Maka was inches from the rocks, and she was seconds from smashing against them...


Maka awoke suddenly, gasping for breath. The whole thing had just been a dream… She looked around her; she was definitely in Soul's room now. And she still had her wounds. But there was something missing… She looked down, and realised Soul was no longer lying in the bed next to her.

Maka climbed out of the bed; rubbing her eyes and stretching meekly. She slipped out of Soul's room and walked into the bathroom to splash her face with water. Once she'd done that, she went into the kitchen, to find Soul sitting at the table silently eating a bowl of cereal.

He hadn't changed what he'd been wearing last night, and plain as a piece of blank paper, the scar was right in front of Maka. She began to feel slightly hot, and averted her eyes from Soul's gaze.

"How are you feeling Maka?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure? You were writhing about a lot last night."

"Yeah… I had a bad dream."

"What happened?"

"It doesn't matter." Maka mumbled, staring at her feet. "Is that why you got out of bed?"

"Yeah, you woke me up, then you sorta screamed."

"Oh, sorry." Maka's eyes were welling up now, and she turned her back on Soul, turning to head for her bedroom.

Before Maka could go anywhere, Soul caught her arm and pulled her close to him.

"What's wrong Maka?" He buried his face in her hair in frustration, holding her to him by her arms.

Maka felt warm and comfortable there, but also scared and discomforted by the scar that was right there behind her.

"Soul, nothing's wrong!"

"There definitely is, you're not acting like yourself!"

"Soul, trust me it doesn't matter." She whispered.

"It really does. It's so un-cool to see you sad like this." He murmured back into her hair. He nuzzled his face into it, feeling the softness and breathing in the scent of her shampoo.

Maka said nothing, standing there in the awkward silence, looking downwards.

Suddenly Soul let go of her arms.

"Please don't tell me, it's about the stupid scar again?"

"Soul.."

"You get like this every time you see it, you know how much that hurts?" He nearly yelled at her.

The tears started to invade Maka's eyes, she desperately blinked, trying to hold the tears back. Soul turned Maka around to face him.

"Why do you look at me so pained when you see the scar Maka?"

"Because, it was my fault, and you could've been killed!"

"But I wasn't Maka! If I hadn't done this, neither one of us would be here!"

"What do you mean neither one of us? It would've just been me!" The tears were becoming hard to hold back now.

"Because, if you had died, I wouldn't have been able to fight! A WEAPON IS ALWAYS PREPARED TO DIE FOR IT'S MEISTER!"

"..Is that all you see it as Soul? …Just your duty? As a weapon?" She whispered this, but Soul still heard her.

"Of course it isn't! Maka, you're my partner, and my best friend, and I couldn't live without you!"

"Of course that's what you'd say isn't it. But if I was strong like Black*Star or Kid, then none of us would've gotten into this mess. I shouldn't even have forced you to go to the building in the first place."

"But what's done is done Maka, you can't change the past!" He sat down in his chair again. "Why do you even care anymore? It happened such a long time ago, why can't you just forget about it now?"

"Because. I care about you, I can't forgive myself for it, and…"

"…And?" Soul raised one eyebrow at her, looking at her questioningly with crimson eyes.

"Because…" Maka let the tears fall from her own emerald eyes, and turned away from Soul. She couldn't bring herself to say it.

What if he didn't feel the same way? What if he thought she was just joking? What if he liked someone else? She felt really vulnerable and stupid.

"Because what Maka? Spit it out already!"

Maka couldn't hold onto it anymore, she had to say it.

"BECAUSE SOUL! BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" She blurted the words out at the top of her voice and ran from the room to her own.

Soul stood up and followed her, to find her sobbing on her bed.

"You.. what?"

"Don't- M-make me s-say it A-again-S-Soul" She cried, between sobs.

"Maka…"

"I kn-know you d-don't c-care for someone l-like me, a s-sensitive, fl-flat chested girl with a-anger issues.." She sobbed.

"..Maka… I.."

"But you know n-now, and I d-don't h-have to hold i-it in any-anymore right?"

"I'm sorry Maka.. I have to get some air…"

Soul walked from the room and pulled on a jacket; walking out of the apartment, he left Maka sitting on her bed, and she heard the motorcycle's engine sound off in the distance.

Maka curled up in a ball, pulling the covers over herself, she silently let the tears roll off of her cheeks, to hit the pillow below. After a while she was all cried out, and lay in silence. It had been over an hour. She began to remember the conversation, and the tears slowly formed again.

She spent the rest of that day locked away in her room, crying over Soul. She didn't know what good it would do her, but it made her feel slightly better in the long-run, so she wasn't going to stop too soon. Eventually, by the time sunset came around, Maka heard Soul enter through the front door. She heard him trudge straight through to his room, and slam the door shut. After that, everything was silent, and she cried until she fell asleep.