The door to the infirmary swung open as Maka, Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki ran in to see a beaten, unconscious Death the Kid lying on one of the cots, covered in bandages with a breathing mask over his mouth. Liz and Patty were sitting on the nearby chairs, both looking completely defeated.

"Liz, Patty, what happened to Kid?" Maka asked with shocked worry. She and the others had heard that Kid had been in some kind of battle, and was gravely injured during.

"Some guy…" Liz said shakily. "I… I don't know why, but he seemed dead set on getting some book that Kid had found somewhere. We barely stood a chance."

Black Star clenched his fists in a rage. "All right, whoever did this is gonna pay dearly! Anybody who harms my friends is going to feel the wrath of the man who's going to surpass God!"

"Cool your jets, Black Star," Soul instructed. "We're all more than a little miffed about this, but we can't let that get to us. We need to keep cool."

"Well put, Soul Eater," said the voice of Lord Death. The group, excluding Patty, who kept staring at Kid, turned to see the Grim Reaper himself accompanied by Stein, Spirit, and Marie Mjolnir. "My son wouldn't want us to lose our heads because of this." He turned to Liz. "You mentioned something about a book. What do you know about it?"

"Well…" Liz thought about it for several moments. "I didn't really get a good look at it, but it looked sort of like a diary. Is that important?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself," Death admitted with his large, blocky hand on his chin. "But if this stranger wanted to get his hands on it, then it may be safe to assume that he's working for the enemy. That book might just be the diary of Witch Circe herself."

"Circe had a diary?" Tsubaki inquired.

"Yes. I had been looking for it for quite some time, but could never find it. I gave up after I linked my soul to the city. If Kid found it, then it must've been here in Death City all along." He looked over at Kid's unconscious form. "He must've found some detail that I missed. It wouldn't surprise me if he did. He always was a stickler for that kind of thing."

"What's in the diary that's so important?" Black Star asked curiously.

Death shrugged. "Again, I'm not sure. When Circe was defeated, she said that she had hidden her diary somewhere, and that I should read it when I find it. It may contain a powerful spell that she was unable to complete, or explain how and why she became so twisted in the first place. This is really all just conjecture though. I can only assume that Kid read the diary. If so, that would make him the only person in the world who knows what's in that book."

Maka watched Death as he was now watching Kid. She thought that he was being surprisingly calm, considering the fact that his son was practically a vegetable at the moment. But she knew him a little better than that. It was very likely that he was actually seething with rage on the inside. She turned and looked at Kid until a light bulb clicked in her mind. "Lord Death, can I speak with you in private please?"

Death nodded and left the room, Maka following after him. The others simply watched with mild surprise as the two walked away. Soul's eyes narrowed somewhat suspiciously. Maka had been very secretive lately.

-o-

In the Death Room, Maka and Lord Death sat a small table that Death had set up. "So," Death began. "What's on your mind, Maka?"

"I think…" Maka started, pausing for a moment. "I think I might know of a way to find out what's in that diary, even if we don't have it."

"And how would we go about doing that?"

"I could ask Circe myself," Maka explained. "You said that she's living inside my inner world. I was able to confirm that. I think I might be able to convince her to tell me what she wrote in her diary."

Death cocked his head curiously. "Are you certain that that would be safe? She might try to use your curiosity against you. She can be a very deceptive person."

"I know. But she may be willing to tell the truth." Maka intentionally neglected to mention Circe's "price" for questions. She didn't know really know why, but she had the strangest feeling that she shouldn't. It may have been Circe's influence, but she couldn't be sure.

"Very well," Death agreed with a nod. "Once you get Circe's story, report back to me immediately. Understood?"

Maka nodded. "Of course, Lord Death."

-o-

Maka entered her and Soul's apartment, closing the door behind her and heading for the kitchen to fix something to eat. When got there, however, Soul was sitting with his arms crossed, looking rather impatient. "We need to talk, Maka," he said simply.

Maka immediately saw where this was going and took a seat across from him. "What do you want to talk about?"

"What have you been hiding recently?" Soul asked. When Maka gave him a questioning look, he continued. "I know you too well not to notice that you've been dodging questions and avoiding answers. What's going on with you?"

Maka was silent for several seconds, trying to find the right answer. She sighed in defeat and said, "Okay. I'll tell you the truth." And so she did. She told him about everything, from Circe living inside her soul, to the origin of witches, and even what she was going to do to learn what Circe had written in her diary. All the while, Soul listened with a shocked expression on his face.

When Maka finished, he leaned back in his seat, his hand over his face. "Geez. It's just like that little red devil all over again."

"She's actually a little more docile than he was," Maka stated. "She's… not exactly sane form what I've seen of her, but she hasn't actually tried anything legitimately hostile."

Soul groaned. "She's probably just biding her time until she's able to take full control of you. That little devil did that. Who's to say that she won't try that?"

"I never said that I trust her. I promise to be careful when I talk to her next, okay?"

"Just don't do anything stupid, all right? Don't hide things like this from me. If you need help with anything, just say the word."

Maka nodded. "I know." She stood from her seat and went to leave the kitchen to go to her room. "When I'm done, we'll go to the Death Room and talk to Lord Death together."

"All right."

Maka then left the kitchen and soon arrived at her bedroom, where she sat on her bed in a meditative pose. This was a technique that her mother had taught her when she was younger. It was method used to calm oneself, and can allow entry into one's own inner world. Hopefully the latter part would actually work.

-o-

It did.

When Maka opened her eyes after several minutes, she found herself in that dark desert again, the only other person being Circe, who was again staring up at the permanently depressed moon. The witch chuckled in amusement. "I honestly didn't think you would ever want my company, Maka," she stated with a mischievous grin.

"I just need to know something," Maka said seriously. She then took a deep breath. "I'm willing to pay up if you answer truthfully."

Circe stared at the blond girl with obvious surprise. She then suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. "Well, that's certainly a surprise! What's the occasion? Is it my birthday already?"

"Just answer the stupid question," Maka ordered. "What did you write in your diary that's so important?"

At that, Circe's expression became dead serious. "You found out about my diary, huh?" Maka nodded, earning a sigh from Circe. "If you must know, it details the truth of what really happened between my sister and me."

"The truth?"

"Yes. Death says that I went mad and tried to overthrow him. But that's only because he was told Hecate's version of the story. I will tell you the truth."