Well, I feel really guilty about changing the title, so it's changed back to Do Re Mi.

Spring Break is boring.

This chapter's short.

And stupid.

But just remember, everything will turn out alright in the end. And I'd like to know if I'm pushing the T limit with this chapter. So review, please, because I only got three reviews for last chapter and I'm starting to believe that my story is getting boring for my regular reviewers.

The picture? It'll come. I promise. But not soon. Too busy. Family things. Fuck everything.

Ki

Everyone loves cake. Well, most people. Soul's favorite cake sat on the dinning room table, in a round shape of a soul, covered with whisps of light blue frosting and the number '17' on it. Maka bent over behind it, examining the edges, making sure frosting covered every inch of it. She giggled and slid the cake toward the middle of the table as the party sang along to the popular Birthday Song. As soon as everyone hit the last note, BlackStar shouted, "One more year 'till you're LEGAL!!!!!"

"Does it matter?" Soul asked loudly over all the commotion and excitement, "We're drinking tonight!"

The volume of talking grew louder and louder. A couple dozen people high-fived each other. Kidd leaned back on his chair a laughed loudly, commenting on how hard it was to sneak all the beverages out of his Honorable Father's mansion. Ox and Harvar congratulated Soul as Maka began to cut the cake, distributing pieces on plates. The party lined up to receive their pieces of cake and pour any alcoholic drink they might have desired. The living room filled with socialization.

Jackie wobbled to stand up, with a drink in hand. She asked the party, "Just to make sure… there is no one under the age of fifteen? Or above the age of eighteen, right?"

Kidd gave a loud cough and everyone laughed hysterically. Someone shouted, "So how old are 'ya, Kidd-O?"

Kidd shouted back, "SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY-TWO!!!!"

BlackStar patted Kidd on the back, "Props to you, man. You still look thirteen." He took a swig of his beer and choked. His coughing allowed a quick recovery.

Kidd stood up and left to sit next to Chrona, who was leaning against the back wall. She quickly noticed his presence and slid down the wall to sit on her heels. Her hand gripped her glass tighter. Kidd gave out a small chuckle and bent down to keep eye contact with her. The shaggy lavender hair had grown out a bit, and pulled back into a ponytail. A white shirt with a black skull hugged her upper body and a black skirt covered her thighs. Kidd asked, "Are you okay?"

Chrona didn't answer at first. She peered down cautiously at her red wine. As much as she wanted to comment about her inability to deal with this new substance, she didn't want to make herself look like a fool. She had to grow up. Stop being a kid. Act normal. She gulped and replied, "Nice party."

"Are you okay?" Kidd repeated himself, insisting on the well being of a good friend. He scooted over to sit on the ground next to her, placing his hand over hers. "You seem very nervous. If you are, I can take you outside for awhile."

"Um…" Chrona hummed, blushing a sweet apple color. Her hand under Kidd's shook, and her lips trembled. She really wanted to. But she'd screw something up and ruin everything. She just knew it. So she replied, "N-no thanks!"

Kidd snorted, "Well, I'm not taking 'No' for an answer." He linked his arm with hers and pulled her up. She reluctantly followed after him, unwillingly linked to him. When they got outside, the entire party cracked up, commenting on how they were so up to something. Liz and Patty defended Kidd by insisting that he wasn't feeling to well because nothing in here is symmetrical. But everyone knew he didn't care about symmetry anymore.

Maka helped herself to some cake, then sank into the couch next to Tsubaki. The ninja weapon turned away from her conversation with Liz and greeted Maka, who didn't look too overjoyed. Maka just sat there, starring off to the other side of the room. There, BlackStar slung his arm over Soul's shoulders, flirting with a few girls from their class. Tsubaki chuckled and mentioned, "He's keeping his cool. Don't worry about it." Maka didn't say anything. She watched them. Soul made a gesture that caused a girl to giggle. One of the two girls swung their hips at BlackStar. He thrust his back at her and both the girls hugged each other with laughter. BlackStar decided to join in the love, and hung himself around the girls' necks. Soul gave a friendly punch at his back and said something Maka couldn't hear.

