Goodness, goodness, goodness. Finally, last chapter! Thanks for hanging in there with me :)

First of all, sorry if this seems rushed. I didn't want to write a really long story. I also want to focus on my other story I'm writing, which I think is slightly better than this one.

Second of all, this was a tough chapter for me to write. Honestly, could have probably done way better with it but overall I'm pretty happy. I hope you enjoy the story anyway.

And thirdly, thanks for all who reviewed and faved! :) I would love to know your thoughts and critiques on the story.

Warning: This chapter gets pretty intense and heavy in parts.

Maka sat on her bed staring blankly at the wall as she heard the apartment door open and close. Soul must be back from the Academy.

She squeezed her knees closer into her chest and closed her eyes out of frustration. Thoughts of the upcoming dance that night occupied her mind and filled her with worry. Her stomach was tied in knots but at the same time, she didn't feel like she had any energy to confront Soul about it.

That entire week, Maka and Soul distanced themselves from each other to avoid initiating any conversation about the dance. The event hung like a heavy cloud over both of their heads. Soul wasn't interested in causing even more tension by talking with Maka about it. Maka, on the other hand, was worried about the outcome and she didn't want to stress Soul out more with her own concerns. The entire situation was emotionally draining on both and they couldn't wait for it to be over with.

She hugged her legs tightly and sighed, jumping at the slight sound of knocking on her doorway.

"Hey…" Soul said smiling.

"Hey," Maka didn't look at him.

"May I come in?"

"Yeah."

Soul slowly strolled to the bed and sat down.

After a few minutes of silence, he finally said, "You're nervous, huh?"

She sighed and glanced toward him. "…I guess you could say that."

He grinned. "Everything's going to be ok. You have nothing to worry about."

She smiled without looking at him, realizing she was confused on how she was actually feeling. She was anxious about how everything was going to turn out but, in that moment, she was also surprisingly sad that it wasn't her going with Soul to the ball.

She really wanted it to be her…

Soul, bothered by her silence, interrupted her thoughts. "You going to be ok?" There was a hint of concern in his voice as he analyzed her demeaner.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said as she looked up towards the ceiling. "You never know. Maybe I'll just… show up so I can help you…" she added.

Soul immediately stood up and walked around to the side of the bed she was facing. He squatted down beside her so he could look up into her eyes. "Please, tell me you are joking."

He looked very serious.

She expressionlessly stared at him until a tiny upward curve appeared in the corner of her lips. "Maybe."

He sighed and scooted over so he was directly in front of her. He reached up and put his arms on each side of her on the bed. His chest leaned in on her knees as he continued to stare at her. "Maka, you aren't going," he said definitively.

"What if you need me?"

"I need you for a lot of things, but this isn't one of them."

"But…what if something bad happens?"

"Nothing bad is going to happen."

Maka smirked, "how do you know that?"

"Don't you trust me?" Soul smirked back.

Maka nodded. "…Yes, but you still can't see the future."

"Maka, I'll be fine. I promise that I can handle this. Trust me."

"But…"

"Stop," he cut her off as he picked himself up off the floor so that his face was directly in front of hers. "I'm not going to risk losing you again." He kept his eyes focused on hers. His voice, his face, his eyes…they were intoxicating, drawing Maka in like an enchantment. She had to look away from his stare for fear she may start blushing. She nodded, not feeling up for more of an argument.

He was still close, unmoving and staring until she finally looked back at him. Chills began to snake their way down her spine as she stared back into his captivating eyes. "…And I don't want to hear another word about it," he whispered softly like silk into her ear. He didn't back away as his eyes stared deeply into hers, entrancing Maka. She was paralyzed by his intense allure.

Finally, his lips curled upward into an attractive, slight smile without averting his gaze. "…God, you're pretty," he said with his face still close to hers. Maka's stomach suddenly twisted and dropped. It felt like butterflies began to flap furiously around in her abdomen. She gazed at him through her emerald green eyes and swallowed…she was hooked. He could do whatever he wanted at that moment and she would have been perfectly content to let him. He continued to stare at her until, finally, he said, "I just…" and crammed his lips onto hers.

She felt pressure from his body weight pushing her backward on to the bed. She complied and laid back while he climbed on top of her. Their lips did not disconnect.

He placed his hand on the back of her head and pressed her lips harder on to his. Finally, after a while of passionate kissing, he raised his head slightly so that his lips were just out of reach, leaving Maka wanting more. "Maka," he started. He wrapped his fingers gently around her hand and looked seriously into her eyes. "I need you to promise me, you won't go."

