I walked into the apartment. Blair was sitting on the couch in her cat form. That didn't matter right now. I feel as if I failed Maka again. I walked over to the other orange couch, the one right next to the door. I've never understood why both the couches were orange. I could never find out where she got them either. I slumped down on the couch as I glared at the floor as if it offended me. One thing was for sure though, these couches were very comfortable.

"Another failed search mission?" Blair asked. I just kept silent. We rehearsed this so many times before that it feels as if I was just watching a rerun-ed tape. I could hear Blair sigh. "So what is it this time? Are you mad that you couldn't find her or the fact that everyone seems to be giving up?"Blair asked.

"Both." I grumbled. "Liz wants everyone to move on. Black Star is giving up on God. Kidd doesn't care about symmetry anymore. Patti won't talk at all. Tsubaki argues with Liz about... I'm just having a hard time keeping everyone together..." I explained as little as possible but still enough for her to understand the situation.

"She has been gone for a month, Soul." Blair tried to reason. "I'm sure she's on her way back now anyways. There's no need to fret. She'll be back soon." Blair stated as she got into her human form. I finally looked up at her but with a risen brow. She was smiling and happy. Now that I think about, she was the one that was least worried about Maka...

"How can you be so sure of that?" I asked, practically demanding for an answer. Blair just smiled at me.

"When I came home with Maka, she promised that she'll always return She won't be gone no longer than a month. She always kept her promises, no matter how hard the challenges were. I have faith in Maka. That's how I know." Blair told. She stood up and made her way to the door. "I'm going to work. I'll see you later, Soul." She said as she walked out the door. The smile was still present on her face. I was alone in the apartment again. I hate being alone... I turned my attention to the coffee table. If Maka was still here, she probably would've make some sort of snack or something. She said that it made her feel like she was useful for something. I've never understood why she felt that way but... Now I miss all those weird quirks of hers. I looked over to her sketch book. I haven't looked in it since Tim showed me that one drawing. Maka loved to draw. I remember seeing her book shelve full of sketch books. From how worn out they were, I'm sure they're all filled out.

"Maka draws to help her escape from reality. Or like most musicians and singers, to tell what she can't speak." Tim told as he started washing the dishes. He had made perfect sense to me. "Maka though... I don't think she wants others to know. She thinks they're better off not knowing or she just don't trust them at all." He explained. With how they were treating her at he academy, I understood why she felt that way. I looked down at the sketch book.

"I heard that Maka can sing though. So why does she draw when she can sing?" I asked, remembering how the girls told us that she could sing.

"Growing up, Tsuki loved to draw. I'm sure that Maka only draws because it helps her feel close to her. Singing is because Utau taught her and Tsuki. They'd walk through stores and stuff, singing the most creepy songs I have ever heard, just to end up scaring the customers and getting kicked out. What Maka liked to do most, besides fighting, was to dance. She always said that fighting felt like she had a voice when she was too afraid to speak. If she couldn't fight though, she'd dance, since it was so close to fighting. Finding the rhythm and creating moves. That was her passion." He told. I remembered when Maka was cooking breakfast that one time. I could see Maka dancing. "She swore she'd never dance again. She promised that she'd keep drawing to keep everyone together forever... I wish it wasn't true but...once she's made up her mind, you can't even make her look away."

