I do not own Soul Eater; I do not profit from this writing.

005

Fire

Mifune does not know why he is doing this. He bites down on the oversized toothpick as he grunts, exerting himself more than necessary to lug the chunks of wood back towards the house. He doesn't want to make two trips, so he's trying to carry more than his share of the wood so that he can save time. It is biting cold outside, and he's eager to be away from the wind.

When he finally gets inside, he kneels down and gingerly stacks the wood by the fireplace, the sound of small footsteps darting back and forth in the other rooms of the house. He hears the back door slam as it opens and closes, and he sits bolt upright, the toothpick falling from his mouth.

"Angela?" he calls, his voice cautious.

Nothing.

Mifune leaps up, nearly tripping on the wood he's just stacked as he runs after her.

"Angela?" he yells. He scans the property with his sharp eyes, but the sun is rapidly setting and he feels fear in his belly.

"Right here!" comes her cheerful, youthful voice. He whips around and she's right behind him, holding up a handful of thin, long sticks she's found from the dead bushes around the house.

"Angela, you shouldn't go outside alone," he reminds her, tone gently chiding. "It's not safe."

"I'm sorry, Mifune," she says, looking truly remorseful. "But I needed sticks! I got them for you so you didn't have to! Can we start now?" she asks, her sorrow forgotten and replaced by hope.

He considers this, and then nods. "I think we should, before it gets to be too late. Your bedtime is not far off," he reminds her.

Angela pouts horribly, but she allows him to lead her back inside. She changes into her pajamas (they are green with tiny yellow and pink lizards on them; they have feet, and they are her favourite) and rushes back out into the living room, where there is a fire roaring.

"Can I have one now?" she begs, jumping up and down by the seated samurai's side.

Mifune turns to her and smiles. He holds up a bag of marshmallows to her, and she sticks her tongue out as she digs for one. She then selects a stick to her liking (Mifune has pulled all of the tiny nubs and remaining stems off of them so they are perfectly straight) and thrusts it through the bottom of the squishy marshmallow.

"Now, be careful," he warns her, but she is already jousting at the flames with the confectionery. Mifune watches her like a hawk, but he is impressed with the control she exhibits. A year ago she'd have tried to follow the treat into the flames, if only because they were 'pretty'. She is no longer a toddler, he realizes; his Angela is beginning to grow up.

"Look, it's on fire!" she is shouting, shaking him from his thoughts. She shakes the stick violently and he has to take it from her before she manages to unlodge the marshmallow and fling a flaming, sticky projectile across the room.

"Blow," he commands. She leans forward and blows hard, extinguishing the flames. He then holds the stick out to her, with the warning, "Be careful, it's very hot."

Angela waits as long as she can stand it, which is to say not very, and then crams the delicious reward into her mouth. She manages to burn herself, but she has too much pride even now, and so she eats it without any indication that the treat is anything less than perfect.

She continues this cycle of setting the marshmallows on fire and then gobbling them until Mifune fears that she will have had so much sugar that she won't be able to sleep at all. She's cut off between number eight and nine, which is already far too many where his opinion is concerned, and she obediently runs off to go brush her teeth and wash her face.

Mifune tucks her in, and she begs for a story. He selects one from the many books she has, but she doesn't make it past two pages before she falls asleep. He is incredibly grateful for this, because he knows that at the crack of dawn she is going to be awake and running through the halls at top speed. He leans down and drops a kiss on her forehead before laying her favourite stuffed toy next to her.

"Goodnight, my little witch," he says softly, before turning out the light and exiting the room.