She didn't answer immediately.

Soul continued to stare at her until he finally sighed, "Maka..."

She looked away and closed her eyes. "Fine."

Rolling his eyes, he pressed his thumb firmly against her jaw bone and gently turned her head to make her look at him again. "Say it," he demanded.

She smiled and began to shake her head. He smirked. "You are just so stubborn."

He pressed himself even closer into her as his fingertips slowly drug along the base of her jawline. The thumb of his other hand softly moved against her hip bone making Maka's heart skip a beat.

His lips slightly brushed against hers. "Please…" he whispered again.

"I promise…" she said, finally giving in to his charm.

He grinned as he gently caressed her cheek and intensely touched his lips to hers once more.

Maka sat on the couch while Soul got ready for the dance.

As the clock ticked on, Maka's anxiety worsened. Her leg bounced up and down while she chewed a fingernail and focused entirely on her own thoughts.

Soul seemed completely at ease, as usual. Of course, he is...she thought. This is the moment he's been waiting for. Maka must sit at home while Soul was out doing dangerous things...and she was just supposed to accept this? To be okay with this? She felt a vague sickness in the pit of her stomach.

"Alright, it's about that time," Soul said interrupting her thinking. Her knee quit bouncing as she looked up at him.

Soul smiled at her with his hands in his pockets. He wore his black pinstriped suit with a brilliant red shirt and black tie. Maka swallowed nervously. He looked really amazing in that suit. She began to blush and looked away.

Not noticing her crimson shade, he sighed and sat down beside her on the couch. "Are you really going to be ok?"

She glanced up at him and smiled slightly. "Yes, I'll be fine. Please, don't worry about me."

"Ok," he said as he pulled her into his chest and put his arm around her, lacing his fingers with hers.

"Remember that you promised me…"

"I know."

His hand swept under her jaw to her chin and brought her lips close to his. "I mean it, Maka."

Butterflies began to flap around in her abdomen once more. This isn't fair…she thought.

"I know, Soul," she said breathlessly.

He smirked and pressed his lips onto hers once more. He began to part his lips so that their tongues could meet. He pushed her down on the couch and pressed his body into her while she straddled him. The tension started to build between them with one passionate kiss after the other. Maka's fingers began to wrap and tangle in Soul's hair.

Soul lifted his head up and began to laugh. "If I let this go on, I'll be here all night. I have to go."

Maka sighed and looked away.

He looked down at her in his arms and slightly smiled. "Please, don't do anything stupid. I know I've said that before… but I really, really mean it this time."

She smiled, rolling her eyes. "I won't."

He bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "Ok."

He lifted himself off the couch and picked her up in the process. He wrapped his arms around her and said, "Don't worry."

He let her go and opened the apartment door. He began to leave when he popped his head back in. "Oh and…please, don't open this door for anyone. K?"

Maka giggled. "I won't, Soul."

He shut the door leaving Maka alone.

About two seconds passed when the door quickly opened one more time. Maka barely had time to turn around to look at him before he grabbed her by the back of the head and forced a strong kiss once more upon her lips.

He pulled away, "sorry. I just missed you."

Maka's heart was pounding. She was not used to this. Her face was beet red. She had no words.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Everything's going to be ok," he repeated to her. Maka closed her eyes and leaned into his shoulder. "I know," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around him.

He let her go and quickly left the apartment again, leaving Maka, once again, alone.

Maka smiled sweetly to herself and bit her lip as she moved a stray hair behind her ears. She plopped back down on the couch and thought about him for a long while. Finally, she looked at the clock. It had only been ten minutes since he left.

She looked at the door longing for him to come back in and kiss her like that again. It took her by surprise. She liked it. Just thinking about it made her blush all over again.

She watched the second hand on the clock make its way, once again, around the circle. The minutes ticked by painfully slow.

After a while of sitting there, her knee began to bounce; her anxiety was slowly returning. She glanced over at the door, standing tall, like an overbearing temptation. She looked away again. I can't.

Her thoughts started to drift to the ball. She wondered about how Soul was going to confront Kara. Suddenly, the image of Kara kissing Soul flashed across her mind as her eyeball twitched a little. No don't think about that.

She rolled her eyes as they shifted back to the apartment door. No, Maka. Don't you even think about it…

Her thoughts began to annoy her. I can't go there…Stop thinking about it.

