Whilst this was all going on, everyone was walking to the Death Room as stated.
"I know that I'll be praised as a wonderful man for my service." Ox was parading his apparent achievements and Hero just about had enough.
"Ox, please be quiet. Nobody cares." Hero droned, annoyed that he had to carry Ox's bags. Ox scowled.
"Quiet, Bag Boy." He hissed. "You followed Excalibur. You're an idiot."
"You do realise that was 4 months ago. That experience changed me. I'm a new man now because of that disgraceful oaf." Hero protested. "I am no 'bag boy' so be quiet."
"Idiot!"
"I think Hero has a point for once." Soul spoke up. Hero looked relieved. "Even if he is a little bit of an idiot."
"Hey! Not you too!" Hero exclaimed. "Thanks though."
"It's cool. You have actually cleaned up your act a bit though which is good. I actually really respect you as a person now. You're still a bit easy to give in to the whole man slavery thing though." Soul picked up Ox's bags and threw them at their owner. Ox scowled at him. Soul patted Hero's shoulder. "Keep up the good work, man."
"We're nearly here" Jackie stated, interrupting the whole drama that Ox decided "I wonder what we're doing!"
"I hope it's something good." Maka agreed.
In the Death Room, Kid was the first person to walk inside- eating the biscuits he had bought earlier.
"Father. I'm feeling rather stressed. I just realised this biscuit isn't the same size as the others." He began.
His father cocked his masked head to the side.
"Well you're taking a bite out of it. Then it wouldn't be the same size as the others." Lord Death explained.
Death the Kid stood there a while. "Oh. Yeah."
Following Death the Kid's entrance was his twin pistols, Patty and Liz, and the demon swordsman Crona.
Liz approached Kid. "How on earth does your poor dad have to deal with someone like you? Seriously, I get stressed out as your partner. Your dad has had you since your birth. Jesus."
Cocking his head to the side, much like Lord Death did, Kid looked at her. "I'm not that bad... right? Right?"
Liz and her father exchanged glances.
Kid shook his head. "Maybe you're right... What do you think, Crona?"
No answer. Instead, Crona was too much in awe to answer his question. Patty was demonstrating an odd technique of fighting in which, in Crona's opinion, was the best thing he had ever seen. His face flushed red.
"Wow. Sorry Kid, but he's too deep in Planet Patricia right now to hear you." Liz smirked.
Crona looked at Liz. "Huh? Sorry. Did I miss something?" He looked stressed.
"Yeah, he kinda asked you what he thought of him?"
Kami stood, looking at the lanky androgynous boy. She gave him a smile.
"Whoops. Sorry." Crona nodded shyly. "Well... Kid.. In all honesty. You're a great guy."
Kid beamed. "Thank you! I'm glad."
"But."
"But?"
"The whole symmetry thing gives me the creeps."
"WHATS WRONG WITH WANTING EVERYTHING PERFECT?" Kid cried, shaking Crona. "Perfection is key.
"Is it though?" Crona asked, uneasy.
"Yes! Don't be so blunt!" Kid continued to shake him.
Patty pulled the striped haired boy off him. "Hey! Leave him alone. You asked him how he felt!" She whined.
Kid sighed. "Yeah.. you're right."
"Yeah." Kami spoke. "Also, for someone who likes symmetry so much- your hair isn't-"
"I GET IT!" Kid's eyes welled up.
Kami shrugged.
The next ones to enter the room was Hero, Ox, Kim and Jackie, Killik and The Pots. Harvar was close behind. They all chatted amongst themselves. That was when a very distinctive voice filled the death room:
"OH YEAH! LETS GO TSUBAKI! WE'LL OWN THIS MISSION!" Black Star exclaimed.
"Indoor voice please, Black Star." Tsubaki requested. Black Star nodded.
"Sorry, Tsu. I got a little carried away." He spoke, much quieter this time, but a grin still on his face. He looked around, only for his eyes to be locked on a figure that he hadn't seen in a long time.
"KAMI!" He shouted in delight. He ran towards the blonde haired woman, who spotted the boisterous male and opened her arms.
"Well isn't it Black Star!" She wrapped her arms around the young assassin. She ruffled his electric blue hair. "You've grown so much."
"I missed you! I did a lot of work to defeat Asura.. Well.. Actually I helped everyone else to do it. I don't wanna take all the credit, y'know.." Black Star spoke sweetly. Kami grinned.
"I heard! I'm super proud of you." Kamiki explained, delighted. Black Star gave a goofy grin back. He adored Kami, and saw her as a second mother- next to Naigus. Kami, despite having to put up with a lot of Black Star's calamities in the past, adored him the same way.
Tsubaki approached the pair and smiled sweetly. Kami spotted her and gave a smile back. "And who are you?" She asked her.
"Oh! I'm Tsubaki. Black Star's weapon!" She said. Kami shook her hand.
"What a pretty girl you are!" Kami sincerely complimented. "My name is Kami. It's lovely to meet you.
