Soul Eater: A New Madness Consumes?

by emiralnova

Post-manga/canon. What happens when you mix in Soul & Maka with the Amazon jungle? A new Madness is born from a new Kishin-to-be called the Wizard. Maka has strange dreams and Soul struggles to come up with a solution. Will they & the rest of Spartoi be able to stop this new Madness? And what does Maka's dreams have to do with Crona? Written for Resbang 2k17.

3. A New Madness Consumes?

Chapter 3: A New Madness Consumes?

Black Star yawned and leaned back into his seat. "Yeah that mission sucked."

Soul scowled at him.

"Well, you know what to do right?"

"…Not really? I mean, I guess I'll talk to her—"

"And you call yourselves partners," the ninja said sarcastically. "You have to give Maka some tough love. She's gonna hold in her shit until she's constipated, so all you have to do is be her laxative and –"

"I don't need to hear the end of that sentence," Soul interrupted by shoving an apple in his friend's mouth.

Black Star bit into his new apple and continued to talk with his mouth full, "All I'm saying is you guys should get it together soon. Christmas is coming up and if I know y'all, you guys will be fist fighting before the presents are open, day of."

Soul got up from his chair and walked towards the main stairs into town. "I'll think about it. Maka is hard to crack."

"I know, brotato chip. That's what I've been saying! Be her laxative!" Star said loudly. "Be. Her. Laxative!"

"You are the grossest person," he said before descending the stairs.

"Listen to your god and you won't fail!" Black Star's voice echoed and Soul wondered, not for the first time, why he was still friends with him. Granted, he did have a point. Soul recently got paid for the last mission and he still needed a gift for Maka. He really should stop waiting 'til the last minute.

Reaching the parking lot, Soul kicked up the stand on his bike and slowly rolled into town. He had gotten better at getting gifts for Maka in the last few years. She tends to like homemade things over store-bought, but does appreciate the occasional trinket or two. Getting her books was a lost cause because she gets all the ones she wants before he does. So one year, he surprised her with a new bookshelf and extra wall shelves. He doesn't think he has topped that year yet.

He passed several clothing shops and restaurants decorated from top to bottom with Christmas decorations from wreaths, lights, and Death Santa, which was a favored Christmas concept. It ranged from traditional Lord Death garb with a Santa hat to making Santa as scary as possible. It was a little bizarre since he was used to the snow aspect back East, but Death City doesn't hold back when it comes to decorum. The main shopping district was in midtown and he parked nearby the Deathbucks that was a frequent Shibusen hangout. He waved at Master, the main bartender, who nodded at him through the window. Soul took in the road of shops in front of him. Pursing his lips, he thought today might be a window shopping/getting ideas kind of day.

The next hour and a half, he went into a number of clothing stores, a Hallmark, and some kitchenware shops. Nothing inspired him. Maybe he'll compose something for her, but he felt like it was a cop out gift. He exited a sweet shop with a small bag for the apartment and spotted a jewelry store across the street. The front display showcased a delicate, gold tennis bracelet and he walked up to it. Maka doesn't typically wear jewelry, due to their job. But once in a while, he'll spot her glancing at a local jeweler or stare longingly at Swarovski's crystal figurines. Going in to look at some prices couldn't hurt.

The door dinged his entrance. Brightly lit glass enclosures and stands prided necklaces, watches, earrings, and the like. The outside noise lowered into a murmur as the door closed behind him. The store was empty. He hadn't been inside one of these since he left home. He passed by a large Grecian bust of a woman inside a wall cavity and a memory of his mother crooning over expensive pearls and diamonds while he sat in a corner came to mind. There was a graying, thin, middle aged man behind the counter, who greeted him and asked what he was look for today. He looked friendly and thankfully not smarmy.

"Just taking a look for gift ideas, thanks," Soul said. "Actually, do you have the bracelet displayed outside I could have a look at?"

"Of course! Just a moment," the man said. Soul eyed his name tag, which read "Bert." Bert disappeared into the back and Soul peered at some prices under the glass. The numbers don't surprise him, since he had been exposed to more expensive pricing. Maka might object, but he hadn't bought her jewelry before. But he felt they were partners long enough for him to purchase something like this. Right?

Bert re-entered the booth before Soul could finish the thought. The bracelet hung on a simpler rack and sparkled prettily under the fluorescent lights. Bert told him the carets, its value, and mentioned the various deals he had for the holidays. Soul picked the bracelet up and admired its cut and design. It wasn't too expensive. He thought it was a good price for what it's worth. He kind of wished he had Wes's opinion. He was much better at this stuff than he was.

"For a girlfriend?" Bert asked.

Soul coughed and cleared his throat. "Oh no, no. My meister."

"Ah, I thought I recognized your hair," Bert said. "The Last Deathscythe, yes?"

"Yeah," he said, scratching his cheek.

"Lucky girl, nonetheless," Bert said, smiling.

"Is it possible to have this on hold? I'm willing to deposit and pick up at a later date," Soul asked.

"Of course. Christmas Eve is the latest hold date, just so you know."

"That's fine," he said.

Bert went and pulled out some documents and a box from under the counter. Soul signed and soon after swiped his card. Done.

"Thanks, Bert," he said.

"Of course. Come in whenever you want to pick it up."

Soul waved goodbye and walked towards the door. Just as he reached the door, there was an audible thud that came from behind him. He looked back and nothing seemed out of place, until he saw a leg sticking out from behind the counter.

