I'm dead... =_= this has literally taken me FOREVER to upload.

Rose: What the hell is that suppose to mean?

Kiddie: sentence by sentence... it wouldn't upload any other way, I had to copy and paste sentence by sentence. And I did the mistake once of not saving it as I went along and then BOOM, it all got erased.

Rose: Every little thing

Kiddie: every little thing. =_= I have finally been able to do the impossible and save this damn thing!

Rose: So you are calling your chapter, the one your readers have been waiting for, for the longest time. (when was the last time you updated? Oh right... LAST year... or maybe longer... who knows. It has been a whiiiiiile) and you have the audacity to call it a "damn thing"

Kiddie: 0-0 that's not what I meant... I meant the document thing, not the story

Rose: shame on you, what kind of writer damns her own work.

Kiddie: Is there a reason why you are making me feel like crap right about now?

Rose: Yes, and it's because you took to long to update... what a terrible person you are.

Kiddie: you try finishing up your chapter while working full time, raising three boys, and going to college at the same time. NOT to mention this stupid program shutting down on me every other day. If I couldn't type at work, I couldn'ttype at home, and with my macbook broken and chapters 10-15 in there... *sniff* waaaaaaaaah TnT

Rose: Anyways, here's chapter 10, though late... enjoy!

Blind Sighted

Chapter 10

"Knee Deep"

She didn't know how long she had been standing there, her whole body trembling as she saw her mother's corpse start moving on its own; lifeless eyes staring at her.

"Maka!" A distant voice shouted, bringing her back to reality.It was her father's voice, his eyes pleading for her to snap out of her frozen state. "Run, Maka!"

His tone said it all -This wasn't a dream, as much as she prayed it was.The yellow snake-like eyes stared at her for a moment, sending shivers as she started laughing. The sound made Maka stop in her tracks.

"I'll make use of you two after this." the shadow muttered, its eyes turning to look at Spirit.

Maka didn't get to say anything as she saw her mother run towards her father. Her mother's empty eyes revealing that it was not Kami anymore, not even as she moved and blood spilled from her corpse.

Spirit quickly turned his arm into a scythe as he moved to block Kami's attacks.

'Stop it.' Maka thought, her body still trembling as she tried to move her feet towards her parents.

The look on Spirit's face said it all:He didn't want to hurt his beloved wife, even though they were divorced, he still loved her. But he wasn't about to die in front of his daughter. He turned to look at her, "Maka!" he shouted, blocking another attack as he tried to move towards the distraught girl. "Run, please, run!"

"No!" Maka shouted, her head shaking from side to side, "I don't want to lose you and mama, I don't want mama to hurt you! I want that monster to go away, to die!"

Before Spirit could say anything to ease his daughter, it was too late. Maka's emerald eyes glowed brightly, her soul within her emanating a strong light as Spirit froze in fear. Her Grigori soul was being corrupted, and the worse part was there was a witness.

In one swift movement, Kami was on the floor, blood splattered the walls as Maka slowly wiped it away from her face, a small smile forming in her face. "I'll protect you, Papa," Maka muttered, looking down at her unmoving mother once more. Maka made another swift movement, causing Kami's body to rip to pieces.

"She's mine." The shadow spoke. Maka turned to look at her, stopping the shadow from moving towards her; her eyes still shining brightly as a twisted smile formed on Maka's face.

"You'll be dead, I'll kill you myself." Maka muttered, her hand twisting, causing the snake-eyed shadow to scream in pain, a wide smile on Maka's face.

"Maka!" her father shouted, his body trembling as he walked toward his daughter, "Maka, it's okay. Papa's okay, it's fine…" his tone smooth over trying to comfort his daughter.

Spirit didn't say anything after that, as something struck him from behind, blood splattering onto Maka, waking her up from her dazed spell.

"Papa?" Maka whispered, watching her father's eyes turn cold as he fell to the ground. "Papa!"

xXxXxX

Maka woke up with a jolt. Her whole body was shivering as she tried to calm down her frantic heart. Before she had time to think, Soul was in her room once more, quickly embracing the girl as she realized she was still crying and screaming out her father's name.

"Maka, it's okay." He whispered, his voice was soothing, her frantic heart was finally calming down, and Maka merely turned upwards to look at Soul before her heavy eyelids dropped again, signaling she was fast asleep once more.

Soul let out a sigh, if this kept up, he was not going to get any sleep along with the petite blonde holding on to his shirt tightly, again. He knew she didn't want to talk about it, every time he brought it up, she shrugged it off, or ignored the conversation and blocked him out.

His phone rang; quietly walking out of the room he closed the door before he answered.

"It happened again?" Liz asked, her tone emitting concern as he heard rustling on the background.

"You busy?" Soul asked, raising an eyebrow as he heard a frustrated sigh from the other line.

"You try deciphering the damn book after Maka read it, and let me know." He could practically hear the girl clicking her gun ready to shoot the files in front of her. "Kidd has the other half, but so far, we haven't gotten close to shit."

"That bad, huh?" Soul leaned towards the wall as he looked outside the window. "Hey Liz, do you remember when Maka read that book?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, it was on the day you guys were heading back. Why?"

"No reason, just a thought..." Soul let out a breath, trying to put all the pieces together.

"Does this question have something to do with the nightmares? Do you really think it's connected with the book?" Liz asked, "I mean, they're just nightmares, right?"

"Yeah… just nightmares." Soul muttered, more to himself than to the girl on the line.

The rustling of papers stopped, and Liz was quiet for a brief moment. "Soul, what' going on exactly?"

"This isn't going to sound cool, but… It's like she's stronger." Soul let out a frustrated breath; he didn't know how well he could explain that the girl he was guarding seemed more like she was guarding him right about now. "She knows when I'm trying to connect to her soul, and will block me out, she's been able to connect with other people at school, and I can swear she's…" Soul trailed off.

"She's what?" Liz asked, her tone sounding more intrigued and concerned at the same time.

