Maka

"Maka, stop crying, would you? It's not like you."

I glanced up and saw Black Star perched on a tree branch above me. I hadn't even noticed him there.

Wiping my tears away, I glared at him. "Well, sneaking up on people isn't like you."

"I know, right? It's hard not to notice a big star like me!" grinned the assassin, dropping down and sitting next to me. "But I've been working on some stuff over at Tsubaki's place."

I sighed and pulled my knees up to my chest. "How was her family?"

"They were cool, but they're hard as hell when it comes to training."

There was something a lot more mellow about the usually boisterous Black Star. I actually felt like I could hold an actual conversation with him for more than two minutes without him going off about how big a man he was. It was nice.

"You gonna tell me who I have to beat up? Or do I have to stalk you and find out?" he asked, raising a thin eyebrow.

"You don't have to beat anyone up," I muttered. How could I ask him to beat up his best friend? Did I even want to hurt Soul?

"Right then. So what's wrong?"

"I should ask what's wrong with you? Did the Nakatsukasas brainwash you or something?"

He chuckled and put his hands behind his head as he leaned back against the tree trunk. "Yeah, something like that."

"Well... It's about Soul," I said softly.

There was a moment of silence between us and the only sound was the leaves rustling in the wind.

"Oh. I guess I owe Liz five bucks then," Black Star stated lightly. "What? Do you like him or something?"

"Yeah. Something like that."

"Did you tell him?"

"No. How could I? He likes Angel..."

Black Star sighed and turned to look me in the eye. "That idiot is even more dense than he looks so unless you come right out and say it, chances are, he'll never know."

"It doesn't matter. It's not like he likes me back in that way..."

"What happened to the Maka who took down the Kishin with one punch? I thought you were all about bravery." Black Star held my gaze for what seemed like the longest time, and I could see that he actually had changed.

I couldn't help but burst into giggles as I covered my mouth with both hands.

"What'd I say?" he demanded.

"Nothing," I laughed. "I just never thought I'd be getting this sort of advice from you, Black Star."

"Well, I've got to keep my fans on their toes," he beamed, jumping to his feet. Extending a hand, he have me his signature toothy grin. "So, how about you pay me back with a meal?"

Taking his hand, I let him pull me to my feet. "That aspect of you might never change."

We made our way into town and went to Black Star's favorite burger place. He gave me a disgusted look when I ordered a salad, but cracked a smile. "Guess you haven't stopped being a health freak yet."

"A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body," I recited. It was the same thing I told Soul every time he dragged me to a fast food place.

"Sure, whatever," he shrugged, scarfing down the first of the three burgers he'd ordered. "You sure you don't want a bite, Maka?" he asked, waving a burger in front of me. "It's really good."

Groaning, I rolled my eyes and held out my hand. "Fine. One bite."

"Okay, then open up."

"Just give me the burger."

"Nope. It's more fun if you're fed. So open up."

"I'm not five, Black Star." Still, when he had that determined look, there was nothing that could stop him.

So I reluctantly opened up and took a bite of the burger. I'd forgotten how awesome this stuff could taste.

I saw the door open out of the corner of my eye and Soul and Angel walked in. Immediately, I lost my appetite.

"What's up?" asked Black Star. "Something wrong?"

"No. It's fine," I replied, looking away and hoping they hadn't spotted us. I had no such luck.

"Maka, it's a surprise seeing you here," said a familiar voice. Angel's voice.

Grimacing, I shrugged. "Black Star asked me to come with him."

"How goes it bro?" grinned Soul, fist bumping his friend as the two sat down at our table. "Haven't talked to you in a while."

"Well, you could've if you came to the buffet with us," Black Star pointed out, pulling out a piece of paper.. "But here, have my autograph to make up for it."

"Black Star, I'll see you later," I said, getting up. "I'm not really hungry so I think I'll go to the library."

I walked out the door before any of them could say a word, storming down the street towards the Academy.

I sensed a familiar soul coming up behind me, and at first I thought it was Black Star, but I knew this wavelength all too well.

"What do you want, Soul?" I demanded, spinning around to face him.

"I want to know what your deal is," he answered, stopping a few feet away from me. "You've been acting weird for the past week."

"I don't have a deal," I snapped.

