"Ne, Soul?"

"Huh?" Soul looked down at his partner, her head bent down as she absentmindedly traced the old scar on his chest. The years had been beyond nice to her, transforming his once stick-of-a-meister into the shockingly sensuous and glorious woman he held in his arms on a nightly basis. But tonight wasn't so normal.

"What…" He could hear her words choking her as the tears welled up once more.

"Breathe, Maka. I'll be here all night, so take it easy." This wasn't the first time he had to comfort her that day.

It was raining. All of Shibusen - students, graduates, and teachers alike - gathered around with Shinigami-sama and Maka at the epicenter. In Maka's hands lay a picture of Spirit, former Death Scythe and now deceased. In the long-awaited execution of Medusa's destruction, Spirit took the sacrificial blow that allowed Professor Stein to completely obliterate the witch. Knowing it would result in his death, Spirit still accepted the plan, saving not only the whole academy from the reawakening of another kishin but also his precious daughter's life. Maka, unfortunately, was rendered unconscious and awoke to the cruel reality of her uselessness in the defeat of Medusa and her father's death hours later.

Shinigami-sama signaled for the cremation to begin. Spirit's body was inserted into the blazing hearth and the door shut. At this point, the tears that Maka had so desperately tried to hold back broke out as she collapsed to her knees. Soul knelt down next to her and supported her as her body quaked from the sobs she released.

"Useless…So useless…"

"Gomen, Soul." Maka buried her head into Soul's bare chest as she took deep breaths. It wasn't soon before she began her mindless tracings of the scar. It had become a habit whenever she was lost in thought. Then, she emitted a sardonic chuckle. "I'm no good, aren't I?"

Soul took another look at Maka's face, and their eyes met. Hers were clouded, as if her soul was slipping away, and he could feel it. He gathered her in his arms to ensure that she was still there. "Stop saying stupid things like that. It pisses me off." He flinched at how biting that sounded.

"But it's true, isn't it? I couldn't stop Medusa at all, and what was I doing when my father needed me the most? I was knocked unconscious, sleeping my ass off as my father lay dying! It's so despicable!"

Soul grabbed her arms to make her look at him. "It was not your fault. None of us knew that she was still alive. Your father made the choice knowing exactly what would happen. There was nothing you could have done."

"Because I was so weak and defenseless to allow myself to be incapacitated so easily. If I were only stronger, I could have been there and protected my father. I could have saved his life. Even if it meant that I could take his place, I would have done it. I…"

Soul placed his hands on the sides of her face so that she looked directly into his eyes. "Stop. It. I can't stand it when you talk like that."

"But-"

Soul's lips crashed upon Maka's, ceasing any rebuttals that she might have formed. She whimpered against him but soon gave in to his will. What made her think that she could resist the soul of the man she loved? She would do anything for him, even if it meant silencing her own cries for his sake. Or was that just her own weakness popping up, mocking her, testing how true she was to this love?

Maka snatched away from Soul's lock and again buried herself into his chest. Soul sighed. It was hopeless to reason with her when she became this stubborn.

Once she calmed down again, she didn't resume her tracing. "Soul, what would you do? If it was me?"

He didn't even bother to think. "I would have stopped you from going through with it, no matter the situation." He felt her shake her head in protest.

"No, not that. If I were to die, what would you do? Would you find another meister? "

Resisting the urge to shake that nonsense out of her, he replied instead, "Again, I wouldn't let you do something so stupid. There is no way I would let you die on me."

"Please, just answer the question."

"Mataku…"

"Soul…"

Sighing, he spoke his mind, even though these words, he was sure, were evident in everything he did. "First, there's no way I would allow you to die. It goes against everything in me. Second, even if somehow you were gone, I would never think to replace you. I live for technician, and there's only one technician that I can stand to be my partner…in everything. Even if I were to die, I would die protecting you with my all in the hope of keeping you alive." Maka had begun again to trace the scar, but before she could complete a total cycle, Soul took her hand and placed it against his cheek. "That's what I meant when I became your weapon and when I said 'I do.'"

Maka stayed silent for a few moments, allowing him to revel in her touch. She saw how the moon shining from the window behind him made his hair glow whiter, softening his rugged features. When he opened his eyes, his blood red orbs reflected his passion, burning away any doubt left in her. She focused on their hands together as she brought them above their heads and compared them.

"You know, sometimes, you make me wonder whether I'm good enough for you. I've already turned you into a Death Scythe, so you don't really need me anymore..."

Soul snorted, "I'm not your father. I know when I have something cool in front of me, and I know how to keep her."

"And how does that justify my worth?"

"There's only enough Soul for Maka."

"And that's more than enough for Maka." For the first time that day, Maka smiled genuinely before yawning wearily.

"Bedtime for the technician. You've had a long day."

Maka nodded before sinking more comfortably against her lover. "Soul?"

"Hn?"

"I…never got the chance to tell him that I loved him. I've always been so cruel to him-"

Soul bopped Maka on the head. "'Maka chop.' Nothing says 'I love you' better than that. Hell, I wonder who you loved more, considering the concussions we both got on a daily basis."

Maka kissed him in apology. "Gomen."

"Nah, I kinda liked it."

"Sadist."

"Only for you. Always for you."

So… Hisashiburi desu nee… hehehe So I've finally showed my face…er…writing after a long time, it's only a Soul Eater one-shot. Gomen! *bows*

So all of my former Inuyasha fic fans, I hope to be getting my butt off of my eternal hiatus and returning to my writing soon. I just feel so bad that I started those stories off and haven't gotten them anywhere near finished. I might take them one at a time, or I might do as I had before and update one chapter for each in a turn…dunno yet. Hopefully, college won't be kicking my butt so badly that I can't write. But yeah, hope you enjoyed!

Review, I say!