Chapter Rating: T

Chapter Warning: None yet^^

Please enjoy this wonderful chapter! Black Star and Soul seem to have closer interactions huh? And it seems that our love-struck wizard is going through an even more deeper trauma? Maka and Kid still do not know that Soul is still seeing Black Star. How long can he keep this up?

" It's no big deal."

" You locked the door!"

" I needed to reassure myself."

" You even charmed the door!"

" I don't take chances."

Soul was giving simple-worded answers towards the screams of his partner. Like why he had abandoned her and the mission. They both were currently on the too-comfortable couch watching TV. Well, not watching but Soul is enjoying the peaceful morning. Oh wait, Maka is still talking?

"-and then you lock your door for hours and I could have sworn I heard you screaming. Do I look like I wanted to be worried to death?"

" Worried about me or when you'd have a chance to kill me?"

" Soul!"

" I'm fine. Why can't I ever have some time to myself?"

" Hours, Soul. Hours. You stayed in your room for hours. Did you even eat?"

" When you weren't around. Face it Maka, I was only doing this to ensure my safety. You and I both know you were ready to decapitate me any minute." She wanted to say something but in the end, she silently agreed.

" I swear, I feel like you're becoming more secretive. Are you still seeing that being?" She asked Soul and he knew what she was talking about, or in this case, who she was talking about. He just has to act natural.

" No. Come off it already, would you?"

" So you are?"

" I didn't say that."

" Your face is red, it says it all."

Damn.

" Wh-why do you care anyway?" He asked with narrowed eyes as he felt his cheeks warm for the thousandth time since they arrived in Ohkubo. Maka examined the flustered look with a frown before gasping.

" No way! You like him!"

" Shhh!"

" Like who?" Kid asked while coming in. Soul was really in panic now. Curse Maka and her big mouth.

" N-nothing," He said with an unconvincing tone. Kid raised an eyebrow," I-I don't like anyone."

" Yes you do!" Maka stated with a determined look." I can imagine the way you look at him! No wonder you always try to get me off your back-"

" We are not seeing each other in any way! I-I doubt he'd like me that way anyway..." He added with a nervous look. They are just friends after all. Why should he make his situation worse than what it already is by wishing that the other male saw how he feels. He would be leaving in a few months so there is no point to getting closer than they already are.

" Who are you both talking about already?" Kid asked and Soul saw the sly look Maka gave him.

Oh no.

" Well, obviously it's-"

" Don't you dare!"

"-You."

It was silent for a moment. Soul blinked at what she had said. You? Who the hell is You?

" What?" Kid finally asked with a slightly annoyed look. He isn't very fond of the pronoun games.

" I said you. He likes you." Maka stated more firmly, casting Soul an evil look. The white-haired individual frowned in thought and once the message was finally clear, steam was practically coming off his heated face.

" I do not like Kid! I never said that!"

" But you came home rather early yesterday."

" I-It was raining!"

" That never bothers you in Sukeruton."

" Y-yes it... does." Okay, good news. Maka suspected him of likening Kid, not Black Star. Bad news, now both Maka and Kid will think something is wrong with him, meaning that he is going to have a harder time maintain his privacy. And that he is accused of liking Kid. He had to admit, the argument between him and his partner seemed as though they really were talking about Lord Death's son." Anyways, I don't like you that way," He added towards a very red Kid," and you really need to conduct a thorough research before you go accusing anyone of liking another." He said to a taken-back Maka.

" I'm going outside for a bit. I'll see if I can get any more new responses."

" I'll-"

" Not come with me," Soul finished," I just need time away from nosy on-lookers like you." Maka gave an offended look and crossed her arms with a huff.

When Soul left, Kid had finally found his voice.

" You were... kidding when you said he liked me, right?"

" I wish I was. He always goes red whenever I mention this to him. Why? Do you see something in him?" The witch asked with a knowing look and Kid suddenly didn't want to be in the same room.

" N-no. I have to go now."

Soul let out a breath of relief. He was finally away from the two most uptight people. The air was warm and humid since it had rained all night and early in the morning. He didn't mind this at all. Maka is right about his love for rain. Still, he doesn't mind it when Black Star protects him from it...

" Go away already." He told his mind while covering his hot face. He tried to make himself believe that he was doing fine without thinking about Black Star all the time. Only his heart could not agree to this. It troubled him that he is constantly thinking about Black Star, something a normal wizard or witch shouldn't be doing. It sucked that his heart gave a weird jump at only the slightest thought of the teen but at the same time, he liked it. He did not mind the fluttery feeling of smallest mentions of him. Soul however, wanted to find a solution to this never ending conflict going on his head. Death really is cruel for not letting interspecies mate with each other. It is a bit selfish for the leader to want a pure race but they couldn't keep relying on one race to keep itself going. If he was the leader of Sukeruton, he would have made all the species interact with each other.