"As you put it, once upon a time, you can talk to me if something's bothering you," he stated in a mocking tone.

"And I distinctly remembering you responding with. I would tell you, but there's nothing wrong," I told him.

He opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Angel coming out of the restaurant with two ice cream cones in hand. "I got the ice cream!" she called, heading towards us.

"Your angel awaits," I muttered as I turned and walked away. That idiot. He could never take the slightest hint, could he?

Making my way up the steps, I couldn't help but wanting to punch myself in the face for how I'd reacted. Black Star's words floated around in my head. "That idiot is even more dense than he looks, so unless you come right out and say it, chances are, he'll never know."

That was easier said than done. For some reason, fighting Kishins was a lot easier than dealing with boy problems for me.

I headed straight down to Professor Stein's office and knocked on the door, opening it after hearing a faint "come in".

The room was a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. There was a desk and a computer whose monitor was omitting a light blue glow. Professor Stein was by the window, smoking a cigarette.

"Oh, Maka. Did you need something?"

"I think I'm ready for a solo mission," I heard myself say as I stepped into the office. "Do you have any assignments available, professor?"

After I discovered the weapon part of me, I'd started training to harness it with Stein. It was just for self defense and extra power in case something happened to Soul.

"Are you sure you're ready for something like this, Maka?" Stein asked, looking at me intently through his spectacles.

"Yes, sir. I'd like to test my own strength. I know I can do this," I replied despite my brain doubting the truth in that last statement.

Nodding, he walked over to his computer and typed in a few things before pulling up a spread sheet and tracing his finger down the monitor stopping about halfway down. "In that case, why don't you take this one in Seattle? You can leave tonight."

"That works," I told him, my voice coming out robotic.

"There's only that one Kishin egg in the Seattle area, so you should be able to locate it easily enough using your soul perception. However, I'll still send you an email with further details, okay?"

I nodded. "Thank you, professor."

"Don't mention it. Be smart, Maka. If you can't handle it..."

I shook my head, backing out the door. "I know I can do this. You don't have to worry."

I pulled the door closed before he could say anything further to change my mind or make me break down.

Not bothering to go home, I went straight to Black Star and Tsubaki's apartment and knocked on the door. Tsubaki opened the door with a smile.

"Maka! Hello," she said with her usual close-eyed smile. "Black Star's not back yet, but would you like to come in for some tea?"

I thought about it for a second. Tea wouldn't hurt. "Sure, that sounds great."

She led the way inside and started brewing some tea. "So how are things? Did you and Black Star really go on a date?"

I gaped at her, dumbfounded. "Where did you hear that?"

"Liz and Patty called and said they saw the two of you together in town," Tsubaki replied, her eyes twinkling.

"We just went to get lunch together," I stated. "To catch up and stuff..."

"Sounds like a date to me," Tsubaki giggled, pouring us both tea before sitting down on the floor across from me.

"Tsubaki, it's not like that," I insisted.

"You still like Soul, don't you?" she questioned, her tone becoming serious.

"Yeah... I never stopped," I told her, my voice shaking slightly. "This whole time, I... And now..." I trailed off, afraid that the tears would overflow if I kept going.

"Have you ever told him how you feel?" Tsubaki asked gently.

"No. I guess i just never figured out how to," I replied, sipping my tea. "And I was always too...too scared to."

"It's okay to be afraid," she stated, meeting my gaze. "But you of all people should know about bravery."

"You and Black Star really have rubbed off on each other," I commented with a weak smile.

"Well, I try to pick up on his good qualities."

"Thanks, Tsubaki," I smiled, getting to my feet. "I really have to go, though. I was wondering if I could borrow Black Star's jeep."

"What for?" asked Black Star, swinging in through the open window.

"I thought I'd go to Seattle and take my mind off of things," I replied honestly.

"Sure, but why Seattle?" he pressed, digging through the fridge and frowning when he came up empty handed.

"It's pretty quiet there. And it's by the ocean."

He plucked his keys off the top of the fridge and tossed them over to me. "Knock yourself out."

"Thank you," I beamed as the two of them waved goodbye to me. "I owe you guys one."

"Just be happy," Tsubaki told me. "That's all we want."

I looked at Black Star and he gave me a shrug. "I don't really need anything, so let's go with what she said."

