Soul spent every day at Maka's bedside. He would have spent the nights there too, but Professor Stein wouldn't allow it.

"How is she doing?" Kid stood in the doorway, staring down at Maka.

"She's been in here a whole week and you haven visited once. What was that you said about loving her?" Soul sneered. Kid didn't reply. "You would think someone who really cared about her would be by her side through hard times."

"I've been trying to come to terms with Maka's possible death."

"She's going to wake up!" Soul shouted. Kid raised both eyebrows. Raising one would have been more appropriate to the emotion he was expressing but that would of course been unsymmetrical.

"Your denial is actually impressive, but you should come to terms with reality. Maka might die. If she doesn't die, she might not wake up. If she does wake up, her body and mind could remain severely damaged for the rest of her life. The chances of her coming out of this are slim."

"Just shut the hell up!" Soul raged.

"Quiet!" Kid shushed urgently.

"Don't tell me what to do you asymmetrical idiot!"

"Be quiet and look!" Kid whispered angrily. He pointed to Maka. Her fists were clenched around the sheets and her face bore an expression of agony.

"Maka?" Soul spoke softly now as he worried over her. "Can you hear me? Is she waking up?"

"I think she was reacting to your shouting. Her body and mind may be comatose, but her soul is still active," Kid stepped closer, placing a careful hand on her pale cheek. Soul gave Kid's ring a nasty glare, but didn't say anything. Kid leaned down and whispered something in Maka's ear, quietly enough that Soul couldn't hear.

"What was that? What did you say?" Soul asked. Kid only shook his head and left.

"How is she doing?" Liz began interrogating Kid the moment he stepped through the door. "Is she awake? Is she any better? Will she be okay?" Kid didn't say a word. He ignored Liz's probing questions and didn't even notice the unevenly burnt candles on his way to his room.

"Oh, no.." Liz said as he walked past the paintings she'd tilted earlier.

Tsubaki brought more books for Maka, and Black Star would always show his support in a way that ended with him being thrown out of the infirmary. Kid came in from time to time but he could never bear to stay long, and Soul couldn't bear to leave. Patty gave Maka one of her favorite giraffes, and Liz would fix her hair and talk to her about all the latest gossip. There was only one person who never visited.

Maka's eyes flew open and she found herself gasping for air. She snapped up, instinctively reaching up to where Soul would always be as a scythe when she needed him, landing perfectly in her hand.

"Maka?" Soul was confused, slowly waking up in the chair next to her bed. "Oh my god, Maka! It's okay, it's okay Maka. Calm down, I'm here." He held her arms as she regained control of her breathing and took in her surroundings.

"How long?" She wanted to know. "How long have I been out?"

"Nearly a month. How do you feel? Maybe you should lay back down."

"I've been laying down for a month! I think I've had enough of lying down," Maka threw her bedsheets aside and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She looked down at them for a moment; they looked so thin and frail.

Well, appearances can be deceiving! Maka thought. Kid arrived just in time to see her leap to her feet. Her knees promptly gave out beneath her and she let out a small squeak of surprise as she fell. Soul moved to catch her but he wasn't as quick as the young reaper.

"Hey, I don't need help," Maka insisted as Kid helped her up.

"Maka you should really lay down," Soul said again. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm fine!" She went to stand up again and Soul begrudgingly allowed it. Kid held out a hand to steady her.

"May I?" He asked.

"Thanks, Kid," she said, taking it. She stood carefully on her shakey legs. She turned back to Soul with a weak, but genuine smile.

"See, Soul? I told you I was alright. So I can go home now, right?"

"Soon," Kid said before Soul could reply. "I think I should tell Stein you're awake first." Maka sat back on the bed and watched Kid leave.

"He only visited you three times. I was here every day. I missed all my classes to stay with you!" Soul told her proudly.

"I don't care," Maka said flatly.

"What?" Soul was confused. In a matter of minutes she'd gone from panicked, to angry, to elated and now she didn't seem to be experiencing any emotions at all. "Maka, are you okay?" Her forehead was scrunched up in deep thought. "Maka?"

"I remember," she began.

"Ah, you're awake. How do you feel?" Stein arrived with Spirit cloning to his coattails.

"My Maka is okay!" Spirit cried out. "Oh, Maka, I'm so happy! I was so worried, I was visiting you constantly! All the time, every day! I-"

"No you didn't," Soul shook his head. "You only came once, and it was because Stein made you." Spirit was shamed into silence, and he slowly inched out of the room as Maka's icy glare bore into his soul. After a short examination and a lot of begging from Maka and Soul, Stein allowed her to go home with one condition.

"Rest. You need to rest.. Both of you."

"You visited me every day but you didn't record my favorite show?" Maka pouted. "A month, I'm a whole month behind on the only tv show I even watch!"

"I don't get why it's such a big deal. It's just a stupid sh-" His sentence was abruptly ended by a book slamming into the top of his head. "Seriously how can you hit me so hard you were comatose a few hours ago you freak AGH!"

"I haven't even been awake for a day and you're already a jerk," Maka muttered. She went to mope at the kitchen table, tracing lines on the wood with the tip of her finger.

I remember what he said when I got hurt. She thought. He said that he needed me. He said that he didn't know what he would do without me. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knocking at the door. She went to get up but Soul was already at the door. She heard him open it, and then immediately slam it shut.

"It's no one," Soul said.

"Um.. Hello?" Kid's voice came softly through the door.

"Oh, right, it's no one," Maka said sarcastically as she went to the door. "Hey, Kid."

"I just came to see how you were doing,"

"Alright, I guess," she shrugged. Kid frowned.

"No, really, Maka. How are you?" He asked again. Her face crumpled and she fell forwards into his arms, sobbing.

"I f-feel so weak and I hate it!" She cried into his chest. Kid didn't say anything. He stepped closer to her and held her tight. Her crying slowly reduced itself to sniffling and her shaking shoulders stilled. Kid loosened his arms, expecting her to move away. Instead she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed back.

"I'm glad you came by," she whispered. He smiled and hugged her again, resting his chin on the top of her blond head. He caught sight of Soul watching them and murderously gnashing his teeth together.

"I should probably go," Kid said, detaching himself from Maka.

"Oh, yeah," she nodded and rubbed at her eyes. "Okay." Kid paused as he closed the door behind him, he quickly poked his head back inside.

"Maka Albarn, you are anything but weak."

A hooded woman stood in the alley outside of Maka's apartment, watching and waiting. She placed her hand on the wall as a tiny black snack slithered out of her sleeve and began making its way up towards the window directly above.

"I'll have my revenge on the DWMA yet," she vowed. "Starting with their prize meister."