The traveller is always returning.

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TRAVELLERS RETURNING

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Warm, dry air greeted Maka's nostrils. She sniffed. A feeling of Deja Vu washed over her.

She was laying on something hard and unmoving. Or at least part of her. Her hands were limply dangling from her sides, useless and stationary. The Deja Vu persisted.

Groggily, Maka opened her eyes. They were greeted by a blinding light, one that stretched forever and reflecting on the sparkling particles sand. Shapes could be made out on her right-hand side. On the other, there were only sounds of the desert. Hold up, she had definitely experienced this before-

"Gah…" With weakened hands, Maka propped herself up, realizing she had been laying on some sort of thin beam. She sat up, one of her legs on each side and rubbed the burning sand from her eyes. Slowly, her mind returned to working order -she had definitely had these thoughts before- her training taking over by instinct.

Questions about where she was and how she ended up here took a backseat. Instead she checked herself for injuries-

"It's the Unsinkable 9!" came Black Star's voice from somewhere below her. "It survived!"

"Stop calling it by that stupid name…" Maka muttered as she looked down to see… sand? And Black Star?

A part of the hull broke apart and fell on top of Black Star, lifting up a massive smoke of desert sand.

"No, the Unsinkable is dying!" came Black Star muffled voice. "Quick, where's the nearest port?!"

"Ah, the desert..." Maka spotted Liz laying on the ground and forming the sand equivalent of snow angels. "I'm never eating seafood ever again."

Maka rubbed her eyes, her eyes still adjusting to the harsh sunlight. In the distance, she could make out a city with a ridiculous-looking building dominating its skyline.

Maka realised she was seeing Death City from a distance and her eyes felt watery. She was…

She was home. And everyone else...

"Is everyone else ok?" Tsubaki called out.

"Ew," Liz said as she stopped rolling on the floor. "And now I got sand in places I didn't know I had!"

Next to Liz, Fire and Thunder chased after each other.

"Yay we're back home, sis!" Patty exclaimed as she glomped on her sister, who reciprocated the hug.

"Ah the sun feels so nice!" Jackie said with a yawn as she straightened the clothes and brushed the sand off her.

Kilik crossed hands and looked up at the sky. "...Can't believe the sun's dead, man."

"Who cares, it's warm and nice," Kim said as she sat and basked at the sunlight.

Ox looked around and let out a laugh. "It feels so good to be home again."

"I agree," Harvar added as he stretched and helped Ox up. "It's… nice to be back to familiar grounds."

"Guys, I think I might be stuck," came Black Star's muffled voice under the fallen part of the hull.

"Black Star?" came a second muffled voice. "Is that you?"

"Kid?! How'd you get in here?"

"...I think I might have woken up under the ship."

"Oi, Maka," Maka turned her head to see Soul approach her from the half-crumbling deck with a smile on his face "You finally woke up, sleepyhead."

Maka let out a sniff. Everyone was here too.

"Woah," Soul let out as Maka gave him a tight hug, burying her face on the crane of his neck. "Uh, you feeling alright?"

"Better than ever!" Maka announced and rubbed her eyes.

Maka looked down on the deck, where with the collective efforts of Tsubaki, Kilik and Patty, the broken part of the hull was lifted letting Black Star exit with a big yahoo, while black-cloaked Kid shielded his eyes from the light.

Soul craned his neck and looked at the horizon. "We're still a distance away from Death City."

"I see you're rocking the cloak now," Liz casually said as she walked up to Kid.

"If I don't I'd be indecent," Kid said with a wry smile. "My clothes were already ruined beyond recognition and the Machine's attack did not help."

"That means we get to go clothes shopping?" Patty put her hands in the air. "Yay!"

"Let's have a race, losers!" Black Star announced. "Last one to reach Death City has to make everyone else dinner!"

"You're on!" Patty yelled and started running with a mad cackle.

"There's no need, I can..." Tsubaki trailed off as she saw Black Star and Patty race neck -to neck, leaving a small cloud of sand behind them "Oh… They're already gone."

Jackie cleared her throat and turned to her Meister. "Kim?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go on a date?"

Kim choked on her own spit.

"Jackie?!" Ox yelled and all colour drained from his face. "I have to worry about you too?"

"Worry?" Jackie clicked her tongue and flicked her hair. "That'd imply you ever stood a chance."

"Oh, brutal," Kim said with a flinch, but paused when Jackie took hold of one of her hands and stared her in the eyes. "Ah…" Kim trailed off, her cheeks flushed a bright red. "Sure...?"

"I can't allow this happen!" Ox walked in front of Kim and held her other hand. "Kim, do you want to go on a date with me too?!"

"D-Double-dating?" Kim stuttered as Ox and Jackie sent death glares to each other. "What type of person do you guys think I am?!"

As Maka watched her friend's antics, she couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"I guess we just walk home," Soul said with a sigh.

"Yeah," Maka looked at Soul and the others with a wide smile on her face. "But hey, all's well that ends well, right?"

W_E_L_C_O_M_E _ H_O_M_E