I smiled even wider and thanked them one last time before heading outside to where Black Star's Jeep was parked. Swinging my body inside, I stuck the key in and started the ignition. There was no going back now, Maka. You have to do this.

I backed out of the driveway and hit the gas, driving through Death City. I caught a glimpse of Soul walking downtown with Angel and felt my stomach churning. Pressing down the pedal a bit further, I drove pass them and saw Soul look my way for a split second before answering a question from Angel.

Within minutes, I'd cleared the confines of Death City and was driving through the open desert, alone with my thoughts. At this rate, I didn't think I'd need any of Medusa's black blood to completely descend into madness.

I finally reached Seattle after a few hours of driving and I parked in a parking garage before getting out and walking into the heart of the city. By then, it was around ten at night and the city had gotten relatively quiet. There was a rather eerie feeling as I walked through the usually bustling streets of Seattle. It was probably from all the attacks. I hadn't checked the email for the details, but if Stein thought I could handle it, I'd be fine.

Closing my eyes, I reached out with my Soul Perception and tried to locate the Kishin egg. It wasn't too far away and I could get there on foot. It hadn't found any prey yet, fortunately, so I wouldn't have to waste energy on sprinting.

Wounding my way through the dimly lit backstreets, I made my way towards the Kishin. From what I could tell, it was headed in my direction as well.

I tried to loosen up my body like Professor Stein had taught me, picturing myself as a weapon instead of a Meister. With every step, my test was getting closer and my certainty was wavering further and further. But I was determined to prove that I didn't need Soul to protect me all the time. I could look after myself.

6 yards... 3 yards... 2 yards...

It sensed me at the same time I saw it. This one was pretty far gone, judging from the hatred and malice in his soul. It sent shivers down my spine, and usually I'd have Soul here to comfort me. But I'd have to do it on my own.

"In the name of Lord Death, I must purge this evil," I whispered ceremoniously to myself as I extended my hand into a blade. "I won't let you become a Kishin!"

As I finished the sentence, the Kishin lunged at me, claws out and red eyes glowing in the darkness. I dodged two of its attacks, blocked one with my arm and swept my leg out, transforming it into a blade as it came in contact with the Kishin's rib cage. It leapt back, barely phased by the gash I'd just made and raked its claws across the skin on my left forearm before I could harden it into a blade. I tried my best to ignore the pain, as well as the blood that was oozing out of the four gashes its claws had made across my skin. I deflected another blow and sprung off its arm, doing a somersault midair and bringing my arm in blade form down, splitting the Kishin's skull right down the middle. Its body disintegrated, leaving a red soul hovering in the air. I smiled at my victory and my first thought was to take the soul back for Soul Eater, but I shook my head, mentally pinching myself for even considering that.

Instead, I reached out and plucked the soul out of the air, reluctantly lifting it to my mouth. If Tsubaki could do it, so could I. Gulping, I stuck the soul into my mouth, chewing it a few times before swallowing it. Soul was right. They felt good going down.

If I drove back now, I could make it back before daybreak and attend class.

I jogged back to the Jeep and started the ignition, only noticing the gashes in my arm when I put my hands on the steering wheel.

"Well, at least I got a souvenir from Seattle," I said to myself as I started the long drive back to Death City.

The rain was drumming loudly on the roof of the car as I drove back towards Death City.

I was half asleep on the last half of the drive back, so I thought it must have been my imagination when I heard a loud thud on the roof. By the time I picked up on the soul, it'd already implanted its claws into the roof.

Swerving a hard left in an attempt to shake the Kishin off, I hit the brakes and stopped the car.

I kicked into combat mode and turned my hands into blades as I ran at the Kishin, knocking it off the roof of the Jeep with a swift kick and ducking to avoid its sharp claws. I aimed my blades for its heart and dove off the roof, but it moved out of the way before I reached the ground. The fact that it was raining and the ground was slippery didn't help matters very much. It just made me lose my footing and land on my back.

The wind was knocked out of me and I barely rolled out of the way in time to avoid getting my head sliced off. I felt a burning sensation shoot through my shoulder, though, telling me that it had grazed some skin.