"Bert?" he said. There was no response.

Soul rushed up to the counter and found Bert lying in on his side, almost as if he were asleep. He crouched down and shook him. "Bert!" he said loudly. Soul checked his pulse, which was still steady, but slow. He then heard several yells from beyond the entrance door. Though reluctant to leave Bert, Soul found himself outside where there was a frantic woman who clutched onto a man on the floor, yelling his name. There was older man up the street shaking who looked to be his son, also on the ground unconscious. There seemed to be several people in panic inside various shops where there were unconscious people. It all was the same: a person collapsed onto the floor without warning, and didn't wake up.

What the fuck is happening? He thought and then Soul's phone buzzed in his pocket. It screamed Death's ringtone. "Kid?"

"Soul, we have a situation." Kid sounded stressed. "Several students at the academy have collapsed—"

"Yeah, same here."

"What? Where are you?"

"Mid-town. I was shopping. There are a bunch of locals who have collapsed here too."

He heard Kid swear under his breath. "Do what you can there first and then I want you to report to the Death Room ASAP. Bring Maka. Kid out."

"Right," Soul said and then dialed for an ambulance.

/

"And then you solve for A and then you plug in your answer here to get X," Maka explained. Tsugumi nodded in understanding as she scribbled down her answer. They were in the NOT dormitories. Covering both math and English, she was helping her look over an essay while Tsugumi worked some math homework. Maka often tutored students for the joy of it and the little extra credit it earned. She also felt she needed to brush up on some writing herself and playing editor does the trick! She can't afford to fall back on her basics and felt wanted to redeem herself however she can. Maka could tell Soul wanted to talk to her about the last mission. But honestly, what was there to talk about? They failed and now they just have to try harder. Baby steps.

"Maka-Senpai?"

"Hm?" she said.

"Is something wrong?" Tsugumi asked, with worried eyes. It suddenly struck Maka how much the weapon has grown since she joined the academy. Perhaps a bit more attentive.

"No, just lost in thought. Did you figure it out?" she asked.

"Mhm! I think I understand it now. Thank you! I feel more prepared!" Tsugumi said cheerfully.

"Good! I'm glad," she said, smiling.

The bedroom door opened and Meme came in. She plopped her school bag on the ground before noticing that Maka was there. "Oh! Hi Maka!" Meme said.

"Hey Meme."

"Are you tutoring right now? Do you have time to help me spare later? I wanna try this new technique I learned in class," she said, leaning against the door.

"Uh, yeah sure! We just finished if you want to go now?"

"Actually, it kind of requires a weapon. Is Soul around? We don't have any fake weapons here."

"No, I came here without him," Maka said. "We can head up to school if you really want to train."

"Mmm…" Meme thought for a moment. "Yeah okay, let's go!"

"Alright then!" The girls gathered their things and decided to walk to school instead of taking the bus. About halfway, Tsugumi remembered that Maka just came back from a mission.

"How did it go, Senpai? I bet you were awesome!" Tsugumi said.

"Ahh," said Maka, who faltered in her step. "It didn't really go the way I expected. But that happens on missions sometimes."

"What happened?" Meme asked.

"Um," Maka hesitated. "Soul and I got lost in the Amazon and somehow, we were rescued by the Academy in a nick of time."

"Oh no!" "Thank goodness!" they exclaimed in sync.

"Yeah, we've been grounded from missions by Kid since we got back," Maka said bitterly. "If weren't for me, we might not have gotten lost at all."

"But that's why you have Soul, right?"

And suddenly, it struck her how sound that statement was. Maka met Tsugumi's eyes and the weapon blushed. "You're so lucky you have such a great partner. I hope I can be that good someday."

"What are you talking about Tsugumi? You're the best partner!" Meme said and hugged her abruptly. Tsugumi blushed and tried to wave her off.

Maka felt a tenderness for the pair and looked towards the blue sky. It was a pretty day and the sun grinned menacingly. She had much to be grateful for and Soul… she owed much to her success to him. They have grown so much, like Tsugumi and her partners, and he has proven himself a formidable, powerful weapon. Yet they have failed their recent mission and it was all because of her. She has so much more to do, even after making a Deathscythe. Maka sighed and spied the looming academy in the distance. She wants to prove herself again. If only Kid would let them! She remembered how relieved he was when they got back and forbade them from taking any missions until he saw that they were ready.

Her mouth twisted at the thought. Since when did Kid decide what was good for them?

"Maka!"

Holding onto her long skirts, Anya sprints down the stairs looking frantic. "Something terrible is happening! Students are collapsing left and right!"

"What? Why?" the trio said, alarmed. Anya sprinted toward them and brought Meme and Tsugumi into a tight embrace. "Thank Death you are all right! I was beside myself with worry!"

"We're okay, Anya," Tsugumi reassured her. "What do you mean students are collapsing?"

"I don't know! There were two people who fainted in our classroom and Sid Barrett took them to the infirmary," she said, after catching her breath. "But it turns out there were others around the school who collapsed too and there's no pattern to it. I feared the worst and started for home after that."

"I'll go see what's going on," Maka said, taking the initiative. "You three stick together and stay safe, okay? We can train another day. Call me if anything goes wrong."

