The next half hour. Thirty minutes. Not a lot of time, but when you're watching someone slowly bleed to death, it can seem like forever. Thirty minutes. That's when Stein said he'd be back with the antidote. And his parting words had really struck Maka. Keep him alive until then. It had been approximately twenty minutes since the silver haired scientist had left, and Maka had been willing time to move faster. She was applying pressure to the wound, but nothing was helping to stop the flow of blood. Kid's breathing was becoming shallower, and his face was so pale, it looked gray. Thirty minutes. She had to keep him alive for thirty minutes. Ten minutes left. Maka looked down at the unconscious reaper. Could he even survive ten more minutes?

Stein's lab was approximately a ten minute walk from Gallows Mansion. However, at a dead sprint, it took the scientist about three. He raced into the lab, flinging open the door with a resounding bang. Stein winced. He hoped he hadn't just woken Marie. He quickly dismissed the thought. Marie could sleep through just about anything, and he had more important matters to attend to than the Death Scythe's state of consciousness.

Contrary to belief, Franken Stein actually cared about his students. He portrayed himself as a heartless madman, and yes, he was a bit mad, but he wasn't heartless. He felt a mild attachment to all of the kids that he taught, and if they were in danger, he wouldn't hesitate to defend them. Especially Lord Death's son. Stein had known Kid since the boy had been an infant. He would not allow the young reaper to die.

The silver-haired scientist moved through the lab with purpose, setting up beakers, burners, and other essential equipment. He pulled out the vial that Maka had given him. Some form of spider venom, she'd told him. There are thousands of poisonous spiders across the globe, and Arachne would have access to them all. However, from what Stein had observed, the continued blood flow from Kid's wound was from a destruction of platelets. It created an almost hemophiliac reaction. To Stein's knowledge, only one spider could have caused that sort of reaction: the recluse spider. Ironically, these spiders were also known commonly as "reapers."

All of this information flew through Stein's head in a moment. He set about constructing an antidote, hands flying across the different apparatuses. It would take approximately seventeen minutes for the antidote to be complete. He had told Maka to expect him back within a half hour, and he would abide by that statement. However, he had also told Maka to keep Kid alive. Stein wasn't sure if that was going to be possible. Sure, the boy was resilient, but that amount of blood loss would have killed off normal humans an hour ago. It was a miracle that Kid was still alive; Stein hoped that miracle would continue until he could get back.

Fifteen more minutes until the antidote's completion. These would be the longest fifteen minutes of Stein's life.

Soul was slumped in a chair in the kitchen, trying to avoid looking at Liz. She was leaning against the doorway, Patty in hand, studying Soul with a look of pure disgust and loathing. He knew that she just longed to put a bullet into his head; he couldn't blame her. He was just glad that she'd let Maka hear him out. With Stein off creating an antidote, Kid actually stood a chance. He hoped Kid's unexpected survival would interrupt Arachne's plans and give her a major setback. Her plan would have failed, and she would need time to formulate a new one. If that happened, Soul would have ample time to hunt her down and kill the witch himself.

Soul's eyes flicked to Liz. She wasn't even looking at him anymore. Instead, she was gazing over her shoulder toward the room in which Kid lay. Relief was evident in all of her features. She had truly though Kid was going to die, and now…now Kid would live. Of course, he might still die. This slight glimmer of hope may be crushed as soundly as a spider underneath a boot, and that would make Kid's death even harder. To know he could have lived, and that he died anyway. It would be awful.

Maka looked up at the clock mounted above the television. It was a black and white circular clock, mounted in the exact center of the room. Four minutes. Four minutes until the time when Stein had promised to return. She turned her attention to Kid. By some miracle, he was still alive, but he was fading fast. Kid didn't have four minutes to spare. He had two at most until all hope was lost. Maka sent a silent prayer to Death, to God, to any deity that cared to listen.

Please save Kid.