Getting back on my feet, I blocked two of its attacks, but the third sent me skidding backwards. I let my guard down for a split second to catch my balance on the slippery ground, and the Kishin took that instant to go right for my throat.

"Hey, that's my friend you're messing with, you bastard," seethed a familiar voice in the darkness.

The Kishin whirled around too late and it was sent flying with a punch from Black Star.

"Maka, you okay?" he asked, glancing over at me.

I nodded and he cracked his knuckles, turning his sights back on the enemy. "Then just sit back and let ol' Black Star take care of this one."

In a flash, he'd closed the distance between him and the Kishin and hit him with a shot of his compressed Soul Wavelength followed by a punch in the rib cage, which was followed by a grotesque snapping sound. Before it could react, Black Star hit him with a two-handed shot of his Soul Wavelength and sent it flying backwards.

After a few more minutes of Black Star beating on it, he finally motioned for me to walk over to them.

"It doesn't look like this thing's gonna die if we don't stick something sharp through it," he informed me.

I grimly positioned my hand above its neck and extended it into a blade, easily cutting off the Kishin's head.

The body disintegrated, leaving a glowing red soul hovering in the air.

I looked at Black Star for a second and he put a disgusted expression on his face. "Well, I'm not gonna eat it."

I wordlessly plucked it out of the air and stuck it in my mouth, feeling the smooth sensation of it sliding down my throat.

"You're going to get sick if you just stand in a downpour like this," Black Star stated, pulling open the door to the drover's seat of his Jeep. "I'll drive."

I slipped into the shotgun seat and buckled up before finding my voice to speak. "How did you get out here?"

"What are you talking about? I ran," he replied, starting the car and hitting the gas. "Lucky you were pretty close by."

"Thank you," I whispered. "Thanks for saving me."

"Don't even mention it, Maka," the assassin grinned. "I've always got your back."

There was a part of me that wished Soul had come instead, riding on his motorcycle through the rain and...

And what? Getting hurt for you again? Dammit, Maka.

"Do you want me to drop you off at home, or you want to go see Stein about your arms?" asked Black Star as we entered Death City a while later.

"Just take me home. They're just scratches, so I can just bandage them up myself."

Nodding, he turned onto my street and stopped in front of my apartment compound. The light was on and it looked like the TV was playing in the living room. Soul usually hardly comes out of his room, so i wonder what's gotten into him.

"Are you coming to school tomorrow? In case everyone asks," said Black Star as I was about to shut the door.

"Of course I'm going," I replied. "These are just scratches. They'll heal up no problem."

That was kind of a lie. They were all at least a few inches deep and were burning like no one's business, but I didn't want to make anyone worry about me unnecessarily.

"Right. See you tomorrow then," he grinned before driving back to his house.

I sighed and went inside, climbing the stairs to my apartment and pushing open the door with a meager, "I'm home..."

What I saw made my stomach drop. Soul and Angel were cuddled up on the couch watching a scary movie. She had her face buried in his chest as the blood splattered across the camera.

"Maka? What the hell happened?" Soul demanded as I headed to my room.

"Sorry about the water," I mumbled. "I'll clean it up later. Promise."

Slamming the bedroom door, I plopped down on the ground at just sat there. It hurt to know they were a couple, but it hurt even more to see it with my own eyes.

Was I really that bad of a friend to not notice that he'd liked her before? They never really talked during class and Soul was with most of the time... So why hadn't I noticed something? Why had I been so afraid to just tell him?

My door opened and I looked up to see Soul standing there with the first aid kit.

"If you don't bandage that up, you're going to faint from loss of blood," he said, sitting down next to me on the ground.

"I can do it myself," I told him, but he held the box out of my reach.

"Nope. You've got some explaining to do," he stated. "You start acting weird and skipping lunch, then you storm out when me and Angel show up, and you snuck out on a mission without me. That wasn't very cool. You could have gotten killed."

I grimaced as I snatched the disinfectant and bandages from his hand. "Is that all? I'd hate to make you miss your date, so get out of my room, Soul Eater."

He looked at me for a second and I realized I sounded way too jealous.

"She said she was going home," he stated, gently taking the things I'd grabbed back. "Take off your jacket."

I wordlessly did as I was told and sat still as he ripped the sleeves off my shirt. My sweater was in tatters so he just cut the rest of it away with his own scythe blade.