Instead of shutting them out into a different universe or something.

Soul spotted the familiar street that lead to 'school', where Black Star is. Should he go and wait for him?

That idea is way too tempting.

However, Soul did not want to become too noticeable to the other people that went to school as well. He looked glanced at the large clock implanted in the top-middle part of the school. With their 'date' yesterday, Black Star mentioned that they always get out at four. That meant he had five more hours to waste away before they meet. His stomach did a somersault.

Why is he so excited for Black Star to come out? Soul could not believe that he was becoming a bit dependent on the teen. There must be loads of other things he could do without him. Although, having a friend beside him is more preferred.

" Hi." Soul jumped and sweated when he was face-to-face with a blonde haired girl.

" H-Hi."

" I'm Patty. Nice to meet you!" She exclaimed while raising out her hand. Still wondering about her boldness, Soul reached out and reluctantly shook her hand. Well, she actually shook his whole arm.

" N-nice to meet you too." He stuttered while clutching his aching arm.

" ... You know what I like!?" She exclaimed again and Soul started to feel a bit nervous.

" U-um... No-"

" I like giraffes!"

...

" G-Great..?" He sweated at her staring until finally, another blonde came out with a cigarette in her mouth.

" Patty. You shouldn't go creeping out people like that." She stated while taking a drag out." Excuse her bluntness." She added at Soul, who was blinking. Okay, nothing is wrong. You get a few weirdoes here and there in every race.

" It's fine."

" Good." His eyebrows raised at her firmness." The name's Liz. Liz Thompson." Soul blinked at her, who blinked back, and he cocked his head expectantly. What was she waiting for?

" Um... nice to meet you?"

" I'm sorry?" She responded with a perplexed like." I told you, my name is Liz Thompson."

" And I said nice to meet you." He repeated as well. She looked at him before frowning.

" You don't know who I am? Why don't you know who am I?"

" Er... Should I?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and both Patty and Liz looked at him as though he had three heads." Am I missing something?"

" Dude, my sister like, the biggest jazz star in history!" Patty yelled while waving her hands frantically." Practically everyone knows her! She's world famous and you just say 'nice to meet you'. Talk about being rude!"

" Rude? Should I not be polite?"

" It's not that, it's just," Liz looked up with a sort of shrug," Most people would have a double take and start screaming for my autograph. You, you didn't even blink."

" Well, kind of in fact."

" But I'm world famous and you don't even know who I am? Are you some kind of alien?" She accused while pointing the cancer stick at Soul.

" N-No! I-I came from-"

" Australia." Spoke voice and Soul turned around to see who caused Liz and Patty to become dumb-founded.

" Black Star?" The said male grinned as though he hadn't interrupted a conversation.

" Hey Soul," He looked at the women," Who are these people?" Liz and Patty fell to the ground.

" I don't know to be honest." Soul answered while walking over to the other male," Why are you out so early?"

" I always come out for lunch. Some people do it." He stated while pointing back. Soul looked back and saw that there were more kids that had the same inform the bluenette teen wore walking about in small groups.

" Oh really?"

" Yeah. Want to come with me?" Soul twitched when a familiar warmth spread across his cheeks and he was aware that the two blondes were watching quite closely.

" U-Um... i-if you don't mind..."

" And we'll join you guys as well!" Liz happily added with her sister's enthusiastic clapping they were now a group. Not that he would say this out loud of course but Soul very much preferred of it was just him and Black Star." Don't mind us," Liz pointed when she caught Soul's mildly-surprised look as they walked to the café," I'll help you get your man. You want him right?"

" What the hell!?" He exclaimed but Liz winked and walked ahead. Are his attractions for Black Star really that noticeable? For a stranger to even want to help him out even though they had not even met for less than thirty minutes? Humans are very strange.

After walking in, they went near a booth at the back of the café and were about to sit. However, Liz made sure to give an extra hard shove to Soul for him to get in next to Black Star.

" Well, seeing as you both do not know what you are missing out on," Both males blinked again," I'll only make this short and simple for you. I am the world famous saxophone player. Jazzy Thompson is my nick-name." A waiter came and gasped when she caught Liz's eye. The waiter began to squeal frantically and ran away in a deep fit of giggles." See? Well, some people don't recognize me because I am constantly wearing disguises."

Liz pulled out a green hat from her hat and sunglasses." Even so, I still don't understand why you guys didn't even comprehend it. Maybe I'm not doing enough world tours."

