Eternal Bond (Truth of Kami Evans)

It was the eve before Soul Evan's and Maka Albarn's wedding that Soul learned the truth about his partner's long lost mother. Maka was residing at Gallows' Manor with Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty to have her time apart from her fiancé before the wedding to take place the next morning. Soul remained at his and Maka's apartment. It was just around sunset when there was a knock on the front door. Soul looked up, the knocking bringing him out of his trance of staring at the ceiling. Upon opening the door, Soul stood face to face with Spirit Albarn. He sighed but invited her very soon-to-be father in law into the apartment.

"Ah," Soul stated. "Spirit… What brings you here? Maka isn't home right now, so…."

"There is something that I need to admit to you, Evans." Spirit looked into Soul's bright red eyes. "This is something that only one other person on this earth knows about. I'm trusting you with this secret, Soul. The truth about Maka's mother…."

Soul raised an eyebrow feeling both confused and intrigued. He invited Spirit in, nonverbally and the two sat down in the sitting area. Soul sat on the couch while Spirit got situated into an armchair. He remained silent not knowing exactly where to begin. Soul then broke the silence.

"Is Maka's mom alright? She's been worried about her and thinking about her a lot lately."

"Well…" Spirit looked up to the concerned face before him. "She hasn't been here for the past seventeen years."

"I know. She's been travelling the world since Maka was just a little kid." Soul recalled.

"No." Spirit spoke in a darker toned voice. "She hasn't been travelling the world at all… My wife, Kami, has been dead for those seventeen years."

"I… I don't understand…" Soul froze. "What…"

"That night, I remember so clearly. I had just gotten Maka into her little yellow nightgown, read her a bedtime story, and tucked her into bed before climbing into bed with my wife, Kami, who at the time was just over six months pregnant. She had been having a sharp pain coming from her abdominal area. She insisted that she was fine but I knew for a fact she wasn't. Kami refused to show weakness. She was by far the strongest person I have ever met. The pain had been consistent for about a week at that point, only growing sharper and more unbearable as it progressed."

Spirit sighed deeply as he clenched his fist tighter. He then began to further explain the truth of Kami Albarn to Soul Evans:

"Kami," Spirit pleaded. "You need a doctor… I can't bear to see you in this much pain."

"Oh, stop it Spirit…" Kami scoffed. "Everything is fine! You're over re- " Kami lurched forward clutching her lower stomach.

"I'm calling for Stein!" Spirit exclaimed frantically.

As the time passed, Kami's condition only worsened. After being evaluated, Stein unveiled his diagnosis of the problem.

"Spirit… Kami… If the fetus is not extracted you will most surely die. We need to remove it immediately."

"Stein… Hold on!" Spirit interjected. "What the hell is wrong with my wife and kid?!"

Stein frowned, adjusting his glasses.

"Spirit, the fetus is experiencing prenatal seizures caused by high anxiety levels. That is causing sporadic extensions and retractions of the scythe blades that it possesses. If we don't abort it, it will continue to cause traumatic internal damage to Kami's vital organs!"

"No! I Can't!" Kami yells. "I cannot kill my unborn child! I'd rather die than let you kill my baby!"

"Stein! Stop!" Spirit trembles, panicked.

Stein looked upon Kami, his light green eyes filled with complete seriousness. As they met her dark green eyes, he saw for the very first time, genuine fear filling them.

"Have you forgotten about the child that you already have?" Kami and Spirit both exchanged a horrified glance. "She needs her mother Kami…If you don't do this you will die as well as the child. Do you really want Maka to grow up without her mother?"

"Stein!"

"No, Spirit…." Kami groans through the pain. "He's right. I can't die. I won't. I will be there to watch my baby girl to grow up. Stein, please…."

Suddenly, a blood drenched blade penetrated through Kami's midsection. She screamed out in pain that she was unable to contain. "KAMI!" Spirit panicked not knowing what to do. Stein's eyes widened in shock as a second blade emerged from the side of her ribcage. This blade was narrower and shot straight out slicing Stein's forearm in half.

"Stein!" Spirit yelled out in fear then looked back to Kami, blood flowing out from her mouth. "Kami… No… no, NO! Look at me Kami!" Spirit gently held her head to look at him. Her eyes were growing weak and her vision was blurred. "Kami…" Spirit looked around frantically. "Just hold on… we'll fix you… Right? Right?! Stein! Stein we can help her! Stein, please! Please! She's my wife!" Stein, holding his coat sleeve tightly over his blood seeping arm, looked at Spirit and without having to speak Spirit knew there was nothing that could be done. "No! NO! Stein! Please! Kami! Kami, look at me! It's going to be oka—"

"No.." Kami sputtered on more blood. "Spirit…. I… I c-can't-t-t. Please… Please d-don't let Maka forget… tha-at I… that I l-love her…"

"Kami," Spirit pleaded. "You can't talk like this!"

