Maka absently picked at the bandage on her stomache.

Anything but this... She thought, frustration clouding her thoughts.

She had become one of the best fighters in DWMA.

She had made Soul into a Death Scythe

She had somehow defeated Arachne.

She had saved the world from it's demise.

But, she hadn't been able to dodge a stay bullet from one of her opponents.

And, now, she had been reduced to this. Just an ordinary patient in an ordinary hospital.

Fortunantley, the doctor that operated her, and the witch that had helped her heal where out of the ordinary.

But she still had to be hospitalized.

She took a deep breath, and reminded herself to calm down, and that it was for her own good. Then, she exhaled.

Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

Since that didn't really work, she grabbed a random magazine from the pile that lay on top of a small stool.

She flipped through the pages. The titles where all catchy, and would stand out like stars in a bright night, but, today, the bolded text was about as flashy as the small print in comercials.

Next time that Soul visited her, she'd ask for some books,-

Maka pushed some lone strands of tarnished blond hair out of her green eyes way.

-And a scrunchies for her hair.

Thinking of her partner, the Demon Death Scythe, caused a strange pain to well up in her heart. She'd seen his face, all frustrated and pained, and his occaisional whispers of '...Let her down', or 'As a Death Scythe, I'm...'.

Seeing him like that had troubled her. And no words would make him truly understand that it wasn't his fault. Even if he said, 'Yeah, I know', his ruby red eyes would reject the statement.

She clenched her hands into fists.

"You didn't let me down... I did." She whispered.

"Who didn't let you down?" A small voice asked.

"Ah, Tsubaki! I didn't see you there!" She exclaimed. Who knew how long her indigo-eyed friend had stood there?

"Oh, uh, sorry," She said, bowing her head in apoligy. "I thought you might want some company."

She walked over to Maka's side, her long, brown hair swishing lightly in air with each step.

"So... Have things been OK in DWMA?" Maka asked. Tsubaki smiled.

"Yes," she said. "Black Star and Soul haven't been fighting anyone, if that's what you are wondering."

She suddenly felt angry at Soul, because the white haired boy hadn't visited her once this whole week.

"Soul? Oh, I'm guessing he has been causing trouble. He hasn't visited me for a whole week! Jeez, I turned him into a Death Scythe. He should atleast remember that I'll want someone to talk to. His head is so thick! No wonder he hasn't gotten brain damage whenever I Maka-chop him. Tsubaki, when you go to school, I want you to tell him that-"

"You're not actually angry at him, right?"

They both stared at each other, shocked, when Tsubaki had said that.

"Oh! Uh, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt you... But, you're not actually angry at him, right?" She said.

"Of course I'm angry at him." Maka muttered.

"Well, there is going to be the Exam, and the Da..."

Tsubaki trailed off when she saw the blonde's wide-eyed expression.

"Oh, snap! Tsubaki, I'll have to make that test up if I'm not out of the hospital by then!" Panic swirled in her mind; They had been telling them about the Exam for nearly a month, and it was VERY importand.

If she didn't pass... Wait, she hadn't even studied!

"C-could you please bring me one of the textbooks or something so I could study?" She asked nervously.

"Sure. And, what about the..." Tsubaki trailed off once again.

"The what?" Maka wondered.

"Oh, you want some scrunchies for your hair? And I could buy you some books!" She said, trying to distract Maka. It worked effectively.

"Yeah. You read my mind..."