"Excuse me, what?"
Maka was dumbfounded.
Black*Star? Being… popular? Black*Star- the boisterous, unlikable Black*Star- had… actual fans?
In that moment, Maka truly understood the meaning of "madness".
As unbelievable as it was, Maka stared straight into the crowd of people with their own collectable wristbands, shirts, flags, anything… and all of it was Black*Star-themed. Little prints of cartoonish Black*Star faces adorned Black*Star vests, Black*Star shirts, Black*Star bandanas, Black*Star everything. It was like staring into an army of the assassin's imaginary friends.
It was horrifying.
Maka quickly followed in Liz's previous actions and dashed forwards, grabbing the back of Crona's shirt and beginning to drag the Kishin as far away from the scene as possible. She struggled, teeth clenched as she tried to drag the heavy weight along with her.
"Goddammit, Crona! You're too heavy!"
There was a choking sound in response, and Maka loosened her grip; though it was mostly because her muscles were beginning to hurt.
"Are you calling me fat, Maka?!" Crona wheezed, catching his breath after being surprise-choked twice in the past minute. "Th-that's cruel! Look at my fabulous figure!"
"I'd rather not," she replied bluntly, her eyes still trained on the rapidly-approaching crowd.
"Don't play so hard-to-get, it drives me crazy!" he pouted, crossing his arms huffily. "And you don't even appreciate all the work that I did to make that hilarious thing you're staring at!"
Maka paused.
"…wait, you did this?!"
Crona looked up at her with a bemused expression; somewhere between disgust and horror. "You thought he'd actually be able to get fans on his own!? Dearest Death, Maka! I get no recognition around here!"
She should've known.
"But… I… what in the world did you do?" she questioned, brows rising.
"Ah… I learned how to use the internet," he replied, fingers moving as if he were typing on a keyboard. "It was pretty easy to hack into news sites, gossip pages, Twitter, Tumblr… those technology-protection-firewall thingies are pathetic!" He sneered, giggling slightly. "Well… it's amazing what some people will believe if it comes with a nicely photoshopped image."
Maka groaned, burying her face in her hands. "What is the point of making him popular?"
"It's funny," he replied, shrugging. "What else can I say?"
"Well, you-" Maka looked up, and locked eyes with him. Her mouth opened slightly in surprise, eyes widening.
Wasn't he just injured?
His face no longer had any trace of a bruise, and there was no blood on the ground where he had fought Kid only moments earlier. It was all gone.
"How…" Maka managed, blinking.
"No time, Maka!" Crona announced, jumping to his feet and grabbing onto Maka's hand. A lopsided grin appeared on his face as he turned to look back at Black*Star. "You've got to check this out, it's too hilarious!"
Maka complied, not in the mood to talk back.
"There's enough of me to go around, ladies!" Black*Star cooed, drawing an uneven star on someone's forehead. Crona snickered, burying his face in his hands while he tried not to burst out laughing. "I know I'm gorgeous, but we've gotta keep shit organized, okay?"
"Since when does he care about organization?" Maka muttered, eyes narrowing. As much as she hated to admit it, she did find the scene amusing. That ninja boy was making a complete fool of himself.
"Oh my gosh, Maka!" a voice gasped from behind the spectating duo, and a pair of arms wrapped around the girl's shoulders in a rough hug.
"Uh- who-" the meister spluttered, struggling to glance behind her. She managed to catch a glimpse of long black hair hanging over her shoulder, and quickly came to a conclusion. "Tsubaki! There you are!"
There was a tired sigh, and the arms loosened their grip. Maka turned around to stare at her friend, and found the girl in a terrible condition. There was a smear of dirt running along her face, her clothing torn in various places. Her knees were scraped up, the skin bright red and raw. She smiled, her drooping eyes contrasting against the upturning of her lips. "Yeah, it's me… a bit roughed up, though."
"Tsubaki, whoa, what happened?" Maka gawked, placing her hands on the young woman's shoulders and staring seriously. "I feel so in-the-dark about everything these days!"
