Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Chapter Eleven

Soul sighed as he leaned back in his computer chair. Doing his research into the past of Kami Albarn had not been an easy, or cheerful, task for him. He learned that when she was only nineteen she married Spirit Albarn and surrendered a promising career as a travelling singer. He was specifically interested in the fact that all the articles he'd read said she would be touring in a choral group led by Franken Stein. He wondered briefly if Stein knew Kami was Maka's mother but had then rolled his eyes at himself; he knew through pictures that Maka was the spitting image of her mother.

He had learned a lot about Spirit Albarn as well. The man was known for being a lady killer and had, on several incidents, cheated on his wife. He was an attractive man but he wasn't particularly clever. What he lacked in intelligence it seemed he made up for in strength, speed and physical prowess. Soul also discovered that he had attended a public school with both Stein and Marie; another interesting little fact of his.

Through his investigations, he was a little disappointed to have found nothing new on Maka herself.

He sighed and picked up the small telephone on his desk, making sure to click the button that would connect him to the kitchen. "Can you bring me a beverage and a snack please?" He asked into it.

"Of course, Master Soul," The light, cheery voice of one of the maids responded quickly. He heard a small rustling in the background. "What would you like to drink and eat?"

"Go ahead and surprise me," He said with a small shrug to himself.

"Excellent choice, Master Soul," She responded in that same tone before they both hung up. Soul knew that she was probably going to whine about how he hadn't been very specific but he really didn't care. Smack talk was something he was used to at this point.

He then turned back to his computer and loaded up his favorite browser. He then uploaded Google and typed in "Kami Albarn obituary" and clicked the search button. He perked up when several articles loaded up. He uploaded a few in new tabs and started reading the first article he found, the title catching him by surprise.

"Kami Albarn: The Real Life Ophelia (1)".

Many people have at least heard of the Shakespearean masterpiece called Hamlet; even more people know the tragic fate of the female character Ophelia, whether they've read the play or not. If you are not familiar, Ophelia was a character whom was infatuated with the main character Hamlet. Ophelia lives her life according to what her father and brother tell her, trying her best to earn Hamlet's affection while keeping her family's words in mind. In the end, she receives the short end of the stick; Hamlet kills her father. She then loses her mind from grief and dies; one of the biggest debates by both the cast and scholars alike are whether Ophelia drowns herself intentionally of if it was simply a mistake brought on by her depression keeping her trapped in her delusions.

Three days ago, singing sensation Kami Albarn passed away from a similar fate.

It was a known fact that, with her failing marriage and cheating husband, Kami was falling into a deep depression. For almost three years she has become a recluse, claiming to be suffering from an illness. Her doctors were unable to confirm this, but did admit that the woman had been prescribed anti-depressants. The family has refused to have an autopsy performed but it is believed that she expired because she overdosed on her medications.

But the real question is was it intentional or accidental?

We tried to question her widower and daughter, but we were stubbornly denied and told we had no business reporting on the subject. We feel the family is trying to cover something up. Is this Spirit trying to covering up for the fact he was a philandering fool who may be indirectly responsible for robbing his daughter of her mother? Or are they just trying to find a way to move forward in the face of such an abrupt accident?

Just one thing is certain; one of music's most amazing performers will be deeply missed.

Soul felt a shiver crawl up his spine as he closed the tab and fell back against his chair. "No wonder Maka never wants to talk about it," He mumbled lightly. And then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

"I killed my mother! If I hadn't said those words she wouldn't have felt so crushed she'd give up fighting and die!"

"It wasn't an accident then," He mumbled softly. His eyes widened and his hands started to shake on the mouse of his computer. "Her mother… She really killed herself. She overdosed right after their fight, not even thinking about what it would do to Maka." He muttered before jumping at a slight rapping on his door. He turned his chair as a maid entered with a glass of soda and a sandwich.

"Here you are, Master Soul," She said with a small bow. She set the tray with the drink and food on a table near his desk and headed out. Soul carefully picked up the drink and took a small sip before sighing and putting it back.

He was horrified when he turned around to be greeted with a frowning Kami Albarn.

