Hello, World!

Before I start the next and final chapter, there are a few things I have to say:

First, I'm sorry for the delay. I truly meant to get this chapter up a lot sooner.

Second, Thank you so much to anyone and everyone that's reviewed this story. It's going to be one of my shortest ones, and I really didn't expect it to be such a big hit. So thank you!

Last but not least, I got an anonymous review (Nice to meet you, That Person) saying they had suspicions about the title. Unfortunately, it being an anonymous review, I had no way to contact That Person and either prove or disprove that suspicion. So, for anyone who's wondering, here's the story:

I got the idea for this story while listening to a song by The Veronicas. Yes, the title of the song was Someone Wake Me Up. That pretty much covers the first three chapters. But as I was writing this last one, I started thinking of a different song: What If by Ashley Tisdale. (I'm not sure how everyone else sees this second song, but I've always seen it as two people are in a relationship, in this case Soul and Maka. The girl is really strong an independent and doesn't know how to ask for help which is driving the boy away. I just thought it fit the two really well. If you see it my way, that is...)

So if you haven't heard those songs but want to compare them to this story now, be my guest. If you want me to just shut up and get on with the end, keep reading. ^^'

Enjoy!

Chapter Four

Soul was surprised to find that Maka was not at the apartment when he got there. Oh well, he thought. He supposed her absence was all for the better. She obviously had no desire to see him anyway.

Soul tossed his suitcase onto his bed and it popped open with an almost comical cloud of dust. He hadn't seen it since he'd arrived, and he hadn't wanted to see it again for some time still. He threw open his dresser drawers and began to toss in clothes haphazardly. He ignored Blair, watching him from the doorway with drooping ears, as best he could, but he still wasn't able to block her out completely. Damn his peripheral vision.

…

Maka swung back and forth desolately, her heels planted into the loose sand. She wasn't sure what had possessed her to come back to this old playground; she hadn't seen it in years. Her dad used to take her here every day when she was younger- back when everything had been fine between her parents.

She came to an abrupt stop and violently shook her head. No, she'd cried enough tears in the past few days. She wasn't about to succumb to them now. Especially not over something that had happened so long ago.

"Maka?"

Her head snapped up at the voice, and she desperately hoped that none of the emotions she felt were showing on her face. There were very few things she thought to be more awkward than thinking she was perfectly alone when she wasn't.

Her heart calmed a bit when she saw who it was. "Oh, hey, Tsubaki." The taller girl was standing a few feet away, her hands clasped in front of her as if she were afraid to come any closer. Best to stay away from the girl with the uncontrollable temper and the bipolar attitude as of late, Maka thought bitterly. Then, she shook that thought away as well. Get a grip, she told herself. Tsubaki was just being Tsubaki.

"May I join you?" she asked politely.

"Yeah, of course," Maka answered. It was hardly like she owned this playground. And besides, even at a time like this, she found that she'd quite enjoy Tsubaki's company.

For a moment they both rocked back and forth in silence. Then, Tsubaki asked the inevitable question. "Maka, is something wrong? You've been pretty distant since Kid's party. And I never see you with Soul anymore."

Maka chose to continue the silence. She just looked down at the tracks her feet were making in the wood chips beneath her. But of course, today would be the day that Tsubaki chose to push her.

"You know, you can tell me anything, Maka. That's what friends are for. I won't tell anyone," she vowed. "Not even Black*Star."

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. It was interesting to know that even his partner wouldn't trust Black*Star with any secrets. But then, that line of thinking got her back to musing the situation with her own partner. Suddenly, she wasn't much in the mood to smile anymore.

As dusk fell, she finally let the words out. Tsubaki was a good listener. She waited patiently, quietly through the whole ordeal. And only when she was certain Maka was finished did she voice her opinion.

"Have you talked to Soul about this? Maybe you don't know the whole story… I'm sure you two could find some sort of middle ground."

Maka sighed. Sure, that way of thinking was all fine and dandy when you had a partnership like Tsubaki's where one partner was perfectly okay with constantly bending to the other's every whim. But it didn't work like that with herself and Soul. They were both too strong-willed and stubborn. Even their settled arguments were really only at a standstill.

Soul may have seemed like one of the most laid-back and easy-going people in the world, but he was every bit as stubborn as she was. When they argued, it was intense. Oddly enough, it sometimes reminded her of the way her parents used to argue.

Though she didn't say so aloud, in answer to Tsubaki's question, no, she hadn't talked to Soul about it. Hadn't her glares sufficed? What was there to talk about? What Soul had done was wrong.

Unfortunately, Maka had learned some time ago that she had quite the traitorous inner voice. And it tended to make itself known at the worst of times. Soul called it her conscience.

And why was it so wrong? that voice now asked. He's your partner, not your boyfriend. You don't own him.

Silently, Maka huffed impatiently. Her inner voice was a lot of things, but she hadn't thought it was stupid. Of course she didn't own him. And she didn't want him to be her boyfriend. It was just… common courtesy was all.

