An Intimate Gathering of Souls

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A/n: I think some good music to listen to at the beginning is "soulmates" by Taku Iwasaki and for the end "The Celts" by Enya. In the middle there's a number note which is explained in the very bottom a/n. This almost ended in a lemon but I'm proud to say I stopped myself. For once. However, I want to do a sequel eventually, which will include some sweet (ha) lemony goodness.

Disclaimer: The owner of Soul Eater is Atsushi Ōkubo. An Intimate Gathering of Souls belongs to me, Sakumie Tenshi. I gain nothing material by writing this and do it solely for fun.

Beta reader: N/A

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It was so nerve-racking standing before so many people in the decorated tower of Shibusen, despite all being familiar faces. Crona's heart erratically throbbed as she stared down at Kid's hands clasping hers. This was a moment she never imagined to happen to her, or even imagined happening to anyone at all. A dream she'd never dreamed, yet here she was with the rosiest blush her body had ever made and Death the Kid smiling reassuringly. "You look prettiest when you smile, so stop fretting." he whispered in her burning ear.

"I-it's just... I've never dealt with anything like this before..."

Kid rubbed her hands gently with his thumbs. "You're not alone. We're both new to this." She peered up at her fiancé a bit questionably but saw the sincerity in his warm amber eyes. He then turned to Shinigami-sama, who resembled a priest with where he stood on the stage. "Chichiue, would you do the honors?"

"Of course, son." the always masked Shinigami replied. "Attention everyone~!" The audience straightened to attention. "I've never hosted a wedding before but for my son and my soon-to-be daughter-in-law here we go!" There were a few chuckles from the guests, and Kid sighed softly. 'Just as expected.'

"We gather here today to witness and bless the matrimony of Kid and Crona. Now, Kid, repeat after me-..." And so he did.

This woman, I marry

Luminescent honey eyes locked comfortably with pale sky blues.

No matter healthy or sick

A warm shiver ran up her spine.

I will love this person

She cowered, almost looked away. '...love...'

Respect this person

'Respect me? What is there to respect?'

Console this person

'He always does that. Always makes me feel better...'

Help this person

'He does that already, too.'

Until death

Her eyes strayed.

Protecting fidelity

Never leave her, he would never leave.

I swear

'How much does that mean to you? It means a lot doesn't it...?'

"So, you two take the ceremonial cups please~" They did as instructed. "And link arms." Crona made a move to, but hesitated when Kid looked a bit frustrated. A sigh of relief released from him when he simply took to holding his cup in front of her while she mimicked with a nervous sweat. Nearby their closest friends rolled their eyes and snickered. "Now, Kid, by this cup, symbolizing soul and body, you swear to protect, to accept, and to love Crona to the fullest of your ability."

"Yes, I promise." How sure he seemed brought tears to Crona's eyes. This was too much.

The vows were repeated for the bride.

Th-this man, I-I-I marry

No matter healthy or sick

I will...love...this person

Still such a foreign term. Kid's gentle smile encouraged her.

Respect this person

She had always respected him to some extent. He was everything she wasn't.

C-console this person

Something she was terrible at. But in the end it always worked…

Help...this person

Until death

Her eyes strayed again.

Protecting fidelity

She couldn't fathom leaving him for anyone else.

I swear

'If it means a lot to you...then it means a lot to me.'

"Crona, by this cup, symbolizing mind and heart you swear to protect, to accept, and to love Kid to the fullest of your ability. Do you promise to fulfill this oath?"

"Yes...I promise." This was too much to handle. But she was trying.

With instructions to do so, Kid pressed his cup to Crona's lips and she did the same for him with her own. Setting aside the small cups emptied of rich wine, their eyes met again before closing as they shared a leisurely slow kiss. Everyone clapped, and some (such as Black Star and Patty) cheered. Crona whimpered softly before Kid pulled away with a smile to look at their witnesses. "I encourage you all to stay for dance and food." The newlyweds stepped down from the stage and were immediately greeted.

"Hard to believe you two are married..." Maka looked almost tearful, which worried the bride, but with a little teasing from Soul, Maka's fiery persona returned.

"Congrats you two." Soul smirked (thankfully having avoided a Maka-chop).

"Yeah, congratulations." Tsubaki smiled tenderly. "It's just so lovely."

"Yeah, yeah, it was good and all. Not as big as me but still worth seeing!" Black Star added with a huge grin and hands prominently on his hips.

Kid, with a look between apathy and annoyance, replied, "I'm surprised you didn't interrupt."

"Eh, it wasn't worth it." the ninja assassin dismissed, but his friends knew in his own ignorant way he was admitting he enjoyed it.

