Sitting outside the infirmary, Soul notices that Maka's dad is finally heading back from the Death Room. For the first hour that Maka had been in surgery, Spirit had been pacing anxiously outside the door of the infirmary, only stopping when Sid came to get him. Then he'd been hauled off to give a report to Lord Death. Sid had practically had to drag him away, he was so reluctant to go.

Soul has been sitting in the same spot since Stein took Maka out of Spirit's arms upon their arrival and whisked her off for treatment. Spirit had suggested that he go and change, motioning to Soul's clothes that were still covered with Maka's blood, but Soul just shook his head and hunkered down outside the door. Spirit had shook his head sadly and done the same. He's not moving until he knows Maka will be alright.

Honestly, he doesn't know how long he's been sitting here, and he knows that he should probably feel bored or hungry, but instead all he feels is exhaustion and worry. All of his thoughts are consumed by concern for his partner. Maka's never been this badly injured in the time they've been partners. She's had scrapes and bruises, the occasional concussion or dislocated joint, and she's broken her arm once, but nothing like this. He's never allowed her to be injured this badly; he's always done his best to protect her from any harm. For her to be injured this badly feels like a failure on his part.

Spirit, evidently exhausted from his earlier pacing, sinks down the wall and takes a seat next to Soul, providing a welcome distraction. "Any news on how Maka's doing?" Spirit asks hopefully. At Soul's dejected shake of the head, his shoulders slump. "So, what exactly happened earlier?" the red-head asks cautiously. "I'm not blaming you," he continues, seeing the look on Soul's face and trying to reassure him. "I just want an idea of the situation."

Sighing heavily, Soul continues staring at his hands. "We were cornered, and Maka had realized that I would get hurt if she used me to guard, so instead—" he has to pause for a second, and recollect himself before he can continue speaking. "She threw me aside and took the blow herself," he finishes, almost whispering.

"I was going to transform, and shield her," he explains hastily, feeling a sharp stab of guilt. "But she—"

He's interrupted by Spirit's hand on his shoulder. "This is not your fault. I've seen you and Maka together, and I know you go above and beyond to protect her," Spirit says firmly. "You know that once Maka has made up her mind, there's no changing it. She probably felt that protecting you was something she had to do," he muses fondly about his daughter.

"Do you ever wish that Maka had chosen another career path?" Soul asks tentatively. He still can't quite let go of the feeling that he should have done something more, should have protected Maka better.

"Every single day," Spirt replies, without any hesitation. "Especially when she gets injured. But Maka would never hear of it, she's been determined to be a scythemeister since she was old enough to walk. She's so much like her mother, in that way," he says proudly. "But she's happy, and at least I can keep an eye on her this way. Plus, I know that she has a great partner in you, Soul. Don't beat yourself up over this."

Soul's still trying to find a response to that, when Professor Stein finally opens the door. He's on his feet immediately. "How's Maka?" he asks anxiously, not even remotely concerned with seeming cool.

Stein looks exhausted. "She should make a full recovery," he announces, sounding immensely relieved.

"Can I go in and see her?" Soul demands, too worried about Maka to continue being polite. At Stein's curt nod, he bolts through the door, but stops immediately when he sees her. She looks—awful, ghostly pale and half-dead. She'd probably hit him for saying that if she could, but it's true. She's propped up on her right side, facing the door, and the blankets are pulled up so that only her face and neck are visible.

The thing that disturbs Soul most is how still she is. Maka is normally never still; she's always full of energy, always in motion. When she reads, she fidgets and plays with her hair. She's even a restless sleeper, always tossing and turning. This whole situation just feels wrong. Behind him, Maka's dad and Professor Stein are discussing something, but Soul is beyond caring. He can't stop staring at her, drinking in the soft sound of her breathing and the rise and fall of her chest. It seems like a miracle that she's going to be okay.

Alone in the room with Maka, Soul finally allows his voice to break. "I'm so sorry, Maka," he whispers. "It should be me in the hospital bed, not you."


Outside in the hallway, Professor Stein and Spirit were having a serious conversation. "Maka has the black blood inside of her," Stein explained gravely to Maka's father. "I don't know how it will affect her, but I doubt it will be good."

Spirit's worried frown deepened; he looked more serious and angry than Stein ever remembered seeing him. "If I ever see that Demon Sword again, I'll kill him myself," the red-headed man declared grimly. "The witch too," he tossed over his shoulder, heading in to visit Maka. Of course, he burst into tears when he saw Maka, wailing and begging her to wake up. It would almost be touching if it wasn't so childish.

It wasn't long before Blackstar and Tsubaki heard the news and rushed to the infirmary.

Blackstar makes quite the memorable entrance, busting straight through the door and knocking it off its hinges. Tsubaki enters more calmly, but immediately bursts into tears when she sees her friend's condition. Even Blackstar seems somewhat subdued, although Soul still has to restrain him and threaten him to keep him from shaking Maka awake.

Tsubaki, despite her tears, is the first to notice that something was wrong with Soul. He hasn't spoken a word since she and Blackstar had arrived, and he seems extremely upset about something. Most people wouldn't be been able to tell, but to Tsubaki, the look in his eyes is a dead giveaway that he's unhappy. Wiping her eyes, she puts on a brave face and tentatively asks, "Are you okay, Soul?"

"Of course I'm fine! Maka saw to that," he snaps angrily. Tsubaki flinches at his harsh tone. Soul winces and tries to make amends. "I'm sorry. But Maka's really the one you need to be worried about," he tries to console her, forcing himself to relax. Biting his friend's head off won't accomplish anything.

She smiles gently at him, laying a hand on his arm. "It's alright, Soul. We're all upset about what happened to Maka." Tsubaki really wants to know what had happened on their mission, but decides that now is not the time to ask. Maybe once Maka was awake and Soul had calmed down a bit, she could ask then.

Everyone's attention is diverted when a woman in a white coat sweeps into the room. "My, isn't it crowded in here," she observes, glancing around at everyone standing around Maka's bed. "It looks like half the academy managed to fit in here."

"Dr. Medusa," Stein acknowledges politely.

"Yes, I'm back now. It seems everyone was quite busy while I was gone," she replies, seeming irritated by all the commotion in the room.

"Is Maka going to be okay?" Soul asks immediately. Stein had said she would be fine, but a second opinion never hurt.

"Is my darling daughter going to be all right?" Spirit blurts out at the exact same time as Soul. The fact that he hasn't even tried to hit on Medusa yet is a sign of how serious the situation is to him.

"She should make a full recovery," Medusa assures them. "And I have no doubt that this will make the both of you even stronger," she predicts confidently, gesturing to Maka and Soul. "Now, how about all of you leave Maka to rest? She'll be out for quite a while."

Her instructions are not followed right away. After a brief argument, Stein ends up dragging Maka's blubbering father out of the room, while Soul and Blackstar are coaxed into leaving by Tsubaki. She reassures Nurse Medusa that she would make sure Soul ate something and got some rest. "You should probably shower and change your clothes too," the dark-haired girl noted. She hadn't missed the fact that Soul was still wearing his outfit from the mission, which was covered in Maka's blood.

Soul casts one look back at Maka as left the room, still cringing internally at her still form. She got injured trying to protect me, he thinks, even though that's not how this is supposed to work. I have to get stronger to ensure this will never happen again.


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