Cornerstone Friendship

"You're Death Scythe's daughter!" an enthusiastic kid exclaimed, pointing a slender finger right in the middle of her face.

"No. I'm not." Maka said calmly.

"Yes you are!"

A different kid, but equally enthusiastic, piped up, "Can we meet him?"

Soon enough, an entire chorus of chortling children were around her asking stupid questions about her so-called father. Maka edged away further into the wall, and glared at Soul. "Is there any particular reason they are asking about him?"

Soul looked in annoyance at the chorus of students surrounding them. "I didn't say anything!"

"Then why do they know!?" She snapped.

"Hey! Get lost!" Soul growled at the kids.

Maka sulked. It wasn't working. Why did everyone have to be so freaking interested in her stupid pathetic excuse for a father? Didn't they have somebody else to idolize?

He looked edgewise at Maka. "Maybe he set off the rumor."

"Does he like pie?"

"Will he be a teacher?"

"How does he look in weapon form?"

Maka grimaced and tried to shrink further into the wall.

"Ho, ho, ho!" A new voice huffed out boisterously. "You're trying to steal the spotlight from the great Black Star!" The proclamation effectively halted the barrage of questions for the time being.

Maka blinked. "Soul, who's Black Star?"

Soul peered in the direction of the voice, which surprisingly, was coming from above them. "I would say it's that kid."

He was a tan-skinned, blue haired, short kid with rather large muscles for his age. He was standing above one of Shibusen's many statues staring cockily at the crowd below him. He jumped down from the statue firmly sending a slight shock wave through the ground. "Ho, ho, ho!" He pushed his way through the crowd. "So you're Death Scythe's daughter."

Maka itched to scream. Instead she ground her teeth together firmly, "I have no relation whatsoever to that man." At least, she wished she didn't. Ugh. "Does everyone understand that!?" She said loudly to the group of people around her.

There was a second of pregnant silence and then "What's he like?"

"Is it true that…?"

"Do you two…?"

"Has he…?

She was going to hit somebody. She was definitely going to hit somebody.

Soul, sensing her deep aggravation, tried to shoo away the group to no avail. "Don't they get a hint?" He growled to her.

The small kid scoffed. "Like it matters."

"Like what matters?" A different kid asked.

"That she's Death Scythe's daughter. That doesn't say anything about her. She looks weak."

Maka's eyebrow started twitching.

"Not worth anybody's time probably." He continued.

"You wanna bet, shorty?" Maka growled.

Soul sighed. "Maka…"

The kid smirked. "What can you do?"

"I challenge you to a duel."

This time Soul pulled her back, "Maka, we haven't practiced much at all. Don't be getting into any stupid fights."

"Alright, then." The kid grinned. "Let's fight."

Maka looked at him. "C'mon, Soul, it's no big deal. He looks like a joke."

Soul sighed. "I don't believe this. This isn't cool at all." He straightened. "Alright, let's go."

--

The entire crowd of kids stood on the sidelines watching as the duel went underway.

"You ready to lose?" The kid grinned. A tall girl with soft eyes looked apologetically at them before shifting into a scythe chain.

Soul shifted to scythe form. Maka scoffed. "As if."

Black Star was the first to charge. He hit her square in the chest, Maka forgetting to block. She rebounded back wincing.

"No one can surpass the great Black Star! Tremble over how 'Big' I am." The boisterous kid began a nice lengthy monologue as Maka stood there gaping at him in confusion.

Maka hesitated. "Is he joking?"

"What is he doing?" Soul muttered.

She looked at the kid currently talking in great detail of his 'big' achievements.

"I will be a god!"

"Do I just attack him anyway?" Maka mumbled, unsure if interrupting his monologue was disrespect in formal duels.

"Sure. I mean, I don't think it's against the rules…"

Maka shook her head to clear it and charged, hitting him this time forcefully.

They went back and forth for awhile, the kid continuing to address his positive attributes as he charged and attacked.

"You shouldn't even be called Death Scythe's daughter. You can't do anything."

Maka wiped away the blood from her lips. "I'll be better than that pervert. And I will not be called his daughter!"

They both attacked at the same time, both weapons blocking each other. And both used this opportunity to punch each other. Maka fell back from the sheer force, but was careful to swipe Soul at the kid before falling. She saw with satisfaction as he fell back from the force too.

They both smashed into the ground firmly, kicking up dust and pebbles.

Maka tried to stand but found she could not. "Damn it." She hissed.

Soul shifted. "Are you alright?"

Maka growled, "My leg's broken."

Soul slid his hands in his pockets, "Guess we lost." He drew his eyes over to the other pair and a small smirk made his way across his mouth. "Or not."

"Black Star!" A feminine voice exclaimed in concern.

"I will not lose…" He breathed.

"Enough." A different voice broke in. "A tie."

Maka scowled. "Ugh."