"So Kiddo-kun's like older than you now, Nee-chan!" Patty exclaimed.

"What? Patty, just because he's married doesn't mean he's older!"

"But he's like more mature now since he got married first!"

The "matured" Shinigami smirked at the antics of his Weapons as they continued their little discussion, despite Liz's complaints.

"Shinigami-sama's son marrying the Makenshi, never expected that. Though I guess it isn't too surprising compared to the people I've seen get together." Stein commented, staring pointedly at Spirit who had walked up beside him with Marie. The red-haired Death Scythe grimaced at Stein before congratulating the couple, followed by Marie who was struggling to withhold tears. "Marie-sensei, are you okay...?" Crona asked cautiously.

"F-f-fine..." Marie poorly assured. "I'm just so happy for you." she rushed out. "You're such a sweet kid and so young and so married." The older woman turned away, biting her lips.

Ignoring Marie's display, Stein spoke again to Kid, "Young huh? Wonder how long that'll last."

For the first time since the ceremony had begun, the ebony-ivory-haired Meister took on his contemplative demeanor. He knew what the scientist was getting at. "At least I won't be alone on that." Stein cocked a silver eyebrow curiously. "Being that Witches can live hundreds of years and Crona has the DNA of a Witch in her, it's possible that we'll grow old together..."

Though she'd been paying attention to Marie, she didn't miss what her husband said. With imploring blue eyes she looked at him. Noticing her gaze, he looked back at her with eyes holding evidence of bittersweet emotion. "Nothing to worry about right now. How about a dance?" He turned his head to call out, "Hey Soul, if you would play the music we talked about please."

Soul replied as he looked through his bag, "Yeah, hey, I picked something really easy to slow dance to."

"Thank you." Kid offered his hand to his wife. "Shall we?"

An almost jazzy, soulful piano composed melody with faint guitar (1) filled the room, and people made way for the couple upon realizing what they were trying to do. At first it was uncomfortable and awkward, having never danced together before.

As Kid slowly rubbed her back and swayed she found that she could handle it by resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. His scent was really comforting. He sweetly kissed her ear, and she jolted at the action before relaxing with a hum. Cuddled into his chest, supported by his arms, she felt almost...peaceful. It was one thing that attracted her to him, how he managed to make her nervous yet at the same time happy. It was as scary as it was wonderful. Kid felt similar, feeling confusion yet happiness around her. He lifted her face for another kiss, and she melted all the more into his willing grasp.

The delicate way Crona's thin body, hugged by a conservative snow-white silk and lace gown, leaned into him felt surprisingly natural. The relaxed sigh she released brought on another smile from her husband, who kissed her primped soft short hair before resting his head on hers. Their breathing synced, and a feeling of complete serenity veiled them; their soul wavelengths were attempting to match.

This had never happened before, and it felt stranger than any previous events of the day. When they realized what they were unintentionally doing, both waited for some sort of ejective shock that never came. That was odd. Crona stared at Kid, hands on his shoulders still, silently asking why Ragnarok's soul hadn't caused a rejection between their wavelengths. Kid was wondering the same. The Shinigami hugged his bride, locking his arms around her lower back, and closed his eyes to concentrate. His golden eyes flew open a second later, effectively startling Crona.

"I... I feel all three of our souls connected." Three souls being synced wasn't a peculiar concept to Kid considering who his Weapons were; what caught him off-guard was that the ever ornery Weapon of Crona's was allowing them to sync, and it'd been so easy. The two couldn't help gawking at one another in complete surprise. Both half-expected the Maken to appear demanding a "thank you", though he didn't.

"A-ah...um..." Crona began uncertainly, "W-what should we do...?" Kid's eyes softened at her innocent mannerism, and so he kissed her lips she'd been biting.

"We can do this." he replied softly, continuing the slow kiss. Crona sighed contently, wrapping her arms around his neck. She could certainly deal with that notion.

Not so far away their friends observed with amused jubilation.

"I wonder why they stopped like that." Maka commented, though she'd been assured by the kiss that followed it was nothing to fuss over.

"Who knows, they're both crazy." Soul replied before biting into some sushi.

"Seriously. Nothing can help them now." Liz sighed, before leaving to seek out an attractive young man. Meanwhile, Patty and Black Star were busy stuffing their faces, and Tsubaki multitasked between supervising them and smiling at the bride and groom.

The Demon Scythe Meister sighed submissively, but not without a small smile. Just then, her peach cream face lit up, and she turned to her Weapon. "Hey, Soul, you remember what I told you about dancing helping to match wavelengths? I think Kid and Crona did that just now, only on accident."