The trio nodded and Maka went for the steps. But as soon as she ascended a few steps, she heard a familiar rumble in the distance. She turned and saw Soul's orange bike pull up by the staircase. Anya, Meme, and Tsugumi stared at the Deathscythe with awe when he dismounted and secured the bike to a nearby pole. He saw them and gave them a nod before turning to give her an annoyed look.

"What's wrong with your face?" Maka spat.

"What's wrong with you not answering your phone?" he countered. She blinked and pulled her phone out of her pocket. Several texts and calls from Soul and one from Death the Kid.

"Oops," she said.

"Yeah," he said and rolled his eyes. "Can we fly up instead? Kid called for an emergency meeting."

"We're not allowed to fly in the hallways—" she reprimanded.

"Who the heck cares right now? It's an emergency," he said and transformed himself into her hands. "Let's go, nerd."

Maka cawed a loud, exasperated noise at him, but saw his point. They sped promptly up the staircase, leaving the trio behind them.

Anya and Meme heard a thud next to them and they whirled around in alarm. It was Tsugumi, who fell her to knees with a sparkly eyed expression and said passionately, "One day I want to be as beautiful as Soul-senpai!"

The Death Room's main stage was littered with piles of paperwork, books, and charts, along with several televisions that displayed visuals within the academy grounds and international Shibusen locations. Kid stepped out of his office circle with a flourish of his black cloak and shifted his Death mask to the side of his head. In front of him, Spartoi stood at attention to Lord Death.

"I'm glad you can make it," said Kid. "It's good to see all of you."

"Are Liz and Patti still in Brazil?" Tsubaki asked, looking around her.

"Yes, unfortunately. The house has been very quiet without them, so I've been catching up on work here," he said, gesturing behind him.

Black Star crossed his arms. "You have to take a break sometimes, Kid. Even gods like us need some downtime."

"I appreciate it, Black Star," he said. "But rest will have to wait. I've called you all here to tell you of serious new developments: a new Kishin is on the rise."

There was an audible gasp in the room. Maka clenched her fist. Her bangs casted a shadow over her eyes. Soul glanced over at his partner, but said nothing.

"Who's the culprit? This time I'll break their back before they break mine!" said Black Star, punching a fist in his hand.

Kim smacked his shoulder. "Shut up, Star! It took me ages to heal your back to normal last time!" she said. "So is it true? We're dealing with him?"

"Yes, a man who calls himself 'The Wizard' and is somehow related to the witches," Kid asked. "What do you know about him, Kim?"

"Other than he ran away from the coven centuries ago after being shunned by them, I didn't know much else besides the recent reports," she said, shifting her weight on a leg. "So I did some asking around and apparently he was hibernating in Brazil after he disappeared. He has some sort of vendetta against witches, especially Maaba. I've been told it's because they're siblings."

"What?" everyone gasped.

Kim shrugged. "That might be just a rumor, but who actually knows?" she said, indifferent. "Probably only Maaba, but that fact is, it doesn't really matter. She is the only match to his power."

"I see," Kid said. He started pacing. "From what Liz told me over the phone, they are at a standstill in the Amazon. Even though the coven is handling it, I'm afraid for the worst. The new madness that is radiating all over the world is coming from Brazil."

"What do you want us to do, Kid?" Kilik said, who stepped forward. "We want to help." Everyone hummed in agreement.

"Thank you," Kid sighed gratefully. "I think the best course of action is to gather more information and to be prepared for the worst. Which means I'm enforcing more training in the academy for all students, EAT and NOT classes. Of course, EAT gets a more rigorous regiment. I also want some of you to in various parts of the world where the madness seems to be affecting the most. You all will be staying at Deathscythe sanctioned locations, so no need to worry about finding lodging. I want partners to search out any information about the madness: symptoms, reactions, and if possible, a way to combat it."

"I'll take Asia," Ox said, stepping forward. "I've been studying several Asian languages and I've been meaning to test them out, if you don't mind."

"Excellent. Harvar, please keep him in line," Kid added at the end. The spear gave a silent thumbs up while Ox gaped in outrage at his partner. "Kim, Jackie, are you alright with Europe?"

"Yep!" they both chirped and then whispered to themselves all the shopping spots they wanted to hit after their mission.

"Klilk, I want you to head to Africa for a couple weeks."

"Yeah, it'll be good to see some friends there. Count on me, boss," the pot meister said.

"Star and Tsubaki, you two have Australia."

"YUS! Tsubaki, we get to see the kangaroos, isn't that awesome?" Black Star shouted while his weapon laughed at his excitement.

"What about me and Soul?" Maka asked, stepping forward. "That's all of the main continents."

"I have your father making his way east for the rest of the States. I want you and Soul to stay here in Death City," Kid said.

"Why?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

Kid gave her a weighted look before answering, "Because I want one of our best stationed here at home base. I want you two to patrol the city daily and to help civilians who have succumbed to the madness."

Soul watched as the tension rose in between them, both meisters in a stare down. With these conditions, this was considered to be a low star mission usually given to low star meisters. He sensed the fury Maka barely kept in check. They were still being grounded from their last mission. Ten seconds passed and Maka turned her heel and walked out of the Death Room. Kid sighed and gave him an apologetic expression. "I have my reasons, Soul. Please express that to her," he said.

"And what is that reasoning?" Soul challenged "Because Deathscythe is roaming the country right now? Or because you think we're not up to the mission?"

"My decision is final," Kid said, moving his mask onto his face. "We have to work as a team to figure this out and I need you and Maka to be stationed here."

