Total itty-bitty one-shot dedicated and inspired by Zi. I hope this fulfills your dreams.


Whatever he chooses I probably won't see his smiling face again.

Death's words sat in Spirit's gut, ate away any ease in his brain, and brought his feet to his daughter's doorstep. He already knew Maka wasn't home - he'd made some cheap excuse to get Marie to keep her conveniently busy until he had connived a way to meet her later - but the piano music flooding from under the door resigned Spirit to his fate. With the spare key that Maka didn't know about, Spirit opened the door and let himself into the apartment. "Hey, mop-head," he called.

The music clattered to a stop with a sour note, a wave of annoyance announcing the boy before he even got into the hallway. "What the hell, old man - Maka's not-"

"Here, yeah," Spirit shrugged. "Wasn't looking for her."

Spirit watched the sharp teeth in Soul's mouth gape, ready to spit another insult but his jaw clamped back shut. "What the hell do you want then?" came between clenched teeth.

"Take a walk with me."

Soul sucked his teeth, "If this is some kinda-"

"Take a walk with me," echoed again down the hallway, words drifting with an odd force between them.

The boy's sneakered feet hesitated. "Maka's not home."

"But she could come back. Prefer she didn't hear this."

The honesty punctured the tightness in Soul's brow.

Spirit didn't wait for the reply, turning on his heels as he started the slow walk out the door. There was some fumbling behind him before the boy caught up, posture always suffering from that eternal slump as Soul threw his hands in his pockets. The two walked in entirely unforced silence, just the sounds of their feet changing from carpet to concrete. I wonder how long he'll follow me, glanced over Spirit's mind before his eyes risked a look at the white-haired menace. It was obvious that the gears in that boy's head were working, too lost in his own thoughts to give one to the annoyance of following Spirit around.

Asphalt gave way to grass, Spirit pulling them into a park without so much as another word. He tested one last boundary, motioning Soul towards a bench as he deserted the boy for a coffee stand.

Soul was restless, his legs refusing the seat as he eyed the older man at till. He sucked his teeth a few times, trying to produce the right grinding words to air the displeasure but his heart was rumbling in a way that quieted everything else. This is weird. It's just weird.

Spirit returned, pressing a cup into Soul's hand before he eased onto the bench.

Soul took a moment to stare incredulously at the offering before letting his knees fold, his ass hitting hard to the seat. "Look, old man, I don't-"

"Just shut up and listen," Spirit slipped out after a sip of his coffee.

Soul sucked his teeth again, turning his head away as if his ear wasn't perked.

"I don't have to tell you this is big-"

"Yeah, you buying me a coffee, might as well saint you now," Soul grumbled.

"I mean the mission," Spirit corrected with a sigh.

The slack in Soul's shoulders tightened, no longer lopsided but threatening to be rigid.

"And I have a lot I need to say to Maka," that was easily interrupted by a disgruntled harumph from Soul's mouth and Spirit had to suppress the urge to smack the boy, "but I also have to say something to you."

Soul turned his head just enough for Spirit to catch the corner of a snarl on his lips. "Listen, I don't need a pep talk from you."

"If you think that's what I'm here for you're a bigger idiot than I thought." That sneer was trembling at the corner with rage and Spirit pushed, knowing he had a thin line before the boy bubbled over in rage. "Can't fault you for the job you've done as her weapon, but I'm not going to thank you either. Risking your life for her is what you're supposed to do, even if you do a good job of it."

The boy pressed a derisive huff of air through his nose.

"And I'm not going to sit here and beg you to keep her safe," Spirit shook his head bitterly, "because both you and I know that this time there might not be a chance for that."

He watched Soul's hand clench into a fist, the muscles audibly popping with the tightness. "Maka's not gonna die. I'm gonna-"

"Protect her until you do, yeah, sure, kid," Spirit tried to make that as passe as possible, watching it cause another flex in Soul's hand. "But you, me, her, Stein, Marie, Star, Kid, and all the rest… there's a chance none of it will go our way. Or maybe only some of our ways. So listen."

"I'm listening." The words had to come with bitter defiance from Soul's mouth or else he was sure he'd produce something closer to a whimper at the idea.

"Keep loving her," Spirit laid out flatly.

Soul's cheeks erupted in the same crimson as his eyes, his face finally shooting in Spirit's direction. "Hey, old man, I- you- she-" Each pronoun came with a new octave.

"And I will thank you for doing that much, for loving her like you do because, hell, Maka can trust her gut on the battlefield but after her mother and me, I was sure she'd never let anything bring back the trust in her heart…" Spirit leveled a look at Soul that turned his stomach into a quivering mess.

"I didn't- I haven't-" Why do I sound like I'm pleading? Soul squirmed in his misery as the other scythe just seemed to feed off it.

"Nah, kid, of course you haven't," Spirit sighed nostalgically. "And I'm not even saying you should consider it since even though we're in a do-or-die crunch, I have some stupid inkling that both of you are too stubborn to die in this."

A mournful little groan stole from Soul's lips as he finally produced enough will to drop his eyes. "I can't."

"That's not what I'm asking you to do anyway," Spirit shrugged even without the audience of Soul's eyes. "Just let those feelings stick, OK? Let them be there, and let yourself keep taking care of her like you do because… well, if I can't be here, I just want to know she has that. Someone else around to give her the love she deserves."

Soul's spine was jelly but he still managed to press it back against the bench, trying to ease the thunderous trampling of his heart. I love her. His hand popped to the start of his scar. Duh, idiot, you've known that for a while, haven't you? It trailed a little lower, pressing into the skin to make the jagged beats reverberate in his palm. I gotta keep lovin' her. "You think… she'll let me?" Soul wasn't even sure that was his own voice, so strangled and afraid.

Spirit snorted a laugh, "Already afraid she does, kid."

Another flourish of color hit Soul's face as he tried to hide the shame behind his cup, hoping the bitter liquid would at least give him an excuse for the churning in his stomach. Instead, the saccharine sweetness rushed over his tongue. "Ugh, hot chocolate."

"Caffeine stunts your growth," Spirit snorted. "Can't have that - Maka likes 'em tall - like her papa."

More disgust washed over Soul's face, "Shut up, old man."

Good talk, Spirit chuckled.


As Maka ran into Marie's arms, bruised and bloodied from the fight, Soul met Spirit's eyes. It was just a second, no real contact, but it still brought a fresh bit of color to the boy's face and a smirk to Spirit's lips.