I leaned forward a bit. Should I look inside it? I get that art tells a story and stuff. Mom always loved art. Would Maka mind though? Sure, it would get me to understand her better but... I took a deep breath and picked up the sketch book. I placed it in my lap. It was all I really had of Maka's. She let's Patti and I watch her draw. What's so different between watching someone draw a bunch of pictures than looking at the finished pieces? I swallowed the lump in my throat and opened the sketch book. The first picture was black and white and every shade in between. It was a small abandon town from a distance. Was this where it all happened? I stared at it a bit more before turning to the next page. One picture after another, they were all black and white. Maka was either somehow involved or they were places and things. None of them was what Patti and I watched her draw. I flipped through the rest of the pages. Towards the back of the book was colored pictures. The one that Patti and I watched her draw and more. Most of these were of me and the gang, some of the even had Blair in it but... Maka wasn't in any of these. Even though all these pictures seemed happy I couldn't help but to hate them. Why wouldn't Maka draw her along with the rest of us? She belongs with us. What boggled me the most was the picture she drew of herself. She was covered in wounds. Everything was just outlined but the blood... The blood was colored in black. Why would she draw that? Maybe I should take this to Kidd. He's a big art fanatic, maybe he'd know what these would mean. I yawned what seemed like the millionth one today. I closed the sketch book as I placed it back on the coffee table. It's been a long month. Honestly, it doesn't even seem like a month. It feels like months. I laid on the couch. For a bookworm, Maka sure knew how to pick furniture. I slowly close my eyes as I slowly fell asleep.


The rich dark wooden door is all that stood before me and the apartment that I shared with Soul and Blair. My heart beat was racing. I was happy to finally be home but... I'm also scared. What if they didn't want me back? What if this was really just a dream? Or worse... He killed them too...No. Maka. Have faith. They're strong. Just open the blasted door! I swallowed the lump in my throat and raised a shaky hand up to the door knob. I pushed the fear away and hurriedly opened the door. The apartment hadn't changed any, maybe a little dirty, but nothing actually changed. The apartment was silent. It was pitch black outside so I wasn't really surprised. I closed the door as silently as I couldn't behind me. I turned my head over towards the living room. Soul was laying on his stomach on the couch. I couldn't help but to smile when I heard one of his soft snores. My heart relaxed. Soul tends to have that affect on me. I took off what was left of my boots and walked over to my room. I've been stuck in that stinky place for god knows how long. I'm pretty sure that I smell like it, if not worse. I'm going to take a shower. That and if he were to wake up and see dry blood all over me; I'm positive that will not go well. I grabbed the most comfortable close there was, that hid everything, and took my a warm shower. It felt like heaven getting all that grim and gunk off of me. As soon as I was fully clothed, I rushed over to Soul. He was still snoring on the couch. I wanted to wake him up. I really really did. I wanted to hug him and never let go. Literally. I knew I couldn't though. Soul's dark circles were darker than normal. He didn't even look at peace right now. I'll let him sleep, for now. I knelt down on the floor and just stared at Soul, not to be creepy. Soul was drooling again, per usual. I watched as his chest rises and falls with each breath. He must have turned on his sleep. It was so hard to believe I was in front of him again. Soul's face crunched up a bit like he ate a sour lemon but his jaw was moving like he was eating something. Tsuki-chan made that face when she went to bed on an empty stomach. I giggled a bit at his face. I stood back up and walked to the kitchen. The kitchen was somewhat clean. There were dirty dishes in the sink, not much but they were still there. Heavens know that Blair refuses to do them. With a sigh, I cooked a big meal. As I was cooking I cleaned up the kitchen. When everything was done, I fixed Soul a plate and placed it in the microwave then putting the rest of it in the refrigerator. Walking back in my room, I wrote Soul a note before placing it on the frige.

When I walked back in the living room; Soul was laying on his side, in a position that would surely kill his neck. I rolled my eyes, nevertheless I smiled. I slowly walked over to make sure I wouldn't wake him up. I watched him for a second. He didn't even stir. I slowly lifted his head. As soon as it was high enough, I maneuvered myself to where I was sitting under Soul's I got comfortable, I slowly placed Soul's head on my lap. He hummed what sounded like a thanks.

"Your welcome." I whispered back. I couldn't stop smiling. I was finally next to Soul. Soul snuggled up slightly towards me as his face expression finally became peaceful. My chest was swelling at the accomplishment. I started running my hand through his hair. It felt a lot like silk but it was as soft as cotton. Weird... It suits him in a weird way though. I leaned back against the couch. I started humming 'As long as your there' as help sooth not only me but Soul as well. The lyrics were playing across me mind. It was a cute song. It also reminded me of how I felt when I was captured. Closing me eyes, I leaned farther into the couch. The door knob was turning. I stopped humming to turn to look at the door. The door slowly opened.