Stein glanced at his watch. One minute until the antidote was done. Then, he could go back to Gallows Mansion and save Kid-that is, assuming the shinigami was still alive. If the boy had already died…

Stein twisted the screw in his head, willing the antidote to be finished. Stein didn't think Death the Kid was dead yet, but he knew the boy had mere minutes left. If he got there and was too late, Stein would never be able to forgive himself.

The timer beeped. A slow smile spread across Stein's face as he swiftly filled a vial with the antidote. Slipping it into his pocket, he made his way across the laboratory and out the door.

Three minutes. It had only been a minute since Maka last looked at the ornate timepiece, but time seemed to be moving like molasses. Kid was steadily losing more color as his life bled away before her eyes. Maka could feel his soul weakening. She had been wrong. He wouldn't live. Stein hadn't returned in time to save him. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, blurring her vision. How could this have happened? How could he be dying? It wasn't fair!

Suddenly, Maka perked up. Her ears, sensitive from constant training, had detected the sound of quick footsteps coming up to the house. Could it be? Did Stein make it in time? She heard the front door slam open and someone racing down the hall. That someone entered the room at lightning speed, glasses flashing. Maka stood and hastily stepped into the hallway to allow Stein room to work. She leaned her back against the wall, and wiped away her tears. If Stein had arrived, it meant he had an antidote. She allowed herself a small smile. Was it possible? Was Kid really going to live?

It felt like ages before Stein emerged from the room. Maka looked up at him hopefully. She hesitated, then asked in a trembling voice, "Is-is he going to be okay?"

Stein gave a sardonic smirk that successfully masked any anxiety that had shown on his features. "Did you really ever doubt me, Maka?"

Maka smiled, again feeling tears in her eyes. These tears, however, were tears of joy. Kid was alive…Kid would stay alive! She pushed herself to her feet and bowed to Stein. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Still smirking, Stein nodded at the thanks. "Just make sure to monitor him and call if anything happens." With that, he strode down the hallway and out into the night.

Maka raced back into the living room. She noticed fresh bandages across Kid's wound. The bandages were white as snow, unblemished by the blood that had been flowing mere minutes before. Some color had returned to Kid's face. He was still pale, but then, he was always pale. His breathing had returned to normal. Maka let out an exhilarated laugh. Her shoulders shook with relief as she sank into the seat next to him and clasped his hand. She vaguely noticed Liz and Patty (no longer in weapon form) enter the room. However, she failed to notice a small black spider scurry down from the corner of the wall and out of Gallows Mansion.

Arachne paced across the floor of her throne room. She was awaiting news from her scouts. After Soul had banished her from his head, he'd decided to be noble and try to atone for the fact that he'd nearly killed Death the Kid. Now, Arachne was concerned. The reaper's death was not as certain as before. She had been positive that the boy could never survive, but it was just possible…

She cocked her head to one side as her scout spoke directly into her mind. 'Spoke' was not the correct word to describe this form of communication; the scout was actually sending word of the events that had transpired in the form of pictures. Arachne cursed. The shinigami was alive. All thanks to Soul Eater. Something would have to be done about that insolent brat. Everything would have gone according to plan if not for him. So now, Arachne had two people she had to kill. Soul Eater Evans and Death the Kid. And she would make sure they both died. It would be so easy to get to them. Chivalrous men would do anything to save to woman they loved. Luckily for Arachne, they both loved the same girl.

I am SO SORRY that this took so long. I had a reason, and if any of you read "Not Forgotten," you'll know what it is, but I'm still sorry. So yes, this chapter is FINALLY out.

Nothing much to say about it, other than I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter for some reason. I dunno why. On a side note, if you ever encounter a recluse spider, RUN AWAY. They are nasty little buggers, and among the most venomous spiders in the world.

Anyway, hopefully chapter 15 will be out next week! Thanks for the continued support and please keep reviewing! -AngelOtaku121