"This is not a tie!" The kid tried to protest. "It's not—"

"I said enough." He repeated. The speaker was their homeroom teacher, Sid. "Now, I want both of you to head to the nurse for your wounds. Now. Soul, you take Maka. Tsubaki, take Black Star." Sid directed his attention to the crowd of eager students. "Now everyone back to class!"

Maka struggled up with Soul's help. "I can't believe I broke my leg." She mumbled.

Soul shrugged.

The tall girl, supporting the short kid, bowed to them slightly, "Gomen," she smiled, "When Black Star wants to do something he'll do it, no matter what I say otherwise."

"Maka too."

Maka glared at Soul.

"You're not bad." The kid admitted sporting a rather cocky grin. "But not better than the great Black Star!"

Maka laughed.

Soul grinned. "We'll see."

Maka held out her head, "Maka Albarn."

He took her hand. "Black Star."

"Nice to meet you." She smiled and held her hand out to the girl.

"I'm Tsubaki." The taller girl took her hand.

Soul, just nodded at them both. "Soul."

Maka rolled her eyes. Cool guys probably didn't shake hands.

As they made their way to the infirmary, Black Star looked at her. "Is Death Scythe really your father?"

Maka sighed. "Biologically, I suppose you could say that."

"Hunh."

Soul looked at him. "What?"

"You don't look like him."

Maka frowned. "You've met him?"

"Yeah." Black Star conceded. "A few times." He paused, "You don't want to be like him?"

"No." Maka winced as her foot brushed rather painfully against something.

"Sorry, Maka." Soul mumbled.

"It's okay." She looked at Black star, "I want to be a great technician, and I will make Soul a better Death Scythe than he is."

Soul grinned at the mention.

Black Star did too. "I will be better than a God." He informed them happily.

"Pretty high goal don't you think?" Soul said smiling.

"For the great Black Star, it's doable."

Tsubaki smiled warmly.

"Well," Maka said, "do it soon, that way they can talk about you instead of me being 'Death Scythe's daughter'."

"You don't like the attention?" Tsubaki asked.

"No way."

"Well, then I, the great Black Star will soon be in the spotlight! Do not worry."

Maka smiled. Hopefully.

--

The next few days, whispers and rumors engulfed Shibusen about the petite girl who was Death Scythe's daughter and about the short kid who was in a duel with her. Soul tried his best to get everyone to shut up, but gossip he found, was like poison, once it's in, it's rather hard to get rid of.

When Maka was to be released she'd probably be plagued with a barrage of questions, much to her chagrin. So Soul did the only thing he could at that point – he warned her. Maka took the news with a heavy sigh, but she resigned herself to the flutter of rumors.

She had no reason to, the minute she stepped out of the hospital, she found that the interest of her father had all but disappeared, replaced instead by the desire to know the story about the kid Black Star and how (or even why) he'd blown up the entire left wing at Shibusen.

Needless to say both Maka and Soul were befuddled as to why Black Star would do something as reckless and destructive as that?

Maka found Black Star later that day in detention with Sid. "Sid," Maka began sweetly, "Can I talk to Black Star?"

He looked at her. "I don't know…"

Behind her Soul yawned, "Just for a bit, we won't take long."

Sid waved them in, "Alright, but don't take long."

Black Star was kneeling on the floor washing the tiles with a wet rag, a soapy bucket right beside him.

Maka knelt beside him. "Hello." She smiled warmly.

Black star grinned at her. "Hey, Maka." He stood and Soul and him did a classic 'cool guy' high five. Maka couldn't resist rolling her eyes at them.

"Soul."

"Black Star."

Boys.

"What's up?" He questioned happily.

Maka hesitated. "Well…I kinda wanted to know why you…"

"Why'd you blow up the left wing?" Soul finished for her.

Black Star shrugged. "To give Shibusen something to talk about."

Maka's brow furrowed. "What?"

"Well, they were gonna be talking about you and you said it bothered you…so…I thought if I blew up the left wing, they'd forget all about you." He grinned.

Maka blinked. "You did that for me?"

"Isn't that what friends do?" He shrugged. "Besides it was fun."

Maka threw her arms around him tightly. "Thanks, Black Star." She looked at the rag on the floor as she pulled away. "And sorry for the trouble."

"No big deal. That how big I am."

Soul grinned. "Very cool."

Maka straightened.

"But you're still kind of weak, Maka." Black Star commented. "You've got a while to go if you want to surpass your father."

"Hey, we tied. You're just as weak as I am." Maka rebutted.

"But I went easy on you."

Liar. Maka's eyebrow twitched. "Right." She smirked, "Then I guess we'll just see who makes their weapon a death scythe first."

Black Star laughed. "Me of course! The great prodigy!"

He was a peculiar kid to have as a friend.

"I will be the best there will ever be!" He said triumphantly, knocking over the bucket of water as he did so.

But a really good friend.

All men weren't so bad. It seemed that there was more than one exception. She looked sideways at Soul.

Just then Black Star and Soul began discussing the cooler points in which the building was exploded, equipped with specially made sound effects and hand motions to reenact the scene.

Maka sighed.

But boys were still rather dumb.