"Nothing, it's nothing. I got to go." Soul muttered, his eyes looking into the distance as he sensed something move in the background. "Liz, run a report on any kishin in the area. I think I just sensed three in my city."

"What? Three?!" He could hear her drop her pen and quickly getting up from her desk. "Soul, they never attack in groups, you sure?"

"Liz, there are three in the area. I got to go."

He didn't hear Liz's response before hanging up and turning to Bones, "Stay," he ordered, patting his head. The dog merely laid back down by Maka's door, guarding her when Soul was gone.

He quickly walked out of the building, his motorcycle not too far away as he sped off towards the source of danger, ready to call out his scythe.

He didn't like it. The night terrors were just enough to send shivers down his spine as every time he went in there Maka was shivering and crying out in pain. But he knew something was up, it all started with that damn book she decided to read two weeks ago.

Two weeks ago was what triggered it all. The day after she red the book all hell started breaking loose.

====FLASHBACK====

Soul could sense something was up as Maka continued to squirm in her seat, her eyes scanning the clock every couple of minutes as if she was desperately trying to slow it down.

"What's up?" Soul finally asked, his eyebrow raised as he the petite girl turn towards him, her emerald eyes widening with surprise, a slight blush forming on her face.

For a moment he thought she looked cute, her hair finally loose as she wore one of his shirts, she was playing with her hands unconsciously. "Soul, I have a favor to ask of you…" she trailed off, her eyes turning to look at the floor instead.

"What is it?"

"Don't freak out! But…" Before she could say anything, the doorbell rang.

=======END FLASHBACK=======

Soul slowed his bike down, his eyes scanning the area as he quickly stretched out his hands, a warm glow emitting from his stomach quickly moving towards his arm, his red and black scythe quickly morphed, shining in the moonlight. He couldn't help but smirk.

The kishin was close, he felt it running towards him. The other two were not far away.

Soul let out a breath, closing his eyes, he quickly scanned the area.

"One's a newbie," he muttered, "it's barely formed into a Kishin, the other is already decaying from the inside slowly dying, the last one…" Soul's voiced trailed off as he didn't like the feeling he got from the last one. It felt different, like it actually knew what it was doing. It was different from all the other kishin he's fought, he opened his eyes just in time.

Quickly spinning his scythe, he blocked one of the Kishin's attacks, it's long chain like arm returning back to it's rotting corpse.

"Heh, about time…" A smirk on Soul's face as he took a stand, his scythe on his back, eyeing his new meal. "I'm here to collect your fucking pathetic excuse for a soul." He heard movement from behind him.

In a blink of an eye, Soul was behind the Kishin that tried to ambush him; the newbie's reflexes were still too slow, as its growing body didn't have enough time to respond to the attack. It's body quickly cut in half, horizontally. Red blood quickly morphed to a red ribbon, wrapping up into a small, deep red orb, the deeper the red, the more corrupted the soul was.

Soul smirked, turning to look at the one with chain-like arms, it's body was beginning to corrode. Pieces of flesh were already falling off, signaling that he hadn't had a soul in a while and it's body was deteriorating; an interesting death for a kishin. Its mouth hung wide open, as it reached its arm out to Soul, shooting his hand towards him.

Soul quickly blocked it, spinning his scythe as he ran towards him, quickly dodging the attacks he dashed right to it, with one quick movement, Soul jumped in front of him, cutting the monster in half vertically.

Another deep, red orb appeared.

"I suggest you come out of hiding." Soul stated, cocking his head to the side as he looked out from the corner of his eyes.

He could sense the Kishin inside the shadows, monitoring his movements as he had sliced down the other two.

A loud gurgle was heard from the trees, the woods helping the Kishin hide from untrained eyes. "Seems I couldn't even trick THE Eater?" Its mouth didn't move as it rose from its hiding spot.

Its slender body was nothing but scales, no eyes on his head as his mouth was stitched up. Its arms were uneven, one short while the other dragged itself on the floor. It had claws for feet as its slender-bone like legs looks as if there were about to break from the weight of its own body.

"Who sent you?" Soul's eyes narrowed, his scythe still on his back lazily as he stared at the beast in front of him. He knew something was off; this was the first time he's come to see a Kishin able to think clearly, let alone be able to speak fluently in any human language.

"She did, her soul is calling out to us." The Kishin's arm reached out, pointing towards the direction Soul knew too well. "The girl's soul… the Grigori Soul."

"Bullshit," Soul muttered, looking at the Kishin, its mouth never moved an inch as its stitches held it shut tightly. He didn't let it finish as he quickly spun his scythe. "I'll just take your soul now."

"No, Eater." The Kishin muttered, a loud growl emitting from its body. "I'll have YOUR soul, just like I'll have her's… just like I had your brother's…"

Soul's eyes went wide for a moment, the pieces starting to come together as the Kishin ran towards him.

In one quick movement, Soul had his scythe on the monster's throat.

"You'll be mine, Medusa. I'll have your soul, and I'll enjoy killing you slowly for all you have done." In a blink he quickly beheaded the monster, blood pooling into ribbons, this time it revealed an orb that looked more like a snake.

Soul let out a sigh, quickly moving his hand in a circular motion, he created a small portal and tossed the soul through it, where it would end up in Stein's lab. He needed answers, and if it meant skipping out on eating this corrupted soul, he had no problem doing so. Death only knew what Medusa did to it, and he didn't want to know firsthand by devouring it.

He quickly snapped his fingers, causing his scythe to revert back into his body and the portal to close, his eyes scanning the area as he looked towards the direction of his condo. The Kishin's words still echoing in his head.

=====FLASHBACK======

"No!" Soul snapped, almost slamming the door in front of the white stripped haired man and the tall busty blonde next to him. "Get the fuck out of my house, Kidd!"

"Soul!" Maka snapped at him, pushing her way towards the entrance, and thus preventing him from slamming the door, "I invited them here for a reason, and with or without you, I'm doing it."

"To hell you are!" Soul argued back, he was debating about dragging the girl back to his room and locking her up in there for good. Stopping himself from doing just that, he turned towards Kidd and Liz, "The hell do you two want?"