Maka snorted and stuffed half the cake into her mouth. She didn't want to get involved, even when her insides twisted in jealousy. They're dunk, she told herself. They are very very drunk. When the group of four finished their laughing fit, Soul whispered into both of the girls' ears and pointed to Maka. Maka darted her eyes away in time. The girls looked her way. They looked at a small dirty blonde-haired girl in a plaid green shirt and a pair of old ripped jeans. Her face covered in cake. Lots of cake. Looking downwards. At her sandals. Tsubaki whispered, "They're looking at you." Maka lifted her head to the side to give Tsubaki the no-shit-Sherlock look. At that moment, BlackStar waved over to Tsubaki, redirecting the girls' eyes to her. Tsubaki's cheeks glowed pink.

The plate clattered onto the coffee table when Maka set it down. She stood herself up and bit the inside of her cheek. Soul couldn't control his ass, but as long as he stayed in her sight, she'd be a tolerant girlfriend. But this wasn't fair. To be fair, she strutted her way down to the kitchen and poured herself a full glass of sake. At the first touch of her tongue, the alcohol stung. She'd never had any of this shit, but it'd be worth a try tonight. Everyone was drinking, right? And everyone was just fine. She hadn't finished her glass, yet she filled it up again, and then left the kitchen. She passed Ox necking Kim. She passed Kilik chatting with Patty and another dude, telling both of them about how Fire and Thunder were at their Mom's house. She passed Liz and Tsubaki returning to their conversation about college. She finally reached Harvar, who didn't seem to notice her until she tapped his shoulder.

"Whatcha looking at?" Maka asked, fortunately not drunk yet. She found Harvar staring at the window to the area in front of the apartment.

"Just the mailman," Harvar pointed at the man in a white uniform.

Maka sighed, "Ah." She took another sip of sake. In the middle, she looked at Harvar in her corner of her eye. "Want some sake? Or beer or wine or something?"

Harvar shook his head, "Nah, I'm fine… thanks." He looked back and the mailman, but shook his head again and turned back to Maka. "Second thought, do you have… maybe… coffee?"

Without even glancing behind her, she pointed her thumb backwards at BlackStar. She knew right where he was. Of course, he came to the apartment early to help out with set up. In the process, he had downed a gallon of coffee. They were out. "But if you want, I can run to the store and get more."

"Nah."

"It's just around the corner," Maka insisted.

She began to leave to get her coat, when Harvar tugged on her shirt, holding her back. He said, "Forget it. I'm fine."

"Okay."

The two of them leaned on the windowpane, watching the mailman walk away, down the street and into the evening shadows. They continued to just stare out into nowhere for a while. The window itself became cold and icy. Maka's breath stuck to the glass, clinging onto its smooth surface. She took another sip. Long party. Long hours. They'd been dancing and chatting for several hours, now, and everything was getting just a bit old, now. But with this magical sake in her gasp, everything would turn out amazing. She would get drunk, have some fun, go to bed, wake up in Soul's arms…

Or maybe she'd get laid tonight.

She chocked on her sake, her head banging against the window. Harvar immediately straightened her out and grabbed the sake from her hands. Maka suddenly felt pressure on her shoulders, her stomach and lungs as light as a feather. Harvar's concerning words blurred in her head. I'm too goddamn drunk now. Shit. Shit. Maka thought. Her heart raced. She had to stop drinking before she got to the point where she wouldn't be able to control herself.

Maka yanked her sake back from Harvar, opening the window and pouring it out onto the stairwell. She handed the glass back to Harvar and slammed the window closed, and then trudged over to the dinning room, where she heard a loud moaning sound coming from her bedroom. Goddamn Ox. Goddamn Kim. She didn't care at this point. It wasn't her fault. They're the one's who'll regret it later. And she'll be the one in the morning to beat them with a book until they washed her sheets.

"Oooox!" Maka heard Kim.

Goddamn them all.

This was not fun.

"You drunk yet?" Tsubaki asked, walking into the dinning room. The upper half of Maka was glued to the kitchen counter. Her eyes were tired. "I saw you drinking all that sake."

