So, I've been super busy this week with job interviews/ my 1 year anniversary with my boyfriend/ homecoming activities/ life so I'm sorry for the late updates. I'm not disappearing again, however there is a high chance that I will have a job again soon so updates will most likely be slower. I do apologize for that in advance. That being said, I'm so happy to be working again you have no idea. Not being employed was making me stir crazy, and I've been nervous because I'm turning 18 super soon.

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater, unfortunately.

"Sniper!" Black*Star warned, pulling Tsubaki around the corner they had just come from and disappearing behind it himself.

Kid cursed, searching for a place to take cover when another silent bullet whirred past him. He took off down the street, calling out to Liz and Patty who were hot on his heels. Bullets exploded upon contact with the pavement, just narrowly zipping past them. The sniper was toying with them. Kid quickly found an alley and ducked into it, the large building providing a suitable barrier between them and the sniper's line of fire. In his haste to escape, he almost couldn't calculate the relative angle of the sniper's fire. Almost.

"They're around 60 degrees." Kid informed, glancing over to Liz and Patty who had their backs pressed against the wall.

"That's pretty high." Liz replied, her brows furrowed in agitation. Snipers were so pesky. She should know, she took a lot of missions as a sniper. "They can see everything from that angle."

"We're stuck!" Patty exclaimed, though she didn't truly seem to be bothered.

Kid scanned the area, his sharp golden eyes finding more darkness than anything. "More precisely, we're trapped." He sighed. "It's only a matter of time before someone shows up here, they have our exact coordinates. This is what the sniper wanted."

"Everything's a game to these bastards." Liz spat, hardly concealing her anger. She took a deep breath, calming herself down before she walked towards the wall opposite of them. It was too dark to see anything, so she instead ran her hand along the wall as she gradually eased into the darkness. After a few long moments of Kid demanding to know what she was doing and Patty giggling like a child, she found what she was looking for.

"Bingo." She announced, pulling a pin from her hair. Her loose bangs fell into her eyes, but she couldn't be bothered. She had been looking for the seam to a door frame. If there happened to be a door, there happened to be a way out.

She bent her hairpin into a nearly straight rod of metal and jammed it into the doorknob's lock. It took her a few tries to actually find the keyhole in the dark, but she managed. After a few minutes of fiddling with the lock without much success, she ripped the pin from the keyhole and tossed it on the ground. The pin clattered against the asphalt, making a faint clinging noise. 'Guess it really has been a while since I've done this.' She pulled a pistol from its place in her one of her dual holsters and aimed it to where she presumed the doorknob was, firing two shots before the sound of metal slamming against concrete greeted the air. She smirked, satisfied.

"What are you doing, Liz?" Kid demanded for possibly the eighth time, becoming particularly intrigued by the doorknob meeting the pavement.

"Getting us out of here." She replied, yanking the newly unlocked door open and running her hand along the wall in search of a light switch. She found one, but flipping it didn't do much good. It didn't seem that anyone was paying the electric bill anymore. Instead, she used the flashlight application on her cellphone to guide them inside the building. In hindsight, that application would have been useful minutes before.

Kid was pleased to see Liz's quick thinking, following her into the house with Patty close behind him. "You're not scared, Liz?" He asked skeptically. Liz was easily spooked by horror fiction.

"Trying not to be." She deadpanned, noting that his question wasn't helping. "You think Black*Star and Tsubaki are okay?" She asked, sounding a bit worried.

"Those two? I have no doubts." He replied, and she could hear the smirk in his voice. The sentiment calmed her considerably.

"Thank goodness you're okay." Crona breathed their relief, glad to see Maka awake and alive, even if she couldn't move or respond just yet. "I-I heard you were going to f-fight Medusa again and I didn't know how to deal with it."

Soul watched his partner's face, smiling when he saw her eyes alight with compassion. He knew she related with Crona; both of them having been driven into a bad place because of their parents, and now both of their issues were currently resolved. They could finally start growing. "She wanted to do it for you, Crona."

Crona's eyes widened as they turned their gaze to Soul, who was still studying Maka with pure admiration dominant in his features. "M-Maka did it for me?" They asked in surprise, heartbeat quickening at the revelation.