"Jesus Christ!" He yelped in alarm, jerking back against his chair. Kami responded by chuckling lightly and covering her mouth with her hand, trying to mask it. "What… What the hell?" He grumbled out in a panicked tone.

"Sorry if I startled you; normally the only person who can see me is Maka," Kami stated simply as she sat down on Soul's bed. He could feel his eye twitching as he watched her get settled down. He had officially lost his mind; all the insanity surrounding this group had caught hold of him and now he was just as coo-coo for cocoa puffs as the rest of them! "But this is a good thing for me too. I needed to talk to you and ask for your help, Soul Evans."

He blinked a few times and settled back down into his seat. "This has to do with Maka, doesn't it?" He asked. She sighed and nodded solemnly. "You really messed her up, you know that? I can respect that you were upset because of everything, but dragging your daughter into it? That's just low and cruel to do. She's got serious issues; I don't even know how to help her or where I would start if I did." He barked out with a small glare.

"I know that," Kami sighed lightly, "better than you think. I was stupid, and selfish, and let myself be controlled by my emotions. I channeled my hatred and resentment toward Spirit into how I raised Maka and what I taught her. I've raised my daughter to hate all men and to trust no one; she's the perfect little hate machine. But I am not as proud of this as you'd expect; after I died, I realized what a mistake I'd made. I watched my daughter crumb to pieces under guilt she didn't deserve to feel at her age. It wasn't her fault her father was the way he was and it wasn't her fault I became the way I did. I want Maka to live her life to the fullest and to be truly happy with what she does; not live a life of bitterness and regrets."

"So how exactly am I supposed to help?" Soul asked skeptically with a raised eyebrow. Kami shifted a bit and gave him a small hopeful smile.

"You like Maka a lot; I can tell it. Now you can try and say you don't," She started to explain simply, "and that's fine. I do, however, want you to know that I am aware you're lying. If you aren't ready to admit it yourself than I won't complain but I need you to get closer to her. I need you to prove to her that not all men are evil."

"Yeah… About that," He sighed lightly, rubbing the back of his head. When he'd distracted Maka so Tsubaki and Black*Star could go on their date they had talked a lot. Hell, they'd actually enjoyed one another's company all day long! She hadn't really revealed anything about her family to him but she had opened up and shared some hobbies of hers. Things didn't stay good for long though.

The next morning, when Black*Star had showed up boasting that he and Tsubaki were an official couple, Maka had realized what had really happened. At first she looked at Tsubaki, clearly wounded, and then glared at the now terrified looking woman. "Thanks for telling me what was going on. It's good to know I can trust my friends," She snarled lowly before turning on Soul. "And you! Who the hell do you think you are? You lied to me! You tricked me and wasted my precious researching time! You really aren't any better than your family, are you?" Soul actually winced a bit at her last comment.

"Maka, please," Tsubaki said timidly. She approached, holding her hand out to her, but Maka slapped it away hard. The pure rage in her eyes was, to Soul, actually depressing. Something so little could set her off like that? It didn't make any logical kind of sense. Seeing that fury, Tsubaki's eyes welled with tears and she took a step back. Patty and Liz rushed to her side, trying to comfort her and repair the damage done by Maka's breakdown. Black*Star had his fists clenched and looked ready to launch at the young blonde woman; Kid was watching Black*Star, preparing himself to fly at him if he did try to take a shot at the young girl

And then, as abruptly as it had all started, Maka released a sigh and stormed off. That had been two days ago and Maka hadn't left her room since, no matter who came knocking. As far as Soul knew, she also hadn't received any food or water. "She's holed up in her room. I have no idea how to get through to her," Soul said with a small sigh. Kami stood and gave his hand a small pat, although he couldn't really feel it.

"I'm sure you'll think of something," She stated gently. She then headed to the door, disappearing through it. Soul felt another shudder crawl up his spine and let out a small groan. He had really gone over the deep end, hadn't he? He suddenly regretted all that research he'd done. He stood up and headed out, hoping that maybe a walk around the manor grounds would help to clear his head.

