Woo! Here's the third chapter! A really really REALLY big shout out to my first reviewer, vivalarapture! Thank you so much! You made my life! Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater, though I wish I did. So, please read and review, thank you! Chapter three: Breaking down BTW: this is a re-upload, I noticed one too many mistakes :P

The first couple of days of weapon training were extremely difficult. Maka couldn't quite transform into her weapon form at will. And when she, did she knew she wasn't at her full potential. She looked at Marie and Justin. These were weapons that didn't need a meister. She looked at Stein who didn't need a weapon. If they could do it then, dammit, so could she! Maka tried asking Tsubaki and the Thompson sisters for advice, but they were weapons. Transforming was like breathing to them.

Two weeks into training Maka was finally able to transform her hands into scythes, with blades protruding from her elbows and shoulders. She was in the middle of cutting down wood dummies when Professor Stein round house kicked her in the back. She fell face first, and ate a big chunk of dirt. She coughed as she stood up.

"Dammit Professor, there's a better way to get someone's attention," she managed to cough out. Stein simply turned the screw in his head.

"If you're going to be by yourself on missions you need to learn to never let your guard down. You don't have anyone to watch your back anymore." Maka glared at him.

"What do you need, Professor," she snapped. He grinned.

"My, my, how you've changed," he mused. "If only dissecting the mind was as easy as dissecting the body." Maka rolled her eyes.

"If you don't have anything, then let me get back to my training," she said a little softer. Maka turned to leave, when Stein called out to her.

"You're closer than you think!" She stopped in her tracks.

"Closer to what?", she asked, as she turned back around to face him. And what she saw stopped her breathing.

"Heh, don't be such a spaz; it's not cool," he said, standing in front of her.

"Soul," she breathed. He gave her his classic smug grin…

Then next thing she knew, she was on the ground, her hands clawing at her heart, screaming at the top of her lungs, Stein was shaking her shoulders.

"Maka! Maka, wake up! Come back!" The moment her eyes made contact with Stein's, she snapped back to reality. Stein held her shoulders, scared that she would collapse.

"I-I'm sorry," Maka whispered.

"It's okay," Stein replied. "Maybe you should go home and get some rest." Maka nodded, stood, and walked home. Stein sat on the ground for a while. "Well now," he thought out loud, "What just happened?"

They were under the covers, kissing and touching. Her heart was racing in her chest. His mouth left hers in search of new skin. He kissed her cheek all the way down to her collar bone. Her hands tangled in his hair. She gasped as he slipped a finger underneath the waist band of her skirt. Her heart was ready to jump out of her chest. She wasn't ready for anything like that! She was about to tell him to stop when he chuckled against her neck.

"Were you about to let me?" he asked, his voice breathy and deep. Just the sound of his voice was enough to send her over the edge.

"N-no," she stuttered. He laughed. "Don't laugh at me!" She playfully smacked his shoulder. He laughed some more, making her laugh with him. He picked his head up and looked at her. His eyes were piercing. She could stare into them all day. He picked up her left hand and kissed it.

"Tomorrow we leave to England," he began softly. He kissed her hand. "Please, please, be careful," he said softly, staring at her hand the whole time. With the same hand he held, she turned his face towards her. She leaned up on her right elbow and kissed him.

The kiss was long, deep, and sensual. She pressed her chest against his. Shivers ran down her spine as he moaned into her mouth. Her arms wrapped around his neck and held him close. He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought them to a sitting position. She straddled him, loving every minute.

Her lips now did the exploring. She kissed and sucked his neck. His hands roamed her back but stopped in their path as she sat down on him. He inhaled a sharp breath as he felt her through their clothes. She moaned into his neck, feeling him grow underneath his pants.

"Maka," he breathed out. Her hands found themselves under his shirt. She felt every muscle. Her hands paused at the scar. Her heart clenched at the memory of how he got it. She looked into his eyes, hands still on the scar. Seeing her expression, he cupped her face in his hands.

"I will always protect you," he told her, his voice filled with conviction.