Tsubaki blushed. "Thank you! It was lovely to meet you too."
"Wow, Black Star. You certainly picked such a nice weapon."
"Yeah, she's wonderful!" Black Star spoke. Tsubaki was thrilled.
"Thank you!" She smiled.
Whilst all this was happening, Spirit stood quietly to the side. Unlike everyone else, who seemed lighthearted, he felt all of his confidence sinking. He watched everything happen, but was hesitant to be a part. He couldn't help but feel out of place from the group.
He then spotted Soul and Maka entering the room. They were in deep conversation. Maka smiled at the things Soul said to her, which lifted Spirit's mood a little bit. He liked it when he saw his daughter smile.
He then saw his daughter stop in her tracks as her gaze was fixed on the sight in front of her. Her eyes filled with tears.
Her voice could only whisper one word.
"Mama..."
Around the same time, Kami's eyes met with the young girl who stood, teary eyed, opposite. She smiled and held out her hand.
"Maka! I told you I'd come back." She said. Maka couldn't contain herself any longer.
"MAMA!" She squealed and ran to her mother's grasp and clung to her tight, her head in her chest. "You're really here. You really came back." She sobbed with happiness. Kami tightened her grip on her young girl.
"Of course I am, sweetie. I wouldn't just leave you forever. That'd be stupid." Kami laughed and tugged at Maka's pigtail. "I heard how strong you were against the kishin. I'm super proud of you."
Maka's green eyes looked into her mother's blue ones. "Yeah. I wouldn't have done it without the others though. Especially my weapon."
"Really?" Kami brushed her own side swept fringe out of her face. "Who would that be then?" She asked, curiously.
"Me." A voice spoke quietly.
Kami turned her head to see Soul, standing quietly and laid back. His hands were in his jacket pocket and he looked up at her with relaxed red eyes. Kami felt herself smile.
"Oh! You're my daughter's weapon, huh?" She asked him.
Soul nodded, smiling. He held out his hand. "My name is Soul. Soul Evans."
Kami took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you. Kami's my name. Soul, huh.. Nice name! Fancy!"
"Yeah.. My mom decided on something a little fancy for me. I'm nowhere near like that though. You can guess I'm just a little boring." Soul laughed. Kami grinned and shook his shoulder.
"Well you think that, Soul. I think you're pretty amazing." Maka spoke up.
Soul blushed; he looked away, bashful. "Ah.. um.. Thanks.. You are more than me though. You're so sweet- ah.." Soul stammered. He had long lost his usually cool demeanor and became very embarrassed- something that was very out of character of him. He turned to her mother. "Your daughter is a really cool meister." He spoke through his heart.
"She's very talented." Kami agreed. "And I'm guessing you are too."
All Soul could do was nod, when suddenly Kid shouted for his attention. "Do excuse me." Soul apologise. Kami smiled. When Soul got out of earshot, she brought herself to Maka's height.
"Hey Maka?" She whispered.
Maka looked at her mother. "What is it, mom?"
"You picked a good one. He's a polite guy. I like that. He's also really attractive. Well done."
Maka blushed furiously. "Mama. It's not like that-"
"Oh it is. But it's okay, dear. I think- no. I know he really likes you!" Kami teased. Maka hid her face in her hands.
"Mama stop."
"You like hiiimm!"
"Nuh-uh!"
A little giggle could be heard between them. Kami looked up and smiled mischieviously at the laughing red-headed man, which thrown him off guard and made him hide his face away.
"Ah um.." Spirit was reduced to an embarrassed mess.
"Papa." Maka spoke, glad her father had interrupted her mother's teasing. Catching his daughter's voice, Spirit looked at her.
"Maka. Sweetie. How is everything?" Spirit asked.
"Happy." Maka smiled at him- something she never did to her dad in a long while. "Mama's back, so naturally I feel good."
"Me too, honey." Spirit brushed his thumb off her cheek. Maka felt a little bit odd, being nice to her father, but she felt that for once she'd be civil. She'd given him enough crap. She didn't want to give him more right now. Not today, anyway.
"You did quite the job looking after her, Spirit." Kami ruffled his hair, suprising him.
But he wasn't the only one surprised.
Maka was not expecting her mother to be so outgoing to her father, after the previous events before her mother left. But seeing her mother and father getting along made her feel happy... no.. not just happy. Overjoyed. She went so long with feeling empty that her whole family had broken up. This was new to Maka.
"Well, it's nice to see you're not at each other's throats." A voice spoke, out of the blue. Stein smirked at the grown pair who stood by their daughter. Kami frowned and took 3 steps forward to him.
"Don't be so stupid. It's called having a heart and perhaps being mature adults. Plus, Spirit isn't that bad. He's not you!" Kami sneered.
Spirit didn't know how to feel. "Oh... So I am not as bad as Stein.. Ok.. At least I'm not just a 'scumbag' no more." He spoke to himself, unknowing that Maka heard the entire thing.