"Um, okay. So?"

"So, it's weird because it shouldn't be that unnoticeable when two people match up their soul wavelengths with each other for the first time, and because of Ragnarok, they should have gone through a rejection."

"Hm. So he's actually letting them enjoy themselves. Now that is important. Might as well be a Nobel prize-worthy deduct-" His sarcastic response was interrupted by one of Maka's fairly sturdy pumps meeting his head. "Jerk." the sandy blonde muttered. The fact a Shinigami, no less the finicky son of Death, had synced his soul to the vastly different Witch's child and Black Blood Weapon just like that peeked Maka's interest. It appeared the two hadn't even intended to do so, judging by their impromptu pause and expressions.

'I guess that's not so important right now.' she admitted silently. 'Maybe it's just proof of how well they go together.' She'd be sure to mention it later.

A few hours passed by and the reception felt abruptly over, though that could have purely been Crona's nerves stirring at the thought of what was to come next. The guests waved Kid and Crona off as they stood atop Shibusen's vast staircase. Their friends wished them good thoughts, some (Black Star) adding some inappropriate and blunt comments while others (like Liz and Soul) smirked at their own suggestiveness. Sufficiently embarrassed, Crona hid her flushed face in the crook of Kid's neck while he held her on his hovering skateboard. It was a humorously queer sight.

With one last hug from a fretful Maka, the two set off and headed for Gallows Manor to gather their suitcases.

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The unexpectedly long and crowded wait at the airport was a clear cause for chagrin, but the pair didn't much mind. After all, their destination, a quaint cottage by Dublin Bay in Ireland, would be worth it, and their happiness hadn't yet dissipated. Neither had their nerves (though Kid was calmer than Crona, who couldn't cease twitching). He massaged her hand as they boarded the plane in an attempt to sate her.

"There's so many people on this thing..."

"It's a plane."

"I've never been on one before..."

"We'll be fine. People travel this way all the time."

"I don't know how to deal with this..."

They took their seats with Crona choosing to sit by the window to avoid feeling exposed to the aisle and other passengers. Still attempting to reassure, Kid smoothed back her evened-out short locks that had been cut before the wedding. "...are you sure about this?" Crona asked in a murmur, sparing a troubled glance at her new husband.

"You'll be fine. I'm right here with you. Plus, this should be good for you compared to sitting alone in the dark." His words managed to alleviate some of her anxiety, so she left it at that and sunk back into the seat as she stared out the compact window.

The ride wasn't as unpleasant as Crona had anticipated. How Kid would rub her knees occasionally or let her nap on his shoulder was comforting, especially with the thought she'd be able to enjoy these little touches everyday. Knowing she was no longer to live alone in any way was an overwhelming knowledge. To calm herself, she cuddled closer to her love. It wasn't too bad, learning how to handle these new experiences with him, even though it triggered her anxiety. Furthermore, she wasn't the only one experiencing such feelings.

Hidden under his collected demeanor, Kid's own nerves were on edge. His life, his duties as a Shinigami, would now be side-tracked by a relationship. That had been one reason he'd refused to accept the proposal of acting on his progressed affections for the Makenshi. He'd never held such feelings for anyone before Crona; he'd always been too focused on other things and preferred it that way.

The basis of their relationship could easily be summed up to the saying "Be careful who you hate, because you just might end up loving them." He became so enamored with her that even if all at first negative, it became love. When the feelings became too distracting to ignore to where he couldn't help the thoughts that plagued him, he settled for Liz's advice to feel instead of think. He had known he'd never cope with them without practice and some amount of acceptance.

Now, a couple of years later, he was sitting beside his unexpected sweetheart, legally bonded to love and protect her. They were even on their way to a foreign land for time they'd spend purely cherishing one another. He felt the irony of it all as well as happiness. This was something neither had ever planned or yearned for, but now it was something he couldn't let go of. It had happened, and he didn't regret that.

A soft hum flitted from Crona's lips in the form of a sigh as she rested against his shoulder, causing him to smile. Careful not to disturb her with unnecessary movement, he kissed her head and thought how funny it was that he loved this person.

Author's note: (1) I imagined Back at Your Door by Maroon 5 playing. I started writing this the day of my older brother's wedding (New Year's Eve). Least to say it was a moment I'm glad I didn't miss. It was beautiful and just put me in such a good mood so this came about. It's the aesthetic to my hopeless romantic heart. Never thought my first wedding fic would be of these two. Hard to believe I never did this sooner. Ya know, I bet there isn't but one wedding fic for KidCrona out there. Well now there's this one, oh yeah.