"It's not up to me," he said. "Wherever Maka goes, I go. I'm not questioning your decision. I'm just confused as to why."

"We almost lost you two in the Amazon, Soul," he said, his voice muffled behind his mask. "From what Patti's told me, we're lucky I don't have to collect your souls right now. Please. Just stay home for now, for my sanity. At least until Liz and Patti come home."

While he understood the sentiment, Kid didn't have to deal with Maka when she's pissed. When he dismissed them all to pack, Soul made his way out of the academy and descended the grand staircase. He heard Black Star and Tsubaki walking beside him.

"Kid must be so stressed. Maybe I'll cook for him something this week," Tsubaki pondered.

"OH!" Black Star snapped his fingers. "Can you make that chowder with the octopus?"

"It would have to be symmetrical animal, yes. We'd have to find an eight-legged one instead of the usual six."

Soul found Maka mounted on his bike, helmet on her head with arms crossed. He felt the weight of the days ahead as he unchained his bike.

"We're out of food at home. Do you wanna order out or buy groceries?" he asked, mounting and turning on the engine.

"I don't care. It's your turn anyway," she spat at him and leaned back to hold onto the hand rail.

Geez, okay. He rolled his eyes and slowly maneuvered in the street. "Take out it is."

/

For the next few days, she holed herself in her room studying, barely talked to anyone in public, and gave the stank eye to whoever tried to do so. They went on their patrols like Kid requested, but that resulted in heavy stomping and cursing under her breath. Still it was a mission and they took their job seriously. It led them to where most of the collapsed citizens were currently residing: Death City Hospital. Maka and Soul were now familiar faces to the front receptionists and an array of doctors that reported no changes from the civilians, though in stable condition and continuing evaluation. It was as if they were sleeping, but unable to wake up. They received daily reports from the hospital of any changes in the patients.

Meanwhile, they were approaching the end of their high school curriculum and the apartment quickly became a small library with stacks of borrowed books (why did the library let her take out so many?) and notes he'd never laid eyes on before. He doubted that college level calculus would be on the final exam, but he didn't want to ask. Soul wasn't sure what he would do after graduation either. He didn't think it would be much of a transition for him, as future acting Death Scythe; he already had a job lined up for him. Actually, he paused, she hasn't really mentioned her plans after graduation. He spied at her over a pile of books across their kitchen table.

She was amidst writing something in a weathered notebook and periodically clicked on her new HP laptop. It was a gift from her father she reluctantly accepted and they desperately needed the upgrade from the ancient library dinosaur blocks. He settled back down on his chair. She mentioned the idea of teaching future weapons a few years ago, but with achieving Death Scythe status and Crona on the Moon, talks of the future were put on hold. Soul flipped a page in the textbook he was reading and sighed. Crona. What a sore topic.

She would sometimes cry their name out at night and he would have to wake her up when it happened. They didn't talk about the nightmares or their failed mission. She refused. They haven't had a decent conversation in days, besides school work and doing household chores. It was like she retreated back into herself, which concerned him. That was something he usually did when something upset him. Not Maka. She fought back and yelled and made her presence known when she was annoyed. She and Black Star were alike in that way. Suddenly, Soul didn't think it was about being mad at Kid anymore. It was different this time.

There was a thin opening between the book stacks he hadn't seen before. She was mouthing something to herself while drawing a complicated graph on the page. It was rare when they got to do normal stuff like study, so he took this still moment to watch her for several minutes. She was a force to be reckoned with and with her help, he was too. A whisper of the little demon's ghost echoed in his mind, who would've had something to say about Maka's emotional state.

"Soul."

He blinked and she was looking back at him. "Stop staring at me. It's weird."

"Sorry," he said, mentally slapped himself for that knee-jerk response. He didn't know what say after that, so he said nothing.

"Have you been actually studying this whole time?"

"I was," he said, defensive. He wasn't.

"Your final exams are important! Just because you're Deathscythe doesn't mean you get to slack off—" she lectured.

"Yeah, yeah."

"—Which reminds me, I want us to train every two days in the sparing room."

"What? Why?" he said, alarmed. "We're in great shape!"

"No, we're not. I want us to train harder so we can be faster and stronger than ever. We start on Friday before dinner," she said, turning a page in her book.

"Friday?" He turned to look at today's date, which was Sunday, which meant the upcoming Friday... "No, Black Star and I have our weekly basketball game that day!"

"But he's in Australia right now?"

"He said they'll be back by Friday, tops."

"I think our partnership is more important than some basketball game," she said.

"You didn't even ask if I had plans!"

"What can be more important than bettering ourselves for the future?"

"I don't know, but you can't just decide something on your own, dummy," he argued.

"Geez, fine we'll move it to Saturday! I figured that Friday would be better so that we can have the weekend to relax—"

"That's not the point, Maka and you know it—"

"Nyahhh, why are my kittens arguing when I come home!"

They both turned towards the window, where they see Blair floating into the room and poofed herself into human form, more scantily dressed than normal. She must have come from work. Blair took off her heels and magically made a robe appear, draping it over her shoulder. "Does Bu-tan have to do some intervention again?"

"Hi Blair," he said noncommittally, rolling his eyes.

"Welcome home," Maka greeted into the nearest book stack.

"Okaeri," she said, putting one hand on her hip while the other summoned various bath items in mid-air. "I'm going to take a bath. Bu-tan had a very bad customer today, so she wants to relax with no fighting. Understood?"