She sighed and stretched out across the couch, placing her arms above her head. What am I going to do? She looked back towards the apartment door.

She started to glance around the room as memories of the day when Kara stabbed her began to enter her mind. The memories replayed in her head like a black and white film. She remembered opening the door and not thinking much of it. The entire conversation of Kara's plan repeated itself all over again in her head. She wants Soul…she was going to try and enchant him with a potion.

Maka suddenly sat up. Wait…a potion! She's going to try and do it tonight at the ball! How could we be so clueless!? I hope he knows not to drink anything she gives him!

Maka sprang up from the couch and ran into the bedroom to put her shoes on. She shoved her arms into her black jacket, zipped it up, and flipped the hoodie over her head for cover before fleeing back to the apartment door and quickly swinging it open. She quietly closed it and ran into the night towards the academy.

Kara and Soul walked arm in arm into the Death Academy Ball. Soul was ready. This was it. This was what he's been waiting weeks for. His eyes burned with determination. He stepped into the large extravagant ballroom full of women in fancy dresses and men in tailored suits.

He looked over at his date, in the long red and black dress, who smiled sweetly at him. He smiled back at her and felt his face get hot as various eyes around the room tended to glance over in their direction.

Soul and Kara approached the area where Kid and the others were standing.

"You're lookin' snazzy," Black*Star said to Soul while slapping him on the back. Soul put his hands in his pockets and smiled.

A new song began to play over the speakers encouraging Black*Star and Tsubaki to make their way to the dance floor.

"Soul, wanna dance?" Kara asked.

Soul glanced her way and slightly smirked. "Sure," he said while offering his arm. She took it and Soul lead her to the dance floor.

He silently swung her around and placed his hand on her lower back as she took his other hand and they began to sway to the beautiful sound of the music.

"You look very handsome tonight…" Kara said with a smile.

"Uh…thanks. That dress is pretty on you," Soul replied hesitantly.

"Thanks!" Kara smiled widely.

A couple minutes went by with no dialogue until Kara said, "Are you nervous, Soul? You seem a little tense."

"Hmm? No, I'm fine. I'm just not really a dancer, that's all," he replied.

"You sure nothing is wrong? Seems like there is something on your mind."

"No nothing's wrong at all, I'm fine. Promise," he said enthusiastically.

Kara smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. Soul rolled his eyes but continued to dance.

After the song was over they headed back to where the gang was standing. "Soul, do you want something to drink?" Kara asked.

"Sure, I'll get us some punch."

"No!" Kara yelled it out suddenly and loudly. She smiled. "No, I mean, let me. It's ok," she said as she headed for the drink table.

As soon as Kara was out of earshot Kid looked over at Soul and calmly said, "you do realize that potion is going to be in that drink, right? That was way too obvious."

Soul put his hands in his pockets. He didn't avert his gaze from her as he answered, "obviously."

Maka bent over her knees as she huffed and puffed from running. She looked up at the dimly lit glowing windows of the Death Academy ballroom. She slowly walked through the bushes in the flowerbed towards them. She bent down so only her eyeballs could peak over the windowsill.

There were many people in there and Maka didn't see any of her friends at first glance. She began to scan through the crowds to see if she could find the uncommon feature of Soul or Black*Star…their hair. She finally caught a glimpse of white and saw them.

Soul, Black*Star, Liz, Patty, Tsubaki, and Kid all stood around in a circle talking. There was no Kara. Where is she?

Suddenly, Kara walked up to the group carrying two drinks. Ah, shit... Maka thought.

Kara handed a cup to Soul. No. no, no.

They talked for a second before heading out of the ballroom together. Maka's eyes grew wide as she started to crawl away from the window quickly. When she was out of direct sight of the window, she sprang up and ran as fast as she could for the courtyard. Surely, he knows that that's the potion?! SURELY!

"It's a nice night, isn't it?" Kara said as she danced over to one of the tables in the courtyard.

Soul followed her. "Yup. It is."

They sat down together at the table with their punch. Soul didn't drink it, instead he stared blankly out at the surrounding scenery.

There was enough moonlight so that the courtyard was dimly lit in a blue glow. Maka ran silently behind the stone wall that surrounded the courtyard. She made her way along the outer perimeter, keeping close to the wall, until she felt she was close enough to them to hear their conversation but far enough away to remain undetected. She slightly peaked her head over the concrete structure. Luckily the wall she hid behind had a flowerbed with a bush on top that was perfect to peak under and watch without being spotted.