"My apologies," Maka spoke before Kidd did, "I was about to tell him when you got here, please come in." She turned towards Soul, her emerald eyes demanding him to hear her out first and to play nice.

Soul let out an inner defeated sigh, knowing he was going to regret this, he moved aside, allowing the two unwanted guest to intrude into his home.

"I apologize for this, Soul." Kidd stated, turning to look around his home. "I was under the belief that you were in on her idea."

Soul raised an eyebrow at the girl, leaning towards the wall, he didn't say a word, waiting for an explanation. He knew one way or another she was going to go through with whatever she had in mind. So he might as well hear her out instead.

Maka cleared her throat, looking at Soul, she didn't hesitate as she spoke clearly, causing Soul's eyes to widen as her words rang loudly in his ears.

"I want to read the book. I want to know what Medusa is planning… but, on one condition, I get to help find her afterwards. I want her dead."

====== END FLASHBACK=========

Soul quickly walked towards his door, opening it, he scanned the area one more time, just like he did every time he was near or inside the building. His nerves were on high, as he still recalled the Kishin's words, once he was sure the area was cleared off, he pulled out his phone and called Kidd, more for work than for personal reasons. It still pissed him off having to rely on his former friend and boss.

"Soul?" Kidd's voice sounded tired when he finally picked up after the eighth ring.

"Kidd, what are the odds that three Kishins attack at the same time?" Soul asked not bothering with formalities.

"It's rare. Liz told me about the situation, but the last time I heard about Kishins grouping together was when my father was still in reign… centuries ago, really."

"Okay…" Soul paused to get his words together, his mind still trying to piece everything along with all the small details of the attack. "What are the odds of being able to control a Kishin from a far away distance?"

"Control a Kishin? As in a witch using her powers to control one?" Kidd sounded surprised, "I've met a few that have been controlled by a witch, but none were from a far away distance.They all had to be close, give or take a no more than 3 to 6 miles away from it."

"Medusa is controlling them from where ever the fuck she's at. I didn't sense her when I killed them." Soul spoke, more to himself as he turned towards Maka's room, the petite blonde still fast asleep.

"That's not possible." Kidd sounded shocked as he heard the news, letting out a breath he quickly cleared his throat, "I'll have a talk with my father, if this is truly the outcome of Medusa's power… then we need to have a plan soon. We cannot risk her getting close to Maka."

Soul let out a breath, quickly hanging up as he plopped on the couch, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling, closed his eyes for a moment, the day's events still in his head.

XxXxXx

Maka let out a sigh, her head was killing her, as she woke up before her alarm went off once again. Her body felt warm as she turned to see Soul's body next to her.

Letting out a breath, she knew she had another nightmare and he had come to calm her down. Her hand was holding his, she felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she slowly removed herself from the bed.

Soul's eyes were still closed, his breathing was even, his chest rising up with every breath. She couldn't help but let her eyes wander towards his face, slowly moving towards his hands.

She quickly cleared her throat as she felt her cheeks flush once more, her heart beating rapidly. Get your act together! Maka reminded herself.

Maka let out a sigh, her whole body ached, her head was killing her and she could of sworn the floor was moving. She hadn't been getting enough sleep lately, not since they had gotten back from Death City, with her constant nightmares. Maka was surprised she wasn't dead yet from the lack of sleep.

She looked like a corpse already, her skin was pale and she had dark circles around her eyes, her hair was always disheveled as she would find herself asleep in the most random of places, waking up shivering, crying, or finding Soul next to her, his hand holding onto her own as she realized he was calming her down once more.

Maka didn't know when it started, Soul holding her hand or sleeping with her as he calmed her frantic heart, helping her stop the tears and soothing her back to sleep, keeping the nightmares away for a brief moment.

One moment she woke up, holding onto his shirt tightly, his arms wrapped around her as he was fast asleep, Maka was about to give him a good Maka Chop until she realized she was well rested, tears still in her eyes, but she couldn't recall the terrifying nightmare she just had, she just knew his warmth was all that was comforting her when she woke up scared.

Letting out an exhausting sigh, Maka quickly showered and, since Soul was in her room, stayed in the bathroom as she dressed. She decided to wear one of his sweaters, his scent still lingering in the black DC sweater she liked so much.

Quickly slipping it on, she got out of his room to see him in front of the door, in nothing but a towel.

Blood rushing to her face, she tried hard to turn away, though she did manage to get a good glimpse of his sculpted body.

"Like what you see?" Soul chuckled, a smirk plastered on his face as he got closer to Maka, his hair still dripping wet from his shower.

"I-idiot!" Maka muttered, walking past him.

Soul gave off a light laugh, watching the girl practically run to her room to finish getting ready, almost tripping on her way over.

Breakfast was just as awkward, with Maka's eyes dropping every so often as she fought her sleep, or blushing profusely when she looked at Soul, her eyes wandering towards his body, causing her to turn away and avoiding eye contact.

Soul couldn't help but give of a light chuckle every time the blonde girl blushed, as she played with the sleeves of his sweater, a bit too big on the petite blonde. Giving her a quick smirk, her grabbed her hand, causing Maka to blush an even deeper red as she let out a small squeal.

"It's time for school." Soul muttered, his smirk still on his face as he leaned towards her, his breath tickling the girl's ear. "You okay?"

The color in Maka's cheeks turned bright red, as she merely nodded, too embarrassed to speak to the white haired guardian of hers.

Soul was enjoying the reactions he was getting from teasing the flustered girl infront of him.

Walking out, Soul quickly locked the door, his hand still clasped on to Maka's as he walked her out of the room, every now and then he would let out a small chuckle as he saw the girl fidget on her feet, or unconsciously bite her lip, her eyes trailing behind him as he knew for a fact, she was completely checking him out.

The walk to the school was quiet, neither one saying a word as Maka would look up every now and then to look at Soul, or keep her eyes on her book, her other hand still holding on to Soul's hand.

She was about to give up reading, her mind reeling in the events that caused all of this.