"Not entirely. I think I might still be able to prevent myself from raping Soul." She half-heartedly joked. Remembering Soul, she lifted herself up and looked out to the living room to watch him again. This time, he was a few feet away from the girls and BlackStar, taking a small sip of wine. His eyes were closed, but he stood perfectly straight. His body didn't seem to be taking in any effects from the alcohol, but Maka was sure he was drunk. She attempted to make eye contact with him, but just as he opened his eyes to look her way, one of the girls hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. Maka almost blew up, but Soul swatted the girl away. Then, she heard him say no. Really loudly.

But just when she thought he was actually sane, he proved her wrong. The other girl had gotten in front of him, pressing her back against his stomach and her ass on his thighs. Maka watched breathlessly as Soul grinded himself against the girl, who in return, latched her legs around one of his thighs. BlackStar gave a whoop.

Maka's jaw dropped. The anger boiled up inside her head. She was about ready to go give that bitch a beating, but she had to tell herself that he was drunk. The girl was drunk. She was drunk. And she knew Soul wouldn't go farther than this. She had to stay calm and get out before she ended up killing someone. She hurried across the room, her destination being her jacket. But she was stopped by a tanned arm. Maka saw the light blue hair. BlackStar held onto her waist. Then, she saw Soul and the girls surrounding her. She yanked herself away, but BlackStar caught her again. He announced, "WE'RE GONNA HAVE A FIVESOME IN SOUL'S ROOM!!!"

Maka's eyes widened, her irises instantly darting to Soul. Had he actually agreed to this? This now seventeen-year-old guy, standing in front of her, who was supposed to be her boyfriend? Her Soul? He's drunk… he's drunk… she kept thinking. He's drunk, he's drunk, he's drunk! Soul bent over to come eye-to-eye with his meister. He spoke, "It'll be cool." He pressed his lips against Maka's, who put up a fight. She struggled against him as he licked her jaw line, moving downwards to suck on her neck while he began to lift her shirt up.

She finally cried, "NOOO! STOP, YOU ASSHOLE!" At this point, she didn't care if he was drunk. She kneed him between the legs, shocking BlackStar, who let go of her. She then slapped Soul with the back of her hand, causing the party to gasp. All fell silent, watching Maka become insane. Maka sped to the door and threw on her jacket. Tears swelled her eyes. She grabbed an empty glass from off the table and threw it at Soul. It purposely missed and shattered against the wall. She threw another one, this time, some beer spilt out. Her crying caused her to stutter and shake, her heavy breathing chopped into long gasps. Through her tears, she said, "I'm getting Harvar his mother-fucking coffee." And she left.

Maka ran down the street, going the opposite direction of the store. Fuck coffee. She hated Soul. She hated how she kept forgiving him with that stupid little excuse. Yes, he was drunk to tears, but his actions were uncalled for! He's drunk… he's drunk… bullshit. Bullshit! She was drunk. Drunk and betrayed. Again. Because her father betrayed her. Soul might as well betray her, also. She ripped off her jacket, suddenly not caring for the cold, and threw it into the gutters. Free from constraints, she picked up speed. Her legs carried her down block after block. She pulled out her messy bun and let her hair bounce on her back. Foggy air of the night surrounded her. Followed her to the center of town. She spotted Kidd and Chrona walking together down the opposite way she came, towards her home. But she didn't stop to greet them. She didn't give a rat's ass.

Before Maka knew it, she arrived at the park. The one she heard music at. The park. On the other side of Death City. She was far, but not far enough. Even with this in mind, she didn't feel the energy to run anymore. Running wouldn't help. Crying wouldn't help. She sucked back her tears and climbed up the stairs of the gazebo. In the center was a grand piano. Someone was too lazy to load it up that night. Midnight seemed to lure her to the piano. Maka stared at the keys. A teardrop splattered on a G key. She sat herself down at the piano and sobbed, her mind restlessly tumbling to the darkness.

Birds chirping. Light pouring into her eyes. Heat warming her skin. When she heard quiet piano notes, she remembered she was at the park. She remembered she ran here. She remembered her tears. But she didn't remember why. The grass underneath her swayed in the wind, tickling her skin. A blanket covered her small form. A rolled up jacket under her head. It was yellow. And black. A sharp pain attacked her head. She grunted. Bad alcohol. She remembered she drank some sake. Harvar and she had watched the mailman. The piano stopped.

