The idea of apologizing to this man...well. It was simply the answer Professor Stein wanted to hear. Maka knew it was the right thing to do, she had given the professor her word! But at the same time she could hardly fathom the thought of swallowing years of hatred. That's why she didn't live with him in the first place!

But no. Of course it couldn't be that simple, that was the obvious answer from the angel conscience on her left shoulder. Meanwhile, a tiny Maka sporting devil horns and a pitchfork suggested that she just leave it be, maybe Stein would never find out.

But of course Stein would find out! Those two were best friends!

But what if she just told Stein that her dad wasn't home?

But then he would just make her go back! What if he went with her?

Well then Maka would just have to-

"Maka...?" Maka gasped, retracting her fist which was curled up to knock on the door of her fathers house. It seemed she had spent too much time playing over what to say after she knocked and her father had opened the door before she could. Maka looked up at Spirit, frowning and swallowing her pride, which was about as tasty as acid.

"...I need to talk to you." She said quietly. What Maka didn't know, was that the ever helpful Professor Stein had already discussed the situation and the best course of action with her father. He hadn't want to see all those touchy-feeling emotions go to waste after all!

Besides, with Stein being the emotionless robot he was, he has a tendency to be better at this sort of things. Not to mention, after being entrusted in taking care of Crona with Marie, Spirit had noticed a change with him. It wasn't a bad change, no. It was more of a compassionate change. A more fatherly feeling.

Or maybe it was just the fact that he switched cigarette brands and was feeling a bit less off of his rocker. Either way, it worked.

The redhead nodded, slightly taken aback that the girl had actually shown as he took a wide step back from the door, holding it open and allowing her into the house before shutting it behind her. "To what do I owe the visit?" He asked, doing his best to follow Stein's first rule.

Don't say anything stupid.

He was determined to keep a cool, calm and collected exterior, even if he was squealing like an ecstatic little schoolgirl on the inside. Stein had threatened to switch the order of the rest of his toes if he messed up and Spirit didn't want to be afraid to sleep at night for another 10 years.

He led Maka into the living room, allowing her to sit on the couch. He took note that she was sitting quiet uncomfortably, she sat slightly to the side and crossed her legs, leaning and keeping the weight off of her tender thighs and sit spots. She had a habit of doing that the few times he had spanked her, even though his super-duper-Daddy-cuddles made up for it!

At least he thought so.

"I...um...Well..." Maka could be seen grimacing as the words burned the inside of her mouth like matches to kerosine. As she dragged her tongue along the roof of her mouth she seemed to cringe, looking ready to just leave, vomit all over the carpet or both.

"Wow...um...Never th-thought this would be so hard to say...um...You've actually kept the cleaning up since I left..." She said quietly, flattening out her skirt and twitching slightly. Spirit couldn't help but smile as he sat down on the other side of the couch and looked over at her, resting one hand over his lap and using the other to rest on the arm of the couch to prop up his head. "Yeah." He said, running a hand through his soft, neon colored hair. "It gives me something to do."

Maka laughed nervously as she kept her eyes glued to the floor, swallowing hard again and clearing her throat. She forced her expression to sober as she got off of her feet, standing in front of Spirit. "Papa..." She began, her mouth twisting as she struggled to find the right words to say. She didn't want to seem too cute or she would sound like a little kid. And that's exactly what he wanted! No, she had to address this matter like a mature adult.

A mature adult who was still recovering from smacked bottom problems.

"...I...I can't make myself say I forgive you for the way you treated Mama...Because it didn't just affect her, it affected me..." She began, crossing her arms and staring down at the floor. It had been so long since she had been in this house, she was just so used to living with Soul! And those conflicts didn't usually need an apology, Soul just needed a whack upside the head and they called it a day! "You...You never seemed to care about her and it's your fault I don't see her anymore..."

Despite her efforts, the girl felt tears welling at the corners of her eyes as she cleared her throat again, struggling not to let her emotions get in the way, although this was indeed a painful memory. "But...Papa...I...I've been a real brat to you...You may not deserve forgiveness, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't give it to you." She sniffled hard as she stared firmly down at the floor as though it were the most interesting thing she had seen that day.

Spirit's eyes widened slightly, he had expected her to put up more of a fight. If that girl got anything from him, it was his thick head and his stubborn temper, that was usually a combination that was reluctant to admitting a mistake. "...Go on..." He said, inwardly tearing at the seams as he followed Stein's second step. Even if she cries, be serious and follow through until the end. You don't know whether it's an act or she's serious, that's to be determined afterwords.

"I...I just...I don't know..." She whimpered as she rubbed her sleeve on her eyes. "I don't understand hat I'm feeling, Papa...I've wasted all this time hating you but no matter what you keep bothering me and you keep caring and that's what I hate!" Not to Spirit's surprise, the girl's temper naturally began to rise as she took time to dwell on her years of pent up anger and hurt feelings.

"Sometimes I wish you would just forget about me and leave me alone! I wish you would just give me a reason to hate you instead of feeling bad for giving you what you deserve!" She cried, finally raising her eyes to glare at Spirit. Spirit sat up straight, meeting eyes with the girl as he held his own temper firmly in check.