====FLASHBACK======

"No." Soul snapped, his eyes still on Maka as she finished speaking. "There's no fucking way I'm letting you go after her."

"Soul, I want to know more than anything else who she is, why she killed my parents." Maka argued back, her eyes narrowing at him as she spoke.

"Maka, I understand you want revenge, but going after Medusa isn't something that simple." Liz spoke, her tone soft as she pleaded for Maka to reason with them.

"Liz is right, Maka." Kidd finally decided to speak, his eyes on her the whole time, "Medusa is a strong opponent, it took more than a handful of people to kill her, or at least we thought she was dead…."

"I understand she's a formidable opponent, but I will not budge." Maka's tone didn't waver, now looking at Kidd, her back straightened as she spoke, "It seems everyone here forgets, you need me to read that book, if not, you will never solve this puzzle on your own. I'm willing to do it, even if it means risking my own health."

Soul didn't like the last part, she could see it in his eyes, his crimson eyes still on her as she spoke, every time she made eye contact with him, she felt as if he could read her mind, sucking her deep into those ruby eyes.

"I'm willing to help you out, but you have to take into consideration, how did you expect me to just sit quietly as you guys risked your life to find her while she's out to find me?"

"I get that you don't want to sit back, but Maka…" Kidd trailed off, looking at Liz as if to get a form of guidance from her.

"What Kidd is trying to say," Liz sighed, pausing to find the right words.

"We are trained to die any day, that's the job description we are in." Soul finally spoke, his eyes still on the blonde haired girl. "As Death Scythes, we are meant to risk our lives to protect those that need it, those that we want to protect. Even if it means dying, I won't let you fight her, I won't let you risk your life when you aren't even a Death Scythe."

Maka's eyes went wide for a brief moment.She never heard Soul speak of his job like that, let alone him talk about his life like that either. "Soul, I get that you want to protect me, but I have something that's really strong, I might as well help in one way… even if it means reading that book, all I ask is that you don't leave me out of the loop. I, just like all of you, want to know what Medusa is hiding, what she's planning, and what she wants with me."

Kidd and Liz nodded, they understood what she meant, but before they would say anything, Soul spoke.

"Fine, but on one condition…" Soul was determined to not let her risk her life, even if it meant dying on the spot, he wouldn't allow the person he was to guard risk her life for something like this. "you won't be the one to kill her."

Kid let out a sigh, while Liz stood quiet, watching as the two stared at each other before Kidd decided to speak.

"Maka, my father is not going to agree to this…" he solemnly stated

"Then find someone else who can read that book," Maka answered, her eyes dead set on her decision. "I'm not budging."

=====END FLASHBACK======

Maka let out a sigh, her eyes were feeling heavy as she tried to pay attention at the teacher explaining a new assignment that would be 25% of their final.

The petite girl suppressed a yawn, unable to keep her eyes open, she finally allowed herself to succumb to sleep.

The room was dark. No matter how much she tried to move, her father's lifeless body stood in front of her, freezing the young girl to her spot.

Her knees trembled, as she finally fell to the floor, blood drenched the new dress her mamma bought her that week.

Maka's voice finally broke. Choking on her sobs, her emerald eyes covered in tears as she reached out for her father, "Papa!" Maka cried out, "Papa! Wake up, Papa!"

She stopped crying, as she saw his father's hands slightly move, his fingers trying desperately to reach hers. "M-a… Ma-ka" Her father's voice was weak, the glint in his eyes slowly disappearing as blood covered the floor. "I, l-o…love you." He paused, his breath ragged as he tried to continue. "Ru-ru…run"

Before he could say anything else, Maka was covered in blood, her emerald eyes going wide as she saw her father's body writhing in pain.

Yellow eyes looked at Maka with disgust, as a figure finally stepped out of the shadows, Maka's eyes met the monster's as it revealed itself.

"Ms. Albarn." A voice echoed

"Ms. Albarn!"

Maka jolted from her sleep, her heart racing as she tried to catch her breath, trying to understand where she was.

"Ms. Albarn." The teacher raised her glasses, her short black hair trimmed to a bob as she glared at Maka. "I understand that you are ahead of the class, but that does not mean you can go falling while I"m lecturing."

Maka could feel the sweat dripping down her neck as she nodded towards the teacher, "Sorry, Ms. Azusa." She muttered, her head still spinning from her recent nightmare. "Can I be excused, I don't feel too well."

Ms. Azusa eyed the blonde haired girl carefully, her face looked pale, and she was breathing rather quickly. "Do you need anyone to help you?"

Before Maka could answer here, another girl raised her hand "I'll take her, Ms. Azusa. I need to go to the nurse anyway."

The teacher nodded, her eyes still on Maka as she stood up.

Maka couldn't protest the girl's help, she was having a hard time trying to speak let alone reject anyone's aid. The girl grabbed Maka by the arm, her grip tight as Maka still tried to calm down her breathing.

"My name's Ana, by the way." The girl chirped as she turned to look at Maka. "I think it's cool that someone like you is dating Soul. Gives other girls that are just like you hope that they might find someone else like him one day."

Maka only nodded, she was sure that was actually an insult from the way the girl spoke. "Thanks… I guess." Maka muttered, finally letting out a breath as she reached the nurse's office.

The nurse's eyes went wide as she saw Maka, making the blonde haired girl raise an eyebrow at the nurse.

"You look like a mess." The nurse muttered, pointing to one of the beds, "Go ahead and lie down, I'm scared you're about to pass out."

Maka let out a small chuckle; this wasn't the first time she's been at the nurse's office. They actually became good friends over the years Maka had been in school; having to come over after all the fights and bullying she got caught in cemented her relationship with the nurse a lot better.

The nurse turned to look at Ana, a small smile on her face, "Your medicine is right over there," She pointed towards a small table next to another patient's bed. "There's also a cup of water besides it for you to drink. After you're done, go ahead and go back to class."

Ana smiled as she walked towards the table, her eyes on Maka as the blonde haired girl laid down in bed.

