Disclaimer: Nope. Too lazy for this shit.

CIA: *Points gun at me* What was that? SWAT team, call for backup, we need an airstrike in here.

Me: OH SHIT! I DON'T OWN SOUL EATER, I DON'T OWN SOUL EATER!

CIA: That's better.

Trust No-One

Chapter 9:

Soul followed Maka around as she tugged her hair into pigtails.

"Maka, are you sure you want to go to school?" he asked.

"Yes, Soul."

"I just don't think it's a good idea," he told her worriedly. She sighed exasperatedly.

"Soul, relax. I'm gonna be fine. I just want everything to be normal and school seems like the normal thing to do."

"Maka, you'll be out in the open."

"And surrounded by people." She turned to him when she got both her pigtails in and looked at him pleadingly. "Soul, I'll be with you guys, right? You guys will protect me, you said so yourself."

Soul swallowed. "Well...y-yeah, but..."

"'But' nothing, Soul," she said, turning away from him. "I'm going to school. I am going to resume my life as normal, and I have decided that."

She said it with forced confidence, but Soul could clearly hear the "forced" part. He sighed. He tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged him off.

"You can try to stay strong all you want, Maka. I don't have to see your face to tell you're faking it. I can hear it in your voice. You're scared to death."

She stayed silent. Soul sighed again.

"Fine. Whatever you want. But understand that you're not going anywhere without me."

She took a deep breath, then turned and hugged him, much to his surprise. "Thank you," she said.

"Eh? For what?"

She thought about it for a minute. He had been there for her since they became partners. They fought sometimes but he was always there for her in the end; he'd never left her. Sometimes he said things he didn't mean, but she knew him well enough to know that he didn't. Even when he said he couldn't take it anymore, even if he was mad at her, he still protected her. He'd been perfectly willing to give up his life for her. He had gotten help even though she didn't want him to because it was best for her. And even now, here he was; she was being totally nonsensical and stubborn, and he was still trying to keep her out of danger. If anyone had been there for her through everything, it was Soul.

"Everything," she said, smiling. Soul smiled softly at her and hugged her back.

Maka showed up at the Academy with a vengeance. She hopped off Soul's bike and headed for the front gates, but Soul grabbed her hand.

"Maka, wait."

"What?"

"Maka…" he looked at her pleadingly. "Please, I'm gonna ask you one more time. Just forget about this and let me take you back home. We don't have to be here."

"Soul, I'm not crippled. I don't have a good reason to be staying home."

"How about it's safer there?"

"The way I see it, holing up in my room would just give him the satisfaction of knowing he scared me."

"And he did. I know you, Maka-chan."

"Soul!"

"What?! Maka, anybody at this Academy could be the guy and you know it! I am worried about you. Is that so wrong?"

Maka looked at him for a minute, then sighed and hugged him. "Soul…I know that you're worried and I appreciate it. But I'll be alright, okay? I promise."

He looked at her with anxious eyes, but nodded and hugged her back. Suddenly, Maka got dizzy and flashed back again. She saw tons of people…she recognized Kid. She thought she got a glance of Soul in the back of the room. She was walking away from Kid…then she was in the doorway of her house. Someone was next to her with an arm around her waist. She looked at him. He seemed familiar…but she didn't get a good enough look at him before she flashed back into the real world. When she looked up, Soul was holding her steady and looking at her, frightened.

"Are you alright?!"

He started checking to see if she had a fever, but she waved him off.

"I'm fine," she said, "fine. Don't worry."

"Are you sure? Did you have another flashback? Are you gonna pass out in the middle of class?"

"It was just a flashback."

He grabbed her by the shoulders. "What did you see? What happened?"

"Relax, Soul," she said, "I just saw you and Kid and then I was standing in the doorway with someone."

"Did you see who?" he asked frantically. His hopes deflated when she shook her head.

"Not clearly. Come on, let's go to class…if I remember anything important, you know you'll be the first to know."

It was passing period between third and fourth hour. Maka walked down the hall, flanked by her partner and her boyfriend, who were glaring at anyone who dared more than a passing glance at her. Several of them stared still. Maka had been hearing whispers all day.

"Wasn't it her?"

"She was the one?"

"I heard she got raped the other night…"

"Who could've done it?"

"What's she doing here?"

"Did she really?"

A couple girls had even so much as gone up to her to ask if it was true. Maka never answered them; Soul took care of that…usually with a "she doesn't wanna talk about it, go away."

Then it happened. One girl came up to her, someone she didn't know, but she looked like the snobby cheerleader type. Pretty, perfectly made up and dressed. She looked at Maka with a sneer.

"Okay, look, I've been hearing all about the rumors, about how you're saying you got raped, and I just wanna say that that's bullshit. We all know you're doing this for attention."

Soul stepped up to the girl, putting a shocked and upset Maka behind him.

"Listen, Maka's not lying, and she's not doing anything for attention. Now leave her alone."

"You actually think she's telling the truth? Tch. You should take her to get a psych evaluation."

Kid stepped up as well and told the girl if she didn't walk away now, he'd have to notify Lord Death. She scoffed and turned around with a simple, "maybe you should all go get psych evaluations."

Soul turned to ask Maka if she was alright, but she was gone. The boys started to panic a little bit, then heard her voice in the next hallway.

"Soul?! Kid?!"

The boys sensed Maka's panic and ran. They found her next to her locker staring at a piece of paper taped to it.

Keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you, girl.

While Kid was re-reading the note, Soul grabbed Maka's hand and pulled her up.

"Come on. We're going home. Kid, grab the note and call the cops!"

A/N: Oh shit. Looks like Soul has a reason to be paranoid…stay tuned! And be ready, those of you with weak stomachs, the next chapter will have them in knots!