Kara smiled. "What's on your mind?"

"Hmm?" Soul looked over at her.

She laughed. "You've been in deep thought ever since we got here. What's up? Want to talk about it?"

Soul smiled. "Ah, I'm sorry. I've just been thinking about some things."

Kara took a sip of her punch, "like what?"

Soul shrugged, "just things…"

"C'mon, Soul, you can tell me…"

He didn't answer right away. He sighed and shifted his body so he was facing Kara. "Like Maka."

"Oh…" Kara's face changed to a somber expression.

"I just wish she could be here tonight…"

"I'm sorry, Soul. Still having a tough time with that, yeah?"

"Yeah." A couple of seconds of silence went by until he finally smiled at her. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a downer."

"Not at all. I like talking with you and you opening up to me."

"I appreciate that."

Kara smiled sweetly at him. "So…what's going on? Care to talk about it? I know I can't make any pain go away, but it can't hurt to at least talk about it and get some things off your chest."

"Mm. Yeah, I guess I've never really told anyone how I'm truly feeling," Soul said.

"Well, you can talk to me. I'm here for you, you know that?"

Soul sighed and shifted his eyes to the side. "I'm just…feeling pretty guilty."

Kara raised her eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because…I should have been there for her. Why couldn't I have just been there? I could have stopped it."

Kara sighed and reached out for his hand on the table.

"Soul, there's nothing you could have done. It isn't your fault."

He looked up at the sky. "What if it was my fault, though? What if I could have done something to stop it if I was there?" He closed his eyes as he looked back down. "How could I ever forgive myself for what happened to her?"

"You will have to. You need to stop blaming yourself. There was nothing you could have done. If Maka was here now, she wouldn't blame you for what happened."

Soul smiled as he leaned on his knuckles, "maybe you're right." He picked up his punch on the table as Maka tensed up, ready to jump out and stop him; But Soul only held the cup at eye level without taking a sip. "I wish I knew who killed her."

"I'm sure you do. What happened to her was awful."

He put the cup back down on the table and crossed his arms in front of him. "Yeah, and I would do awful things to them."

Kara smiled. "Let's toast to that," she said as she held up her cup.

"I'd torture them." He looked up at Kara and narrowed his eyes coldly toward her. "Slowly and painfully, before I killed them." Kara began to lower her cup as Soul continued, "I'd make sure they'd suffer just as much as she did…I would cause them just as much pain."

She stared back at him. "Would you now…"

Soul nodded. "I would." He sat back while emotionlessly staring at her and smirked. "By the way, how's your aunt?"

They both sprang to their feet while Kara threw a punch at Soul. He grabbed her arm and threw her backwards towards the building. Kara stood back up and swiftly lunged forward toward him while Soul braced himself.

"Soul!" Maka threw herself over the stone wall running as fast as she could toward them.

He looked over at Maka in shock. "Maka?"

Kara used this opportunity to pull out a knife and attack Soul. He tried to dodge but didn't have enough time to completely get out of the way. The knife sliced his arm open, splattering blood across the concrete.

"NO!" Maka yelled as she reached her hand out to Soul's arm. Her fingers collided with him forcing him to transform with a burst of bright blue light. Maka gripped Soul and immediately swung him at Kara who jumped backwards dodging the attack.

Kara stared at Maka with wide eyes when she finally smiled confidently at her. "Maka?! You're alive, huh?" She started to cackle. "We-elllll, I can honestly say, this is a surprise. You fooled me."

"MAKA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Soul screamed as his reflection appeared in the red and black blade of the scythe.

Maka didn't answer as she, again, lunged toward Kara trying to cut her. Kara, again, escaped the attack. "You are really going to force me to disable my soul protect, aren't you?"

Kara smiled as she held up a single finger near her chest. "Very well." A dim purple aura of light glowed around Kara. Suddenly there was a burst of energy, throwing Maka and Soul backward across the courtyard.

Maka quickly stood back up with Soul in her hands. "You're going to die, Kara."

"C'mon then."

Maka ran toward Kara and tried to slice her directly again. Kara threw both of her hands up and caught the blade mid-blow. She was smiling wickedly as she threw it backward. "You are going to have to do better than that, dear."

"Alright, that's it. Soul Resonance!" Maka screamed. Soul and Maka's souls began to spark. Their energy began to climb and intensify. Kara flew toward them, trying to disable their soul resonance attack before Maka and Soul had time to charge it. Maka saw it coming though. She spun Soul around quickly and landed a blow into the witch's side, wounding her.