Before Maka knew what happened, she felt something cold land on top of her, soaking her sweater.

"I'm soooo sorry!" Ana shouted, her hand on the bed as if she lost balance. "I missed a step and fell, oh my god, I'm sorry."

Maka let out a sigh before she smiled at the girl, "Its fine." she muttered, as she quickly took off her sweater. It was dripping wet, and she laid it out on a chair to air dry. If she wore it like that to take a nap, she would be uncomfortable in it, not to mention the blankets would get wet.

She let out a sigh, she picked the worse day to wear a spaghetti strap shirt over her sweater, thankfully… the sweater was the only thing that got wet and not her shirt. "Hopefully it dries out before I have to go back to class." Maka muttered, walking back to bed as she laid down.

xXxXxXx

Soul looked over his shoulder as he walked over to the school's roof, his phone already in hand. He knew that this might cause some problems, but he had no other choice, if he thought about it.

Maka's soul was getting stronger, that much was for certain, she was able to pick up when he tried reading her soul and even block him a majority of the time. Her eyes were looking more and more cold every time she woke up as if she was remembering something terrible from all the dreams she had.

It didn't help that the nightmares were getting worse, causing the girl to wake up screaming, shivering, and usually crying.

But this time, this time he knew something was up, he felt her soul from across the building in the study hall. The surge of power grew at an alarming rate and just as quickly as it showed up, it dwindled and disappeared.

The moment he felt it, he knew something was wrong, it felt off… tainted and dangerous in a way that caused him to worry.

"Soul?" Liz's tone of voice was full of concern; she knew he hardly called her when he was in school. It could blow his cover. "What's up? Everything okay?"

"Send me Stein's number, Liz" Soul muttered, letting out a sigh, "I need to see if my theory is right."

"Everything okay?" Liz asked, her tone growing more concerned.

"I'm not sure," Soul answered, "Something's up, but I need Stein to confirm this for me before I jump to conclusions."

Liz let out a sigh, "I'll send you his number then. Let me know what happens".

Soul didn't want Liz to worry, Maka was also her friend, one of the few Maka could actually confide in, and the same went for Liz. But he knew she could tell by the tone in his voice something was wrong.

He only hoped that he was mistaken at this point.

xXxXxXxX

Maka's eyes went wide as she heard the nurse speak.

"Ana took your sweater to go get dried, she felt bad that it got wet and wanted to do something for you." The nurse smiled.

"Ms. Nebusa, I understand she went and took it, but that was almost an hour ago, the bell is about to ring and I don't have my sweater with me." Maka could feel the color drain from her face. All she was wearing was a black spaghetti strap top, it hugged her body and the cut was too low for comfort.

"I understand Maka, but you already have to go back to class, I can't have you staying in here just because you don't have your sweater." Ms. Nebusa continued to smile, her eyes telling her that it will be alright.

Maka took in a deep breath, she could already feel the stares as soon as she would walk out the door. But Ms. Nebusa was right, she couldn't stay in here and hide the whole day, her backpack was in her class and if Soul didn't see her in the next class he would get worried.

Letting out a sigh, Maka hung her head, releasing her messy bun she decided to at least let her hair cover up some of her skin, there wasn't much she could do about the sweater, but for now she was grateful she hadn't cut her hair off yet.

Soul raised an eyebrow at the loud noise emitting from the hallways, whistles and wolf calls were being shouted as he saw someone run quickly into the classroom. His eyes widened as he saw Maka's face red with embarrassment, her eyes quickly scanning the room to meet his.

"Wow!" A guy shouted out, a desk above Soul's, "Bookworm, you have boobs!"

Maka's eyes went wide for a moment, her back straightened as she tried hard not to trip on her feet, quickly walking up to sit next to Soul.

"I can see why you're with her now, Soul." The guy muttered a smile on his face, "Bookworm was hiding all that in those sweaters."

Soul narrowed his eyes at the guy, causing him to shut up and sit back down. He turned to look at Maka, clearly she was uncomfortable as she kept playing with her fingers, her eyes casted down so she wouldn't see anyone.

"Hey Maka!" A guy shouted, walking over to her, "You're looking great!"

Soul raised an eyebrow, the guy was clearly eyeing her up and down as she didn't bother looking at him in the eyes, her face turning a deeper red.

"It's not cool to flirt with another guy's girl." Soul stated, grabbing Maka and holding her closer to him.

"Sorry Soul, can't help but admire your secret treasure. No wonder you didn't want anyone else to have her." The guy smiled, his eyes still on Maka.

Soul's arm was itching to punch the guy, but the look on Maka's face said she wasn't in the mood to attract more attention to herself.

He usually liked making her blush, it was interesting to see how flushed her face got with embarrassment as he flirted with her. But the deep red in the her face was deeper than any color he's ever seen before, her back was rigid as she tried hard to avoid everyone's stares… unconsciously, though… he was sure she was moving closer to him for protection.

"What's with the attire, someone stole your sweater?" Soul whispered half joking, his eyes went wide as she merely pressed her lips; he couldn't detain his laughter as she looked away, her lips pouting out in embarrassment.

Maka wanted to beat the jerk up, but she already attracted too much attention with her wardrobe and to make things worse, she couldn't find Ana to get her sweater back. She bit her bottom lip when she remembered it wasn't her sweater but Soul's.

"Sorry." She muttered, her eyes peering to look at him as he finally stopped laughing, "I can't find the girl who took it, and she was suppose to go get it dried and never came back."

Soul raised an eyebrow at the girl. She was too trusting at any moment, especially when it came to other girls. He didn't know how to tell her that the chances of the girl coming back with her sweater were slim to none.

"It's fine." He mumbled, turning his face away though he knew it hurt her feelings, but he couldn't face her right at that moment… not with all the guys practically eye raping the girl in front of him causing the white haired guardian to see red.

Letting out a sigh, he tried to remain cool and uncaring; all the while his blood was boiling throughout out the day.

