"So this is… Madness," Soul said as he watched his meister flail around in a battle with the Demon Swordsman.

"It doesn't let them feel fear," the Oni said. "In this fight, they're denied their opponent's soul and even their very own souls…"

Soul contemplated this as he got ready for school in the morning. He got that Ame, as the embodiment of madness, denied her fear. But he wasn't sure about her denying her own soul. It didn't make sense; how could someone so kind and so caring deny her own soul? Or the souls of others, for that matter. Maybe he could ask Sayo in class today.

Madness of the Nonexistent Soul; Ame's Judgment in Question?

Sayo kept the class in order. They were reviewing for the final test the next day. Soul was going to just wait until after class when everyone else was gone to ask any questions. He didn't want to look like the studious type. However, class was interrupted. By you-know-who.

Ame walked—or more liked broke—into the classroom. She had a book from the library in her arms and her Smart Person glasses in her hand. What had once been known as 'Divine Teachings,' had turned into something between a philosophy class and a debate club some of the time. Ame made the students contemplate why life was short or long without denying the simple pleasures of life along the way. It was truly for her own understanding of the human sociology, but it was nice not to have to be serious all the time.

"Sorry I am late, class," she said, slapping on her Smart Person glasses. "Today we're gonna study the gravitational pull of romantic relationsh*ts."

"Um, actually…" Soul raised his hand tentatively. He didn't know how to bring this up; he wasn't the guy that spoke up in class. But if he didn't speak now, Ame would take up Sayo's time after class. Ame raised her eyebrows slowly, indicating for him to continue. "I have a question about madness."

Ame blinked, neatly taking off her glasses and folding them on the desk. She was smiling slightly, as if the idea of Soul becoming a decent human being entertained her. Eventually, she softly said, "Go ahead, Soul."

"We were taught in a previous class that madness denies fear and it denies that people have souls. You're the embodiment of madness. Do you think that you're fit to teach lessons regarding emotion or soul response?"

He tried to make his tone accusing, to cover up his curiosity. Maka shot him a reproving look, so at least it worked. He could still see that Maka was surprised he'd said anything at all.

I nodded, thinking for a moment.

"I like that question," she said. "It fills plot holes."

"Plot holes?"

"Madness," I began. "Is a really old word. It has become slang for things that people don't understand. Like Prejudice… and racism."

There was a murmur of agreement among the students.

"Yes, I deny my fear. Everyone does it. And yes, I do deny my soul. Just not in the way you think. I deny the fact that I have or even need a soul. I still have a body. I can still use my mind. It is what allows me to blindly continue taking care of the world like all the I before me without considering doing it wrong. Madness is, in a way, what makes me pure, but it is also… what makes me immortal."

Her eyes glazed over slightly. Her demeanor changed, and she was suddenly serious.

"I can deny my soul in death, which will then return my soul to my body. You've all seen me die in the battle with the Spider Queen. It wasn't your prayers that brought me back. It wasn't Kid. It was Madness."

Soul Eater

"So, I know you've kissed Ame," Soul said.

"Um… sort of."

"How do you sort of kiss someone?"

"Well, the few times I've kissed her on the lips, she threatened me, so we haven't gone very far yet."

"She's weird," Soul shook his head. "Oh, by the way, I want you to try something when you're on your next date with Ame."

"What is it?"

"Nothing much; I'm just curious about something. Here's what I want you to do…."

"Hey, Ame, does this top make me look too big?" Liz asked her shopping buddy, glancing in the mirror.

"I thought we were shopping for my date tonight," Ame said. Liz smiled apologetically.

"Sorry about that, but Kid will like you no matter what you wear!" Liz skipped over to her and sat down next to her excitedly. "So, where are you two going?"

"To a movie."

"How boring. Hey, Ame, have you ever thought that maybe you and Kid are moving too fast or too slow?"

"Another change in conversation," Ame noted. "No, not really. I don't really worry about that stuff. I know that Kid's okay with it, so I am too!"

"What if you broke up with him?" Liz asked.

"Oh, no, I don't think I could do that…"

"Don't be chicken!" Liz said, hugging Ame close. She was obviously trying to set her up. "It's just a ruse. Tonight after the movie, just say something like 'you disgust me, it's over!' okay?"

"… No," Ame shook her head. "I can't do that, even in jest. I'll find other ways to torment him."

"Aren't those movies getting kind of old?" Ame asked Kid as they walked home after going to see a movie.

"Yeah…" Kid nodded. He took Ame with one arm, blushing once he remembered what Soul wanted him to do.

"I want you to grab her butt."

"WHAT?!"

"No, not in a pervy way. I mean I want you to grab her tail. Just casually, you know. I want to know how she reacts."

Kid put his arm around Ame's shoulder, quickly sliding it down to rest on her back. Should he really be doing this? Of course not, but what else was he going to do? In truth, he'd been kind of curious about it too. And it's not like anyone was going to find out and treat him differently. He glanced once more at Ame. She was still walking along casually, just the slightest bit happier because he was touching her. Kid averted his gaze and reached down to grab the base of her tail.

Ame stopped walking immediately. Her face was red as a tomato, and her ears were sticking straight up. Without warning, she threw her hand out and slapped Kid across the face hard enough that he stumbled back. She blinked, not quite sure what she had done. Kid was staring at her rather ruefully and rubbing his red cheek where she had hit him.

"You idiot, don't you know better than to grab some girl's tail like that?!" she shouted. Kid blushed and ducked his head, trying to avoid the passerby's that had turned to stare at them. "You pervert! It's over! I'm done with this relatinsh*t!"

With that, she darted away. Kid watched her go. That was so fake, and he could tell, but it would be an interesting reaction to tell Soul, at the least.

The next day at lunch, Soul sat down next to Kid.

"So, how'd it go?" he asked. Kid turned his face slightly, letting Soul look at the bruise on his face. "Damn. Did Ame do that?"

"Uh-huh," Kid nodded, taking a bite of his salad. "Before she broke up with me."

The others at the table turned to look at him.

"Whoa, dude, you didn't have to go that far."

"You're the one that told me to do it!"

"I'm sorry, Kid," Maka said sympathetically, putting an arm around his shoulder. Kid was about to tell her that it was probably just an act on Ame's part, and that he was fine, but he decided against it. He just wanted to see how low they'd go out of sympathy for him. That wasn't like him, but he was feeling spontaneous.

He was in the dangerous phase after a break up.

Meanwhile, at home, Ame was sitting on the couch next to Blair. Ame was drinking from a bottle of vodka and crying.

"I can't believe I actually did that!" she sobbed. "I don't know what came over me, it was just the first thing I could think of…."

"You're a bit of a head case, you know that?" Blair asked.