Soul nodded. "She wanted to keep her promise to you that she would never let Medusa hurt you again. She's not a problem anymore." He promised.

"Thank you." Crona whispered, eyes welling up with warm tears as they looked back to Maka. Crona, in a rare moment of brashness, leaned over to give Maka a hug, openly sobbing into her shoulder. "Thank you." They repeated, voice barely a mutter as their shoulders shook with the force of their weeping.

Maka could feel her fingers again, the numbness finally beginning to subside. She let Crona work out their feelings, relating to their relief as well as their brokenness. After a while of comfortable silence, with thanks quietly sprinkled in every so often, Maka was able to lift her arm to return Crona's hug, surprising both them and Soul when she was able to croak, "You're welcome."

Black*Star unwrapped one of his wrists, using the bandages that normally reinforced the strength of his hands to wrap up his bullet wound and stanch the bleeding. He was drenched in sweat after having Tsubaki extract the actual bullet from his shoulder. Neither of them were squeamish, but that didn't make the ordeal any less painful.

"Black*Star, you really need to go see Nygus." Tsubaki attempted to reason, watching him pant as he tied of his bandages tightly, using his mouth to help pull of side of the cloth. He was fighting not to pass out.

"And what, leave you to these filthy humans?" Black*Star scoffed. "You need a God like me watching your back just as much as I need a Goddess like you watching mine." He grinned, trying to reassure her to the best of his abilities.

She wasn't at all convinced. "Black*Star..." She nearly groaned, wishing he would just worry about his own health for once. "You always do this."

He grabbed her by the shoulders, catching her full attention. He stared into her eyes with a seriousness that she rarely saw outside of battle. For a moment, he even looked mature. "Tsubaki, this is different. This is the Kishin we're trying to stop, and the Gorgons. I can't just let this go."

Tsubaki was surprised by his sincerity, but ultimately resigned. She sighed, thoroughly exasperated, but nodded her hesitant approval. She didn't want him wearing himself down, but she understood. This was out of their realm, something of a completely different nature than their usual line of business. They had to give it their all. "What are you waiting for then? Let's get going."

Black*Star broke into a wide grin, proud to see his partner's determination renewed. "Think you can keep up with a big star like me?" He challenged, smiling like a fool as he took off with new found vigor with Tsubaki on his trail.

They managed to navigate their way through the abandoned building. It appeared to have been a small business in a past life by the presence of an empty, broken cash register and a rotted out cork-board. The rest of the space was almost vacant, save for the few pieces of trash that littered the black checker-tiled floor.

Once they found the exit, they seemed to be put on a road perpendicular to the one they had run down before in order to escape their invisible assailant. Kid redoubled his resolve in the search for Asura, leading his dually armed team down the roads, but this time sticking to the shadows. They were each on high alert for snipers, unsure of the presence of more.

"If I were a psychopathic murderous cannibal, where would I be?" Liz muttered aloud as she glanced around. She wasn't too happy about the fact that they were seeking out The Kishin, the figure of her darkest nightmares for months after he was arrested and his story was released to the public.

"Good question." The voice made her halt, her heart skipping a beat before picking up again much quicker than it had been before. She drew her pistols, whirling around to face the source of her unease, which happened to be a man with long, straw-blonde hair and something resembling a golf bag slung around his shoulder.

Kid's eyes narrowed dangerously, locking on the man who had just introduced himself to the game. "Careful Liz, Patty." Kid warned under his breath. Liz glanced up at Kid, assessing his rigid stance as he prepared to engage. 'No way,' She thought, 'Kid's actually worried?'

The atmosphere shifted considerably, though either party had yet to move. It was no surprise that Kid knew who this guy was, Kid knew exactly and precisely who everyone was, but judging by Kid's reaction the man must have had an impressive file. Liz prepared herself for a real battle, the first they'd had in a while. Patty wasn't much phased.

"I knew when Black*Star and Tsubaki came back without blood on their hands that you must be something else, Mifune." Kid began, still having yet to reach for his weapons. Liz's eyes widened. So this was the man who Black*Star and Tsubaki couldn't beat? "Tsubaki told us about the girl, so we cut off our leads. Our goal isn't to create orphans, or worse."

