Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.

The Weapon Guides the Meister
by. Poisoned Scarlett

Tsugumi Harudori was beyond thrilled as she stood directly behind her idol, Maka Albarn, in the line for lunch. She had the hardest time trying to catch her attention without seeming weird, but thankfully Maka had noticed her before Tsugumi could awkwardly tap her shoulder. Of course, Maka was gracious and cheerfully greeted her by name, which was a huge thing for Tsugumi since she only had only spoken to her twice in her life. This would be the second time.

"Wh-where's your weapon, Maka?" Tsugumi stammered, managing to reign in her nerves. She hoped her voice wouldn't continue to crack, but Maka Albarn was simply everything Tsugumi strove to be in the Academy. She was intelligent, well-mannered, determined, fearless, and not to mention cute. Tsugumi hoped she would be able to follow in her footsteps, and a good way to start was to see just what Maka sought for in a weapon.

"You mean Soul? Ah, he's probably still in the classroom sleeping," Maka sighed, a visible twitch in her brow. "It wouldn't be the first time. Honestly, he's hopeless."

"Sleeping?" Tsugumi repeated, a little disbelieving. "Um, I thought Soul was…at the top of his class, like you?"

Maka laughed very hard at that. Tsugumi felt her face heat up; had she been mistaken? She hadn't heard much of Maka's weapon aside from him being 'absolutely cool' and quiet, not to mention a little on the mysterious side since no one knew where he came from or who he really was. She was sure Soul Eater was just an alias, but Soul had never breathed word of his real name and probably wouldn't any time soon.

"Soul hates studying! He's super lazy, which is why I have to be at the top of my game every day!" Maka grinned. "I'm the one who holds our weight when it comes to school work!"

"That's why you always do the extra-credit?" Tsugumi said, blinking. She always thought Maka did the extra-credit because she was just that good?

"Yep," Maka giggled. "To be honest, I wouldn't do it otherwise. I like my free-time to read books, not do more work!"

"Ah…oh…I didn't think Soul was that…selfish."

Maka's smile faded at that, but Tsugumi didn't notice. She was looking ponderously at the ground, her brows knitted in conflict. "I always thought he was on the same level as you, in everything, which is why you two have the highest resonance. But to think that he isn't, and he's basically just freeloading off your kindness…I don't know what to think about him."

"He's not freeloading off my kindness."

Tsugumi looked up at that, wide-eyed. Maka was not facing her now.

Her tone was soft, but firm, "Soul might not be the studious type, but he supports my weight in other aspects. I tend to be reckless and Soul isn't," she said, without fault. "He's meticulous with detail, especially when it comes to fighting, and he always has a plan when I don't. He always has an escape if I can't do it, and to be honest he's the one who guides me in battle, not the other way around. It's a little embarrassing to admit, that the weapon is actually the one leading my movements, but that's how it ends up being most of the time. It's different when you're in actual combat. You don't have time to let pride get in the way. I trust Soul's judgement, so I allow him to guide me, and when he falters, I take over and give him enough time to think things through before he takes control again," Maka told her as she picked up a plate, loading it up with food. Today there was a lunch special: fish sandwiches. Maka got three.

"The weapon guides the meister?"

"Isn't that how it usually is? You have to trust and respect your weapon in order to succeed in battle. If you think about it, the weapon often gets the brunt of the attacks, so it's not farfetched to say that he deserves a break. But I guess I also spoil him a bit," Maka giggled, her cheeks pinking. "But he really does work hard. So don't ever think that he's freeloading off me. We're a team, and we help each other out all the time."

Tsugumi nodded slowly, her eyes shining. "Uh huh. Yo…you're so…cool."

Maka flushed at that, scratching the back of her neck. "R-really? You think so?"

"Yeah! I…want to be just like you when I'm older! I'll work super hard to do it! I promise!"

Maka couldn't wipe the cheesy grin off her face. "I'll be cheering you on!" She gave her an encouraging fist pump and stacked two regular grilled cheese sandwiches on her plate, as well as a ton of fries. When Tsugumi opened her mouth to ask about the mountain of food, the moment had passed, because Maka continued on her way to her table. Tsugumi watched her sit next to a slumped form, whom she quickly realized was her weapon himself. She smiled when she realized those fish sandwiches were actually for him, and the fries as well since her weapon practically inhaled more than half of them, leaving just enough for Maka.

He looked absolutely content munching down on fish sandwiches and fries, and Maka ate her own modest portion with a tiny smile at the corner of her lips.

"The weapon guides the meister…" Tsugumi mumbled to herself.

"What are you mumbling about?" Anya asked, raising a brow. The girl nearly jumped out of her skin; she hadn't heard her approach! "Tsugumi?"

"An, nothing, Anya! Let's go eat lunch, shall we?" She smiled weakly, following the girl to her own table.

Maka Albarn was definitely at the top of her list for people who were to be admired, and she would work really hard to be as cool as she was.