This was the climax of Stein's plan and this was the most difficult. Not something the faint of heart could easily complete, although, that's exactly what Spirit was. He took the girl by the wrists and pulled her close, narrowing his eyes and scowling right into her precious ones.

Step three: Do not hold back. She's the child, you're the parent. Hold your ground and clearly state the truth. This isn't a sweet shop, nothing is to be candy coated.

"Now you listen here, Maka...You think it's been easy going around telling people why yes, Maka Albarn is my daughter. But no, I wouldn't happen to know why she isn't at school. How she's doing? Oh, good question! No, I'm not sure what her plans are for this evening, what her favorite color is or whether she likes sweet or sour candy." He punctuated his sentences sharply, forcing the girl to look right at him as he spoke and not giving her a chance to interrupt.

"I don't know the stupidest things a father should know about his only baby girl, and it's the hardest feeling I go through every day. You don't look at me, you sure don't talk to me, and when you finally do it always ends in an argument! You think that's the kind of relationship I want with you?"

He felt his heart tremble as Maka seemed to be really hit by those words, lowering her head. But Spirit knew he had to be strong as he raised her chin right back up, exposing tears trailing down her cheeks. "Answer me, young lady." He said firmly, the phrase that made him want to tear out all his hair and just fall off of a cliff.

Maka felt her own eyes widen as she was reprimanded so harshly for the first time in, she didn't know how long. She whimpered and shook her head no, staring at her father with slightly frightened eyes. She had a sinking feeling about what was going to happen next because Stein got the same look in his eyes.

She sure as hell knew she wasn't going to like it.

"We have a lot of work to do before either of us can accept each others apologies. We both have done wrong and hurt each others feelings, you see what I'm trying to say? We both have to make up for what happened and we're going to start with you." He said firmly, sighing as he saw that glint of a stubborn tantrum in the back of Maka's eye, that look that seemed to just scream, "And just what makes you think that?"

"We're going to start with you because for starters, I have more work to do than you." He said. Stein has mentioned something about girls liking it when men accepted their own mistakes. "That, and I am your father. Like it or not, you don't pick and choose your family. You're stuck with me whether you accept the choices I make or not and you most certainly do not choose when or when not you get to obey me." He said, his voice becoming even firmer as he snapped out his expectations.

Maka whined, this was turning out to be a really bad idea. She could have just stayed home, curled up with that bitch of a cat-

Oh God. The cat was probably at home molesting her weapon while she was caught in the death grip of her mortal enemy!

"So, you have a choice." He said, letting go of her wrists and shrugging. "You can leave. You can go on and do whatever it is you want and I'll keep doing what I do best, watching from a distance. I'll even tell Stein that I had too much to drink and didn't recall you coming by..."

Maka frowned, confused. Didn't the man WANT her to forgive him? She was being sent so many mixed signals at once, she didn't even know what to think! "Or." Spirit added, placing in the next phrase to his conditions.

"You can accept the punishment you have coming to for the way you have acted since everything happened. After your punishment, things will change. I'm going to try, and you're going to try too. You're going to come back home more often. I don't expect you to live here, but it will not kill you to stop by and have dinner or something." He bit his tongue as the dreaded words of his own crossed his lips. "You can even bring that weapon of yours..."

"You're going to stop giving me the cold shoulder and when this is over, we're going to sit down and talk about what happened and why you've felt like you've had to give it to me." He said. He looked right at Maka with a stone sober expression, but inside of him he was screaming and throwing a hissy fit, why in the WORLD would Stein tell him he needed to give her a choice like that?

He looked up at his girl, his one and only child. His pride and joy, his baby. All he wanted to do at that moment was hold her tight, wipe away the moisture tracking down the pink apples of her cheeks and tell her that everything was going to be okay. That, even if she didn't formally apologize, that he forgave her. He forgave her every day he walked this earth, even if she didn't know it.

Rule number five, withhold the forgiveness and comfort until the punishment has been firmly completed. Regardless of how sorry they seem or how hard they are crying, they aren't truly sorry until they have faced the consequences of their actions.

How Spirit just wanted to cuddle this girl on his lap now, like a little baby teddy bear. As if it wasn't bad enough he had to scold her, he had to follow through on what he promised her if she made that choice. Suddenly, he felt an anxious tug in his chest as he almost hoped she wouldn't make that decision, that she wouldn't accept.

But to Spirit's shock and slight horror, Maka looked right at him and nodded firmly. That firm nod meant she had made up her mind for certain, and she was hell bent on completing whichever choice that was. She sniffled hard, warm tears spilling over the corners of her eyes again.

"...P-punish me, Papa...please, I deserve it..." She whimpered quietly. She forced herself to keep eye contact with him, sniffling gently as she shifted from foot to foot. This was going to be embarrassing, Maka had a strange feeling that told her what was going to happen to her. It's not like he could ground her when she didn't live there.