Tsubaki put her hands on Maka's elbows, shaking her head sadly. "I… I'm not sure. A couple weeks ago, Black*Star suddenly got…" her brows furrowed, as if she could hardly believe it herself. "…popular? These people kept showing up and it just really got out of hand. I've been trying to keep track of Black*Star, but it just seems like he's running around, flaunting his fans everywhere. I'm happy for him- believe me, I am! This is the kind of thing he's always wanted. I just… I know he hasn't completely forgotten about me, but I'm definitely not a priority?" her frown deepened, and she bit her lip. "I don't mean to sound selfish! I care a lot about him being happy and everything, but he's… lost sight of what's important. If that makes any sense…?"
"Hmm," Maka hummed, deep in thought. "I'm sorry, Tsubaki… I understand. I'll help as best as I can, alright?" She paused momentarily, taking her hands off of her friend's shoulders and gesturing at the destroyed outfit. "But, uh, that doesn't explain… this."
Tsubaki hurriedly brushed some dirt from her skirt, replying softly. "I was trying to follow after him, and I ended up getting trampled."
Maka winced. "Ow. I hope you're alright."
"I'm fine, really!" Tsubaki insisted, stretching her arms. "But there's one thing I don't understand…" Confusion was written across her features as she began hesitantly. "How did he get this popular, anyway…?"
At this, Maka shot a glare at Crona, who shrugged simply.
"Don't be a party pooper, Maka!" Crona complained, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
Glancing back to Tsubaki, the meister found the weapon girl with the most horrified expression she had ever had. Her mouth was wide open in shock, eyes no different, trembling in terror.
"…Tsubaki…?" Maka murmured, staring at her in alarm. "What's wrong?"
"He…" the girl stuttered, clamping a hand over her mouth. It didn't take a genius to tell that she was completely terrified by the boy accompanying Maka. He stared at her simply, wondering what she was going to do next with the amusement of a cat stalking its prey. "He's…"
"…the Kishin?" Maka finished, placing a steady hand on her shoulder as a comfort. "It's okay, Tsubaki. He won't hurt you." She sent a glance at Crona, gesturing slightly at the girl. "Right, Crona?"
The boy shrugged in response, sitting cross-legged on the ground with his hands on his knees. "Sure, whatever makes Maka happy!"
Maka sighed, irritated. "Close enough."
"I'm just…" Tsubaki managed, stepping backwards. "I'm just going to…" she pointed a shaking finger towards Black*Star's crowd, still stepping backwards. "…go over there…" Saying no more than that, she stumbled away to try to worm her way through the crowds.
"Urgh, what is her problem?" Crona scoffed, watching her leave. "Her and Liz and Kid, and… a lot of other people, too. Come on, show some sensitivity!"
"Crona…" Maka sighed, shaking her head. "Please…"
Crona just frowned.
It was a long moment before Maka finally spoke again.
"…you need to reverse this thing," she declared, gesturing towards the ridiculously large crowd in front of them.
Crona's face filled with disappointment, eyes filling with fake tears. "But…! It's awesome, Maka!"
She stared at him.
"…fine. Just… give me a minute, okay?" he muttered reluctantly, standing up. With a skip in his step, he hurried into the crowd, weaving through it with ease, passing Tsubaki. Maka could only watch, exasperated.
"Look, lady, I dunno if I'm comfortable with something like that," Black*Star insisted, waving his hands in front of him as he argued with a member of the crowd. "I know ya want me- everyone does- but I'm kinda weirded out by that request…"
"Hey- hey, Black*Star!" Crona cried out, announcing his presence loudly, waving his arms around. "Black*Staaaar!"
Black*Star turned his head to look at the pink-haired Kishin, a quirky grin appearing on his face. "Crona, my man!" He delivered an enthusiastic high-five to the other boy, giving a loud cheer. "Whassup? Did you come up with an awesome slogan for me yet?"
Crona shook his head, still smiling stupidly. "Naahh, not yet, sorry about that!"
"Ah, s'okay! Take all the time you need! I'm super generous like that," the meister announced, his voice unnecessarily loud, echoing over the squeals of the crowd. "After all, it's not every day that a cool star like me gets to have someone organize all their merchandise and shit. Thanks again for that!"
"Yeah, it's not a problem!" the Kishin giggled. "I mean, you're going to be famous for the rest of your life, right?"
"Yeah! And this man right here will be my right hand or whatever!" he draped an arm around Crona's shoulders, giving him a sideways bro-hug sort of embrace.
"Mhmmm!" Crona laughed, eyeing someone's cellphone mischievously and paying little mind to the blue-haired boy.