Kara flew toward the ground and laid there bleeding and moaning in pain. "Stupid girl," she hissed as she grasped her injury while Maka stared down at her. Maka noticed the wound start to heal up. "You have healing powers."

Kara smiled at Maka from the ground. "Yeah, stupid. I'm a witch."

Kara made a fist with her hand and held it close to her chest. She then thrust her palm in Maka's direction as a sudden burst of energy that glowed a bright purple emerged from her hand.

Maka jumped high into the sky, avoiding the spontaneous spell.

She looked down at the ground where Kara was laying but realized she wasn't there anymore. "What?" Maka looked up. Kara was directly in front of her in the air, smiling. "Got ya," she said. She kicked Soul out of Maka's hands and grabbed her as they fell back to the earth's surface. Maka struggled against Kara's grip.

They hit the ground hard and Kara held up a finger to Maka's neck. The finger sparked with tiny purple lightning. "One move, Maka. One move, and you are dead." She grabbed Maka and stood up with her, tightly holding Maka in a grid lock while placing the deadly finger to her neck.

Soul transformed back into a human, holding the wound on his arm. "Maka," he said as he turned around. His eyes grew wide when he saw Maka in Kara's grip. He began to walk towards them when Kara shouted, "do you hear that, Soul?! ONE MOVE and Maka is dead."

Soul stopped in his tracks.

"Kara." Everybody's head snapped in the direction of the voice coming from the shadows of the courtyard. Stein approached carrying Spirit in his scythe form. "You are surrounded."

Black*Star and Kid stepped out of the shadows with weapons drawn.

Kara smiled and began to laugh wickedly. "So was all this a part of your little plan," she yelled out. Stein began to walk toward her. "Ah-ah. Anybody moves and Maka dies," Kara spouted. She began to laugh again. "…You lose," she said as she pushed her finger closer to Maka's skin.

"Kara, you aren't getting out of this situation, regardless if Maka dies or not," Stein said.

Soul flashed a look of objection over toward Stein.

Kara wickedly smiled. "Oh, I'm getting out of here. And you can have your precious Maka back if you do exactly as I say."

Stein stared at Kara intensely through his spectacles and nodded. "Very well. What is it you request?"

Kara shifted her eyes toward Soul. "I assume everyone is aware of the potion that is in Soul's drink," she said smiling. "Soul, if you would be so kind. Drink it," she demanded. Soul's eyes narrowed at Kara but he didn't move.

"Drink the potion, or she dies. It's that simple."

"Don't do it!" Maka screamed out. Kara sent a spark of energy into Maka, making her cry out in pain and go limp.

"STOP! I'll do it. Just don't hurt her," Soul said angrily.

Black*Star and Kid's eyes widened as they slightly dropped their guard and stared at Soul.

"No, Soul," Stein said. "Don't do that, she will kill Maka anyway."

"What choice do I have?!" Soul said as he approached the table.

"Soul, please! Don't," Maka choked out. Kara again shocked Maka in which Maka released a petrifying scream in agony.

"NO! Listen to me, Kara! I'm doing it, ok!? Stop!" Soul looked back at her.

"Then quit fooling around and do it!" Kara irritably replied.

Soul picked up the cup and turned to face Kara. "Ok. Just let her go and I'll do it."

Kara smiled and shook her head. "No deal. You do it, and then I will let her go." Kara watched him as he skeptically stared at her without raising the cup. She rolled her eyes. "I promise I won't harm her. Just drink it."

Soul looked down at the cup. Finally, he sighed and brought the cup up to his lips.

Black*Star yelled out. "Soul! Don't! There's no going back!"

Stein aggressively shouted toward Soul, "Soul, listen to me. We can figure this out. You don't need to do this!"

Soul ignored them as he stared at Maka with sad eyes. "Maka. I'm really sorry," he said before gulping the entire drink down.

"NO!" Maka cried out as her eyes watered up.

Soul dropped the empty cup and clutched his head. He yelled out, "ARGH," as he collapsed to his knees. An abundance of energy started to swarm around him creating a powerful wind tunnel in the courtyard.

Then it suddenly stopped. There was nothing. Silence. His rapid breathing could be visibly seen as he began to pick himself up.

Everybody watched in awe.

"Soul?" Maka whispered as her eyes teared up, anxiously waiting for him to respond.