Guys would literally go up to her and try to have a conversation if they didn't see Soul near her. Some would even try to grab a pass at her or try to flirt with her while Soul was gone.

"Soul, good job on trying to keep the bookworm all to yourself." Ron laughed, his eyes on Maka as she was busy getting a book from the library.

Soul raised an eyebrow, "It's not cool to eye someone else's girl, Ron."

"I'm not eyeing, Soul." Ron smiled, "I'm appreciating what you got."

Soul bit the inside of his cheek, trying to keep his cool over that sentence. "Touch my girl, and you can kiss your limbs goodbye." Soul stated, his face didn't reveal if it was a joke or not.

Ron laughed, his eyes now on Soul as Maka was walking back towards them. "It's not me you have to worry about, Soul. I know not to mess with you. But some might think they got a chance if you're not near her." He muttered as he got up and started to walk away.

That caught Soul's attention as Maka raised an eyebrow at him. After finally sitting down, she was about to read when she felt warm arms wrap around her, pulling her closer to his body.

"Soul, what gives?" She asked, using the book to cover her face.

"The bench is perfect for things like this." He muttered, a small smirk on his face as he saw her smile, a light blush on her cheeks. "Besides, need to remind all the guys here that you're mine."

Maka couldn't help but let out a small laugh, she knew that this was all an act, Soul only said that to everyone so the bullying could decrease, as well as help him keep an eye on her due to her soul. But she couldn't lie when she said she felt something warm inside every time he said things like that.

Snap out of it, Maka. She told herself, mentally slapping herself as she concentrated on her book, even with Soul's arms around her waist. It's all an act, and you'll be stupid to believe any of this. Maka let out a mental sigh as she tried hard not to let her own words get to her.

After their free class, Soul walked Maka to class, grabbing her hand and smiling as he winked at her, telling her it would be alright. Maka only smiled, as she walked into her class, letting her bangs cover her face, she quickly walked over to her desk, only to find it was missing. Letting out a sigh, she figured it might have been one of the many crazy fan girls that had something against her. It didn't help things out now that Soul was more open to acting out their supposed relationship in school.

She didn't bother going and grabbing it, as she decided she didn't need to take this class anyway and walked out, She actually had enough of all the attention. Deciding once and for all that she was going to go to the one and only place that brought her comfort— her book store.

Quickly sending a text to Soul telling him that she was leaving early and going home, she left school and walked towards her destination.

Soul bit the inside of his cheek as he sat down on his desk, hands in his pockets. He was about to take a nap when he saw two guys walk towards him. Letting out a sigh, he knew what they were here for.

"Hey Soul!" One of the guys with red unruly hair smiled, "Dude, your girl is fucking hot!"

The other guy smiled wide, "Trying to keep her all to yourself, huh?" He ran a finger through his slick black hair. "No wonder you never left her side. I just thought she was a prude, probably giving you blue balls or some shit."

Soul smirked, leaning back on his chair as he let the other two continue their conversation.

"That explains why you haven't played around with any other girl, huh?" The guy with red hair smiled, his eyes glazing over with perverted thoughts, "Don't you think so, Caleb?"

Caleb smiled, turning to look at Soul, "Fuck yeah! I mean, this is Soul we are talking about. You could get any girl you want, and with bookworm, we thought for a fact you would be sleeping with other girls." Caleb turned to look at his other friend, his smile still on his face, "Eh, Achilles?"

Achilles laughed, running a finger through his messy red hair. "She must be a freak in the sheet, Soul. It's rare for you to keep a girl this long. She must be that good in order for you to still keep her by your side."

Soul's eyes remained emotionless, his face didn't reveal anything as Soul looked at both of them, and before they had time to register anything, Soul punched both hard on the face. "Touch my girl, and you'll be crying for mercy." He smirked as they crouched on the floor holding their bloody nose.

The white haired guardian decided to leave school as he received a message from Maka, informing him she was going home. He couldn't help smiling, as he figured she already had too much of all that was going on.

Dialing the number Liz sent him, he decided to call up Stein and schedule a meeting before he went home to see Maka.

xXxXxX

Maka's eyes were wide with shock as she finally entered the bookstore; her whole store had been turned upside down with what looked like a symmetry tornado.

She felt her eyes twitch as she looked around: The bookshelves were stacked neatly, on all sides, all of them having the same size of book on each side to look perfect. There wasn't a book out of place, as she noticed that all the books were still in inside the bookstore, but scattered all about. The biographies were no longer to the left on the corner, but in the middle section, while the dictionaries were now on the right side instead of the left.

The pictures from book covers and movie titles along with quotes from famous authors, artist, books, and proverbs were gone. As perfect pictures of symmetry were all around, eight on each side to be exact. She couldn't help but let out a small growl, her hands already digging into her phone as she dialed the perpetrator at hand.

It was going to take her the whole day to get her bookstore back to normal. Letting out a sigh, she hung up the phone and decided to get to work. Calling and complaining wasn't going to get anything done. Placing her bag and phone on "The Island" she almost let out a scream as she noticed that her island was now in a shape of an O with only a little gap for her to enter, in there there was a note with Kidd's handwriting.

"Maka, the bookstore was in disarray as there was no perfection all around here. I took the liberty of updating your computer software along with some of the technology you had around here, also… I went ahead and fixed your bookstore for you. Here is a map on how everything is and where you can find things for when you arrive. P.S, Please do keep everything in the perfect symmetry I have established."

Maka's eye twitched as she read the note and makeshift map he had given her. Slumping her head low, she decided to just sit in her chair and close her eyes for a moment, at least grateful that she had a bookstore to go to, thanks to him.

Before she let her mind get a hold of her, she quickly got up and decided to get to work. Locking up her store, Maka turned on her MP3 and got started on reorganizing her family's bookstore.

xXxXxXx

Soul took a sip from his bottled water, his eyes on the grey haired man in front of him, who was sitting down looking rather bored.

"So her soul is showing signs of changes?" Stein asked, his eyes turning to look at Soul.

"I'm not sure if you could call them changes," Soul muttered. "She's getting stronger though, especially when it comes to sensing other's wavelength."

