AN: Hey guys, I know that I have been pretty much MIA, but I had some stuff happen to me that made me just say f**k the world, and everything in it. I didn't feel up to writing and didn't want to force out crap so I took a short break. I am back and I hope to be able to post as often as I had been.

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul eater.

Chapter 16

Hunter's POV

It had been a long night, I had slept over at my cousin sakura's house. Well slept wouldn't really be the correct way to describe it, we had stayed up until about 3 in the morning.

I dragged my feet through our front door, and slowly made my way into the living room. My father, with his stark white hair and blood red eyes, was lounging on one of the sofa's watching the death bowl game. I plopped down on the couch across from him to tired to care about game.

I could hear clanking and banging from the kitchen, it must be drake digging through the fridge looking for something to eat. Dad sat up and smiled at me, "Long night? Did you two have fun?"

I yawned and stretched, "Yea, we had a blast but something kinda weird happened last night."

My dad started laughing. "Well you were at your uncle black star's, I would be worried if he didn't do something weird."

"But it wasn't just uncle black star this time, both he and aunt tsubaki took off suddenly. And they didn't return until very late in the evening."

My father frowned in confusion, "Did they happen to mention where they ran off to once they got back?"

I shook my head, "Sakura and I were in her room getting ready for bed by the time they got back, but I think that I heard tsubaki say something about a old friend finally being back. As well as something about how spirit was blubbering more than expected."

Drake walked in eating a sandwich and drinking a death dew. He plopped down on the couch next to me. "I heard something about that from Phil and mike earlier to day. Apparently their parents were out late as well and with the same person."

"Did mike or Phil happen to say anything else about it?" I asked, drake chugged the rest of his drink before answering.

"Yea, apparently some really old friend of theirs finally moved back to town, they all went to go see her. And she apparently has kids, that will be going to school with us at the DWMA starting tomorrow."

Dad stuttered slightly, "D-did mike or phil happen to mention what the old friend's name was?"

Drake shrugged, "I think it started with 'n' or maybe it started with 'm'."

"Wa..." dad took a shaky breath, "was her name maka?" Drake nodded, "yea sounds bout right."

I was suddenly wide awake, "Wait dad, you know her?"

"Yes, hunter I knew her. She was my first miester, she is the one who turned me into a death scythe."

"She was your what?! How could you never tell us?"

"Calm down hunter, I don't see what the big deal is. So what if dad had another partner before miss mary." I rolled my eyes.

"Don't tell me to calm down drake, this is maka ablarn we are talking about. She is the daughter of death scythe, spirit albarn. She was a master miester and is now one of the most powerful death scythes' herself." I turned to my dad, "What in deaths name possessed you to lose a partner as powerful as her dad?"

He took a ragged breath, "It's a long story hunter, Maka was my closest friend at one point in time, but we were young and stupid. Eventually our partnership and friendship ended up falling apart. I partnered up with mary, and maka left town, It has been years sense I've seen or heard from her."

I know its not my place to ask about my fathers past like this but I was just to curious to contain myself. "How did your partnership fall apart? I mean didn't you say that the 2 of you had been close?"

Drake slapped my shoulder before our dad could answer, "Hunter maybe dad had a good reason for not telling us, don't pry into his past like that!"

I frowned, when I saw the pained expression on dad's face, "Sorry dad, I didn't mean to be nosy." I felt horrible, it was clear that dad's memories of maka still hurt him.

"It's only natural that you'd be curious about maka and our partnership, I'll tell you about some of our missions some time." I smiled up at him, then turned to drake.

"Hey didn't you say something about there being new students at school tomorrow?" Drake nodded at me.

"Yea, and apparently one of them is already pretty powerful. But that'a probably just roomers."

I got up, wanting to go to sleep, "I'm gonna head up to my room early, I'm beat. And dad do you think you could give us a ride to school early tomorrow?"

My dad looked over at me a little puzzled, "I don't see why not but, is there any special reason why you wanna go early?"

"I want to meet the new kids, and the best time to do so will be in the morning."

"Ugh, So uncool hunter. Making me get up early just so you can size up the new kids before school." Drake was like me and our dad, he hated going to school but, he was even worse at getting up in the morning than our dad used to be. We would constantly hear stories about how mary and mom would have to literally drag him out of bed in the mornings.

"Please drake, I'll make it up to you I promise." He smirked at me, "I guess I can do this for you sis, but... you have to cook dinner all this week, Sound good?"

I groaned inwardly, drake knows how much I hate cooking. Well it's not even so much that I hate to cook it's that I got our dad's cooking skills. I have literally burnt water before, don't ask me how I managed it, we are still trying to figure it out ourselves. "Fine, but no complaining about the taste, got it?!"

"Yea, Yea" Drake got up and headed to the kitchen, "Dinner will be ready in about half hour, so why don't you just take a shower, that way you won't pass out before it's done."