"Soul~!" Blair started yelling.

"SHHHHH!" I shushed her. Blair froze in place. Her eyes were wide, as if she saw a ghost. She slowly turned to look at me. I smiled at her and waved with my free hand. Her eyes widen to where it kind of looked like Liz that saw the ghost. Her body was visibly shaking now. I watched her in amusement. "So... Do I get a hug or what?" I sassed with a smirk on my face. She immediately turned into a cat and jumped at me. I giggled a bit when she landed on my chest. I hugged her to the best that I could since she was in that form. I started humming again. Blair started crying her eyes out. I didn't know if it was from happiness or if I did something wrong. I was just happy that I could be there for her. "I'm home." I said. That made her start crying even harder. She started getting loud... Loud enough to wake Soul up. I started soothing her to try to calm her down. I didn't want to wake Soul up.

"Don't ever do that again!" Blair whisper harshly. I giggled at that.

"I promise that I'll try my best." I swore. She finally calmed down again. Soul groaned loud enough to make Blair and I freeze. When Soul started moving, Blair jumped off of me.

"Blair, I thought I told you to stop placing my head on your lap." Soul complained. I smirked at the opportunity.

"Well, if you don't like it that much, I just won't do it ever again." I teased. Soul froze as Blair started laughing from the other couch. Soul swiftly turned to me. I'm pretty sure that he got whip lashed. His red eyes widen in surprise. I smiled at him. "I'm home." I told. His eyes narrowed.

"How do I really know your really Maka?" He asked skeptically. I raised my brow at him.

"Someone has been impersonating me?" I asked with a growl. He shook his head as he sweat dropped. I raised my brow at him again. "Then why do you ask?"

"I've haven't really been going to school and crap so I figured that Stein replicated you so something to make me go back." He told. I blinked my eyes at him. I raised my hand up to place it on his shoulder. I swallowed the lump of fear. I reached my soul out to his. He immediately answered.

'I have spaghetti waiting for you in the microwave.' I told him. My eyes never leaving his.

'That can wait. Why did you hesitate to resonate with me?' He asked. Crap, he noticed. He even turned down food. I'm in deep trouble now.

'If I tell you... You won't over react... will you?' I asked. His eyes harden a bit.

'What did he do to you..?' He growled, practically demanding for an answer. I finally dropped my eyes. I heard him sigh. I closed my eyes to wait for the lecture I was sure to get. My eyes popped open as I felt arms wrap around me. I slowly looked up at Soul again. 'We can talk about it later... I'm just glad your home.' He said. I smiled at him as I hugged him back. I felt tears leave my eyes. That's when I felt Soul place his head at the crock of my neck as something wet hit my shoulder. I hid my face in his shoulder. I didn't feel the need to hid behind these walls. I didn't feel the need the run away. This was truly what I always thought home was. I knew better though. I had to protect them... From me. For now though, I'll enjoy every second I got.


I yawned, waking myself up in the process. There was hair tickling my nose. I opened my eyes to ash blonde hair. That when everything came back to me.

"Maka." I gasped in shock. She was back. She was really back. I held her tighter to me... Wait a second. I lifted my head a little to look down at our position. Our legs were tangled together under a cover. My arms were wrapped around her waist, and we were very, very close together. How the heck did we end up like this? I don't remember falling asleep at all. I heard snickering from the other couch. I looked over to see Blair in her cat form with a very evil look on her face. I glared at her. So she was the one that put us in this position. Blair held up some pictures. They were of Maka and I from last night. One was us in the position I remember being in and one of the position we're currently in. I'm going to kill that cat. "No pumpkin of any sort for a week." I growled. Blair paled. I had a hard time keeping a straight face. Blair tried to compose herself. With every attempt, she kept making weird faces. After a few minutes, she finally composed herself.

"You know that Maka will be asleep for a while." Blair stated.