Stein nodded, rather bored with the conversation already. "Is there any way you can collect some data for me, or if I can go observe this myself?"

Soul was quiet for a moment. He knew Stein would have to confirm this for him, but he didn't know how he could go about telling Maka that they were checking her soul for signs of corruption. Let alone, allowing Stein to observe her when she trusted him just as far as she could throw him after the whole incident with Kidd.

"I can go get some data when she's asleep, if that would make the situation a lot better." Stein spoke, his tone rather calm as he looked a Soul with mischievous eyes.

Soul only nodded, "I'll call you when she's about to go to bed so you can come and check it out yourself. The moment her soul sent a huge power surge, I knew something was up. It felt different than normal, but the part that worries me is the fact when that happened, it was strong, probably attracted bad news in the process."

Stein lit up a cigarette as he looked around the empty park. The sun was already setting as he let out a puff of smoke. "If you felt it, then yes, I'm sure others did to. But what you should be more concerned about is not the ones that are already formed…. But the ones that are about to start forming into kishins. If they felt her power surge… Then they know who to attack. Worse would be the one's who have been dormant for a long time."

"You think her soul has the power to awaken dormant kishins?" Soul couldn't keep the shock from his voice.

"I'm more than sure our Grigori Soul is a lot stronger than the previous ones." Stein answered, letting out a puff of smoke into the air. "When did this start, anyways?"

Soul took a sip from his drink, "Two weeks ago, after she read that damn book." Soul finally answered, as if he realized something no one else did. "Stein, have you been able to get any progress on the book?"

His sudden interest in it raised Stein's attention, his eyes now focusing on crimson red. "It's taking me a bit longer than expected, now that Maka was able to decipher it, there have been a bit of bumps on the road. Liz and Kid have given up altogether, leaving me with the book on my own."

Soul raised an eyebrow at the scientist.

"Kidd's calculations were…. incorrect, so to speak." Stein paused to let out a puff of smoke. "Deciphering the book was just the first obstacle. There have been others on the road as well. Medusa is calculating when it comes to traps, and so far, this book has had one or two in each chapter, the spells aren't as deadly as I expected, but I'm sure there's more to it than meets the eyes.

Soul nodded, he had a feeling he was right in this situation. If it all started when Maka read book, then he knows this is just the calm before the storm.

"Let me know when I can go over to collect some data as I am rather curious on the condition of Maka's soul." Stein stated, a dangerous smile on his face while he got up, hands inside his coat pockets. He gave Soul one last nod before he left, leaving Soul with his thoughts.

Soul let out a sigh, he knew this was something he needed to be honest about, but he wasn't sure how to go about it to let Maka in on this, after the whole deal.

===FLASHBACK===

Maka let out a breath, her hands were shivering, and she wasn't sure if it was due to nerves or fear.

"Hey." Soul muttered, his eyes on the blonde haired girl as she let out another deep breath. "If you want to back out, it's fine."

Maka bit her bottom lip, her eyes narrowing as she turned to look at Soul, "I'm fine, just do me a favor?" She gave out a weak laugh, "Don't let me die."

She gave him a smile, her joke failing as she noticed the look in his eyes.He wasn't liking any of this.

"Maka..." Soul's tone was full of concern as his crimson eyes never left her's.

She didn't let him finish as she reassured him everything was going to be fine.

After what seemed like hours, Kidd finally arrived at Soul's house, the book and jewelry box in hand.

Maka let out a breath as Liz set up the camera to document the event. Kidd sat down besides the camera while Soul sat down next to Maka.

She hesitated for a slight moment, her hand hovering above the jewelry box for a second before she quickly moved it to lightly tap the dancer's head. The soft melody began to playcausing her emerald eyes to get heavy and hazy. Before anyone knew what was happening, a soft glow appeared within Maka. Words quickly appeared on the blank pages as the music continued on. Her eyes fluttered on occasion as the pages turned every minute or so.

The melody sent shivers down Soul's spine. He knew the song, he knew the notes, what he didn't know was why his brother's song was playing on the music box.

He was too preoccupied in his own thoughts to realize Maka was breathing heavily, her eyes were now fully opened and had rolled back. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she began to shiver.

The pages flipped faster as the ink appeared. It wasn't until Soul realized she was bleeding from her nose, her face flushed as she started convulsing before collapsing into the ground with a scream of pain, that he realized the song had finished.

Soul's breath caught in his throat as realized the blood pooling from her nose wasn't red, but black.

=====FLASHBACK=======

Soul let out a sigh, trying to shake off the memory, at least he was thankful that Maka didn't remember anything about that day.

The white haired guardian walked slowly back to his place, raising an eyebrow as he saw the petite blonde haired girl practically drag herself up the stairs.

Maka was exhausted, her back hurt, her arms were sore, and she was sure she made more of a mess than any organization as she tried to fix her bookstore back to the way it once was. Stretching her tired arms, she finally let out a sigh of relief as she saw the building. Her whole body suddenly bursted with energy as she almost ran up the stairs.

The faster she got home, the faster she could take a bath and go to bed. She was sure with all the work she had done today, she wouldn't have the energy to have any nightmares. Holding back a yawn, Maka walked up the elevator, unaware that her white haired guardian was only a few steps away from her.

Soul couldn't help but chuckle. Her headphones were on, as she continued to stretch and massage her shoulders, every now and then she would shiver from the cold. He silently scolded the blond haired girl as she was out in the freezing cold air in nothing but a spaghetti strap shirt, her long hair was already in disarray as she quickly walked up the hallway, finally reaching their door.

He didn't have time to say anything as she quickly let out a scream. Before he had time to pull out his scythe Maka was already falling to the ground, a pair of hands grabbing her before she landed.

"Dammit Stein!" Soul snapped, his eyes narrowed as he almost killed the professor in his living room. "I told you I would call you."

The white haired guardian was debating about murdering the man as he sat on the sofa, glaring at the professor in front of him.

