something soft brush against against her knee.
She jolted up, reaching forward to feel what touched her. The feathers that led down to the enormous wings were unmistakably that of a griffin. Her hands moved along the rest of its body to find the wound. When she felt moisture at the joint connecting the leg with the rest of the body and heard the griffin groan and lurch back slightly, she knew that was her target.
She brushed a hand on its head, smoothing out its feathers and trying her best to calm it down while she placed her other hand over the wound. Her palm was getting soaked in blood, from facing the injury. She felt uneasy, but she knew she had to do this.
This was the first time she attempted anything like this, so she wasn't exactly sure how it worked. She tried thinking hard, willing it to work, trying everything she could think of, but nothing worked.
The tears started to flow once again, and it gave her one last idea. She wiped her tears on her fingers and pressed them into the wound. The griffin groaned out loudly in pain, and she hated to think that she was causing it more pain. Especially if she didn't know if this method would work.
After a short moment, it stopped groaning, and the tears and blood on Maka's hand started to dry up.
Did it actually work?
The griffin stood up shakily, and let out a tremendous screech. It sounded majestic and terrifying at the same time. Maka felt privileged to hear such a sound up so close, but at the same time, felt that it could kill her by simply entering her ears.
It lowered its head to her knees again as if thanking her. She reached a hand out to stroke its feathers, thinking it a suitable way to show she accepted its gratitude.
Another flash of lightning lit up the room long enough to show the glory of the newly healed griffin, and Soul's body lying limp on the ground.
She panicked, cursing at herself for forgetting about him, and she reached as far out of the cage as she could, to see if she could get to him. She grabbed onto his arms and dragged him closer to the cage. She pulled him up onto her knees that were sticking out of the cage.
In her panic, she had to remember how to check a pulse, and had to calm herself down, had to keep her head on straight.
Why was she so uneased? She barely knew him and yet she was terrified at the thought of him being gone? She paused her frantic search for a pulse briefly to stop and think. Was it because she was scared of feeling partly to blame if he died? Was it because she started to realise that he's not that bad a person and he simply needed help from someone? Was it because, if he died, there would be no way out of the cage and no way of getting food again?
After resuming her search for a pulse, relief washed over her as she confirmed that Soul was still alive. She figured - once she had calmed down enough to come up with a rational diagnosis - it was just extreme fatigue that made him collapse.
Before she could think twice, she asked the griffin to grab the blanket from the couch. She chided herself for thinking a griffin could understand what she was saying, when, much to her surprise, the griffin walked over, and brought the blanket back, dropping it from its beak onto the floor next to Soul.
After getting over her shock, she grabbed the blanket and spread it over Soul's body. Without even thinking, she began running her fingers through his hair and humming to him. He was already asleep, so it wasn't like he needed a lullaby, but it felt natural, it felt… right.
"So you were pretty scared when he almost died?" Tsubaki had practically been on the edge of her seat the whole story. Why she was, however, Maka had no clue.
"Yeah, I guess."
"Did you ever figure out why?"
"Probably because I was just scared that someone could possibly have just died in front of me, and maybe because I was afraid that there was no way out if he died."
"Okay, that makes sense. Was he asleep for long?"
"He was unconscious for two days. After that I made him promise to take better care of himself, because he was probably overtired, underfed, and most likely dehydrated. He promised and then he told me that I shouldn't have to stay in a cage anymore and he let me out."
"But Maka, if he let you out, then why didn't you come back to us? You were free so you could have escaped."
"I couldn't leave because I felt like he needed the help, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. After that, we became much closer, not having that block in our relationship."
"Oh? So you and him grew closer?" Tsubaki said, the mischief in her voice returning full power.
"Tsubaki, that doesn't mean anything except for we actually talked and became friends. Now, about you and Black Star?"
Tsubaki yawned big and wide, and Maka finally noticed how late it was. Black Star said that they would follow through with their decision tomorrow. That was too soon.
"Can I tell you tomorrow? It's getting kind of late, and I need sleep."
"Can you tell me tomorrow? Or will you casually 'forget?'"
"I promise I will, Maka. That is, if you…" she trailed off.
"If I what?"
"If you still want me to. You know, after…" Oh, yeah that. Of course Tsubaki would be concerned for how she'd feel after that.
"Of course I'll want to hear it. Now, good night Tsubaki."
"Good night, Maka." She waved as she walked off toward her tent.
"Thanks for the concern." Maka said softly to herself.
Would she be alright after… Now, it wouldn't happen. No, it won't. She won't let it.
But still, the doubt that filled her mind, that weighed down on her heart, was too much. As much as she tried to be hopeful or be the optimist, she didn't believe a word of reassurance she told herself.
There was nothing she could do.