A/N: Nothing much to say here except enjoy! SoulxMaka forever!!

Break Away

Chapter 2: Denial

Maka awoke in bed with a basin full of water beside her and soon noticed she wasn't alone. Jin was sitting on a chair backwards. He was leaning his chin on it, his blue bangs falling into his violet eyes. Maka jolted upright in bed only to have Jin place his hands on her shoulders and gently force her back down.

"Easy. I'm glad you're okay." Jin chuckled. "I know you're smart, Maka, so don't repeat the same mistake of missing a meal twice, alright?"

Maka blushed. She swore she hadn't done it on purpose. With everything that was going on with her and Soul, eating had been completely forgotten.

Jin reached into a bag from beside him and pulled out a burger and some fries. He gave Maka a kind smile as he handed them to her.

"I also took the liberty of getting you a bit of dessert. I hope you like lemon pie."

Maka was at a loss of what to say. "...Thank you, Jin."

Jin waved his hand in dismissal. "It's nothing. I don't want you to feel like you owe me." He paused. "Your friend...the one with red eyes was also worried. You should hurry up and eat so that you can show him you're better."

"Soul was?" Maka sighed. There she went having everyone worry over her.

"I'd better let you go so that you can eat." Jin stood up, slinging his book bag over his shoulder.

"Jin if you ever need anything, you just-

Jin's hand came over Maka's mouth to stop her rambling. He sighed irritably. "Just worry about getting better. I want to see you well again by tomorrow."

Jin's hand left her mouth, leaving Maka's face cherry red. She watched him disappear past the curtain and a moment later, it was lifted it up once more. Maka had thought he had forgotten something but when she looked up, she saw Soul staring down at her.

"Hey."

Maka blinked. "Hey."

The curtain rustled as he let it drop behind him. He went to stand at the foot of her bed, his hands shoved into his pockets.

"Feeling better?" he murmured.

"Yeah...yeah, I feel a lot better." Maka smiled, not feeling it reach her eyes. "Sorry, I know I must've worried everyone."

Soul merely watched her for a moment before replying. "...Okay, good to hear. Che...sure did. Scared the hell out of all of us. Look, I brought you your homework from Stein's class." Soul dropped a text book into her lap as well as a booklet full of multiple choice questions.

"Thank you, Soul. I really appreciate it," Maka chirped, smiling brightly.

"Sure...Well, I just came for that." Soul sighed as he turned his eyes away. "I'm cooking dinner tonight and you're eating every last bite, got it?"

Maka nodded.

"Good. As soon as you're done eating, call your dad and get him to drive you home."

With that, Soul grabbed the curtain and tossed it aside. Maka's voice caught in her throat. She couldn't speak...

Maka bowed her head, letting her pig tails droop in front of her. She then took notice of the food next to her and felt her stomach grumble painfully. She reached out for the burger, taking a large bite before stuffing a few fries down along with it. She grabbed the beverage Jin had provided to wash it down.

Maka looked outside the car window with a bored expression. She could see the street lamps flickering on and off and street lights above them were set to stop. She was leaning her chin against her palm. She hadn't said a word to her father since he had arrived to pick her. She could tell by the tension in the car that her father desperately wanted to talk to her, but tonight she just wasn't in the mood to try and cooperate with her pervy father.

"Maka...? Is something wrong?"

Maka was silent for a moment, letting her eyes stray to her feet. She then rose her head and turned to look at her father with a serious expression.

"Dad...I must be crazy if I'm going to you for this, but what should I do if there's this guy that might possibly like me?" Maka murmured, her hand brushing off invisible lint on her skirt.

Spirit's eyes widened. "Don't tell me that-

"Dad! I'm speaking hypothetically! Please follow along with me!"

"Yes, yes, of course. Well umm...do you hypothetically like this guy?"

Maka bit her lip. "I don't know...I don't think so. He and I have been friends for too long that the boundary between friends for us is in drawn in between. I don't think a relationship with him is possible or at least that's what I tell myself."

"Then don't you think that if you even have to question it that perhaps you like this boy as well?"

Maka stared at him. "No...no. No no no. That's...

"Impossible? I think not. The sky's the limit, Maka. You don't always need a reason to love someone. I certainly didn't with your mother."

"And look how that turned out," Maka muttered bitterly.

Spirit knew he was digging his own grave. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying hard to resist slamming his head against the horn. He steadied himself after a moment and turned to Maka with a pleasant smile.

"Well, Maka...that's erm- what I mean to say is that love can be shown in many ways. I know you see me as a despicable man, but there's so much more to your old man than just lady chasing. I just want you to know that despite everything...I still love your mom very much," Spirit said, his eyes softening.