"I-" she began, but was cut off with a kiss.

"You can tell me when we get back," he smiled. "Come on," he continued, laying them back down, "Let's go to sleep." She curled into his chest and fell asleep in his arms…

"Wait, what?", Spirit asked, confused as hell. Stein sighed. He thought he was being pretty clear.

"Yes, explain it again," Lord Death backed up his death scythe.

"I'm not sure, and I could be wrong," Stein started again, "But when Maka collapsed, again, her soul split in two, and one of them resembled Soul's." Silence filled the room. The clouds rolled by softly.

"The first time it split, you didn't see Soul?", the Grimm Reaper asked. Stein shook his head.

"Another thing," Stein continued, "Have you guys seen Maka's scythes?" The reaper and scythe shook their heads. "Well, they're starting to resemble Soul."

"But Maka is a weapon herself," Spirit interjected.

"I know," Stein replied simply.

"Is it possible for someone to transfer their soul into another person's right before they die?" the Grimm Reaper asked.

"It's never been done, or attempted. And if it has, it's never been recorded," Stein answered calmly.

"Is it possible that because of her mental state, she's creating his soul?" Stein and Lord Death were both shocked to hear this coming out of Spirit's mouth.

"I hadn't thought of that," Lord Death admitted.

"I did but I didn't want to mention it," Stein stated. "I'm surprised you came to that all on your own, Spirit."

"So either Soul did something that's never been heard of or, she's crazy?" A new voice entered the conversation.

"What are you doing here, Kid" Stein asked.

"As the future Grimm Reaper, I think I have the right to be a part of this situation. And Maka is my friend as well. We're all trying to get over losing Soul; he was everyone's best friend. For god's sake, it's only been eight months! We never found his body. Do you know what that does to a person? Maka's a rational person. She weighed the odds of Soul's survival and logically knew that it was near impossible for him to still be alive. But, when there's no dead body, there's that stupid thing called hope. I don't think she's given up on him, not yet at least."

"What do you think?" Lord Death asked his son.

"I-I think he's dead," Kid said quietly.

"And what about you, Black Star?", Stein called out. Black Star appeared out of the shadows.

"I was hoping he was still alive, until about three months ago," he said with his head down.

"What about your weapons?", Lord Death asked the meisters.

"Patty and Liz also think he's dead…"

"Tsubaki thinks he's dead but she lies to Maka, trying to comfort her," Black Star's voice was on the edge of tears.

"He's not dead." All five of the males turned to the only female voice. Maka stood with her chin held high.

"Maka," her father sighed.

"I came to ask you guys the exact same question. Do you think he's dead?" Maka stared at the Grimm Reaper, Stein, and her father. It was Stein who spoke first.

"I think he's dead," Stein said, turning the screw in his head and carefully watching her soul. Her gaze shifted to her father.

"Yes," he said quietly, avoiding his daughter's eyes. "I think he's dead." She looked at the one person whose opinion mattered most.

"I believe that Soul Eater Evens is dead," Lord Death said in a firm voice. Hearing his name out loud sent new pangs of pain into her chest. She made one sad laugh in disbelief.

Maka squared her shoulders, held her chin up, said goodbye, and left.

When she made it back to her apartment she threw herself onto the couch. She took a deep breath. His scent still lingered. She sat up and faced the door to his bedroom. She had refused to go in there ever since he disappeared.

Now, she needed to go in there. She wiped her tears and walked over to the door, her hand on the door knob. Half of her wanted to open the door to find him there asleep with his head hanging off the side of his bed. Half of her wanted to open the door and see him scribbling away at some sheet music. All of her just wanted to see him. She took a deep breath and swung the door open.

She took one look around. She couldn't believe her eyes. She stepped in and stared at every corner in the room. And that right there was the problem. She could see every corner.

…His room was completely empty…

"I will always protect you," he told her, his voice filled with conviction.

"I-" she began but was cut off with a kiss.

"You can tell me when we get back," he smiled.

"I'm back," she whispered to the walls, "So where are you?"