Blair sighed heavily as she and Spirit walked up to the large metal gates serving as the entrance to the Evans family estate. Spirit had been planning what he would say to Maka when he saw her again for the past few days and finally seemed to settle on something (though Blair wasn't sure if he'd be crying or yelling). "Um, excuse me?" Blair asked the guard with a coy little smile. She was disappointed when she saw it was a female guard this time.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" She asked gruffly, a small scowl on her features. Blair opened her mouth to explain but Spirit cut her off.

"My daughter is in there and I am here to get her back right now! If a woman as lovely as yourself would help me reunite with her, I'd be ever so grateful," Spirit said with a smile, leaning forward and winking at the guard. She blinked a few times then glared at him.

"Sir, I am not going to let you in just because you flirt with me," She answered flatly. Spirit twitched slightly and she shoved him a bit. "I will get a hold of one of my masters or the mistresses and see if you are to be permitted on." She said flatly.

It was then Blair spotted Soul walking by on the other side of the fence. "Oh! Soul-Kun! Over here nyah~!" She squealed loudly and excitedly, waving at him. He perked up, raised an eyebrow and walked over. He hadn't seen the golden eyed woman in a while and had no idea who the man with her was.

"Hello Blair. Who's the old guy?" He asked, jerking a thumb in the other male's direction.

"Who are you calling old?" Spirit roared, trying to grab at Soul through the bars. He was, in turn, hit in the gut with a night stick by the female guard.

"Do not mouth off to young Master Soul, you fool!" She barked out angrily. Spirit could only groan and grip his stomach in response. She then bowed politely to Soul. "My apologies, sir. This man claims that his daughter is residing in the manor."

Maroon spheres widened a bit and lit with interest. "So you're Spirit Albarn, huh?" He asked as he shifted his gaze to the wheezing male. He then snickered a little bit. "I must admit that I'm a little disappointed; you aren't nearly as impressive as I would have expected. Given everything you've accomplished in your life, I was anticipating someone with muscles; not some pansy faced oldie." He snickered lightly.

Spirit's face turned as red as his hair, his eyes narrowed to thin blue slits. "You… You… My sweet little Maka should not be exposed to someone as vulgar and rude and you! How does my daughter deal with you?" He quizzed, his face the picture of frustration. Soul shrugged.

"I tend to make her scream a lot," He said blandly. Spirit's eyes widened and Blair blushed, giggling lightly at this. Soul blinked, the cogs in his head slowly turning, as he himself blushed and tensed as well. That… Had not come out right at all.

"What… What? You filthy savage! If you've touched my precious little Maka, I swear I'm going to-!"

"I told you not to mouth off, you idiot!" The guard hissed while jabbing Spirit again in the gut. Soul took a step back from the fence and looked at Blair.

"I'll go see if Maka's up for company; she's been in a bad mood the last few days," He explained simply. He hurried back inside, ignoring the cries of "Maka-Chan" coming from behind him.

He saw a few maids huddled together down the hall from her room, whispering with concerned expressions. They all glanced up when they saw him and the youngest girl, a mousy twelve year old with brown hair and matching eyes, was shoved a little closer to him. "Um… Young Master Soul… Young Miss Maka refuses to open her door. She hasn't eaten in days and we don't know what to do," She said shyly. Soul ran a hand through his hair and looked at the shut door.

"I'll get her to open the door. You ladies just go focus on your jobs before Mother finds out and yells at you all for being too slow for her," He explained. The women all tensed and nodded, scurrying away and grumbling swears. He headed down the hall and knocked lightly on the door. "Maka, quit pouting like a brat and open the door."

"Go to Hell, Evans!" The fact she actually retorted to that was an accomplishment in itself.

"You're dad is at the fence wanting to see you; if you don't let me in, I'm going to tell him you and I have been having freaky sex ever since you showed up here," He warned with a small smirk. He would do it too; he liked watching the other male freak out and then get beaten up by the guard.

The door was suddenly thrown open by a rather disheveled looking Maka. Her hair was loose, tangled and wild around her face, her eyes had dark bags implying she'd been sleepless, and she was wearing but a large T-shirt and a pair of cropped denim shorts. She had one hadn on the door handle and the other on the doorframe, a wild glint in her eyes. "Don't. You. Dare!" She snarled lowly.

