This is another shorter chapter. Sorry, again, for the wait. You guys have been great:)

I want to thank you so much for the excellent reviews you've been giving me, they've been so helpful and nice. Keep them coming:)

The reason it's been taking me so long to write new chapters is because I'm having a bit of a writer's block at the moment. So, if after reading this chapter you have any suggestions, ideas, or comments about my story, please feel free to make them.

I would love to write about what you guys want to read, so please give me any suggestions! I can't promise I'll be using all of them, but I'd love to see what you guys think.

Thanks again, and enjoy this chapter:)

"Maka, what's going on?" Soul's voice was echoing in my mind for the third night in a row. "Why aren't you here?"

"I can't," this was all I could manage to say to him. I could feel my throat begin to swell up and my tongue felt too big for my mouth. "You shouldn't want me with you anymore, Soul."

"But I need you with me," his red eyes were looking deep into my own eyes as if they were looking through me. There was no reason Soul would need to look through me, he already knew everything there was to know about me, almost everything. He knew my fears and he knew where my loyalties lied, or at least he thought he did. "I can't see you anymore," he said this as tears began to roll down his face simultaneously with my tears.

As I looked into his eyes I saw the image of me fading, he was right, he was no longer seeing me. He was looking at a stranger. With all the lies I had been feeding to Soul, to everyone, I had become a stranger to my best friend. "Soul," this time, unlike the night before, I whispered his name. I wasn't crying out for him anymore, "I'm sorry." When these words escaped my lips I was no longer speaking to him, I was talking to the darkness that had surrounded me. I was alone in my dreams for once, my hand that was squeezing Soul's only moments before was empty, and my eyes that had been filled with tears for the past week were now dry.

My eyes opened that morning to reveal an empty room, my empty room. I rolled out of bed and pulled on a white t-shirt and a pair of navy shorts. I walked right past the mirror without bothering to see how I looked, I already knew. I could feel my eyes burning and I was familiar with the pink shade they more than likely promoted. My hair, although it had been washed the night before, was looking unhealthy and messy due to stress. And I definitely didn't have to ask the opinion of a mirror to assume the manner in which I was carrying myself.

When I opened the door of my bedroom and walked into the hall I heard familiar voices coming from the kitchen. "But she's been resting all day," Blaire the witch's voice begged to whoever accompanied her in the kitchen. "It's time for her to wake up and eat."

"I said no," Kidd's voice replied. "She needs time to rest and she will do so for as long as she needs." I smiled a little when I heard the small trace of concern in his voice. Kidd was strong and he liked everyone to know that. He saw displays of emotion in some situations to be weak, so when he let his feelings of concern escape into his voice I knew just how important that was. "Besides," he continued, his voice becoming slightly quieter now. "She has a big day ahead of her today."

"A big day," I whispered to myself, "what does he mean by that?"

"All the more reason for her to get up now," Blaire's voice seemed to dance on every word in this statement. She was excited about something, "they used to spend all day everyday together. And you've seen how his distance has affected her."

"I know," this seemed to be all Kidd could manage to say at the time.

"So now that he's awake," the rest of Blaire's sentence was unheard after that word. Awake. I can't believe it, Soul's awake.

Before either Blaire or Kidd had a chance to realize I was awake I had grabbed my yellow sweatshirt from the back of the couch and was out the door. The streets were quiet and wet from the rain last night, the only sound came from my feet splashing in numerous puddles as I ran in the direction of Stein's house. I thought I had washed my body clean of tears but somehow they still managed to stream down my face with each step I took. When I reached Stein's house, and I stood in front of the door, I couldn't bring myself to open it or even knock. My brain was preoccupied reminded myself why I was here, why Soul was here.

"You let this happen," my mind said to me. "You let him get hurt." I was already aware of all of this. I will carry the memory that night with me until the day I die because it was the night that I almost lost Soul.

Finally the door opened for me and Stein and Papa stood in the doorway. I opened my mouth as if to say something but no words came out, instead I continued to sob while they ushered me through the door. My papa knelt in front of me with his hands on either one of my shoulders and tried to calm me, "it's okay, Maka," he repeated. He began to shush me soothingly and brought me in for a hug. This is how much of a mess I was, I even let Papa hold me, I just couldn't control anything anymore.

"Where is he?" I finally asked into Papa's shoulder between sobs. He released me and looked up at Stein for the answer.

"He's in here," Stein answered, bringing me to the door down the hall. "Do you want to be alone?" I nodded in response. "As you wish," he pushed to door open for me and that's when I saw him. That's when I saw Soul. Seeing him there, sitting up by himself on a bed with a collection of medicines at his side, made my heart stop. When the door opened he turned his attention in its direction at smiled at me standing alone it the doorway.

I couldn't find any words to say, there was nothing to say, I hadn't prepared anything in my mind for such a situation. So, he was the one to speak, "good morning." He spoke so simply as if it were any other day. His words shot a warmth through my body that had me lifted off the ground and thrown at his side. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let out a mixture of a cry and a laugh. Hearing his voice at that moment was like hearing it for the first time. Feeling him hug me back and brush my hair was like having him brush every fear out of my life. Just seeing him, feeling him, and hearing him made the world stop spinning. I had never heard him like this, it reminded me why I had said I loved him in the first place, and it had been too long since I heard his real voice. I had been hearing his voice throughout the week, but it was different, it was only in my dreams.

"Good morning, Soul," I whispered into his neck, hugging him with all my strength. This time, I wasn't going to let go.