He barely lifted his head and locked eyes with Kara. His eyes, they changed. They looked evil. He smiled wickedly.

Kara released Maka allowing her to collapse to the ground. "No…" she choked out.

Kara's lips curled upward into an evil smile.

"Come here," she said.

Soul began to walk towards her, entranced by Kara's spell. Maka sprang forward and ran to him. "Soul!" She touched his shoulder. He didn't transform. Maka's stomach dropped in fear.

"No!" Maka began to frantically touch him on his chest and shoulders. "Soul! Why won't you transform?!" Soul stared at Kara with that wicked grin as he continued to walk slowly toward her, ignoring Maka completely.

Maka turned to watch him approach Kara slowly. She felt sick. With tears in her eyes she collapsed to the ground again. "Soul…" she cried out.

Soul stopped in front of Kara, continuing to stare into her eyes. She stretched out her arm and gently touched his face. "So, are you mine now? Show me." She reached for his wound on his arm. As her fingers brushed against it, the wound healed right up. She held out her other hand towards Soul. Soul, still smiling that evil grin, wrapped his fingers around her hand and immediately transformed into a scythe.

Maka gasped. Kara's eyes widened as she smiled. "YES!" she called out. She held him up and began to laugh hysterically.

"Now! Let's see just how awesome of a weapon you are." She held him tightly and focused on Maka. Stein, Black*Star, and Kid all stepped in front of Maka, blocking her from Kara's view. "You are going to have to get through us, and that's not happening," Stein said.

"Fine," Kara said with that evil grin still spread widely across her face. She leapt towards Stein and swung Soul at him. He blocked the attack. Black*Star and Kid simultaneously jumped to the side and attacked Kara. She crossed her arms in front of her and shot orbs of energy from her fingers towards them. They evaded the attack. Stein swung Spirit at Kara as she jumped up into a backflip above Stein and landed on the roof of the awning over the courtyard.

She looked down at all of them. "I'd love to stay, but I'm afraid I'm outnumbered here. It's a little unfair, dontcha think? Besides," she smirked, "I got what I want."

Maka stood up and looked up with sorrowful eyes toward Kara. "…Soul…" she said.

"I'm sorry, Maka, what was that? Oh, Soul? He can't hear you…well, actually… he can. He just doesn't care." She began to laugh.

She dropped Soul as he spawned back into human form.

Soul stared sinisterly down at Maka. "Soul! Please…Don't you remember who I am," Maka desperately pleaded with him. He didn't answer.

"Soul," Kara said as she positioned herself right beside him. She leaned on him, put her arms around his neck, and said, "show her who your meister is now." Soul obeyed by turning towards her and wrapping his arms around her waist. He stared into her eyes as the wickedness in his face relaxed. His eyelids gradually started closing as he slowly began to reduce the gap between their lips. A tear dripped down Maka's cheek as she tore her gaze from the scene. The pain of looking at that was just too unbearable. Black*Star and Kid looked over at Maka with great sympathy.

When Soul's lips hovered inches away from Kara's, he stopped and smiled. "Hey, Maka, what did I tell you?" he called out.

Maka's eyes snapped open in shock and she quickly looked toward Soul.

He smiled slyly at Kara. "Cool men don't cheat on their partners."

The arm behind Kara transformed back into a blade without anyone noticing. He swiftly drug his scythe arm through her body, cutting her in half. Kara's eyes widened in disbelief. "Damn…" was all she said before she disappeared leaving an intact, glowing, purple soul hovering before him.

Maka, Kid, and Black*Star gasped. Stein slightly smiled as he stood upright. "Nicely done, Soul. Impressive performance. Perfectly executed."

Soul jumped down to Maka and wrapped his arms around her waist as she stood there in shock. "I'm sorry," he said.

"…How?!"

"Stein…care to explain it to her?" Soul said as he held Maka.

"And us too!" Kid said. All the weapons have transformed back into human form.

Stein stepped forward smiling with his arms crossed. "After I told all of you about the plan of going along with Maka's death, I spoke to Soul alone in my office…"

…

"So…you aren't happy with the verdict, huh?" Stein said closing the door. Soul spoke a bit more passionately than before, "of course not, I want her dead."

Stein folded his arms across his chest. "You do realize why we must do this, right? You understand?" Soul nodded. He knew it made sense but he still didn't like it.