Maka and Soul made agreeing, grumbling noises in response. With a satisfied hmpt, Blair stalked towards the bathroom, whistling the rubber ducky song while floating items trailed after her. Meister and Weapon sat in relative silence for a moment, in some ways processing what had happened. He glanced up at her and he could tell that her thoughts were too distracted to study anymore. He gave in.

"I don't mind cancelling with Star," he said through gritted teeth. "Just let me in on what you want to do next time, yeah? Friday is fine."

Maka's face contorted, uncomfortable but mumbled, "Fine."

He took a deep breath and pushed back his chair, "I'm gonna start dinner. I need a break from studying."

"Kay," she said, picking up another book from a stack. As Soul rummaged through the kitchen, he missed the sad, defeated look that Maka gave him.

"Maka wants to do what?"

"Train more on Friday nights," Soul repeated. He holds his phone with his shoulder to cheek while he picks out two vinyl records off the shelf. He technically wants to relax with maybe jazz, but he still felt peeved about Maka's decision, so maybe something chaotic to match his mood? "We have to do basketball another day."

Black Star was quiet for a few breaths. Soul thought the call dropped for a moment before he heard the ninja say to himself, "…Maybe I should train more too."

"That's… totally your call."

"Heck, I want in on this extra training! HEY TSU, ARE YOU FREE FRIDAY NIGHTS?"

Soul jerked his ear away from the surprise volume. His phone miraculously dropped on top of a nest of clothing. He set down the vinyls on his desk and bent down to hear the latter half of Star's sentence,

"….more on Friday nights, you want in? …COOL! Alright, hashtag TsuStar is in!"

"Great," Soul said deadpan, putting away one record. Calming jazz it is then.

"Anyway, I don't know about weekends for basketball, bro. I'm usually packed on both Saturday and Sunday doing stuff with Tsu, so I'll let you know."

"Alright. It's no big deal though. We'll just see you on Friday's."

"Oh yeah, true that, true that. Anyway, I gotta go. I have to be up at four-thirty to run for two hours."

Soul's eyes bugged out a little, "Yeah, have fun with that."

"Thanks! See ya, bro."

"Laters," he said and hung up. Soul stared up at an unseen void and wondered again why he had such active friends. He un-sleeved the record and put it on the antique turn-table next to his shelf. It was some dark-lacquered wood with intricate bronzed designs. It was a congratulatory gift from Wes, for making Death Scythe. At the time he received it, he couldn't bring himself to even pawn it because it was so gorgeous. But he and his brother were on better terms now. Music was music after all.

He was about to put the needle on when he heard a sharp knock. He looked towards his door, which was ajar, but didn't see burnt blonde or a tall succubus from hell. He heard Blair's cooing tone drift into the room. He went to go shoo her away when he realized that she was actually talking to Maka across the hall. She was looking down at the floor and Blair was back in her cat form. He wasn't going to eavesdrop, but Blair's sudden question made him pause:

"….sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, Blair. I'm fine."

"It has been a while since you and scythe boy argued like that, so Bu-tan was worried—"

"It's okay, we're fine."

"—and I know your last mission didn't go well, so if there's anything I can do for you, just say the word, nyah?"

"…Thanks Blair. Look, I'm really tired and I really want to go to bed—"

"Can Bu-tan sleep with you tonight?"

"No, go sleep with Soul. I'm tired, okay? Goodnight, Blair." And there was a quiet, but firm shut of her door. Soul frowned. The magic cat pouted and turned her tail to made for his door, but saw that he was already standing at his door slightly more than ajar. She tsked.

"Eavesdropping isn't very nice, nyah," she whispered.

"Didn't mean to at first," he said.

"Are you going to turn me away too?"

He sighed, "If you must," and walked back to his record player. Blair trotted quietly and leaped up to settle at the end of his bed. At some point during their long, living arrangement, it became a rule that if Blair wanted to sleepover in their bedrooms, she had to remain a cat. For practical and unspoken reasons. More times than not, she slept in his room because Maka kicked while she sleeps.

"It's my turn to wake her up if she has a nightmare, nyah?" she said, circling in her spot before settling.

"If you don't mind, thanks," he replied. She yawned as he placed the needle down for the night.

/

One week later

"Ox and Harvar are back," Kid said on the phone. "So are Kim and Jackie. I'm getting the group together in the Death Room, so can you two come ASAP?"

"Yeah, we were just finishing our rounds," Maka said. Soul, who was putting more gas into his bike, raised his eyebrows at her. "We can be there in twenty minutes."

"Alright, see you then," he said.

Maka stuffed her phone in her pocket. "It was Kid. He wants us at school. We can train right after the meeting."

"Fun," he said and hung up the nozzle. "Are you still mad at Kid?"

"I don't know. I just hate feeling useless when I can do something," she said, mounting the bike behind him as he revved the engine.

"We are doing something, just not at a big scale," he said, taking off. "I think it's nice to stay home for once."

"Of course you do, lazy," she said, huffing.

"Hardass."

"Jerk."

"Nerd."

"Thanks, I like being a nerd," she said.

"Yeah, yeah."

In a few minutes, they arrived at Shibusen and they dropped off their workout bags in their lockers before walking to the Death Room. The halls weren't as busy as they used to be. It could be because students were in class, but despite that, the floors felt emptier. The lack of souls in what used to be a bustling space unsettled Maka. She felt it. How many more will be taken by the madness? What can they do? She tried not to blame Kid for their lack of action, but what is she to do with this bitter feeling inside of her?