My white blouse was practically see-through since it was soaking wet from the rain. I blushed self consciously and I could see a hint of redness on Soul's cheeks as he went to work on my wounds.

"If something happened to me, you could just find a new partner," I said, my voice coming out barely above a whisper.

He reached a hand up and gently flicked my forehead. "You idiot. How could I do that when every single time I've nearly died, or even that one time Stein told you I was going to die and you should consider finding a new partner, you cried buckets and clung to me for dear life, saying he had to save me...?"

"...because no one could replace you," I finished with a small smile. "Yeah, I remember."

"Then why are you saying stuff like that?"

I winced as he poured a little Alcohol onto my shoulder. "You'd be better off with a stronger Meister. That way, you don't have to get hurt."

Soul shook his head, a disapproving expression on his face. "How many other Meisters would risk their souls to save their weapon from madness? You've risked your head as much as I've risked mine, so stop feeling bad. It just means we've got each other's backs."

"I'm pretty sure all our friends would have done the same with their partners," I replied. Maybe for different reasons, but they wouldn't have left their Weapons to descend into madness.

"But none of them are you," he said, looking into my eyes. "I don't think many other people out there would storm angrily into the infirmary and yell at their injured partners first thing."

"I thought you hated that."

"It's kind of funny sometimes. I don't mind the insults as much as the noise," he chuckled as he wrapped up my shoulder in a white bandage and asked me to hold my arm out.

It was hard to be mad at him when we were like this. Just the two of us.

"How are things with Angel?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from breaking.

"She's sweet. Things are okay, I guess. What about you and Black Star? Never thought that guy would be the dating type."

Am I really having this conversation with Soul.

"Actually, we..." I trailed off as my phone rang and Soul handed it to me.

"Hello?"

"Maka, are you alright? Black Star told me what happened. Seems like he got there just in time. He was really worried about you," ranted a very concerned Tsubaki. "Are you holding up okay? I should have told you about the date... I'm so sorry."

"Tsubaki, stop and take a breath. Don't apologize, okay? I'm fine," I reassured her, turning the volume down with my thumb so Soul wouldn't be able to hear. "You don't have to worry about me, and tell Black Star not to either. I'm absolutely fine."

Before I even finished my sentence, there was a knock on the apartment door. Soul raised an eyebrow before going out to open it.

"Maka, did you..."

"No... It's... They were just watching a movie," I told her. "I have to go, though. Someone came over."

"Alright. See you at school. Goodnight."

I hung up the phone and went to see who was at the door. Soul was talking to Liz about something and I hurriedly interrupted before she said something about me having feelings for him.

"Liz? What are you doing here?"

"We were watching your mission from Lord Death's room and Kid's really ticked off at you for being so reckless," she answered. "But he asked me to come check and see if you were okay."

"I'm fine," I assured her. It felt like I'd said that phrase more than a thousand times lately.

She sighed and looked at my shirt. "Put some dry clothes on. You'll get sick," she stated before turning and walking down the hallway.

"What were you guys talking about?" I asked as Soul closed the door.

"She was pissed 'cause I let you go out there alone like that," he muttered.

"Oh. Well, I made that decision on my own so it wasn't your fault."

"I'm your Weapon partner, Maka. It's my job to protect you. Of course if's my fault if anything happens to you."

"But it's not. I'd rather it be me than you in a hospital bed."

"You're not a Shinigami like Kid, okay? You can die pretty easily."

"Stop making me out to be some weak damsel," I snapped. "Because I'm not. I can take care of myself without your help and I could get a hell of a lot more Kishin eggs on my own! I don't need you as much as you think."

"So why are we even partners?" Soul demanded. "If you want to focus on turning yourself into a Death Scythe, I'm not gonna stand in your way."

He pulled open the door and walked out before I could say another word.

I fell onto my knees and tears began to well up in my eyes. I couldn't believe I'd just said something like that. Of course I needed him. I needed him more than anybody and all I wanted to do was just apologize and have everything go back to the way it was. Maybe he was better off with Angel. She seemed to make him happy and she wasn't a complete idiot hothead like me...

Sniffling, I lay down on the floor, curled up into a ball, and cried myself to sleep.