Maka was touched by the sentiment but it soon died on her when her father suddenly turned to his left and began whistling at a couple of large-breasted females sitting at a bus stop. Maka hit her father upside the head with a book she had pulled out from seemingly nowhere.

"I'm walking!!" she shouted.

"Maka! Maka, don't! Please, I lost control there for a second. And you're still recovering, Maka, please come back to daddy!!" he cried.

Maka sighed as she watched her father cling to her ankle in a desperate attempt to keep her inside the car. She looked up at the stoplights, seeing it almost set to go. She sighed to herself as she shook her father off and agreed to get back in.

"I'm really sorry about that."

Spirit grit his teeth, feeling himself break a sweat."

"That's enough, dad. Forget it. You have a useless habit that you can't get rid of for even your wife or kid," Maka whispered.

Spirit had nothing to say to that so the rest of the ride home was driven in silence. He pulled over in front of her apartment. Maka grabbed her book bag and climbed out of the car. Just as she took a few steps from the car her father called out to her.

"Listen...If anything, I hope I managed to help in some way."

Without waiting for her to answer, Spirit drove away leaving Maka to ponder his words a bit. She trudged up to her apartment door, sighing heavily before raising her hand to knock. The door swung open before she touched it, and saw Soul blinking back at her. He raised an eyebrow at her raised fist.

"Who says you need to knock on your own door? Besides, don't you have keys."

Maka reached into her pocket, only pulling out lint. Soul rolled his eyes as he dragged her into the apartment.

"You're useless, get in here."

Maka yelped as she almost tripped over a rug. She tried her best to keep up with his long strides. Soul made her sit down in front of the table. He placed a plate of meat loaf, mashed potatoes smothered in gravy as well as green beans.

Soul smirked. "This should tempt you."

Soul sat in front of her and waited expectantly. Maka blushed at his gaze, staring from the food to her weapon.

"Well, what're you waiting for? Eat. I'm gonna make sure you never skip another meal. You're gonna eat it and you're gonna enjoy it," Soul threatened.

"But what about you?" Maka inquired. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I ate a little while before you came."

"Okay."

Maka sliced a piece of meat loaf and began chewing. She sighed in bliss. Soul was so much better at cooking than her. Sure she had her share of great recipes but Soul had a real knack for it. Soul merely watched her eat, his head tilted to the side as his mouth covered his hand.

Maka picked up a green bean and popped it into her mouth. She then fixed her eyes upon Soul who was studying her ever so intently.

"Soul...there's something I've been meaning to ask you?"

"So? Go ahead. Shoot."

Maka took a shaky breath as she swallowed the green bean. "Do you...umm do you l-like someone?"

Soul stared at her. "No, I don't l-like someone," he mimicked, snickering.

Maka frowned. "Be serious."

"You mean a crush?" he asked off-handedly. "A girl from class or something?"

"Yeah...something like that. Well, do you?" Maka asked, not knowing what she was hoping for.

"Nah, I'm not looking for some one right now." Soul leaned back in his seat, putting his feet up on the table. "That's too much of a hassle. First you have to confess and then you have to stand around like an idiot for the answer. After that, if all goes well for a guy, he'll have to pay for everything and hear about nothing but stupid gossip and cramps."

Maka blinked. "Umm...alright?"

"Yeah. So...why are you asking?" Soul asked, a hint of smugness in his tone.

Maka bit the inside of her cheek as she glared at him. "Can't I be curious about my partner's personal life? But if you could have an ideal girlfriend, what would she be like?" she asked hesitantly.

Soul appeared surprised but managed to recompose himself. "Well...I like red-heads a lot and girls with huge breasts. Like Blair or Tsubaki."

Maka gave him a dead-panned expression.

"A chic that's easy and will let me lay my hands all over her," Soul said, grinning maniacally.

Maka rolled her eyes. "You are such a prick, you know that?"

"A little bit late for compliments." Soul chuckled. "Alright, then. I'll tell you how a real girlfriend should be." Soul stood up and walked over to Maka. He leaned over, picking up a pig tail so that he could whisper into her ear. "...Secret."

Maka felt shivers crawl up her spine at the feel of his breath against her ear. Soul smirked at her before turning to walk into his room.

'So...was that a yes or no??'

Maka helped herself to some more food, refusing to think over what Soul had told her. So was it still possible that he may like her, after all? Maka groaned. She had to push all thoughts away from her; she was being ridiculous. Even if Soul did like her, he wasn't stupid, he would know full well not to put her into that kind of position.