"Promise me you'll stay strong for Maka…. Tha-a-at you'll st-t-ay strong… for me…" Kami winced in pain.

Spirit looked over to Stein in desperation. Stein simply gave him a sympathetic glance before looking to Kami. More blades looked ready to emerge through the surface of her skin.

"Spirit…" he looked into the face of the defeated Spirit that kneeled beside his wife. "She's suffering…"

Spirit nodded and closed his eyes tight as he clutched Kami's hand, kissing it one last time, before Stein injected a euthanization into her bloodstream. Kami's hand slowly grew limp in her husband's grasp as she slowly drifted off into lifelessness. Tears began to stream down Spirit's face.

The sound of Maka's footsteps sounded faintly from the hallway minutes later. Spirit sprung up and dashed into the hallway to his three year old daughter. He embraced her, placing his full palm on the back of her head pulling her into his chest and holding her close.

"Papa," Maka whimpered into her father's chest. "I heard Mama screaming!" Spirit's face and body tensed up at those words. He managed to come up with an excuse to tell his daughter.

"It was only a nightmare, sweetheart. Just a bad, bad dream. Everything is fine, my little Maka." He felt his heart sink as he spoke the lie to his only daughter. "Hey, how about you get back into bed and I'll sleep with you tonight to keep the bad dreams away?"

"REALLY PAPA!?" Maka beamed at Spirit. "Yeah! If anyone can keep the bad dreams away, it's you, Papa!"

"That's right, Maka… Papa will always protect you… always."

After he made sure Maka was asleep, Spirit returned to his bedroom and looked at Stein, emotionally drained and exhausted. Stein gazed back, looking over his prior weapon with great concern.

"What now, Spirit?"

"We never speak of this night again… to anybody!" Spirit replied, sounding worn down.

"What about Maka?" Stein questioned. " What will you tell her?"

"That's not for you to worry about…" Spirit snarled defensively. "She is my daughter… I'll figure it out. The events that occurred tonight never happened. As far as anyone else is concerned, Kami wanted to see the world and go on adventures to live her lifelong dream."

"Understood." Stein complied. "I have to go fix this…" he gestured to his dismembered forearm. "Farewell Spirit."

"And so," Spirit concluded in telling Soul. "I told Maka that her mother is exploring the world looking for new and exciting things. To this day I still send her postcards from around the globe ."

Soul sat in shock. His face serious but his heart aching. All this time he had thought that Kami had just deserted Maka… left her as a young child… but he couldn't have been more wrong.

"You really did love her." Soul stated. Spirit nodded. "So all this time… you just led Maka on to believe that her mom was still alive…?" Spirit looked down. "And she always saw you with other women and then believed that you were cheating on your wife. Why couldn't you just tell her?! Don't you know how stupid that is? You practically made her hate you ever since she was a kid! Don't you know how much better a relationship you would have with your daughter if you had just been honest with her?!"

"Yes, Soul." Spirit replied. "I am a coward. I ruined my relationship with her because of this lie. But do you want to know something? I can't stand to disappoint her any more than I already do! There were so many chances I had planned to tell her and backed out… All due to the fear that she would only resent me more… but Soul… you are the one she loves. Clearly, seeing you are a phenomenal weapon and meister pair, and seeing that she agreed to marry you. She told me several times that she would never get married. She didn't want to end up with some man that would cheat on her… That was all my fault. But she trusts you more than anyone in this world Soul. So that's why I'm giving you this…." He reached into his chest pocket and pulled out a silver, circular object. "This was the wedding band that I placed on my Kami's finger on our wedding day. I'm giving this to you to put on my daughter's finger tomorrow at your wedding." Soul looked down at the ring placed in his hand then back up at Spirit. "The band stands for the eternal bond that you two will share. I still feel that bond with Kami to this day. Not a day goes by when I don't miss her. She will forever be my whole world." He looked down at the ring he had placed in Soul's hand and smiled softly. "I know I've given you a tough time over the years, and don't think that it's going to let up by any means, but Maka trusts you, as do I. So I trust you with this ring, just as I trust you with my Maka..."