"Hold on a second…" the person murmured, and Black*Star turned to her instinctively.
"Something wrong?" he asked, letting go of Crona to focus on the girl curiously.
"You…" she started, and then held up her phone, lips pulled into a scowl. "…Tumblr officially announced that you're a fraud!"
There was a collective gasp, and Black*Star's mouth dropped open in dismay. Crona feigned shock, putting a hand over his mouth dramatically.
"Excuse me?!" the ninja shouted in panic, looking around him. "I'm not a fraud, I'm the man who surpassed god!"
He was ignored as many people gathered behind the girl to stare at the post, which was, in fact, posted by Tumblr itself as a warning.
"You lied!" came a shriek, and the mob of fans became akin to the sort of mobs in which people carried pitchforks and torches.
Black*Star spluttered excuses, which were drowned away in the yelling of the crowd. Any accessories that were bought as a tribute to him were thrown to the ground in a flurry of blue and smashed between feet as they moved away from him.
"But… but!" Black*Star managed, reaching out for people as they passed, walking away from him. "I was just…!"
"I think we're done here," someone spat, and the crowd separated, grumbling with annoyance.
"…but…" the boy said feebly, hands dropping to his sides. "…aww."
"Black*Star…" Tsubaki murmured, her hand resting on one of his shoulders.
He glanced up at her with large, sad eyes. "Tsubaki? When'd you get here?"
She smiled sheepishly. "I was right over there, actually… I saw what happened."
The boy stared at the ground, face red with embarrassment. "Yeah, you saw me go from an internet sensation and back to just Black*Star again in seconds…" he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "I didn't need them anyway…"
"Just Black*Star?" she laughed, shaking her head, her black hair flowing across her shoulders. "You're not just Black*Star. You're the Great Black*Star, right?" Tsubaki smiled softly. "And I'm the biggest fan."
Her meister just stared at her for a long moment.
And then, he smiled.
"Nah, you're my partner!"
"Aww, now isn't that just sweet?" Crona gushed, returning to his place beside Maka. "Doesn't it just make you wanna kiss someone?"
"No, Crona," she groaned, scooting away from him.
"Damn."
She rolled her eyes. "At least things seem sorted out now with all of our friends, right?" She couldn't help but smile, knowing that the closest people to her were all safe.
"Our," the Kishin scoffed quietly, glaring at his shoes. "You're so naïve."
Maka went quiet.
Of course.
"We're not done yet."
Crona glanced to the source of the new voice, rage already secure on his face. "I know that."
Maka followed his gaze, seeing Kid nearby, watching them intently. The bruises on his face were beginning to heal already thanks to his shinigami body, but the blood on his clothing told the story of what happened earlier. Liz and Patty stood on either side of him, protectively staying close. His hands were tucked into his pockets, his back straight, clearly staying on the alert.
"I will be seeing you later." He looked to Maka, nodding politely. "Maka, just remember what we talked about earlier."
He turned, walking away.
What had he said earlier?
…oh, that's right...
Stay wary.
"What a douchebag," Crona hissed, frowning as he watched the young shinigami leave. "Raining on the parade like a frigging…" he trailed off, muttering to himself.
"Um," Maka began, struggling to distract him from his foul mood before he ended up destroying something. She knew from her recent experiences that it was better to have him happy than angry. "We didn't really get a chance to check out the shops yet, right? We should do that right now!" As a comforting gesture, she took his hand in hers, interlocking their fingers tightly.
"Mmm," he hummed, looking to her with his eyes dancing slightly. "I think… I think I'd like that."
"Good!" she smiled, starting to walk with him staying close by her side.
It was amazing that Death Square seemed so peaceful, even after all that had happened only minutes earlier. A small fight between gods and a stampede of fangirls didn't change anything, the streets remaining busy with customers and salespeople, going along on what were their daily lives.
It was actually pretty charming.
"What kind of a shop do you wanna look for, Crona?" Maka inquired, staring at a few nice-looking skirts hanging from the edge of a table. As much as she'd like to treat herself to some of those, it was probably better to focus on keeping her friend happy, rather than herself. She looked away from them wistfully, somewhat disappointed.
He didn't answer, being much too preoccupied with watching Maka's face. He had noticed when she sent the look towards those skirts.