"Mind if I come sit down while you make yourself pretty for Daddy dearest?" He asked in a too-sweet tone with a big grin in place. She growled lowly at him, lip twitching up like an annoyed dog, before rolling her eyes and stepping back inside. He walked in and perked up when he noticed a movie was playing on the small laptop he'd had put in here for her about a week ago.

In specific, he was surprised to see that it was the musical Chicago.

"I didn't know you liked musicals," He commented while watching the screen. It was currently the scene with the Cell Block Tango. Maka was rummaging through her closet, pulling out a clean shirt, when she glanced over her shoulder at him. "I just figured you weren't really into music that much and just did it to get paid."

"My mother was a musician when she was younger," She said, turning to fully face him. Soul blinked and looked at her in surprise. Was she actually opening up to him? Despite him helping one of her closest friends betray her trust? "Some of the few good memories I have of her involve music; it's because of that and getting paid that I sing." She answered before brushing past him and heading to her bathroom to change. Kami's ghost sat on the bed and watched the pair.

This time around, however, Soul was again oblivious to her.

Maka returned a good ten minutes later in a regular blue T-shirt and her hair tugged into her usual pigtails. "Let's get this over with. You said he's at the fence, right?" She asked as she headed out the door. Soul followed her, making sure to shut the door behind himself.

"Yeah but we can let him in," He said calmly. Maka shook her head and shot him a meaningful look, not once breaking step. He blinked a bit and sighed. "You don't want to let him in." It wasn't a question and he knew it; it was simply a fact.

"It'll be easier to get rid of him if we don't let him in," She answered calmly. He nodded and they walked the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the fence she had a harsh look on her face. "Hello, Papa." She said in a tone so empty it made everyone (even the guard) cringed.

"Maka-Chan, what do you think you're doing here?" Spirit whispered lightly, his hands wrapping tightly on the bars. His eyes shimmered with concern on the young woman. "This isn't a safe place for a sweet, innocent girl like you! You should be home with your Papa, where it's safe!"

"Is it really safe there, Papa?" She asked coldly. She tiled her head forward so that they were eye to eye. "All those times you left me alone, in the middle of the night, while you were out chasing skirts… Was I safe then? If a burglar had broken in would I have been safe, just because I was in what was supposed to be my house? Or what about those women you'd bring home? You'd know them for, what, the total of one evening and assume it was okay for them to stay over? What if they were in debt and needed to trade in something for money? What if I got kidnapped and put on the slave market? Would I still be safe from those kinds of threats just because I was under your roof Papa?" Her voice grew and became more scornful as she listed of all the possible threats; Spirit's face paled and filled with horror as his daughter rambled on.

"Maka-Chan, please-"

"No! For once just shut up and let me talk! It's my turn to talk, not yours!" She exploded, her voice raising an octave and sounding more hysterical than normally. "All my life, Mama was the one who kept me safe where you were off sleeping with any girl who would let you! When she died I was left all alone, left to stand on my own two feet all the time! Why? Because you were too busy sleeping around and getting drunk because you were apparently grieving! And like Hell you were grieving over Mama! If you were really grieving, given that it was your fault she died, you wouldn't be out there with other women still! Anywhere away from you is safer for me than that pathetic building you want to call a home! A home is a place someone goes to feel safe, loved and relaxed; I haven't felt that way in that house since I was five!" Maka was panting and clenching her fists by the time she paused in her screaming tirade to recollect her thoughts. Blair was covering her mouth with her hands and looking between Spirit and Maka frantically. Soul stayed quiet, observing the two wordlessly. "So just… Just go back to that sham of a home by yourself. I have things I need to finish here and you'll be nothing but a hindrance." She mumbled before taking a step back and dropping her head.

'Please… Please don't keep fighting. Please don't make me crumb even more. I don't know how much more I can take,' She thought shakily. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath but it only made her insides tremble and shake even more. She was satisfied yet disappointed when Spirit released the bars, his arms dropping to his sides, and he walked away.