Maka nodded, trying to convince herself. 'I'm being so silly. Worrying about something like this...I should be studying anyway.'

After cleaning up her dishes as well as the ones Soul had thoughtfully left for her, she dragged her body toward her bedroom door. She leaned against it for a moment, looking straight ahead at Soul's door. She could hear loud music blasting through from there. She smiled to herself after a moment.

'Oh, Soul. I think I'm worried for nothing.'

Maka turned the knob on her door, and shut it silently behind her. She turned out the light. She quickly changed into her night wear, and let herself drop onto her bed. Her hands fisted at the bed sheets as she wrapped herself in them. She turned over on her back, and stared at the ceiling for a moment before letting sleep take over.

Maka felt something pulling her into consciousness despite her attempts to resist. She could feel a slight weight on her legs, and when she tried to lift them they wouldn't budge. She blinked wearily up at the ceiling, seeing everything blurry for a few seconds before it all returned to normal. She groaned a bit as she tried to go back to sleep, but before she could close her eyes, Soul's face suddenly clouded her vision. Maka blinked up at him too tired to say anything until she realized her position.

Her eyes widened in horror as her eyes lowered to Soul's bare chest. The scar running diagonal running down his chest was open to her view. All he was wearing were his jeans as he straddled her. Soul raised an eyebrow at her as he readjusted himself on top of her.

"Finally...you're awake. Come on, we have school, remember?"

A strangled scream escaped Maka as she landed a punch on his draw and made him fall off the bed. Maka dragged herself up to her elbows as she watched him roll across her floor. Soul cursed as he untangled himself from the bedsheets he had tried to grab onto. He threw a death glare at Maka from his position on the floor.

"What the hell is the matter with you?!"

Maka pulled a pillow up to her chest to hide the spaghetti-strapped tank top she wore. She pulled down a strap that had been hanging below her shoulder. She wore tiny shorts that she only wore to bed because of the heat during the night. She only used them when their air conditioner would fail them.

Soul gave her a weird look. "What's with you? If you're trying to hide your measly breasts, don't worry about it. I'm not interested."

Maka blushed. "You're the one being weird coming in here like that. Get out so I can get dressed."

Soul tossed the bed sheets onto Maka as he stood up, waving distractedly as he walked to her bedroom door.

"Sure, sure."

A flustered Maka popped out of the covers, her teeth biting her pink lips. She growled as she tossed the sheets off of her and threw her legs over the side of her bed. For a moment, she sat there in glowering embarrassment until she realized she had little time to get ready for school. Quickly throwing on her usual school girl attire, she raced toward the kitchen. Soul had left some food on the table for her as well as a note.

Just eat it, tiny tits. If you fatten up a bit, who knows, maybe you'll get as nice and curvy as Blair. XD

Maka in her rage crumpled up the note and tossed it aside. Soul, that idiot! Just thinking about him and Blair made her blood boil. He knew how much she detested them together so why did he have to push her buttons like this?! Maka angrily ate her food, making loud crunching sounds as she ate her toast. She quickly gulped down her orange juice and dashed out the door. She checked her watch. If she hurried, she might still have some time to spare.

Maka ran across the courtyard of Shibusen in her desperation of getting their on time. She couldn't ever risk being late. Being the model student that she was, she couldn't be late. She was just like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland minus the pocket watch and hat.

Just as she was about to turn the corner, she heard a couple of girls mention her name as well as some obscene things. Maka came to a halt and pressed her back against a wall to listen in. She usually wasn't one to listen in on conversations but she was involved in this particular one.

"That chick was faking it yesterday. Anyone with eyes could tell she was just trying to get attention. It's bad enough that she already has Soul to herself and now she's chasing after the new transfer student too. What the hell."

"That bitch isn't even pretty. Why do those guys even bother with her?

"Did Maka honestly think that it would be normal for a guy and girl to live together and have nothing happen? Girls like her disgust me."

Maka grit her teeth, her nails digging into her arm to keep from lunging at them. She shook her head vigorously. If they thought they were getting away with this, they had another thing coming. Soul had always told her not fight a meaningless fight, but she was just as prideful as he was. Something like this wouldn't stop her.

Before she could so much as take one step forward, she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder. She was mildly surprised at the touch. She looked from the pale hand and up the red long-sleeved arm and met the face she had only met just days before. Jin gave her a stern look, telling her that she should stay where she was. He walked forward, walking right into the girls' conversation and interrupted them.

"Trash-talking a school mate like that is despicable." Jin narrowed his eyes. "If you have enough time to ridiculously gossip like this then perhaps you can improve your evening wear." He gestured at their flimsy outfits to which a few of them blushed at. "While I may have just met Maka, my idea of her is an honest, hard working girl. See if any of you ladies could ever be half of who she is. Come now, Maka."

