Replies: Marshall Lee Fan XD: Rose will take a chill pill in this chapter.

AnimeStarz12: Thanks! I've never had someone tell me I write like a pro.

beautiful-note2895: More development with the in this chapter!

Shimmerbreeze: At first I wasn't so sure about it, but i guess it worked out, huh?

OkHai3: Well, I guess it's good I didn't kill her, huh?

realsky: This chapter is going to throw you for a loop. Just warning ya. ;)

Chapter 25: Parent

"What's wrong with me, Sam?" She inquires of him with desperation laced in her words.

He hesitates. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Rei buries her face into Sam's collared shirt and drowns out the noisy New York atmosphere around her. Sam sighs as the frail girl shivers in his hold. And as the two revel in each other's presence, Calypso watches from the shadows of the nearby alleyway.

The bat witch grins at the spectacle. "I love it when everything goes my way." She whispers snidely, then retreats back further into the shadows. Calypso practically skips as she steps over a homeless man- obvously drunk- and meets with her own weapon.

"I knew there was a reason I liked those two." She turns to her weapon partner and smiles. "Everything is going according to plan."

Geoff nods at his meister. "If I may, you still haven't told me what that plan is yet."

Calypso's grin grows ever larger. "Change form and you'll find out." Geoff obediently morphs into a double edged sword and lands in Calypso's hands. She studies it's fine craftsmanship for a while...

Before plunging it into the homeless man's heart. The man doesn't make a sound; he doesn't even wake up. He just falls into a much deeper sleep. Calypso licks her lips at the blood pouring from his chest and watches in silence as his body yields up his glowing blue orb of a soul.

"Now..." Calypso's voice slides off her tongue. "Eat it."

For the first time in his life, Geoff is unsure of his companion. He's always taken orders from her like it was nothing, but now...? She was demanding him to become a Kishin!

"...Y-yes. I'll do it." Goeff mutters obediently, taking the blue orb into his palm.

"Good."

"I... guess it all started when you left, Soul." Rose's eyes retreat to the floor as she begins her tale. "That's when it was just me and our parents. Well, me and mom, really. You know dad; he's hardly ever at home." Soul nods knowingly at her remark. "Well, with nobody left but me, mom got a little..." She sighs and scrunches up her face, as if the very thought of it caused her physical pain.

"Empowered." Soul finishes.

"Huh? Empowered?" Maka scratches the side of her chin in confusion. "How's that?"

Soul explains, "Well, I wasn't exactly the best son in the world. According to Wes, neither was he when he was my age. So think about it; this time, my mom had a girl to try her luck with, plus, a very timid and obedient girl by nature." He glances over to his younger sister. "Being Rose, alone, in a house with my mom would have been hell."

"She... she tried everything for me. I was no good at playing a musical instrument, I had no talent in art, I'm average at best at academics." With each thing she lists, the grip on her dress gets increasingly tighter, as did the tears from her eyes increase. "I mean, how am I supposed to compare to you, Soul? Your just so much better at... everything!"

Soul watches the tears fall from his sobbing sister's eyes and slowly realizes a critical fact: his sister has been going through the exact same thing that he had to go through, and probably still hasn't gotten over yet.

Sibling Rivalry.

It was just pushed on Rose so much more that she snapped. And she snapped hard.

"But... it only developed about a week ago." She continues. "By then the... pressure to succeed was pretty harsh. Mom signed me up for way too many things, and my schedule was packed. But..."

"You didn't want to, did you?" This time, its Maka who finishes Rose's statement.

"I asked for one time to not have to go to anything after school. And she yelled at me. Screamed about how I'd be a failure if I didn't do everything she said. I... I wanted to obey and make mom proud, but another part of me wanted to think it's own thoughts, do it's things. And it would do anything to get it's way."

"Rose... Tell me what you did to get sent away. What did y- what did she do to mom?" Soul speaks delicately.

Rose's voice level rises with each word. "That's just it, Soul. It was me. I was the one who attacked mom. I..."

Ding dong!

The sound of the doorbell ringing stirs Rose from her rant. The three turn to the door and think the same thing: Who's here this late? Maka walks to the door and answers their question.

Speak of the devil, and she shall appear, Soul growls over resonance. Standing in the doorway is a tall, beautiful woman. Her white hair flows down to her mid-waist even tied back in a ponytail, and it's stark, wintery white. Her red eyes glow with perpetual sternness that Maka can see, even though her glasses and her smile try to hide it.

"M-mom?" Rose whimpers behind Soul.

"Hello." She greets politely. "I believe you would be Maka, right?"

Maka nods her head at the woman and addresses her formally. "Yes, ma'am."

Soul's mom clears her throat. "Well, Maka, I believe you have my darling daughter in your, ah... home, correct?" Maka notes the audible distaste at the word 'home'.

She nods yet again. "Rose? I think you mom would like to talk with you."

Rose slowly sneaks up next to Maka with her head in a familiar position; looking down at the floor. Her mom loses her tense smile."Rose, I'm taking you home." She puts simply.

Rose tries to protest. "But-"

"Come along now." She turns to Maka. "I'll send for her things." She turns the other direction and walks away.

Rose looks up at Maka, and Maka puts a hand to her shoulder, nodding. "It'll be okay." She reassures. Rose responds by hugging her tightly, then looking back to Soul and waving goodbye, looking distraught. Soul only gives a half-nod back as his sister runs off towards their mother.

"Do you really think she'll be okay?" Soul asks Maka, regarding Rose.

Maka thinks about his question while watching both women's white hair wave them goodbye. "I... don't know." She remarks simply.

The next day, Maka flaked on her party again. In fact, she told Soul to straight up cancel it. She didn't want to have to face her father.

But something fortuitous did happen that day; not with Maka and Soul, but with Rei and Sam...

"Um... Rei?" Sam quietly taps on his meister's door. His cheeks show his nervousness at his question. "Rei, are you in there?" He asks timidly, though he knows that if he talks to her, however quietly, she'll hear it.

He opens the door curiously, positive that she should have made some kind of noise to signify that she heard him. He smiles when he sees her laying in bed, sleeping so peacefully.

He ever so gently walks into her room and sits in her desk chair facing away from her, and waits for her to wake up. His smile soon fades, though, when he tries to think up a way to ask his question.

Through resonence, mabye? No, that's way too cheesy. His thoughts reel in his mind. Then I could just be up front with her. But I've tried that, and got too nervous. No, it's best to just ask.

Ask what? Sam's cheeks immediately go red when he realizes Rei has been listening to his thoughts the whole time.

Oh! You're awake! H-how long have you been listening?

Long enough. What's this question of yours?

Sam spins around in the swivel chair at her desk and sighs, "Well, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to... I don't know... go... out sometime... with me?" Both kids' cheeks turn chrimson red as Sam squeaks out the last part of his sentence.

"Like... a... date?" Rei responds in a similar fashion.

Sam looks to the floor, dejected. "Yeah, I know it's a stupid idea, you don't have to if you don't want to, I mean..." He looks up to find Rei's lips moving, but no sound coming from them. "W-what?"

She looks him right in the eyes, her face rosy red, and almost shouts her answer.

"Yes."

Sam's smile returns.