Chapter Fifteen

OMG I had no time to work on this because of school winding down and teachers piling everything on me at once! But I managed to get this done, though I had to cut it short a bit. Anyway, sorry for the long wait and I hope you enjoy ^_^

"Knock knock, mind if we come in?" The sound of Soul's voice returned a smile to Misao's face.

"Soul, Maka! All of you came to see me!" All of her friends gathered in the room with smiles on their faces.

"We were all so worried about you." Tsubaki told her. "Poor Blood lost sleep."

Misao couldn't help but giggle.

"Misao, you're back!" Patty ran up to Misao and squeezed her tightly while drowning her in tears of joy. "I missed you sooo much! I was scared I'd never see you again!"

"I missed you too, Patty." she managed to wheeze out. "I can't breathe, Patty."

"Alright, Patty that's enough." Liz pulled her little sister off of Misao and then smiled at Misao. "We're all glad that you're back with us, Misao."

Misao smiled at Liz and nodded. "It's...good to be back." Her words were sincere but the tone she used was un-nerving.

Blood kept a hold of Misao, noticing that she was still somewhat shaken up. Her skin still felt icy cold and she had a blank stare after a while. "Misao, do you want some time alone so you can rest a bit longer?"

She shook her head as she placed a hand on Blood's arm so he wouldn't back away from her. "Don't leave me." Her voice cracked a bit but she remained in control of her emotions.

"I see the gang's all here." Stein came back in the room with a small smile on her face.

"Professor Stein, when will Misao be able to continue her classes?" Blood asked.

"She's able to go now if she wants."

Misao looked up at him with shock. "Are you serious?" Her grip tightened on Blood's arm.

Stein nodded while tucking his hands in his pockets. "Like I told you before, you're perfectly fine. Just make sure to stay close to Blood."

"I will."

After Misao got dressed, she followed Blood and the others to class where they sat at their desks and talked while waiting for Stein to begin. "Hey Misao, if you want, Soul and I can come by your place and catch you up on the lectures." Maka said.

Misao hesitated for a while. "Uh, yeah, I'd like that." She smiled until Maka turned from her and faced Tsubaki. Misao laid her head down in her arms, thinking about her father. 'Father...why did you give me this heavy burden? What were you thinking?' She felt Blood place a hand on her shoulder, but she didn't acknowledge it. Especially when the Kishin began to plague her thoughts. 'Asura definitely knows I escaped. He's going to come here soon and try to take me back.' She looked at all of her friends and the other students that surrounded her. 'All of these people will get hurt because of me.'

"Alright everyone, class has begun. Please take your seats and settle down." Stein rolled into the class on his wheelie chair with a textbook open in his hand. "Before we begin, I want to remind everyone there will be an exam next week. We'll go over the basics the day before, but today we're going to finish the second-to-last section that will be on the exam. So if you will all turn to page thirty-seven in your textbooks, and we'll pick up from there."

Throughout the lecture, Misao paid attention, staring at the board every time Stein wrote something down. She found that she wasn't as far behind as she thought, but still found it hard to focus at times because of her struggles and worries.

"That's all for now. Class dismissed." Stein left the room as everyone began to pack their things.

Maka and the others remained in their seats, talking about the lecture. Tsubaki asked her several questions that were confusing to her.

Misao rose from her seat with a blank face.

"Is everything alright, Misao?" Tsubaki asked her.

She remained silent for a short time before exiting the aisle. "I'll be right back."

Blood stood up just as Misao walked through the aisles and out of the room. "Misao, hang on!" He ran after her, finding that she accelerated her walking speed as he was going after her. "Misao, what's going on with you!? Will you slow down?" She went out on the highest balcony of the academy. When Blood finally caught up to her, she was leaning against the concrete railing, looking out at the city.

Before he got a chance to ask her what was wrong with her, she spoke. "Hey Blood, why did my father give me the orb?" Misao didn't turn to face Blood while she spoke. "I never questioned his decisions before. Everything he did was for the good of everyone."

Blood didn't know what to say. He just stared at Misao's back, imagining her expression. In his head, he saw her shedding several tears. That thought alone should have forced him to move closer to her and comfort her. But his body would not respond.

"Did he even think about how this would affect me?"

"Of course he did." Blood answered immediately. "Your father always put you first just like any other parent would. Believe it or not, placing the orb within you was the only thing he regretted in his life."

Misao finally turned to face Blood, showing the same blank face she wore in the classroom. "Blood...what happened between the Kishin and my father? I don't think I've ever heard the full story."

Blood stared at her for a moment. He then walked towards her and stood beside her, looking out at the city. He dived into the story. "The Kishin was holding you hostage, stalling your father and myself. Asura cackled, daring Master Isame to make a move towards him." Re-living that moment made Blood cringe slightly. His skin crawled and old wounds that had faded over time began to itch as if they were fresh. "His only concern was saving you. As a last resort, he set me down and used his own wavelength to combat the Kishin. It succeeded and failed at the same time."

"Succeeded...and failed?"

He nodded his head and then looked at Misao. "His action forced Asura to release you. He threw you to the side, which caused you to go unconscious. Isame's wavelength did throw Asura off guard...but his madness still won in the end. His black blood released from his body and then hit your father in his chest and stomach. The Kishin retreated, threatening to find the orb in the future. Your father, with the last bit of strength...he walked over to you and held you in his arms for the last time. He kept on apologizing to you for placing this heavy burden on your shoulders. All he wanted was your forgiveness. Just before he collapsed, he gave you to me, making me promise to look after you." Blood paused for a while, noticing his vision become glassy as tears started to take form. "It hurts because his soul will never be at peace because of his choice."