"Well good. maybe I can bring some comfort to you. Interested?" Stein asked making this seem more like a game. Soul raised his eyebrows. "Yes." he said curiously.

"What if I told you, that potion won't work on you."

Soul was becoming more intrigued. "I'm listening…"

"The academy is well aware of the magic that Kara is preparing to use on you. But one minor flaw is that you need a weapon or meister's soul in order to use it so that you can become their partner." He stared at Soul, curious to see if he was connecting any dots. Soul stared blankly back waiting for a follow up. "…And?"

Stein lit a cigarette. "Man. working with you these past few months… I would think you would have learned something by now."

Soul rolled his eyes. "C'mon Professor, just tell me."

Stein blew out a puff of smoke. "Your soul is not a weapon's soul anymore."

Soul looked very confused. "What?"

"Well it is and it isn't. The lessons I have been teaching you have been morphing your soul into a kind of hybrid. A cross between weapon and meister. Trust me, I can see your soul for myself."

Soul said, "Ok. That makes sense. I'm becoming my own meister."

Stein smiled as he puffed on his cigarette. "Yes. And if you have become your own meister, your soul can't be easily persuaded to find a new meister. A weapon soul and meister soul can be thought of as one soul combined, really. Each a half, they work together to become the whole being. If one is without the other, it becomes uncomfortable and yearns for its partner soul. If your soul is already a hybrid of these two souls, there is no need for it to find a new meister soul. Fortunately for you, I have a plan... Well, more of a safety net."

He tapped his cigarette on his ash tray before continuing. "If things tend to go too far with Kara or if you find yourself in a sticky situation with her and see no way out of drinking that potion, I want you to know that doing so will have no impact on you. As you know, when it comes to killing a witch it can be tricky sometimes. Having this advantage over her…could be useful in bringing about her demise. Quite easily."

Soul perked up when he said this; Stein smiled at his reaction. "Like I said, knowledge is power. When you know more, you have the upper hand. I can assure you Kara nor her aunt know of your training I have been giving you. When the time comes and we have gained all of the information needed, you should take advantage of it." Soul slightly smiled.

"Oh, and one more thing…" Stein turned toward him. "The lessons I have been teaching you, as you know, have taught you to control your wavelength. If you do use this approach, you may want to go for the full effect and block Maka's wavelength when she tries to transform you into a scythe. When you get closer to Kara over these next few weeks, you can study her wavelength and figure out what it would take to resonate with her. This is possible with all the training you have acquired so far."

…

Maka smiled when Stein finished. "I can't believe it…It was almost too easy."

"Yes, that was the idea. Make this as painless as possible," Stein said.

Soul was still holding on to Maka when he rested his chin on her shoulder and said, "c'mon. Let's go tell everyone the good news." He swung his arm around her. They began to walk back to the doors of the Academy when suddenly a bright flash of lightning appeared from the sky and struck Maka straight in the chest.

Soul fell to his knees to catch her as she collapsed. His eyes snapped toward the sky.

A witch on her broom with glowing pink eyes hovered above the Academy as she smiled down at them. "Finally, my sister is avenged," was all she said before she flew off at a great rate of speed.

Soul's attention immediately refocused on Maka. Her eyes were open and lifelessly staring into space. Her chest was still and unmoving. There was no breath and she laid limply in his arms.

Soul's heart fell through the floor as he gazed upon her lifeless body in disbelief. He swallowed, "Maka?"

He looked back at Stein, desperate for any sign of hope. Stein said nothing. His hand covered his open mouth while his eyes stared at Maka widely in shock. He looked as if there wasn't any hope. Like she was…

"Gone…" Soul said as he looked back down at Maka. A strong ache began deep in his chest as if something slammed into it. "No…" he said as he desperately tried to resonate with her. There was no response. No wavelength… It was gone. She was gone.

"No…"

Soul, in shock, gently but quickly laid Maka on the ground and placed both hands upon her breast bone. He began to steadily pump compressions on her chest. "No. No. Breathe, Maka. Breathe," he said in a hoarse voice. He bent down and held her nose with his hand as he blew air into her mouth. He sat up and began chest compressions again. "BREATHE!" His voice echoed through the surrounding air.

Spirit collapsed to the ground and crawled toward her. "Maka…No…"

Black*Star placed his hands on top of his head and walked to the other end of the courtyard, unable to watch. Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty all collapsed to the ground in tears watching the scene as Kid stared in disbelief.