They passed beneath the red guillotine arches and they saw ahead of them the back of Kim's pink hair. Kid sat on the elevated step of the stage with Black Star and Tsubaki on either side of him. Kid was in his regular clothes, gray shirt and black suspenders and pants. The dark bags under his eyes were more apparent this time. He was not sleeping. Maka felt a twinge of guilt. It must not be easy taking over as Lord Death. Kid noticed their approach.

"Excellent, just in time. Kim, Ox, tell us what you guys have learned," he said.

"Okay, we had some discussions during our missions– " Kim started.

"And my handle on Japanese went swimmingly well!" Ox said, cheerfully.

She elbowed him, "Not now. And we came to some consensus based on our notes. The madness seems to spread faster in people who are having difficult times in their daily lives."

Ox took out a notebook from his jacket sleeve. "We talked to several families who had collapsed victims. One family had financial troubles, another had very sick children, there was one father who hated his job, and the list goes on!"

"And this is just our assumption, but the problems these people face probably took some toll on their mental health," Kim concluded. "Thus being easily susceptible to this new madness. Most of the victims exhibited fatigue and barely talked to anyone and a lot of their family members said they weren't themselves before the collapse."

"Asia still have a lot of superstitions based on what they do or don't do and we got a lot that talk during our questioning. They kept saying the victims collapsed because they didn't take the proper steps to ensure the collapsed person were happy. There was a lot of regret from everyone. Most would ignore that sort of talk, but because it's a cultural mindset, it does take on a toll. So one day, Harvar came up with an apt name for the madness, which we now call," Ox waved his hand towards his partner.

"The Madness of Despair," the spear said, his eyes visible behind his shades. "Every single individual at all hospitals are very cold and in a deep sleep. It's almost as if they're dead."

"Our patients here in town exhibit the same symptoms," Maka said. "The doctors are worried about hypothermia and they're doing all they can to keep the bodies warm and functioning. They seem to have that under control for now, but who knows how long they can keep doing it."

The severity of their mission caught up to them. It was silent for a few moments, possibilities flashing before their eyes. Death the Kid suddenly stood up, his hands in fists, his eyes glowing with rage. "Reaping thousands of innocent souls will not be my first act as Lord Death. We will end this Wizard and bring these people back to life. In the meantime, I want all of you to find a cure however you can. I'm going to have an emergency call with the Death Scythes to discuss our options. Dismissed."

"I'm super psyched there's gonna be another battle! I'm gonna wreck that Wizard until he surrenders willingly, hahaha!" Black Star said, but then his excitement sobered quickly. "Though Kid might end up killing himself if he doesn't sleep. Does anyone know when Liz and Patti coming back?"

"I called Liz to catch up the other day and she's actually talking with the witches to see if we could help them," Tsubaki said. "The coven is kind of stubborn, but the longer this goes on, we might have to intervene soon."

The hallway echoed with their footsteps as they all got lost in their thoughts. The Wizard's voice played back in Maka's mind over and over again. He wanted to sacrifice his soul along with others to create this madness. To what end? Was his vendetta against the witches the only thing that motivated him? Why would anyone want to give up their soul in order to infect others? She doesn't understand. She wished she defeated him while she had the chance. It was because of her failure that they're in this hell right now.

"Yo!"

"Huh?" she said, startled out of her thoughts.

Black Star raised an eyebrow at her. "We're still up for training, right?"

"Oh, yeah totally," she said. She can only get stronger to make up for her mistake.

"Let's go pleb!" he said and ran towards the lockers.

"Who are you calling a pleb?" she yelled and chased after him. While both of the top-tier meisters squabbled at each other down the hall, it was decided that Ox and Harvar would join them in the sparring room. Kim and Jackie opted out and wished them good luck in their session.

It was no surprising that Black Star was already stripped down into just his trousers by the time they all gathered in Shibusen's one of a kind gym. There were several other students sparing in the left corner and weapons focusing on their abilities on the far right. There was the standard gym equipment along with specially-made ones for different weapon types, like a shooting projector for target practice and sharpening station. Sid at the very center of the room waved at them to let them know he was around. Maka stepped out of the changing room in her workout uniform and began her stretching.

Soul rolled his eyes and plopped his stuff next to hers. Tsubaki rushed to Black Star and told him to stop flexing in front of the mirrors and to begin warming up. Soul, Ox, and Harvar went to go change.

When they all reconvened into the work room, Maka and Black Star were already going at each other. He jabbed and kicked while she dodged and retaliated. In tandem, it was like they were dancing, but with two very different approaches. Black Star was more direct and powerful. Maka was agile and fleeting, going for wider angles and laying lower blows. Soul forgets how these two actually grew up together and know each other's fighting style. He smirked when Maka laid a particularly hard blow, knocking the ninja almost off balance. But Star had a fast reaction time, which he adapted effortlessly.

"Maka seems more hesitant this time," Ox commented.

"What do you mean?" Soul asked. "She's doing fine to me."

Ox shook his head. "I've trained with Maka before in meister practice and she was much more forceful than she is right now. I had to keep up with her pace because she was too fast. I think she's distracted."

"They also just started," Soul said coolly, a little peeved that Ox noticed something he didn't.