"Eat this." Someone said.

A small pill was slid through her lips. Hoping it would kill the headache, Maka took it in. She felt the rim of a water bottle touch her lower lip. She drank up some water and swallowed the pill. A pair of arms wrapped around her, hugging her to the person's chest. The person put a kiss on her cheek and placed her head back on the pillow.

"I'm sorry." It was Soul. Maka struggled to remember what had happened. She remembered her hitting him, then running away. She weakly opened her swollen eyes, finding her lover's ruby ones staring down at hers. Her heart thumped. He continued, "I barely even remember, myself. But whatever I did to deserve this red handprint on the side of my face… it was not cool." He picked up his water bottle and took a long drink. He closed the cap and continued, "But last night, you hit me, and I followed you here. When I got here, you were asleep. So I went back… Kidd started screaming at me about something… everyone was leaving. I grabbed pills. But I don't remember coming back… but I did… and-"

"I shouldn't forgive you," Maka wearily interrupted him. "I shouldn't forgive you."

Soul lowered his face, his nose touching Maka's nose. "What did I do to you?" He stroked her cheek. "Tell me."

Maka moaned in pain. She answered, "I don't know, but I shouldn't forgive you." Soul shook his head and laid down next to Maka, hugging her around her waist. He massaged her arm with his thumb, promising her that everything will be cool. Clouds floated by. Maka watched as one of them, a fish, swam through the sky. The pain in her head refused to go away. Her senses troubled her. Her body wanted to cry, and her head wanted to scream.

Soul commanded again, "Tell me what I did."

Maka began to cry, "You lied to me! That's what you did! You told me you'd stay by my side!" She was remembering. She remembered the girl he danced with. She remembered BlackStar grabbing her. She remembered Soul's drunken kiss, his hand up her shirt. "I told you not to pluck my feathers! I told you not to pluck a Blue Jay's feathers!" She cried, Oh, she cried. But she cried into his chest. She had to forgive him. Quietly, she whispered, "I was scared. You were so drunk."

Soul hugged her tighter. "I'm begging for forgiveness. What exactly did I do?"

"Nothing you'd be too pleased about," Maka snapped coldly at him. She hid herself in the crook of his arm. She felt him petting her back, running his fingers through her uncombed hair. He was drunk she told herself. He was drunk, he was drunk!

"I was drunk," Soul repeated her thoughts. She looked at his face, guilt written all over it. The brows above his eyes slanted outwards. Water clung to his lower lids, his face red with embarrassment and anger at himself. Suddenly, he asked an unexpected question, "D-did I…" he gulped, his voice shaking. "Did I rape you?"

Maka chocked, "No! You didn't. You couldn't have anyways, not with all those people there."

"But I would've…"

"No!" Maka cried out, once again with tears running down her cheeks. "You would've caught yourself. I know you would. I trust you. Just don't drink that much ever again! You hear me?"

Soul nodded. "Of course I do. I always do. I'm sorry."

None of them said anything else. They just lay in the grass holding each other until a woman with her child came by. Remembering they were at a public park, the two of them got up and headed home to clean up the mess that awaited them. Neither spoke. Neither replied. When Soul attempted to give Maka a small kiss on the lips, she backed away, requesting that he gave her some time. Being he cool guy he was, he held back. The both of them took pain medication every six hours, until evening came around.

"What's for dinner?" Soul asked.

"Leftovers," Maka replied dryly. She fumbled under the counters for a cooking pan.

Soul stopped her by grabbing her wrist. He suggested, "I'll cook tonight." Maka dismissed herself from Soul's presence and entered her room for the first time for what seemed like weeks. The stench of sex stung her nose. She cringed, then found the courage to rip off the sheets from the mattress and toss them into the wash, along with her other white clothes. The noise of the washing machine filled the apartment. It was just Maka. Soul. The washing machine. And the monster hiding under Soul's bed.

The monster named Guilt.