Spirit nodded, clearing his own throat as he spread out his legs slightly, nodding at his daughter. "Well then, Maka. I'm proud of your decision. You made a good choice." He said, keeping a firm grip on her arm as he looked up at her. "No going back now." He said as he pulled her to his side and grimaced as the sixth rule echoed in his ears, plain and simple.

No turning back on your word. By this point you've made the expectations clear and considering she made the decision I believe she will, you're going to have to complete the actual punishment.

He sighed as he moved his hand from her arm to her lower back, guiding her over his welcoming lap. He rubbed her back and sighed, this nostalgia smacking him right in the face. Although, this nostalgia involved a much smaller Maka and a much more trivial matter than years of hate and touchy subjects. Mixed in with her outrageous teenaged hormones, this was certainly going to be an adventure. To say the least.

Maka frowned, a blush meeting her pale cheeks as she was guided over Spirit's lap. His left knee supported her hardly past flat torso and his right knee supported her just at the hips. She picked at a string on the couch and gasped as Spirit raised her skirt.

"P-papa-"

"Ah, don't argue. I haven't even gotten started yet." He said, completely raising her skirt to her lower back, exposing her panties. He sighed gently, patting her bottom and watching her wince gently. Seems as though Stein had done some pretty good work. All that remained was a light pink shade though, not the dark red Stein had left her with.

Spirit sighed as he remembered rule six, keeping his demeanor steeled as he raised his palm, making the pats to her rear end firmer. If only it wasn't so hard to be stern with her, if only he could do it with ease like Stein!

But Spirit forced himself to do this and do it correctly, he landed his palm firmly in the middle of Maka's rear end, the yelp she let afterwords pained him more than the look in her eyes when he had been scolding her. If Maka thought she was upset, she ought to take a step in her father's shoes.

Maka whimpered, clutching the couch with her gloved hands and wiggling her hips slightly as her bottom was whacked again, whining slightly as the sore skin was met with the stinging force of Spirit's palm.

"Now Maka...As I'm spanking you, I want you to think about what you did. Because you won't learn if you don't know what you did wrong." He said as he began to firmly conduct an assault on her rear, deepening the already pink color.

"O-oww! Okay!" She yelped, arching her back against the firm, stinging whacks. She was slowly regretting not just the decision to choose a punishment, but the fact she had made the choices that caused her to deserve this in the first place.

At first, Maka stayed still. She really tried, She tried so hard, but as the swats began to sink in and sting the tender skin she found her eyes watering more and her legs kicking at a much more frequent pace. "Ahh..." She whimpered as Spirit's palm never tired, only got stronger.

Moments felt like hours over Spirit's lap as the annoying burn began to build in Maka's rear end. What had only been five minutes had felt like all of eternity to Maka, and moisture was dragging down her face and collecting a her chin yet again. But it certainly wasn't over yet.

Maka gasped in shock as she felt Spirit yank her panties down to the middle of her thighs without a moment of hesitation or one second thought. "Pa-papa! No, do-don't!" She cried, digging her hip into his side. Nothing seemed to work as the hand resting on her lower back simply gave her a gentle pat.

"This is your punishment, Maka. You have no choice but to sit back and accept it." He said firmly as he unleashed an entirely new force on her bare buns, turning them from pink to rosy in a matter of slaps. This man was on a mission, and that mission in his mind was to get her well punished as quickly as possible so he wouldn't have to drag this out any longer.

"Maka Albarn, tell me what's going to change when I let you up." He said, continuing to chastise his crying daughter. She hiccuped every now and then and cried out louder as the swats continued to land when she was certain she had been punished enough.

"Ow...I'm...I'm gonna try harder..."

"Be specific, Maka. What are you going to try harder at?" He said, pausing his assault on her bottom to pay some attention to her upper thighs. Maka wailed, kicking her calf's slightly and arching her back. "I'm goi-going to be a better daughter, Papa! I'm not going to be mean to you anymore!" She cried, crying harder.

She felt her face get hot from the crying and the embarrassment as those words left her mouth, but at the same time as she lay sobbing over Spirit's lap, she felt herself feel a lot better after saying that. You could say she felt a large weight lifted off of her shoulders, quite truthfully as a few minutes later Maka felt Spirit move his hand from her back before picking her up and placing it on the back of her head, wrapping his other hand around her waist and hugging her to him. He buried his head in her shoulder, holding her close to him.

"...P-papa...?" She whimpered as she hugged him slowly. Spirit stayed silent for a moment before raising his head, lifting his lips to her forehead and kissing it gently. "Do me a favor, and don't ever do that to me again..." He said quietly.

The minute Maka looked up and saw the ever so slight moisture collecting at the edges of Spirit's eyes she gasped, wiping his eyes with her thumbs and frowning, wrapping her arms around his neck. She felt her own tears fall faster and her face get hot as the realization kicked in. She hadn't been there all those years to be there with her father, they had both missed out on so much of each other.

"I'm so sorry..." She whimpered. She could feel Spirit's gentle smile as he rubbed her back, holding her close to him as he pulled her panties back up and straightened out her skirt. The final step. The punishment was complete, now there was room for nothing but forgiveness.

"I already forgave you a long time ago, Maka."

"...I forgive you too."