"I'm not saying she's doing badly," he said, angling his head to look at Soul. "I'm saying she seems hesitant and if I know Maka, she goes for what she wants no matter what. Which is where you come in to reel her in if she needs it."

"Hm," Soul grunted and didn't say more. He was unsure why he felt annoyed by his observation. Ox and Harvar went to warm up near the Tsubaki when a loud thump! sounded not far from them. Maka flailed while she was pinned down by Black Star, who focused on keeping his form sturdy.

"What's with you Maks?" Soul heard Star say to her. "Quit thinking so much and fight me."

"Star, I think you guys need a break now," Tsubaki said, who was in an elegant yoga pose on the side. Ox tried to copy her pose, his muscles quivering. "Both of you go have a drink. We'll begin sparring with Soul in five."

Shit, he didn't even warm up yet. Soul began stretching as Maka came over to rummage in her bag for a water bottle. "Stupid Black Star and his stupid face…" she grumbled.

"Were you distracted by something?" he asked, leaning to his right.

"No I wasn't!" she snapped, finishing half her bottle.

Soul leaned away from her. "Even Ox said so."

"Ox can shut his fat face!" she retorted.

"Maka, do you want to spar after Black Sta—" approached Ox the Bullhead.

"I'm ready to spar with you now," she said hotly, dropping her water bottle on her bag. "Time to get wreaked, Ox." She brushed passed him onto the sparring mat.

"Okayyy then," he said, giving Soul a hesitant glance. "Are you sure she's okay—"

"Just shut up, man," he said tiredly and moved around him to follow her.

He threw up his arms. "What's with you two?" Harvar walked onto the mat behind Ox with an amused curve on his lips.

With the quick talk of the top two meisters on the floor, a small crowd gathered around them. Even Sid came to watch. "I used to stop students from watching fights before. It was the kind of man I was. Now I think students should learn from each other! Less work for me," Sid said to Black Star, who stood by him.

"I didn't ask, Sid?" he said, giving him a weird look.

Sid gave him a hard pat on the back. "Just thought I'd tell you, son," he said.

The sparring was about to begin. Maka gave her command. "Soul." In a flash, he was in her hand. Her grip on him was tight and angry. Anger was fine, but it could get messy.

"Loosen up. It's just training," he warned. Her grip remained as it was.

Harvar looked intimidating, glinting gold in his weapon form. Ox pushed his glasses up on last time and made a battle stance. Maka readied her weapon.

In the next second, Maka vaulted over using Soul's staff and Ox defended. With a swipe of scythe edge, it caused sparks to fly between them. Ox gathered energy and shot lightning bolts at her, who dodged and went low for his feet. He jumped and countered with a jab and she hopped away from him. They continued to go around each other, both taking turns to touch and dodge as the crowd cheered on the sidelines. Maka whirled and went for a kick at Ox's face. He dodged just in time and swiped the blunt end of Harvar's staff in return. She fell backward to somersault away from him to catch her breath. Her bangs were a sweaty on her brow and she breathed heavily.

"Yo, you're not thinking now. You know Ox likes to be dramatic when he fights. Use that to your advantage!" Soul suggested.

"I got this," she said and ran toward her opponent head on. Ox stood his ground, spear at the ready. Maka growled and initiated resonance. Soul started yelling at her to hold on, but she was already running at full speed at Ox. At the last second of her charge, he anticipated her movements and stepped aside. She was going too fast and then barreled into the shelf of equipment. Kneepads, first aid kits and various other items fell and crash around her. Soul fell from her grasp and clattered to the ground. The metal shelf wobbled violently and tipped over. Maka wrapped her arms around her head and Soul transformed to shield her. With a clash and bang, the chaos stilled moments later.

Ox released Harvar, who shifted back to human form. They both along with Sid rushed to lift the shelf off them. Soul groaned and slowly lifted himself off her. She felt an ache on her right leg, which might become a bruise later. Soul rolled onto his side and rubbed a sore spot on his back.

"Are you both okay?" Sid asked.

Maka grunted while Soul gave a thumbs up.

"Good. I want you to clear this up and call it quits for today. Understood?" he said, waving over the mess they caused.

"Yes, sensei," the pair said.

"Alright. Now everyone get back to your training! Shows over! Move it, move it!" he said and herded the crowd away from them. Ox and Harvar stood over them and assessed the damage.

"We'll help you clean up," said Harvar and motioned Ox to start gathering things from the floor. Soul turn his head and saw Maka's bangs covering her eyes, her hands twisted together. He reached over to untangle them but stopped himself. Why was he reaching over? Comforting her was okay, right? They hold hands all the time. And it was then he realized it was her who usually reached out first.

Before he could make another decision, she got up and picked up a fallen boxing glove. He felt something sink in his chest slightly and he pushed it away to analyze later.

/

"Maka?"

"Yes, Crona?" she said.

They swung their feet in the fountain. It was a warm day in the town square. Everyone celebrated their return from the Moon. Soul played on his piano leg at the Academy steps and Black Star was being held back from the crowd by Tsubaki. Death the Kid was appointed as Shinigami in command. All was well. A new era. Maka basked in the sun for a moment, glad that most of her loved ones were safe.

"Maka?"

She laughed, "What? What?"

"I want you to come see me."

"Huh?" she turned to them. Crona had the clearest eyes and they were serious. "What are you talking about? You're right here."

"No, I'm still on the Moon. I need you to come see me."