Jin held his hand out and the girls watched in surprise as Maka's hand appeared from the beside the wall. He pulled her to him, giving her an endearing look. He pulled Maka in front of him as if showing off an achievement. He smirked at their embarrassed expressions as he laid his head atop of Maka's head and gripped her arms in his hands.

"Let this be a lesson. Go."

Not waiting too be told twice, the girls followed his order and disappeared in a manner of seconds. Jin let go of Maka after a moment. Maka turned back to him with a grateful and bashful expression.

"Th-thanks. This is the second time you've helped me."

"Not at all. I was raised into a family of five other girls with me being the youngest. My mother and father taught me that being a gentleman is a man's top priority; to make the girl feel safe and comfortable. I'm sorry if you didn't want any intrusion on your confrontation, but it's not my nature to leave a girl alone."

Maka smiled. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

Jin looked like he wanted to say something, but the one minute bell rang just then. Maka jumped at the sound and began to run for it.

"Sorry! I'll see you in class!" she called over her shoulder.

Maka sprinted into the classroom, her hair in a disarray and her cheeks flushed from running. She climbed the stairs up to her bench, and sat down with a satisfying smile. Just in time. She began taking out her homework from last night that she had done while was in the nurse's office. It was too easy, she had finished it all in twenty minutes tops. Professor Stein said that they would be having their exam grades passed out today as well as a review coming up in a few days. She was only too eager to see how much she had improved since last semester.

She looked up as Jin made his way towards her. He sat next to her, flashing a smile at her. She was confused. Why was he sitting- Oh, that's right. Professor Stein had made Soul give his seat up to Jin. Her brain was still a little jumbled from all the chaos from the day before.

Speak of the devil, Soul walked in just as the final bell rang and headed toward his seat next to Ox.

"Soul, how's it possible that when you get to school before me, you always end up last to get in."

Soul shrugged. "I don't know."

Maka rolled her eyes as she got back to her work. Professor Stein began going over the homework assignment. After they finished, he began passing the next assignment; a list of choosing one famous meister or weapon from the past and doing a book report about them. For extra credit, you make a model that represents the meister or weapon. Maka giggled with glee. It sounded like a fun assignment.

During lunch her friends fussed over her episode from the day before. She tried her best to assure them that she was fine, but they didn't look all that convinced. Tsubaki arranged for a slumber party at her and Black Star's house in doing so kicking out all the boys including Black Star and the only girls allowed her Maka, Liz, and Patty. She thought it would be a good way to get Maka's mind off her troubles. Maka agreed, only too happy to spend a rare night with her female friends.

After school, Maka went up to the bulletin board to choose out an extra credit assignment. Something located in Death City. Aha! Just above her there was a mission to exterminate a kishin that had been wrecking havoc on the west side. She reached out to grab it only to suddenly be pushed forward against the board, and watched cross-eyed as someone grabbed her extra credit mission.

"You're squishing me!!" she protested.

As if suddenly realising Maka was there, the guy pulled back and let her breath. She turned around to yell obscenities only to see that it was Soul non-chalantly gazing back at her.

"So...I'm guessing you're not up for leaving the city tonight."

Maka nodded. "Yeah, and also I need you to take me to the market. We're running short on supplies."

"Alright, let's go."

They headed outside and toward Soul's motorcycle, the one he had gone through pains to get. Maka remembered chipping in for half while Soul worked for the rest by bussing tables at a diner. She also recalled going there to order something and teased him about it. She would invite the rest of the gang to hang out, making him nearly bust a vein from their cruel jokes.

Soul swung one leg over his motorcycle, and leaned forward as Maka got on. She straddled the seat and leaned forward to wrap her arms around Soul's waist. Soul kicked off from the ground and the motorcycle roared to life as they shot off toward the market.

'I'm so glad...Being like this with Soul is how things should be.'

She tightened her hold on Soul's waist as she leaned her forehead against his back. She smiled. His back...it's so lean and reliable. She knew that she could count on Soul for anything and for that she truly cared for him. She clenched at his shirt where she could almost feel the scar underneath. The scar he had gotten...for her sake.

'The sky's the limit, Maka. You don't always need a reason to love someone.'

Maka jolted upright at this, her hold on Soul loosening as her father's words from the previous night came back to her. She slowly shook her head from side to side. No, no...Why was she suddenly thinking of this now?

A/N: Hope you guys liked it. Look forward to more SoulxMakaness very soon. Plz R/R for me if you want me to continue.