"Go ahead and change the subject." I grumbled under my breath.

"She probably didn't even sleep the entire time she was captured. She may have passed out a few times but she probably didn't actually sleep." Blair clarified. She turned into human form and started her way to the kitchen. "I'll go ahead and cook us something to eat." She proclaimed.

"Maka made us some food last night. Check the microwave!" I yelled loud enough for Blair to hear.

"Even better~!" Blair cheered. I rolled my eyes at that. I looked back down at Maka. She was still sound asleep. Her hair was a mess as if she didn't brush it. She probably didn't but she was off-ly clean. Maybe she took a shower once she got here. "Did you clean the kitchen last night?" Blair asked.

"No! I fell asleep soon after you left!" I told.

"Maka must have cleaned it up then." I heard Blair say from the other room. Why would Maka do all that before getting some sleep herself?

"Why does she always stay to herself?" Liz asked as Maka came up the stairs. Maka doesn't have any friends at all. She always stayed to herself and avoided people like the plague. "It's weird."

"Maybe she's depressed or something?" Kidd suggested. That could be it. No one has ever seen her smile. Most of the people here don't even know why she's here at the academy. The teacher say that either she's too weak to even fight or that she's the strongest meister in the academy. We all watched as Maka just walked into the academy without giving a glance to anyone.

"Rumor has it that she help some kid from being eaten by a kishin then ended up destroying it by herself. Would a depressed person help someone else out?" Tsubaki asked.

"When they're cool, they do." I stated. Liz rushed over and slung an arm around my shoulders. She started poking my jaw.

"That's a voice of experience~. Did our little souly have depression~." She teased. I glared at her as I pushed her off of me.

"Or maybe he has a crush on the mortal! Bwahahahaha~!" Black Star declared. I roll my eyes at their antics. "Ooof!" I turned to Black Star. He was falling backwards with a book stuck into his face.

"Quieten down you idiot!" We heard someone yell. We all looked up to one of the balconies. Maka was standing on the edge while glaring down at Black Star. We looked at him and noticed that he was knocked out. Everyone else went to make sure he was ok. I looked back up at Maka. There was a smile on her face as she mouthed something. I'm sure what she said was...

"You're welcome."

She did all that so she could help. Now that I think about it, she was always trying to help others in her own way. I gave Maka one last hug before skillfully getting up without disturbing Maka. I'll make sure she gets some sleep... Meaning no Black Star... or Liz.


It's been a week since Maka returned... and she's still asleep.I know that Blair made a promise to make sure that no medical trained official looks at her but... I need to know that she's alright. Her sleeping for this long is diffidently not normal. I leaned back on the couch as I glared at the ceiling. Maka was asleep on the other couch on the opposite side of the room, still. My mind played back on our last conversation before we fell asleep. What would make make her so hesitant when it comes to me? I'm her partner! It shouldn't be like this! I took a deep breath. What all was she hiding? I learned a lot from Tim but he didn't know that much either. He didn't know about the nightmares. I looked over at Maka again. There was a pained expression on her face. The same as when she was having nightmares. Were they of the recent capture or of the previous-es? Ugh! Why can't she just wake up?!

"Not cool to keep your partner waiting, Maka." I grumbled. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday and it was ten at night. I wanted to get up and make something but I hated leaving her side for too long. What if she wakes up and I wasn't here? Maybe I should've ate what Maka cooked more slowly. Blair was at work , so I couldn't ask her to watch her. "So not cool..." I growled. Maka would kill me if she knew I didn't eat because of her. I clicked my tongue to the roof of my mouth as I got up off the couch. If I'm going to cook something, it's gotta be fast. Or... I could order out... We don't order out unless we've just returned from a mission though... Oh well, Maka will understand later. I could try to blame Blair for not trying to help. I'll probably get Maka chopped because of it, so it's not worth it. I walked over to the phone. I looked back to the living room. I couldn't see much of it. The part of the arm of the couch that was next to the door was all I could see. I'm going to have to make this order quick. I swiftly punched in the numbers of our favorite pizza joint.