Liar, the voice crowed. It was enjoying her pain. Face it; You're not offended, you're jealous.

Maka felt something bubble up inside of her. No! She couldn't possibly be jealous! Of who? Cecily? There was no way she was jealous of such a… such a complete whore! No, she was in no way jealous of Cecily Varney.

No, said the voice, agreeing with her for once. You're jealous of Soul with Cecily.

Maka clenched her jaw tighter. She knew she couldn't refute this, and that scared her.

"Maka?" said Tsubaki, leaning closer, concerned. "Are you all right?"

Maka rose from the swing abruptly. "Yeah, I just… I should be getting home."

"All right…" said Tsubaki, still looking worried as her friend hurried away.

…

Soul looked down at his fully packed suitcase, not sure if he'd have the heart to pick it up and really walk out of there. Slowly, he closed his hand around the handle. No sooner had he done so, Maka burst into the apartment.

For a moment they just stared at each other. Slowly, her eyes traveled down to the suitcase in his hand. She swallowed, then very quietly asked, "Are you going somewhere?"

"Leaving," he responded after a moment.

"Where?" Her voice didn't seem able to escape from that deathly quiet tone.

He shrugged, his expression blank. "Guess I'll find out when I get there." They were silent for another moment. Maka was vaguely aware of the fact that she was standing in his way, but she didn't move. She honestly wasn't sure what the look on her face was until Soul sighed and said, "Maka, don't look at me like that. This was what you wanted, wasn't it?"

"I…" Her voice trailed off. She opened her mouth only to close it again. But it was what she wanted… wasn't it? Her mind was aching. Men couldn't be trusted. That was a given for her. She'd never argued this point. But for some reason, 'Soul couldn't be trusted' didn't ring so true. But why?

"Uh… Maka?" Soul took a step back. He looked worried. She felt a tear trickle down her cheek and more forming in her eyes. They stung. She knew her face must have contorted into a heartbreaking expression, because her voice mimicked it.

"I don't understand…" she whispered. Why did this hurt so much? Why did she need him so much? She'd been raised to be independent… strong. Why did all of that crumble around Soul? Without another word, she turned and crashed out the door.

It wasn't until she was a block away that she realized 'she' was a 'they'. Soul was following her. She spun around, sceaming.

"Just GET LOST! Why are you doing this to me? If you want to leave, then GO! Get out of here!"

"Maka, what is with you?" Soul sounded bewildered, even bordering on angry. "You've been so freaking tempermental lately. If you don't want me to leave, just say so. But what am I supposed to think when you go screw my best friend and then ignore me like I'm the bad guy? I can't read your mind, Maka!"

She just stared at him, not even trying to conceal the tears anymore. It took a good minute for what he'd said to sink in. She saw the indignance on his face and she was incredulous. Incredulously pissed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she raged. "You think I fucked Black*Star?" Had the whole world gone mad?

Soul stared right back, unmoving, but now he was just as lost as she was. Because he could see that her anger and confusion was genuine.

In the space of the silence, he found himself looking at his partner in a new light. Maka had always been amazing. She was strong. Confident. Sure, she was stubborn too, but she had so many awesome qualities that overshadowed that one. She had always been perfectly fine on her own and she always would be. Maka wouldn't have felt so lost and empty after abandoning her family. Maka would've had a plan. Maka would've been looking forward. She certainly didn't need him.

But her eyes told a different story. Hesitantly, he took a step forward, hand outstretched. She didn't move. Either to walk away or to meet him.

Maka was beginning to put the puzzle together in her mind. She was fairly positive she'd pieced together what had really happened that night, but it hadn't cleared her mind any.

"I didn't have sex with Black*Star," she repeated firmly. "And even if I had, it wouldn't have been to get back at you."

"Good," said Soul, beginning to breathe a little easier. "And I didn't have sex with Cecily because I was mad at you. Actually, we didn't go that far at all."

Maka blinked. Perhaps she hadn't had it all figured out after all. "But… I thought… You two were in bed… and your shirt…"

"Was all that was off," he finished. Then, a familiar smirk took over his features. "Besides, cool guys like me don't go for girls like Cecily. Harlots aren't my type." There were tears gathering in her eyes again. But she knew instinctively that they were for a different reason. She ran and practically launched herself at Soul. He managed to steady the two of them without toppling over and hugged her back just as tightly. He didn't care that they were in the middle of a street. That anyone could have been watching their scene from their bedroom window. No matter how many times he'd insisted that cool guys didn't show affection in public.

He pressed his face to her hair, happier than he'd been in what felt like forever. It had been a long few days. Some of the longest of his life actually. And after all that, he was certain they wouldn't be able to go on being just friends… But that really didn't bother him anymore.

Review please!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that's the end. I'm sorry if it wasn't as romantic as you were expecting, but it was sappy enough for me.

I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed the past three chapters over the course of this story and anyone who'll review this chapter. I got a lot of awesome feedback, and that really means a lot to me. Thanks again, and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.