Mifune's expression never changed, toothpick hanging precariously between his teeth. He appeared calm, but there was no true calm out in these streets, on this battlefield. "You sent kids to do an adult's job, and then took pity on the one who bested them?"

Kid grit his teeth. "I hardly call pardoning a death sentence in light of innocence pity." He replied, clipped. "You don't really want to be here, do you?"

"Neither do you." Mifune pointed out. "Pardoning me doesn't take away my orders to kill you, Death The Kid. Even though I hate killing children."

"Stop right there!" The familiar voice was accompanied by the sound of footsteps thudding in quick succession against the pavement. Kid's eyes flicked from Mifune to the pair that was running towards them. Mifune turned to look as well. "Let a God like me handle this fool, you guys need to get going. We're running out of time."

Kid and Black*Star shared a look, seeming to have their own conversation. After a few moments of steel silence, Kid nodded. "Liz, Patty, let's go."

"Kid, are you-?" Liz began, but she was cut off.

"I'm sure. Black*Star and Tsubaki have gotten much stronger. This is their fight." Kid assured, turning away from the battlefield.

"And Black*Star, don't be a dumbass."

After a little bit of conversation, Crona was ready to return to their dorm. Crona had been taken into custody, and once the investigation was concluded, was given a temporary living arrangement until they could get on their feet. The pale teen was incredibly thin as a result of malnourishment, but was now being fed three healthy meals a day and had even been enrolled at the same school that Soul and Maka were attending- Shibusen. Crona was finally being taken care of- they even had a psychologist.

Once Crona had decided to get some much-needed rest, Soul was able to enjoy some quiet time with Maka. It was rather late, so he had turned off the lights and laid the bedside chair into a bed. Nygus had provided him with a blanket after he declared that he refused to leave until Maka was released. Now he sat, watching Maka stretch out her stiff, aching muscles with a groan of satisfaction. The rest of the teams were still out there searching for Asura and undoubtedly fighting off opposing forces. Soul didn't think many of Medusa's pawns would still be in motion after her fall.

He hoped Black*Star and Kid's teams were doing okay. He didn't doubt that they could hold their own, but this was an entirely different realm than they usually worked in. Soul smirked. He had the feeling they were doing perfectly fine. He turned his attention back to Maka.

"How do you feel?" Soul asked, his gruff voice breaking the still silence.

Maka paused, turning her gaze to his. He wasn't asking about her physical health, that much translated. "I feel lighter." She admitted, and he knew exactly what she meant. "How do you feel?"

Soul scrubbed his hands over his face, digging the heel of his hand into one eye while the other stared at her. "Proud." He said simply. "She was the last thing holding you back. Now what are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet." She replied honestly. She had been thinking hard about it in the hours she had to lie awake, numb, unable to move. Truthfully, she had been thinking about it for days before that. Crona's voice rang through her head, 'Thank goodness you're okay.' "Maybe I can try... Try to make friends."

Soul smiled at her, standing and taking her hands in her own. His heart swelled at all of the changes she had already made for the better; the obvious shift in her demeanor and mental state. She was on her way to recovery. "That's a great start, Maka."

She returned his smile, feeling her throat become tight. She felt herself becoming overwhelmed, as if the weight of the events of the past few months finally collapsed on top of her. Her chest was strained and moisture rose to her eyes, bubbling from her lower lids and rolling down her face in fine streams. She closed her eyes, sobbing as she fell into Soul's chest, twisting her hands into his shirt. "Thank you, Soul!"

He smiled sadly, placing one hand behind her head and using the other to rub her back. She had been through so much, he could only imagine what it must have felt like to finally be free of burdens for the first time in years. She was finally ready to put her past behind her and move forward.

"I love you."

Oh, I'm cruel. So this is getting rather intricate with all of the differing story lines throughout the same chapter, but I want to kind of implement a feeling of chaos and disorder because that's what our dear assassins are feeling right about now. As always, thanks for reading. I hope you liked this chapter, and please review.