'Papa...' That was what she wanted to speak aloud. But she began to choke up and sob, so it was difficult for her to form words. But Misao took in a breath and stopped the tears from continuing to fall. "He can rest in peace." She said with a smile. "I forgive him."

Blood stared at her, seeing a smile above the sadness she showed earlier.

"You're right, Blood. Papa always put me first. Everything he did was for my own good." She looked towards the sky, letting the sun's rays hit her enough to fade her tears. "Breaking down over every little thing isn't going to stop this battle. We just have to get stronger and face the Kishin." She turned her body all the way around so she was facing Blood. "Blood, let's avenge our land. Will you stand by me as my weapon partner...and trusted friend?"

Blood smiled as he took Misao's right hand and bowed before her. "Always and forever, my Empress."

"Hey, there they are." Black Star pointed towards Misao and Blood as they both came back into the classroom.

"Misao, are you feeling better?" Maka asked just as Misao and Blood stopped in front of them.

Misao nodded with a big smile on her face. "Yes, I am." She looked around at everyone. "I want to apologize to all of you for my behavior. Being in this situation isn't easy for me. I've caused you all so much trouble. It's been a while since I've had people other than Blood to trust, so I don't know how to express my feelings around others."

"There's no need to apologize to us." Soul said.

"We understand your situation. That's why we want to help you get used to having others to depend on." Maka told her.

"Yeah, especially a friend like the Great Black Star!" Black Star jumped from the desk he was sitting on and landed in front of Maka. "All you have to do is look to me for confidence and you'll be able to do anything you want! Hahaha!"

Misao stared at Black Star, trying to hold back a laugh. But it came out in a long giggle. "You certainly are special, Black Star!" she said above her laughter. "But seriously, I appreciate your support and patience with me. Let's all work hard to become stronger."

After school, the gang decided to head to the arcade to blow off steam. It was the first time Misao and Blood had ever been in an arcade, so they were taken in by the flashing lights and the crowd of people that gathered there. "Are we sure these people aren't affected by the Kishin's madness?" Misao asked. "Everyone seems to have lost their minds!"

"Nah, this is how it always is." Soul told her. "Hey Misao, wanna race me?"

"As in…one of these racing games?"

Soul nodded. "Trust me, once you play one game, you'll want to play them all. Follow me."

Misao looked at Blood for a short while before following Soul to two vacant racing car games. Soul put in the quarters for the game and guided Misao through the steps of picking the car she wanted, how the controls work and then got started. They chose an easy course and began the race. Misao was in the lead for a while, but another car knocked her back and took her lead. Soon the other cars flew past her, including the car Soul was controlling. "Oh no you don't! I'm not losing to you." Misao shifted her gear into second, increasing her speed. She found herself enjoying this game and the adrenaline that quickly fueled her as they came closer to the finish line. Misao managed to pass Soul just as they came to the finish line. She came in second place and Soul was in third. "I did it! Yes!"

"Congrats, Misao. You did awesome." Soul stood up from the chair at the same time as Misao did. The two high-fived each other.

"That was so much fun!"

"Glad you enjoyed yourself."

Misao scouted out for Blood, who was sitting at a table with Maka. Maka had her head in a book. "Blood! Blood!" Misao ran towards him and grabbed his hands. "I beat soul in the racing game! I actually beat him!"

"That's great." He said underneath a small chuckle. "Congratulations."

"Hey Misao!" Patty ran up to her and swung on her arm. "They have games over there that give you tickets if you win! Get enough and you trade them in for a prize! Wanna go collect tickets?"

Misao nodded. "Definitely! Be back later, Blood!" Misao hooked her arm with Patty's and followed her.

Blood watched Misao blend into the crowd. "I'm glad she's back to normal." He said. "She's finally opening herself up to new experiences."

"Yeah, it is good to see her enjoy herself. But I think you should be careful on how long you let her hang around Black Star and Soul." Maka chuckled. "They'll influence her negatively, especially when it comes to schoolwork."

Blood laughed alongside Maka. "I don't think I'll have to worry about that. You, Kid and Tsubaki keep them in check. Soul and Black Star can get rid of her excess energy while you three can have conversations with her. You're all a good balance for Misao. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank us all the time."

They all stayed at the arcade for about two hours. Misao and Patty won enough tickets to buy a little stuffed animal and a soul-shaped key chain. Misao's was green while Patty's was orange. Blood ended up carrying Misao on his back once everyone split up and headed home. "See you guys tomorrow." Blood said, carrying a tired Misao.

"Later Blood." Soul and the others said as they all went in different directions.

Blood stared at Misao's exhausted face resting against his shoulder and neck. 'I'm glad you had a good time, Misao. It's been a long time since you've had this much fun.' He chuckled as he looked back in the direction he was walking. 'Master Isame is probably wearing a smile ten miles long after seeing you have fun with friends.'

I don't know if putting an arcade was right for the 'Soul Eater' setting. I figured it was in modern times, so I assumed there'd be an arcade somewhere. Plus it's fan fiction. Some things are warped for the sake of the story. So I thought it was okay to add in *shrugs*

Please R&R ^_^