Stein looked at Soul, his facial expression that of boredom as he turned back to look at Maka, "It was honestly a lie," Stein answered, removing his glasses, "I wanted to check for myself the strength of her soul, while she was awake."

Soul's eye twitched as he stared at Maka's prone, unconscious body laid on the couch. Her breathing heavy, probably from another nightmare she was having.

"Calm down, Soul." Stein muttered, his hand reaching for the screw in his head. "I needed to see if she could fight off my soul, and for a moment she was able to, but the power she used was too strong that she fainted."

Soul was about to speak when he closed his mouth, unsure of what to say in this situation.

"It seems you were correct, her soul is getting stronger," Stein's eyes narrowed for a moment, his eyes focusing on the blonde haired girl in front of him. "But it doesn't look like that's all."

Soul's eyes went straight towards the sleeping girl, Her breathing would hitch every now and then as she let out a silent whimper.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say she's being slowly consumed by something." Stein was muttering to himself now, his eyes staring intently on the girl's stomach. "Her soul is intact, nothing is out of the ordinary, but every now and then something shows up, as if it's a quick burst, but it's there…"

Before Soul had time to register what was going on, Maka let out a bloodcurdling scream as Stein pushed his hand deep into Maka's stomach.

"The fuck are you doing!" Soul shouted. He was about to push Stein out of the way, when his eyes went wide, looking down he realized he had been stitched to the floor by the professor.

"Calm down, Soul." He muttered again, his eyes shining with a sadistic look, "I need to see something for myself, and unfortunately, this is the only way I can get the data."

Stein let out a breath as he pulled his hand back out, Maka was completely pale and wasn't even moving. "She's alive, I had to calm her soul while I was there." Stein reassured Soul, his eyes going back to his hand as he placed what ever he grabbed inside a small tube. "It seems our Grigori Soul has been attacked with a rare condition…"

Soul felt his body release from the stitches, and he quickly moved towards Maka, her breathing light now.

"Interesting." Stein muttered, looking back at Maka. Pushing his glasses back up, he turned to look at Soul. "I'm about to connect with her soul, it might be painful for her, since I'm going to force the connection, so I suggest you stay close to her, talk to her and reassure her things will be okay."

Soul slowly nodded. His eyes on Maka as she let out another scream, her eyes going wide for a moment as she quickly closed them back up, her breathing gasping out as sweat was appeared on her forehead.

It felt like hours, but turned out to be a few mere minutes when Stein finally spoke. His eyes didn't reveal anything as he quickly got up, his hands already reaching out for his cigarrettes, signalling for Soul to follow him.

"Hmmm, well this has turned into an interesting event." Stein muttered, his eyes on Maka as he spoke. "She's been poisoned... in a sense." Stein muttered, a cigarette already in hand. "She's slowly being consumed by black blood, and it's causing a chain reaction."

"What reaction." Soul asked, his eyes quickly turning to the Stein. "What the fuck is black blood?"

Stein's attention fully on Soul as he lit up a cigarette. "She's remembering the day of the attack. Whatever was blocking that memory from coming back is now gone and chunks of the attack are coming back."

"What does that have to do with the way her soul is changing?" Soul asked, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the professor.

"It has everything to do with her soul," Stein paused, letting out a puff of smoke. "It's what's contaminating her soul, corrupting it. If I'm right, this is probably what Medusa had in mind."

Soul felt his body grow cold at the witch's name. "The book…" he muttered.

"Yes, the book." Stein repeated, his eyes now moving to the night sky, "It seems the reason why Maka was the only one to be able to read it was in order to engage the first trap. And apparently this is a most deadly trap, as well."

That caught Soul's attention, his eyes going wide as he turned to look at the professor.

"Whatever trap Medusa had planned awakened the memories of the attack, causing her soul to react, and the more she relives the attack, the more her soul gets corrupted."

"But what about her ability to… " He wasn't able to finish, he was still trying to process all of this.

"It seems that's the only reason why it's taking longer, if not she would have already been corrupted. Her ability to cleanse her soul is what is helping her from turning corrupt."

"What about that black blood you just mentioned?" Soul asked, hanging his head low as he sat down on the lounge chair.

"There's a small trace of black blood in her system, in her soul." Stein answered, putting the cigarette out in the small ashtray by his side, "If it was there before this whole event is unclear, but the matter is still critical, now that her memories are slowly returning, she's becoming stronger, but, only time will tell if it's for good or for the bad."

"What does that mean for her?"

"It means as she gets stronger, more Kishin will be able to sense her. And the only thing you have to worry about now is," the gray haired professor paused, his eyes now on Sou, as an sinister smile formed on his facel, "what will get her first - the black blood, the kishin, Medusa, or something worse?"

Soul didn't say a word, his eyes moving back to the night sky as he slowly processed this in.

His worst fear was just acknowledged. Maka was in danger, and he was responsible for majority of it.

Medusa had sent them a message, loud and clear: No matter how much they tried to protect Maka, Medusa would still be able to get her.

okay, okay... I'm sorry for the really, really REALLY late update. But...

It was honestly because I've been working full time, going to school, and raising my three very energetic boys...

That and my laptop decided to die before I had a chance to save all my chapters into my usb drive. (sorry!)

Either way, as promised, I hope you guys liked chapter 10.

Again, your reviews are greatly appreciated, and just know that no, I haven't forgotten about this story, hopefully now that I will be putting work aside and just focusing on school and kids, I will have more time to update my story as time goes on. Also, do bear with me as my beta writer and myself are very busy and therefor are taking a little bit longer to update.

That aside, I just want to mention that even though I do appreciate everyone reviewing and helping me better my story, please refrain from using rude remarks or insults in your review. If you want to point something out and you feel like it's something extremely bothersome to you, then please PM, but don't go insulting me or my beta writer.

As I am taking time to update, taking time to rewrite, proof read, and some times some errors slip through the cracks, but either way... please, there is no need for insults in people's reviews.

with that said, I hope everyone had a great new years, christmas, halloween and yeah.

Love,
-KiddiexX