A/N: Extremely short chapter warning! Hi guys, it's already chapter 9 for Buried Secrets, and the story is over soon. There's only like 2 more chapters, but I've been working on some other stories so they're probably gonna come out after this chapter. Be sure to check them out and R&R!


"Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

Maka paused. Isn't that what she's always wanted? Hadn't she been waiting 4 years for this moment?

"I...Yeah," she said hesitantly. Kami frowned slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I'm just... Glad you're back." She forced a smiled.

"I have so much to tell you," Kami said as they left the school building. As they walked, she then went on to tell her how hard she struggled the get the legal papers for divorce, and how much she thought about her daughter during the time she was an absent mother. All through, Maka listened to the soft hum of her voice, savoring every word.

"But where have you been for the last four years?"

"I needed a break from your father; I needed to clear my head."

"Why couldn't I go with you?"

"All that matters is that I'm here now, with you. I've come back," she said, but Maka kept feeding her questions.

"Where are we going now?"

"We have to go back to the house to get your stuff, and then we'll take the train and go to my house. Isn't this great? We can finally live in peace without your father."

"Yes, but...I met this boy...and he's really wonderful."

"Really? What's he like?" Kami asked with slight disappointment.

"He's really nice and sweet. He took care of me even when Papa..." her voice trailed off.

"Papa hurt you, didn't he...?" The solemn look on Maka's face gave her an answer, and Kami answered back with silence.

The sound of glass beer bottles and the TV on loud had haunted her nightmares. But this time, the house was eerily silent and foreboding. Kami was the first to step up to the front door, allowing Maka to brace herself for the oncoming trouble.

"Kami...?" Spirit opened the door, dressed in his usual getup. "I thought you were gone fer' good!" Noticing Maka behind her, he added "What's that little brat doin' here?"

"We're just here to pick up Maka's stuff, if you don't mind," Kami said sternly.

"Are you tellin' me you're not staying?"

"Why would we stay with you anyways? You were always a horrible husband and father. It's about time we left you."

"Wait a minute, you can't just leave me!"

"Watch us. Oh, and one more thing; don't even think of laying a finger on us." She reached into her bag and pulled out a mess of papers, then shoved them on his chest. Spirit snatched some of the falling papers and squinted hard at them.

"What? A divorce? And child custody goes to the mother?"

"That's right, Spirit. It's over now."

OooooooooO

"I'm almost done with all of my stuff..." Maka came out of the house with a suitcase and a pile of clothes. "Soul!" She dropped the items and ran over to greet him. Turning to Kami, she said "Mama, this is Soul. This is the boy I've been talking about."

"I've heard all of the wonderful things you've done for my daughter, and I'd like to genuinely thank you for everything." Soul could feel the warmth in her voice even though she wasn't his own mother, making him realize why Maka loved her so dearly. "We're just packing up," she continued, "And tomorrow we leave. You two can take the rest of the day to say your good-byes."

"I'll just finish packing the rest of my stuff." She re-gathered the fallen clothing off the ground.

"How about you find a place to meet up? Just hang out together, and I'll come and get you when you're ready," Kami suggested. Both nodded. Before he left, they decided that going to his house to meet was the best option. It was quiet and private; the perfect place to give a reluctant good-bye.

For him, it happened too fast- the time when he first met her, to when they saw those Christmas lights, and even to when she stole a kiss on his forehead. The time seemed so short- and now she is already leaving him? It was just this morning that he tried to confess to her, but was too scared to say it aloud. He didn't want her to leave; he wanted to protect her for the rest of her life. He wanted to see her smile every day, and smell the sweet scent of her perfume as she walks by him.

His worst fear, he realized, was beginning to become a reality.

OoooooooO

"So...I guess this is it?" Maka said sadly and took a seat on his couch.

"You're right..." He answered solemnly and sat next to her.

"What's wrong, Soul? We should be happy- I mean, my mother has finally come home!"

"Where are you planning to go after this?"

"I'll leave with my mother and live with her. We're going to the train station tomorrow morning. Aren't you glad, too?" No, he was not, and rightfully so. He wanted to tell her so badly what went on in his mind, even if she rejected him.

A thought so powerful, that it had to make her stop and think her choices over again. A thought so profound that she had to stay.

"Maka..." He gripped the couch cushion beside his leg. "Don't go." Maka drew back in shock. Dammit! Wrong thought!

"What?"

"I don't want you to go!" He persisted.

"Why not, Soul? I've been waiting for this moment to happen! Don't you want me to be happy? You're the one who said she'd come back...you also said that we'd wait! And now you don't want me to go?"

"No! I can't! I-" he struggled to find the right words, but he figured that now was the right time. "I won't let you go!"

"You're starting to sound like my father!" The words felt like a slap across the cheek. All of his thoughts came to a halt. Soul felt his face go red. He never experienced being confronted like this, especially by a girl.

Panic surged through his brain. Grabbing her shoulders, he pulled her body closer to his. "S-Soul!" She cried in surprise. Their faces were so close together they could feel each other's breath. Finally, he decided to release that ground-breaking thought that he was so sure would change her mind:

"I love you." He blurted out. "I love you, Maka."

His face drifted closer to hers, as did his lips. Maka tried to speak, but it came out as an incoherent whisper. Under the hypnotizing deep red gaze, her body relaxed. Slowly, they closed their eyes as their lips touched and interlocked.

OoooooooO

It was the first time that they both had ever experienced this kind of warmth. It was a feeling so foreign that when their lips had stopped touching and they let go, they could do nothing but stare blankly at each other.

A sharp knock on the door snapped them out of their trance. "Hello?" a feminine voice called from outside. "Is this where Soul Evans lives?" Maka recognized the muffled voice of her mother and got up automatically to open the door. Soul's body refused to move and he kept his eyes glued to one spot. "Maka, it's time to go. Say good-bye now!"

"G-Good bye..." Choking out a broken farewell, she closed the door behind her and Soul was left alone- still trying to recall what had just happened.