Without so much as a word, he dragged her towards the booth, leaning over the desk and glancing at the meister again. "Which one is your favorite?"
"Uhh," she faltered, not expecting him to take this course of action. "Um, that one, I guess," she said, pointing at a tan miniskirt with patterns sown into the edges. "Why do you ask?"
Crona didn't respond, picking up the skirt and shoving it into her free arm. "There we go!"
"Excuse me," the bewildered shop owner stuttered, tapping Crona on the shoulder. "That'll be twenty dollars, sir."
"Sorry, miss," he replied, shaking his head softly. "I believe it'll be free?"
"T-twenty, sir," the woman spoke again, slightly louder, as if he were hard of hearing.
"I said, it'll be free, madam," he repeated, leaning over the table slightly. Maka caught a glimpse of sharp fangs poking from his upper lip as he snarled at the woman, who was shaking in fear behind the counter.
"Crona," Maka warned, grabbing him by his upper arm and pulling him a safe distance away from the woman. Maka stared at him, watching as the fangs morphed away. He stared at her in confusion as she reached into the bag she carried, bringing out a twenty dollar bill. "I'm sorry for the trouble," she apologized, setting the money on the counter and trying not to startle the woman any further. "Really."
"…it's… alright…" she managed, her trembling fingers reaching for the dollar. She eyed them warily. "…have a nice day…"
"Same to you," Maka nodded, locking arms with Crona and dragging him away from the booth. She decided it was best to leave as fast as possible, before he did something else stupid.
"Maka, why'd you do that?" the boy asked, sounding genuinely confused. He stared at her with wide eyes and a deep frown, waiting for an answer.
"You can't just take whatever you want," she said, shaking her head. "It's not alright." She felt like she was talking to a baby, having to simplify everything she was saying.
"I can too! I'm the Kishin!" he tried, staring at her as if she was the insane one.
"You can't," she repeated.
He went quiet, but not without a defiant scoff.
He was a lot like a little kid, Maka realized. Maybe he got that from Ragnarok.
"Ooh!" Crona gasped, tugging her towards a cart that caught his eye.
"What is it, Crona?" she asked, unable to see around him.
He abruptly stopped, pulling Maka's arm so that she was standing next to him. He smiled softly, eyes bright, as he stared at the contents of the cart.
Maka's eyebrows rose.
"Flowers?"
"I love flowers," he sighed dreamily, delicately poking at a bright yellow daffodil. "They're so beautiful."
"Does it come with the fact that you have funny rose powers now?" the meister asked, watching his soft expression.
"I don't know, I don't really care," he responded simply, his voice light and airy. He went from one flower to another, stroking the petals gently.
"…huh."
For a long moment, it was silence. Peaceful, even.
Maka loved it.
The sun shone brightly overhead, just enough to warm people, but not burn them. The flowers' smell filled the air with the freshness of leaves, and the people around them talked and laughed, perfect and happy.
Everything felt almost normal.
"I should start a garden."
She glanced up at her friend, who had his eyes closed peacefully.
"I guess that'd be a nice hobby, huh?" she responded, her chin resting in her palm.
"It's like you really have control over everything in a garden. You manage how well they live, you water them, and you feed them."
"Yeah," she responded, not really understanding what he was talking about.
"…and you weed out the disease."
His voice was dark.
Maka felt a chill race up her spine.
"It's a beautiful story of life and death."
Maka wet her lips, speaking hesitantly. "…I guess."
The boy pushed away from the cart, walking away from it and glancing back at her, grinning. "Are you coming, Maka? I know flowers are sexy, but we've got things to do, people to see!"
"Y-yeah!" Maka managed, accepting his hand into hers as they started down the street again.
She glanced at their entwined fingers as they walked, listening to her heart pound in her ears.
Maka was holding hands with insanity.
A/N- Surprise! I'm not dead! :) Computer problems, depression problems, school problems… lots of things have gotten in the way. But you know what? I'm here now and totally determined to finish this thing ASAP. I'm a long way from being done, haha. Anywho, the Soul Eater manga is ending soon, so let me just say… thanks for everything that this fandom and series has given me. It means so much more than you can even imagine. If I didn't have Soul Eater, I don't know if I'd feel like living was worth it. So many years with this fandom has made me who I am today.
Please review, loves! It makes me happy! ;v; I typed all of this today for you guys, haha.