"Wait, Spirit-Kun! Maka-Chan doesn't mean it; she'd just mad!" Blair cried while chasing after him. Soul was glad that she'd handle damage control with the other male. Whether Kami coming to him earlier was just a hallucination on his part or an actual haunting, he did realize that he could help Maka overcome her inner turmoil.

For some reason, he felt like he owed her for letting him join her group of performers. He glanced down and saw a few drops of a blood come from her balled hands; she'd broken the skin. He carefully lifted her hands in his own and pulled them apart. He examined the cuts, saw they were nothing too major, and smiled a bit to himself in slight relief. He then leaned forward and kissed her hands. "He had it comin', He had it comin', He had it comin all along (2)," He half muttered, half sang against her hand; it was off key and sounded wrong but he didn't care.

It made her laugh and proved that he had the best timing ever.

Tsubaki had been doing her best to fight off her depression the past two days but it wasn't easy. She had known Maka would react poorly to the news but she hadn't expected this. 'I should have told her the truth… If I had been honest she may have respected my decision and let me go with her full support,' She thought sadly. She sighed and shook her head. 'I've never been such a sneaky person; I don't like the way it makes me feel. I need to be honest to myself and everyone, just like I usually am! I can't go losing myself just because I have a boyfriend now!' She decided with stern resolve.

This decision was forgotten when she heard whispering coming from Kid's private study, which she'd been walking past.

"Kid, are you sure that we should really do something so serious? I mean, threatening to beat the kid just because he's getting cozy with Maka seems a little… over the top," She heard Liz say worriedly. She clapped a hand over her mouth to hide the gasp she almost released at the words. It didn't take a genius to piece together what they were talking about and Tsubaki was a clever little girl.

"We aren't going to threaten to beat him up, Liz," Kid said delicately. He sounded like a parent that was scolding a child for doing something simple wrong. "We're just going to warn him that, should he ever try to hurt Maka in any way, that we have ways of getting back at him. Whether it will be slandering his family, destruction of property on the manor grounds or something like a mugging by unknown assailants in an alley is all subject to debate."

"Hee hee! As if he wouldn't know it was us!" Patty laughed lightly.

"Either way, we are just going to put this out as a warning; we need to assure that our group doesn't take another heavy hit, after all," Kid said sternly.

Tsubaki took a deep breath and quickly shuffled back the way she'd come. 'Maka-Chan… So I'm not the only one who has seen how she seems different around Soul,' She thought. She smiled a bit at the hope her friend may be in love. 'I know I said I wasn't going to sneak around anymore but… I cannot let them do this! Soul hasn't done anything wrong!' She thought strongly. The thought of Maka being happy again was just so beautiful to her that she had to fight for it. She saw this as her chance to repent for lying to the other girl.

Plus Black*Star would get a kick out of helping her come up with a plan.

End

(1) Ophelia – Te paper pretty much explains that whole situation for me, but now you understood why I made sure to highlight that Hamlet reference I made earlier. The way her mother's death is covered is part of the reason Maka sees her condition the way she does; it's her form (or, rather, my form) of dark humor.

(2) The line Soul says is from The Cell Block Tango, from Chicago. I actually haven't seen that movie yet but I have heard a lot of the soundtrack and loved that song in specific.

Notes time~! :

So what do you all think? Is Kami really a ghost or is Soul just hallucinating like Maka?

I felt like bullying Spirit a little this chapter. He kinda earned it, when you think about it (even though he does try really hard in the series to do better by Maka…).

Kid was a little OOC this time but, then again, this story is a little on the darker side; I'm trying to take attributes of each character and make them a little more severe (I.E. Kid's need to be in control). Plus, he's a gangster so it's all good.

Sorry this chapter was kinda depressing; next chapter should be a little better.

Next Chapter:

After another run-in with their old pianist, Chrona, Maka reaches her breaking point and jumps Medusa (with backup from the Thompson girls) at a party; a party, mind you all, that is being hosted by the very Dukedom she's currently residing with. Soul decides that he should never, ever suggest that Black*Star and Maka team up; it could cause the end of the world. Stein learns that payback is an even bigger bitch when you don't know what you've done wrong.