Maybe

There have always been many possibilities. In every single situation—in every person's life—there was always a choice. No matter what, even if you thought there was no way out, you always got to choose what you wanted to do, or how things ended up.

One good example of this, in Maka's opinion, was a person's happiness. She knew she could make herself happy without anybody's help. Maka learned that when her mom left, and Spirit constantly went out. She often had to support herself and realized that being upset about it wouldn't help anybody, least of all, her.

So, she was able to find her own happiness. Nothing had changed since then, except…

She wasn't the only one who could improve her mood anymore.

Maka hadn't noticed it at first, but the more time she spent with one of her friends, the happier she felt. By the time she realized what was happening, the damage was already done. In fact, she'd gone so far as to fall for him. And if that wasn't appalling enough, his name was Death the Kid, Shinigami-sama's son.

How worse could things get?

He was renowned for turning down every girl who confessed to him. The only reason she was able to talk to him was because they were friends, and because of her standing in the DWMA. Even so, the shinigami was cold. He had his moments, but he was always so distant. Once, Maka had overheard a girl in her class confessing her feelings for Kid.

She'd accidentally stumbled upon them after class, and couldn't leave the room without them noticing her there. So, she was forced to remain hidden.

Maka had heard Kid let out a sigh, and he'd said something strange in response. "I'm sorry, but I don't return those feelings. I'm afraid my love is reserved for somebody else…"

The meister immediately felt bad for the other girl, whom she'd heard crying, and also felt her heart stop. She'd swallowed the lump in her throat, and waited silently until she knew both of them were gone.

After that… for some reason, she couldn't make herself happy like she used to. It was very frustrating—Maka knew she was a capable girl, and a brave one at that. She couldn't believe what had gotten into her. The worst part was with who. She could've dealt with Soul, Black*Star, or even Ox of all people. (The thought of being with him like that made her sick).

When she finally realized this wasn't something she could handle on her own, as much as that annoyed her, she turned to someone she knew she could trust no matter what.

And that person was Soul.

She hadn't seen the signs then, and hadn't realized what was happening. Maka was straightforward in every meaning of the word, and brave to a fault. Even though it should've been obvious, the truth had eluded her.

She confided in him, and he listened to every word. Soul held her when she cried, and hugged her when she needed one. The moment she told him who it was she was talking about, she saw something in his eyes—something she hadn't seen before.

Soul looked like his world had suddenly come crashing down around him. His eyes were cast to the side, and he covered his face with a hand. Maka had found it strange at the time, but didn't pay as much attention as she should've.

Even after how much she'd hurt him, he continued to stay by her side. Soul was the best kind of friend anyone could ask for. He knew Maka better than anybody she'd ever known, and vice versa. They were an unbeatable team that could never be separated.

Maybe, if things had been different… If she hadn't been so wrapped up in her own world, she would've noticed how very alone he was. She'd selfishly used him to make herself feel better, even though it made him feel worse.

She only wished things could've been different.

After that talk, Soul had done everything in his power to help her with Death the Kid. When he was around the shinigami, he'd bring up Maka in the conversation constantly. Whenever he was with the two, he'd always come up with an excuse to give them time alone.

And he… he didn't get anything in return.

Maka didn't take Soul's help for granted. She tried to stand out, tried to not be like all the other girls Kid had seen before, but most of all… She tried to get as close to him as possible.

Time passed by rapidly, and not much had changed. But one day, something different did happen. Someone knocked on her apartment door, and when she opened it, a sopping wet Kid was on the steps. He had that look in his eyes that Maka had seen only once before.

It was the same one Soul had given her.

She ushered him in out of the rain, giving him a towel as quickly as possible. As selfish as it was, Maka's hopes had risen at the thought that Kid had come to her home while Soul wasn't.

However, those hopes were soon dashed when she learned the reason.

Kid told her that he trusted her, and asked if he could tell her something really important. Of course, Maka had agreed, and she listened to her crush.

He… He said his love didn't like him back. Maka had questioned him as to who he was referring to, and…

It was Liz. He'd confessed to her, and she said she liked Soul. Maka's heart was broken in two, but she tried to keep a brave face for Kid. He was going through something that had obviously really hurt him. She did her best to comfort him, even though it made her feel empty inside.

It was… very ironic. It was a never-ending circle of unrequited love. When Maka had finally given it some thought, she realized that nobody would end up happy. She couldn't make herself happy any longer, and neither could anybody else. They all yearned for somebody they couldn't have, and it was destined to never come true.

The more depressed Maka became, the more she realized how much better off she'd be without these feelings. But the harder she tried, the worse they became. Her love for somebody who couldn't be hers kept her awake at night. She couldn't ask anymore from Soul now that she knew how much he was hurting, too, and couldn't talk to Liz, either. Kid had eventually found out about her feelings, and had apologized. She couldn't talk to him, and that was the worst. The only two that'd found happiness in this terrible mix-up was Black*Star and Tsubaki. There wasn't anyway Maka could take away their happiness just to get this feeling off of her chest.

She was alone. There was nobody she could talk to, and nobody that could talk to her. Maybe… Maybe things were meant to be this way. Were they being punished for something they'd done? Maka didn't know the answer, but she wished she did.

This was the worst feeling she'd ever felt.