" I think Tsubaki did show me a video of you," Black Star stated," But I fell asleep after the first minute so..." He dodged the hand bag thrown at him as Soul fought off the strong urge to laugh by using a napkin.

" I work very hard to please my fans you know. Of course people who have no musical experience wouldn't understand. You're lucky I decided to come to and help you-" She started saying toward Soul and he decided it was probably best to change the subject right now.

"-okay! And how old you guys anyways?" He questioned. He had a feeling that this 'Liz' is most certainly looked in twenties while Patty looked as though she should be in middle school.

" I'm twenty three, she's eighteen."

" No way." Black Star said with amusement in his eyes. Soul could not blame his disbelief." Eighteen?"

" You're one to talk." Soul pointed out but Black Star just laughed and placed an arm around his shoulder.

" Still think you're older than me?"

" Physically and mentally, yes." Soul responded but only got a positive response back. He was aware of the red creeping on his neck. Liz noticed and gave a sly sort of smile.

" Hey Black Star, what's your type?" She asked and Soul instantly knew what she was getting at while the other teen gave a blank stare.

" Type of what?"

" You know," She glanced at Soul and winked," What kind of qualities do you want to see in someone you date, futuristically speaking." The wizard's heart pounded tremendously as he waited for Black Star's response. What if he wasn't his type? What if Black Star only viewed him as a best friend or pal?

Then again, what if he fit the descriptions? What if it was hinted or implied that his feelings were returned?

Not that I want him to of course.

" I guess pretty basic stuff." Black Star started with a shrug," unique people. That's what makes me like them more." Soul had remembered the student telling him the same words yesterday.

" Oh? And what else? Have anyone in mind?" Liz practically purred while darting her eyes from the bluenette to a very red-in-the-face Soul.

" ... Why does it matter?" Black Star finally asked with a small hint of pink on his cheeks, in which Liz was very curious indeed.

" Nothing. You never know, metaphorically speaking, your love could be next to you all this time. It's never too early to start dating."

" I know. I just don't really think about it."

"You should. Pay attention to your surroundings more and you may find you one sooner than you expect." It took a while for the male to comprehend what she was saying and Soul was desperately wishing that Liz would just shut up about the love philosophy crap when Black Star finally spoke in a suspicious tone.

" If you're coming on to me-"

" Eh!?" Liz's eyes widened and Patty laughed wildly," No you dumbass, I meant-"

" I should get going!" Soul suddenly announced while standing up. He was aware that everyone in the table was looking up at him but he didn't care. He really did not want to stick around and gain a headache on whether Black Star liked him or not. It was frustrating in fact because he should not have been contemplating on something as useless as that. The wizard is leaving in a few months once all the Kabū and Enerugī is captured. It would be pointless in the whole situation to think of daring a human, a different specimen, when he is never going to see the other again.

It pained him deeply that he was already told not to interact with humans. Now that he has two reasons why he shouldn't, his heart twisted even more. So what if he goes against Maka's words?

That's stupid...

" Soul?" But the said male had left before they could call out to him.

It really is stupid...

" Um... I made lunch." Maka stated nervously at her seemingly lifeless partner. She walked up into Soul's room after he came back two hours later with a sort of dead look. She still could not get Soul to say why he was currently trying to suffocate himself in a pillow." You should come down and get. Or I could bring it up, your choice." she waited for an answer. She didn't one. Maka huffed.

" Oh come on already. Whatever is bothering you shouldn't affect you that much."

" Yes it does. Just kill me." Soul's muffled voice came as he clenched the pillow harder. Maka could sense her partner's distress.

" Seriously, you're over-reacting. your problem may be solved easily if you'd just tell me-"

" That's part of the problem!" Soul said while pulling away from the pillow," I can't tell you or else... I-I just can't." Maka gave an annoyed look.

" This is just ridiculous. You always asked me for help and now you can't because 'or else'. Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if this mission is really testing our partnership-"

" It's not that." Soul said with a roll of his eyes." Trust me, I would wish you could help me but I think that this time... I may have to do it alone. You know that I can't keep depending on you for everything."

" That's not what you said after you completely trashed out house during a party you secretly planned!"

" You also know I can never say no to Toya. Besides that, what are you still doing here?" This was Soul's what of saying ' You're annoying me now so get the hell out.' Maka complied with a sigh.

" Fine. My bad. But whatever your problem is... I'm confident you'll solve it soon." She said and left, leaving the door wide open. Normally he would always yell for her to shut the door after she leaves but he did not mind this time. He was too wrapped up in his thoughts. About how he was going to get rid of his taboo feelings for Black Star and how to not sulk already about leaving in a few months' time.

Honestly... How the heck will I be able to do that?