Maka felt a sinking dread. I didn't save them? The sky darkened. The crowd of people disappeared into dust, just like in Brazil. She failed. Why does she keep failing?

"Listen to me!"

Crona gripped her shoulders so that she couldn't escape. Their body distorted and black ink seeped out of their black dress. They shook her, "There isn't much time! The Madness is spreading and I need your help! Please, come get me. We can figure out a way to end this."

But Maka was paralyzed. Something held her back. She shivered, her breath materializing in front of her. What can she do?

"Don't let the Madness win!"

She could do nothing as the black blood surrounded her and Crona's voice echoed into the void. "I know you can do it, Maka! I believe in you!"

And she gasped into consciousness. Her collar was drenched in cold sweat and her heart pulsed faster than normal. From the foot of her bed, Blair hopped onto her lap and patted her paw on her cheek.

"Can you please talk to Soul-kun, kitten? You can't sleep like this."

"No, it's fine. I'm fine. I'm handling it," she said numbly, rubbing her arms.

"Are you?"

Maka moved Blair onto the side and got up. She pulled a light cardigan from her dresser and then turned on the lamp at her desk. After grabbing a textbook from her shelf, she sat down to study and didn't sleep the rest of the night.

/

Soul picked up Maka's gift on Christmas Eve. A new employee handed him the bracelet, which was a heavy reminder of Bert's absence. The Christmas celebrations continued as planned, but the cheer seemed muted. D-City hospital did it's best to accommodate their extra guests. Kim and Jackie volunteered to be stationed at the hospital as their exclusive healer and lantern, as the weather was a little chillier this year even though the temps were in the high 70s. Soul thought back to his winters back on the east coast, all bundled up by his mother and his gloved hand held by Wes' big one. He unlocked the door to his current apartment and shrugged off his shoes. Blair the Cat sat on the kitchen counter, magically burning fishes again on the stove. She yowled when the oil spat out suddenly. It was then she saw Soul at the doorway. "Nyah finally you're home, Scythe-boy! Help me with this fish! They keep burning!"

He glanced at the pile of burnt fish next to her and said, "You're keeping it on the pan too long."

"Can you cook for me just this once—"

"Nope!" he said and scuttled into this room.

"I help pay the rent!" she exclaimed. He ignored her.

Soul spent some time wrapping gifts while thinking about his next course of action. The apartment had been quieter following their last training session. Whenever they came home, Maka isolated herself with studying and barely slept. The bags under her eyes were almost as bad as Kid's. He and Blair decided that it was time for an intervention. Now, how that was going to be done is the question of the hour.

There was a knock on the door. He scrambled to shove all the presents and gift wrap under his bed before Maka pushed aside his door.

"Hey, do you think the thermostat is broken? It's freezing in here." She was wearing her thickest sweatshirt, a hoodie, and thermal pants. It was the same ones she used when they had missions in colder countries. But Soul was wearing a normal t-shirt and sweats. It wasn't the least bit cold!

"Are you getting sick? The temperature feels fine," he said and walked over to her. He felt her forehead and it was strangely clammy. "Hm, you might be sick. You should go to bed."

She backed away from him, "No! I don't want to sleep."

He grabbed her arm, "You have to, you have not slept. At all."

"No!"

"Stop being stubborn!"

"Stop being bossy!"

"If you would just listen to me, I wouldn't be!" Maka turned her heel and bee-lined to her room. Soul followed closely behind her. "You're probably feeling shitty because you're not taking care of yourself."

"I'm doing fine! It's just a little cold—"

"After Brazil, you've been having nightmares way too often," said Soul, crossing his arms. "We have to talk about them."

"No, we don't," she said firmly, inching the door closed. "This is the last I want to hear about this. They're just dreams."

"Wow, we're doing this now?" he said. "Why are pushing me away? You know what happens when we do that to each other."

"I. Am. Handling it!" she screeched, gripping the side of the door.

"If you can't care for yourself properly, then I will!" he said, loud but firm. "We're partners or have you actually forgotten about that?"

For a moment, she looked like she swallowed a fish. Recovering, she said, "You don't have to take care of me, Soul!"

He pulled her door ajar more and grasped her by the shoulders. "Yes, I do! I wouldn't give a shit if I didn't care," he said. "That is how we work: We take care of each other! Or am I wrong?"

She blinked. That was true. His grip was solid and suddenly very real. He was worried judging by his face and frustrated. She was pushing him away. Maka was so focused on becoming stronger that she forgot that she couldn't become stronger without him. Her heart constricted and she teared up. How can he still want a partner like her? She dropped to her knees and hugged herself. Maka started to shiver uncontrollably. I know Soul says we're partners, but why? He doesn't need to stay anymore. Why?

"Maka!" His face spelled alarm and fright. Is he afraid of her now? Oh Death, I've scared him. I've ruined everything. The space around her numbed and darkened. Or was it her that was numb? Wait, Soul was saying something. What was he saying? He looked like he was… screaming? Why couldn't she hear him? And it was then she noticed the sharp, continuous ringing sound. Why hasn't she noticed it before? It was the same noise you hear when you're in a silent room. And it became louder and louder. Maka plugged her ears the best she could, the sound passed through her. It was like a sharp needle through her ears, and it hurt so much. But somehow, through all this pain, she saw a black turbulent sea and a black grinning moon. And she knows then that he had found her.

You will die with me, Maka Albarn. You cannot escape your fate.