"Fine, I'll be out in a bit." I called out over my shoulder at him. As the hot water rinsed my cherry blossom shampoo out of my hair, I couldn't stop thinking about tomorrow, this would have to be the first time I was excited to go to school.

Normal POV

Quinn was walking toward the death room, he was looking for mia and rose. They had run off ahead of him all exited to see the school. There was to be a meeting this morning and quinn thought maybe the girls had gone to find their mother. He was about half way down the scythe arched hall way when he ran into the one person he had been hoping to avoid. Wanting to be just another face in the crowd, he tried rushed past soul.

Soul was lost in deep thought about possibly seeing maka again after all this time, that he hadn't noticed the strange red haired boy rushing past him, until they had bumped into one another. Soul snapped out of his thoughts and made a grab for the red heads arm "Hey kid where do you think your going?"

Quinn quickly shoved souls hand away, "keep your hands off me, old man!" he turned and ran the rest of the way to the death room. Once inside quinn went straight up to dean and maka, "Hey mom, dean have either of you seen mia or rose? They ran off in the halls and I'm having a hard time finding them, also I thought you should know that he is just about to the death room.

Dean wrapped an arm protectively around maka's waist and she smiled at quinn. "Thank you for telling us quinn, and no we haven't seen your sisters. Perhaps they went outside, if we see them I'll tell them to head to the front steps to find you."

Quinn nodded at his mother and took off toward the door, he passed soul yet again as he left. Quinn sneered at soul, but kept on toward the front stairs. Stein walked up to maka and dean, "So it looks like you finally told them about their father."

"yes, they both questioned me about it a few years ago, quinn is having a harder time with it than mia." Stein nodded at her. "Makes sense all things considered, but don't you think that it's about time for them to really meet soul?"

Dean laughed at steins comment, "They do know him stein, her old missions had been their favorite bed time stories. They have heard just about all of them, and they idolized her old partner. It wasn't until recently that quinn and the mia learned the truth."

It was then that soul found his way into the death room, "sorry about being late lord death, drake and hunter wanted me to bring them early so they could meet the new kids. Although they took their time getting ready, then to top it all off some red haired brat almost picked a fight with me in the hall."

Maka frowned at his last comment, but dean, her father, stein, Kidd and a few others all laughed at him. "What?" Soul asked "Did I miss something funny?"

"Yes you did, however I wouldn't call it funny." Maka stated.

"And do I know you?" Maka stiffened, and dean pulled her tighter to his side. "You should." Dean said with a hard voice.

"Dean! Enough, please." Maka scolded, before soul had a chance to retort. Dean nodded at her, and whispered a hushed "Sorry."

"Heya, hi, how ya doin'?" Lord death popped up in his mirror happy and eager as always, "Now then, as I'm sure you are all aware, the witch and pre- kishin threat has been steadily growing the past few years. The number of death scythes have also grown a bit, but as an added precaution I will be partnering you off in groups of 3-4."

Lord death started to pair everyone off, "I'll have spirit stay with me. Soul to my knowledge you and mary have fallen out of sync, have you found a new partner?"

Maka gasped silently at the new information about soul, He glanced at the strange girl before turning to answer lord death. "Sadly no I haven't found anyone I would be able to match wavelengths well enough with, but I have gotten quite good at solo combat."

Lord death nodded at soul, "Be that as it may, soul I want you to have back up while out on missions. I think I found a team you will be able to resonate with." Lord death then turned to maka and dean.

The dark haired miester caught on very quickly as to what lord death was planning. He looked down at his partner who, was staring at the white haired weapon with wide eyes. Maka had put two and two together just about as quickly as dean had, "No I- lord death, please... I"

Maka trailed off while trying to collect her thoughts, spirit looked sadly at his daughter. He knew that she would eventually accept lord death's request. Dean rubbed her back soothingly while she tried to make sense of what lord death was planning. "Lord death, Why? You know about what happened, please."

Soul was watching the young death scythe plead with lord death, he turned to her miester. "Um, Dean was it? Do you mind we asking why the both of you are getting upset?"

Dean snorted at soul, "You really are an idiot, aren't you soul eater evans? Tell me soul, how easy was it for you... How could you honestly forget yo-" he had been cut off by maka. "Dean! No not like this..." Dean and soul were glaring daggers at each other, "Fine..."

Lord death took a deep breath, "I understand the situation perfectly. However the two of you need the extra back up and if need be, she can wheeled him flawlessly. What would happen to the two of you if dean were to get hurt? Because of the situation you will be faced with, I will not send your team out until the three of you are comfortable interchanging with one another."

Lord death looked directly at the blond weapon, "I am sorry Maka but please trust me this is for the best, I need you and soul to team up once again."

AN: Thank you all the patients and for understanding I had to work some things out but I am back :) I hope this chapter made up for the wait. As always please comment and review.