Disclaimer: If I owned Soul Eater, Soul Eater Not's characters won't look like chibi and Soul wouldn't look like he was stoned half the time. (No offence anime creators, but seriously?)

"I despise the rituals of fake friendship. I wish we could just claw each other's eyes out and call it a day; instead we put on huge radiant smiles and spout compliments until our teeth hurt from saccharine sweetness of it all." – Jody Gehrmen, Babe in Boyland'

Chapter 21: Interference

"Maka!"

'Ignore him.'

"Maka! Makaaaaaaaa!"

'Don't turn around, don't turn around, don't turn around...' She chanted silently. 'If you ignore him, it'll all go away... And what business does he have with me anyways? Didn't we drift apart a long time ago?'

If only her thoughts became reality, life would be so much easier without hindrances and she wouldn't be tempted to turn around and let the menace have a taste of her deadly books. She walked on at a faster pace and dropped her head lower in hopes of sending a message that she was not in the mood for socializing of any sort.

But alas, the blue-haired monkey was not one to take hints.

He just ran ahead of her and started to pester her even more. "Peasant, slow down and listen to your almighty saviour!"

"You'd be my saviour if you just got away from me and stop being such a pain in the ass..." She muttered as she glared at the ground, shoving him away and walking through the large double doors that led to the library. The students at the corridor glanced curiously at the pair, wondering what business Black*Star had with a girl who they had barely noticed in school.

"Why won't you slow down and listen to what I have to say?" He whined.

"Oh you talk? I always imagined you ca-hooting like a monkey." She replied without hesitation as she skimmed through the shelves of books for the one she wanted. Pulling a few out, she headed off towards the table near the window while ignoring his protests and started to scan for the information she needed.

"So will you join us against Ashura?" He asked tentatively.

The ash-blonde girl's eyebrows crinkled, wondering why Black*Star didn't understand the meaning of being subtle.

"What about Ashura? Am I supposed to be doing something about him?" She lied through her teeth as she pretend to be absorbed in the current book she was holding.

"You are horrible at lying Maka. Always have been, always will be." Black*Star chuckled. "Do you need me to get Soul before you start replying truthfully?"

"Bring anymore unwanted attention towards me, I will end you." She hissed as her own book shot out from her bag, poised directly under his chin. To any person, it may be seen as the fact that he was bring lectured but they would have no idea of how much of a predicament he was in.

He was sure that he saw light glinting off the edges of the book as if metal was lined across the spine and ready to be used as a lethal weapon that could easily make a clean slit if necessary. But given her past history and her constant paranoia thanks to the amount of lectures she received from her father, she probably had weapons tuck underneath her outfit.

He gulped involuntarily and considered the odds. She'd probably slice his throat faster and make a clean kill compared to him counter-attacking or chancing upon the moment she was distracted.

He snorted slightly at the suggestion of her being distracted because if anything; she was one of the most intense people that he had ever had the fortune of meeting.

Sighing, he raised his hands in resignation, not wanting to rile the hot-headed female who stood before him, almost if he could feel the imprint of his previous books when they used to be close.

'Used to be.' His mind scorned bitterly. 'Things had changed since the death of her mother and for the worst when we had joined own respective gangs.'

He had accepted the fact that they were irreparable but it didn't mean losing a good friend hurts any less.

He simply pushed away the book gently to show that he had well given up, for he wasn't sure if she still felt the obligation to help him or even listen to him for the matter since it has been a long time when they were partners-in-crime.

"You've changed, Maka." He said quietly.

"We both have." She replied tartly, before she turned back to her books, under the pretence that she was deeply interested in the books and was not affected by his words at all.

'And all for the sick vendetta of revenge.' They both thought simultaneously.

~*~+~*~+~*~+ Different +~*~+~*~+~*~

"So how did it go?" Soul asked in a low voice, leaning forward slightly towards him to seem more discreet.

Black*Star looked at his leader, wondering how he could convey what he wanted as he sat down. He never really ever felt the need to hold back, but under these set of circumstances, he couldn't afford to make mistakes.

"Is it really necessary to bring her back on board again? After all, she barely has recollection of how she once cornered and him and 'killed' him. She used to work as a lone wolf previously, so what makes you think she'd cooperate?" He spoke finally.

Soul let out a large burst of laughter before quickly turning it into fits of coughs. "We've discussed this, it's not her memories rather it-" He tapped his head- "Is her brilliant mind to find weakness in her enemies. She already knows of Ashura and she isn't one to sit back and let him wreck more havoc."

"She'll need us either way, because we can provide her resources and Blade's Game and the Gun Takers have already decided unanimously that we would work together as a joint operation."

The blue-haired boy looked at his comrade in disbelief. "Is that all you ever think about? The benefits of the entire situation?"

"What brought that on? I recall you agreeing to it." Soul asked suspiciously.

"I never did. I didn't even speak a word when you decided this." He whispered.

"It's wrong. It's so wrong." His voice shook. "Wouldn't it better to allow her to forget? She wasn't always this cold-hearted you know. You didn't see how dead her eyes were when the entire conflict had ended and she was forced to carry on-" He stopped mid-sentence, knowing that he had spoke too much.

"You've had information for such a long time and you kept it from me!?" The albino hissed, trying to be mindful of his tone.

"A God never betrays its followers and Maka isn't just a chess piece for you to control, she isn't a killing machine! She's human too!" He yelled. "I kept it from you because I refuse to allow you to one up her and blackmail her into your bidding! You don't know what she's been through, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO PULL HER BACK IN WHEN SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF FORGETTING!"

Black*Star glared at his best friend before pushing him into the fountain. "Cool off you fucking bastard, because you're being undeniably cruel and greedy right now. Don't ask of me to do anything against Maka or I will end you." He said the last words in a dangerous manner, before sprinting off.

Soul's eyes widened in surprise at his friend's antics. He was wild, but he was never one to lose his temper like that and fly off the handle. He slowly climbed out of the fountain and covered his face out of embarrassment and frustration.

What exactly had he done wrong to deserve this? And what exactly did he mean by the fact that the famed Revenge wasn't always this cold-blooded, eager to kill and sink her prized knife into others?

Once again, he found himself mulling over things he longed to understand.

I never really expected myself to write a Black*Star focused scene in all honesty but it felt… necessary to say the least. As I was editing this, 14 minutes away from my birthday and my mother bursting into the door and asking me why I wasn't asleep I was like, this is how I want to spend the rest of my life, writing.

Some conviction for someone who can't update regularly though.

OH AND! RECOMMEND ME SOME FANFICTIONS BECAUSE I'M TERRIBLY BEHIND. I'll even recommend it on my fic rack if I happen to really to really like it! Just put the recommended story in the reviews :)

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