Jane: Oh my God, this is gonna be the best chapter ever! AND, I'm very happy to say this is my first story to have over 5,000 hits! To that, I squeal like a fangirl. Thank you guys so much! Enjoy!

Chapter 10

"Soul, thank God you're okay!" Black*Star and Kid pulled Soul out of the lower vent into theirs, which for some reason was tall enough for everyone to stand up in, where Maka gave him the tightest hug he ever had. He felt tears wet the shoulder of his shirt, and he broke off her hug to look at her face. She was sobbing, yet grinning, like she'd just won the lottery. She wiped the tears from her eyes and kissed him briefly on the cheek.

"I'm just so glad you're alive." Soul smiled and took her hand. With a flash, he became a scythe, appearing bare torso in the blade a second later.

"Come on, let's go get that father of yours."

They walked through the vent slowly, expecting an attack at any moment. It was silent, so Black*Star took the opportunity to explain to Soul how he could have better escaped capture.

"That crazy ass S.O.B. wouldn't have been able to take me in the first place. See, what you do with chloroform is you hold your breath and pretend to be knocked out until they start dragging you away. Then you open a can of whoop ass on them! Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

"Black*Star, shut the hell up before I blast you out of the freaking vent." Kid was glaring at the ninja with piercing golden eyes. Black*Star merely shrugged and said Soul probably wouldn't have had much time to think about it anyways.

With the force of an explosion, Kami Albarn knocked Black*Star, who had been at the front of the group, to the ground with Spirit in his scythe form. He slammed against the metal vent with such force, he made a dent the size of a moon crater. His green eyes glared up at the scythe-man, whose meister was sobbing hysterically, her entire body shaking, while he was smiling. Smiling an insane smile of malice and disregard. Black*Star's pupils became stars and he leaped up from the ground, wildly attacking Spirit. Not his meister, but the weapon itself, driving his soul wavelength into his friend's father with every blow.

Kid had joined in the fight, shooting carefully at the Spirit's blade, trying desperately to avoid hitting Maka's mother. Meanwhile, Maka could only stare at her mother with wide eyes as her face writhed in pain and agony.

"Soul," she whispered. "We have to get my mother away from him so we can bring Papa to Shinigami-sama." Soul raised a skeptical eyebrow in his blade image.

"Why should we take him back to Lord Death? Why not kill him right here?" Maka shook her head viciously.

"No! We can't, and I'll tell you why. Even though he's done awful things, he's not on the Death List. Besides, he's not really doing this, its the madness." Soul made a growling sound in the back of his throat.

"Then how the hell are we supposed to beat this asshole?" Maka glanced down at her boyfriend. His eyes were slightly clouded with rage, and there was a seemingly permanent glare on his face. Maka smiled at him.

"Trust me, I have a plan." She lunged at her mother, aiming for the top of the other scythe. She didn't try to fake out her mother or avoid hitting her hand, she just went straight ahead. Kami flinched and dropped her ex-husband.

"Maka!" Maka scooped up her father and tossed him to Black*Star, who entangled him in Tsubaki's chain. He transformed back into a human, only tightening the trap around him. He screamed out in anger.

"Soul Eater, you bastard! How dare you steal my Maka away from me? And Kami, you bitch! Who the hell do you think you are?" He struggled violently in Tsubaki's chains, but his efforts were useless. Kami Albarn stared at her daughter in disbelief. Then at her ex-husband. Maka, then Spirit. Maka then Spirit. Her daughter smiled at her.

"Come on Mama. Let's take Papa to Lord Death, get the madness out of him." Kami nodded slowly and Soul transformed back into a human to help Kid and Black*Star drag the snarling Spirit out of the vents.

"REAPER CHOP!" Shinigami-sama's huge hand came down hard on the crazed Death Scythe's skull. Spirit fell unconscious on the floor.

"Um, don't you think that was a bit much?" Stein's usual sadistic voice echoed throughout the Death Room. The Reaper looked down in the professor's direction.

"Hmm, I suppose you're right. Oh well, nothing we can do now." A low chuckle could barely be heard from Stein.

"Lord Death, will Professor Stein be able to reverse Papa's madness and turn him back to normal?" Marie answered this time.

"Well, with Stein's experience and my healing wavelength, he should recover in about three months, considering how far gone he'd been." Maka nodded in understanding.

"And my Mama?" Marie smiled at Maka's concern.

"She'll be fine. That year she spent as a slave wasn't good to her, but she'll be good as new in no time." Maka smiled in relief. Soul looked up at Shinigami-sama.

"So what now?" He asked.

"Now you kids need to go home and rest up. There is a test tomorrow after all."

"WHAT?" The group gasped simultaneously. Lord Death nodded.

"Uh huh. So you want to make sure you're prepared, okay?" The kids sighed.

"Yes sir." They replied. After that, the departed and went to there separate homes.

It was quiet at Maka and Soul's apartment. They were reflecting on everything that had happened in just a week. Amazing.

"Soul? There's something I feel I should say." Soul opened his sleepy eyes to look intently at his girlfriend and meister.

"Yeah, what's up Maka?" She twirled her fingers in her hair like she does when she's nervous.

"I had just been thinking about how fast this week had gone by, and now we're not ready for that test tomorrow. I just, I don't want the rest of my life-our lives to be like that." Soul thought hard for a long time, before finally coming up with an answer.

"Maka, I don't know how our lives are going to go. I have no clue which direction we'll take in a year, or two, or five, or thirty. I don't want to waste the time we have now worrying about possible pitfalls in the future. All I want right now is to spend everyday I can with you." Maka's eyes became brimmed with tears of joy. She hugged him tightly and he hugged her back. Soul is right. Maka thought. As long as we're here together now, everything else is secondary.

Jane: And now the story is completed. I feel so sad, but as it was said before, the story is never truly over. I love you all so much, thank you for all of your love and support. I can't wait to start the sequel! ; )

Soul: Can't wait.

Maka: Oh Soul, shut up and enjoy the break from Jane.

Jane: Not you too! How is it that all the characters I write the words to turn against me?

Blair: Blair hasn't turned against you, nya!

Jane: Thank you BLAIR! At least someone likes being a part of my work!

Soul: Dude, she was hardly in any of it.

Jane: Wow, we are totally out of time. Catch you guys on the flip side. I love you all so much!