The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I felt really light headed. There was also a sharp pain in my stomach. Probably from where I haven't eaten in so long. I heard foot steps leaving the room. He's never watched me sleep before.

"You escaped, you idiot." Amateratsu stated. My eyes popped open at that. She was right. I was in my apartment. How did..? Right... I slowly got up off the couch. I sank to the floor with my knees to my chest.

"Maka, you got to listen to me!" Rudra ran into the now clean room. His eyes were no longer soulless. They were a light shade of blue and green... Mostly blue though. He's came in here several times before in the same state.

"What's wrong?" I asked, honestly concerned. His eyes were starting to tear up. All I could see on his face was an apology. I already knew what was going to atmosphere in the room have fallen even more. "No..! You have to keep fighting! Utau-okaa-chan is still waiting for you! It's not cool to leave your partner like that!" I desperately yelled. His gaze fell to the floor. "You can beat it, Tony!"

"I miss them, Maka!" He yelled back. " I just wanted you to give some stuff to Utau-chan... Maybe she'll forgive me. I just want to see my kids again." He confessed with tears rolling down his face. Tears were rolling down my face too. My eyes fell to the floor as well.

"Nothing I say will make you change your mind, is it..?" I desperately asked. I could practically feel him shake his head. I can't believe he, the most stubborn man in the world, was going to give up. He does have a point father in the world would do whatever it took to either avenged their child or to go see them again. I took a deep breath. I can't believe I'm going to do this... "What... stuff do you want me to give her?" I hesitantly asked. My voice cracked. I already know what I have to do... And I hate it.

"Everything that's on the bed. It's the next room over." He told. "Thank you, Maka."

"Just wait till we see each other again. Your getting one hell of a Maka Chop." I teased. He slightly chuckled at me. he took a deep breath.

"I'm ready now." He said as I heard him stand up.

Tears were rolling down my face as I glared at the floor. Why did life have to be so cruel?! I placed my forehead to the top of my knees. Life sucks...

"Maka!" Someone shouted. I jumped in shock. I turned my head towards the kitchen. Soul was already knelling beside me. He was trying to scan me for any injuries. "No injuries, right?" He asked with a calm voice. I could tell that he was really worried though. I shook my head . there was no injuries to my body. Soul let out a deep sigh before sitting down next to me. "Did he torture you?" He hesitantly asked. I nodded my head. I could tell he stopped breathing. "No can there be no injuries if he tortured you?" He asked, really confused. I took a deep breath to gather my courage.

"Please... Forgive him." I plead.

"What." He basically growled.

"It was my fault that he turned out the way he is." I stated with a bit more courage this time. It was the truth.

"Maka, you better not mean that." he demanded.

"Because I feel no physical pain, he shot his soul wavelength through my body. Which is why I have no injuries." I stated. i was sure i heard him grumbled something about 'women' and 'changing the subjects'. "I made many really big mistakes, Soul. One of them caused him to be like that. It's not his fault. He tried to fight the madness." I scooted my knees closer to my chest. "He lost." I was staring off into space.

"That's why you were hesitant..." Soul commented, as if he was talking to himself. I didn't move.

"Soul..." I heard him hum in acknowledgement. "Can we go to the desert tomorrow? I left some stuff out there." I asked.

"I'm fine with that, as long as you explain everything later." He replied. I nodded my head. My stomach was knotting up in dread. He was going to something that not even death knew about me... I really wasn't looking forward to it but I have to give that stuff to Utau-okaa-chan. I hate this situation. There was a knock at the door. "Good, The pizza man is here." Soul commented just to be talking. At the sound of pizza, my stomach growled.

"Pizza?" I asked as I lifted my head off my knees. Soul chuckled at me.

"Yeah, I got you a small spinach and basil." He stated as he got up to answer the door.

"You are the coolest partner ever." I stated. He looked back an smirked at me.

"Tell me something I don't know." He teased. Then everything just fell right back into place. I was finally home... With even more walls than before.