Soul didn't give up. He desperately repeated CPR for several minutes while continuously trying to resonate with Maka. "C'mon, Maka. Please…breathe," Soul begged. Again and again, he tried to resonate with her. Again and again, he blew air into her mouth and pumped on her chest. He was desperate for anything. Anything at all.

Everybody watched helplessly as Soul repeated his process on Maka over and over again. Resonate. Resuscitate. Resonate. Resuscitate.

As more time passed, Soul was slowly losing hope. His compressions were slowing. His attempts to resonate were less frequent. He eventually stopped and bowed his head in defeat.

He sat motionless not knowing what to do. Soul's heart felt as though it was shredded into a thousand tiny pieces as he stared at Maka lying lifelessly on the ground. His breath was rapid and his heart began to pound in his ears. He felt a horrible ache deep down in his stomach formed from the fear that conjured inside of him as the reality of the situation sunk in. His eyes filled with water. "No," he screamed out in pain. "NO!" He picked her up and held her against his chest.

"Why…Why, Maka? You promised me. You promised," he choked out in a whisper as he grasped her body tightly. He rocked back and forth with her as a tear slowly crawled down his cheek. Stein bent down and tightly gripped Soul's shoulder.

Soul closed his eyes and rested his head on her chest. He focused all his energy on his wavelength as he continued his attempts to resonate with her. "I can't do this without you. Don't do this to me," Soul whispered. "Why didn't I ever tell you when I had the chance? I love you, Maka. I love you. Please, stay with me."

Soul started to count his breaths with every attempt he made to resonate with Maka. Every breath he took was another second that she was gone. As more time passed, his hope faded and his heart filled with an unimaginable fear. Still though, he didn't give up. His wavelength tried and tried again to make that connection. He had to ignore the pain inside of him, so he could keep it together and focus.

After a couple of minutes went by, Soul could no longer contain his tears. After a single tear trickled down his cheek, he began to cry uncontrollably as Stein collapsed beside him and rested his hand on Soul's back. Tears were flowing from every eye in that courtyard. It seemed there wasn't any hope left.

Soul began to feel a deep rage burn inside his body. He couldn't fall apart now. This can't be it. I'M NOT LOSING YOU!

"C'MON, MAKA! C'MON," he screamed as he tried to resonate again. He adjusted his wavelength and tried again. He adjusted again and tried another time. He did this continuously.

Another time. Nothing. Another attempt. Nothing. Still Soul didn't give up. "CMON!"

Several seconds passed when, finally, Soul's heart leapt into his throat. He felt her. He was sure of it. For a split second, he made a connection with a wavelength. It was weak but it was there. He tried again. Nothing. He didn't feel anything for several more tries.

Still, he pushed on, increasing the frequency of his attempts. He kept trying until he felt it again. Another spark of her wavelength. Soul exploded with hope and excitement. It was working.

"I CAN FEEL YOU, MAKA. C'MON!"

Stein's eyebrows raised. The tears in the courtyard stopped as everyone held their breath watching Soul in amazement.

He concentrated. Over and over, he repeatedly bombarded her body with his wavelength trying to make that connection. With every attempt, the weak spark grew stronger and more frequent. Until…

Maka's chest rose as she took in a breath. She began to cough.

Soul held his breath as he looked into her eyes with disbelief. She blinked. She blinked and was breathing! He let out a breath of relief. "Oh, God," he cried out and dropped his head down while squeezing Maka in a tight hug. His eyes squinted shut as tears poured from them.

"What's wrong," she said as she hugged him back. She had never seen him cry like this. Water began to form in her own eyes even though she wasn't quite sure what happened. She was weak but that was about it.

Spirit looked up as a small smile formed on his face while tears streamed down his cheeks. "Maka…"

The collective feeling of relief reverberated throughout the courtyard and tears of sadness slowly turned into tears of joy.

Once he calmed down, Soul finally released his grip on Maka and looked down at her. He smiled as a tear fell down his face. "Welcome back."

She smiled back at him and reached up to caress his cheek, wiping the tear away. He gently grabbed her hand and pressed his cheek into her palm while he closed his eyes.

"Soul…what happened," she quietly asked.

Soul hesitated to answer. He looked up at Stein for an explanation.

Stein had his back to the group with his hand on his chin, as if in deep thought.

"Stein?" Soul asked.

Stein didn't answer immediately. Instead he lit a cigarette and puffed on it once before turning to face them. He had that signature wide grin swept across his face.

"…I must record this for my Soul research."