Maka felt disheartened at her father's lack of confidence.
She held the urge to argue against his self deprication. She hung her head low and walked away- in which she felt ashamed of.
'Papa... I wish I could tell you that all the times I said I hated you wasn't true. But I guess my pride gets in the way.' Maka thought. In all honesty, she felt guilty. She had constantly brought her father down, made him feel horrible, and pushed him away ever, ever since the whole incident with him cheating happened. Maka knew for a fact that he missed her mother, and her too. And Maka knew she missed her father as much as she missed her mother. Things weren't the same. Thanks to her pride, she'd pushed him away when he needed her the most.
But that wasn't the thing that Maka regretted the most.
The thing she regretted ever doing was telling her father that he was dead to her. That she didn't think of him as her father at all. That she never wanted to see him again. All of those things she hated about herself.
"I'm such a fool.. Why can't I apologise to you?" Maka asked herself again, but her thought track ended up being interrupted by her father. He shook her shoulder, whilst gently calling her name.
Maka looked up at her dad, who wiped her face with his sleeve. That was when she realised.
She'd been crying the entire time.
Soul rubbed her back in consolation. Maka scanned her surroundings whilst finding the words to say anything. Black Star, Tsubaki, Liz, Patty, Kid, Crona, and her mother stood by. They all looked concerned.
"Maka, is everything okay? I'm here if you need to tell me you know." Spirit spoke, softly. Maka shook her head and stepped back slightly.
"I'm okay... Really. It's just my emotions are a little bit wobbly at the minute. Today has been weird." Maka forced a smile at her worrying father. He seemed a little bit calmer, alongside everyone else. Soul however, was not convinced.
Though his concern was short lived, by Lord Death capturing the attention of everyone in the room. Everyone gathered around the Shinigami.
"Good morning everyone! Hello! Hi! We have quite the mission for all of you students today. We'll be going to the snow range just north from Death City for a training session before eliminating some threats from some advanced pre-kishins that have been roaming the area. It'll be in 3 days so that'll be exciting!" Lord Death explained. "You'll be accompanied by Stein, Marie, and Spirit. Not only that but we'll also be accompanied by Kami Albarn, who will assist you in training herself."
Everyone nodded and seemed impressed with the outcome of the mission. Kami smiled and nodded. Lord Death went on to explain more.
"Does anyone have any questions?"
"Me, sir."
Soul stepped forward. Lord Death nodded.
"Yes, Soul?"
"Is there a specific reason that we're going there as a team?"
Lord Death tilted his head. "Hm? Good question. But what do you mean by reason?"
"Like, is something going to result from the area if we weren't targeting the area in the first place? Or is it just a random location?" Soul explained his query.
Lord Death seemed more alert with understanding. "Ah! You're a clever boy for asking that. I've always noticed that you're quite observant, Evans."
"Thanks, Lord Death."
"Actually, there is rumor that something is going to happen. I did see some areas teeming with pre-kishins, but up until now I didn't suspect that something was going on. That, in your suspicions Soul, is very correct." Lord Death explained.
"So if we weren't to be there, then perhaps something bad would happen?" Maka asked.
Lord Death pondered her question for a bit. "That may be the case."
"Right." Maka nodded at the question. Lord Death continued to answer the questions that were asked about the mission.
After that, the general details of the mission were given. They were given equipment lists and timetables, as well as details of punctuality and what rules they'd need to give place.
Maka stood, studying all the details carefully, when Soul approached her. Soul turned to Maka, and lifted her chin so she'd look at him.
"What is it Soul?" Maka asked her scythe.
His red eyes read her expression, before he took a step closer. "Something's wrong, Maka. You wouldn't just get upset for no reason."
Maka furrowed her brows. "Nothing's wrong, Soul. I'm okay."
"You can talk to me if you want. Come on. You said you wouldn't let your fears control you anymore. Don't contradict yourself, Mak."
"But I'm not!" Maka argued. "Stop moaning at me."
Soul pulled her closer so their foreheads touched. "Don't be so ridiculous." He spoke, bluntly. "I say these things because I care about you, Maka. I care so damn much. Why won't you let me know what's wrong? D-Don't you trust me?" He began to stammer, before letting go of her and moving away.
Maka grabbed his wrist. "Soul... please.."
Soul turned around. "I'm sorry for arguing. I just got upset. I hate seeing you cry. I always wanna cry with you, y'know, but I want to be strong for you." His voice was quiet. Maka moved her grip from his wrist to his hand. She stepped forward.
"I trust you. And... I'm sorry too. I lied when I said I was okay." Maka spoke, quietly. Soul wrapped her pigtail around his finger. She looked up to him. "Can.. I explain it somewhere quiet? Where there isn't anyone around?"
"Sure. I'll do anything." Soul replied.
Maka smiled. "Thank you."
She knew she can tell Soul anything, even if she didn't feel like it at first.