Unexpected Turns

Try

"Papà, Papà, Papà, Papà, Papà, Papà," Soul groaned into his pillow before lifting his head to eye the small girl whom was tugging on his sheets. Amara was eyeing him innocently, he long white her falling down her back in messy yet elegant curls. He frowned before looking over to the bedside clock. 8 am.

"Maka non è ancora sveglio? (Maka isn't up yet?)" He asked gruffly as he sat and ran his hand over his face.

"Dice che non si sente bene. (She says she doesn't feel well.)" Amara told him, a hint of worry in her voice. It took Soul a moment to grasp her words before he looked back to his niece's face and stood.

"Oh yeah?" he asked lightly, rubbing his jaw. Maka never gets sick. "Where is she?

Amara grabbed his sleeve and pulled him from his room to the living room. Maka was laying on their over sized couch with what looked like Amara's blanket tucked around her as she seemed to be fighting sleep.

"I gave her my blanket so that she doesn't get cold," Amara told him quietly. "I told Mamma to sleep but she won't listen, so I came to get you."

Soul smiled fondly before patting her head and bending down to kiss the top of it. "That was very nice of you, baby." Amara grinned and yawned. "Are you still tired?"

Amara shrugged, rubbing her eye with a small fist. "A little. Mara fell asleep late last night because she had a nightmare. Mamma stayed up with me until I fell asleep. Oh no!" She gasped, her eyes growing wide as her gaze landed back onto Maka.

"Mamma didn't get sick because of Mara did she?" she asked fretfully, her grasp growing tighter on Soul's sleeve, Soul chuckled.

"Of course not, Amara," he assured her. "I'm sure she'd just as tired as you are. Go back to bed and I'll take care of Mak- Mamma. Okay?" Maka nodded and lifted her hands up for a hug. Soul smiled and bent down to embrace the child before watching her climb the stairs to her room.

"I'll bring your blanket up," he told her as she disappeared behind the door.

He made his way back to his room to pull his comforter off of the bed. Making his way back into the living room, he gently tugged Amara's blanket from Maka's grasp and placed his over her snugly. She hummed lightly and buried her face in the sheets, earning an amused chuckle from Soul.

He made his way back into Amara's room with her cover, finding her sat, cross legged on her bed. Soul noticed the worry still in her eyes as he tucked the sheets around her and kissed her forehead.

"Get some sleep, babes," he muttered as he pulled away, stroking her hair from her face. "Maka will be up and about once you get up."

"You promise?" she asked, her voice slightly hysterical. Soul frowned, sitting on her bed and stroking her hair comfortingly.

"Mara, what's wrong?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Her eyes suddenly welled up with tears, but she blinked then away. "Mamma isn't going to die too, is she? I don't want her to go too."

Soul's eyes widened as far as they could, his heart practically stopping and his chest grew tight. He made a small heart broken sound and scooped the girl up into his arms, cradling her into his chest.

"Listen to me," he said. "Maka and I are going to be just fine. I know Wes and An- I know you other Mamma and Papa left to go to heaven but that isn't going to happen with me and Maka. We won't ever leave you, okay? So never, ever, worry about something like that, you got it?"

Amara looked up to his face with wide eyes until she visibly relaxed, nodding and burying her face in his chest.

Soul shut her door behind him once she had nodded off and made his way back down to Maka, the tight feeling in his chest still very apparent.