The next morning Maka's eyes were weary. Such tired, red eyes were accompanied by charcoal circles, reminiscent of a raccoon. Her perfect posture had crumbled; leaving her to look like the humpback of Notre Dame. Maka couldn't remember the last time she felt this exhausted. No matter how desperate her attempts, she just couldn't seem to fall asleep. The moment she closed her eyes, she was haunted by images of her nightmare.

Was she exaggerating? Perhaps. A little voice in her head told her that it wasn't all bad but it wasn't long before she squashed it out and replaced it with stubborn denial. She was resolute that she would reject any positive feelings towards Soul. The last thing she needed was for him to catch on to her plight; the smug bastard would never let her hear the end of it.

She knew that she couldn't face him head on until she had some time to level herself. She wasn't the type of girl to take time off work because some guy was driving her crazy either. This meant that she was going to have to make a conscious effort to check every corridor before mindlessly stepping forward. She was utterly ambivalent towards the impish Soul. Even though she thought he was a dense dickhead, she could tell that he was very perceptive to social cues. A shared conversation between the two could spell disaster for Maka if she let her façade slip for even a moment. "Façade? What façade? I really do hate him!" she tried to persuade her wavering heart.

The first thing that she'd have to do; however, would be to make it through the day without falling asleep. That was going to be easier said than done considering she had been up since 2:33 AM the night before. If there was one thing that she could be grateful for, it was that in her tired stupor, she was incapable of calling forward images of her wet dream without immense concentration. She was too exhausted to annunciate, let alone vividly daydream. The thought hit her like a truck; how the hell was she supposed to teach English when she was incapable of articulating herself.

She let out a low groan as she turned the corner. Looking further down the hallway she spotted Tsubaki and Liz. "Fantastic".

"Wow, Maka you look horrible!"

"Thanks, Liz. Way to make a girl feel loved," Maka retorted. Did Liz even know what a filter was? It seemed like she just let her words dribble out of her mouth like some sort of dimwit.

"Seriously Maka, are you okay? You've been acting funny for over a week now." Tsubaki always had that motherly expression that Maka admired. Maka occasionally envied her for that trait. It made the students feel more comfortable being in her presence and Maka knew that she'd be a great mom one day.

"I-I'm fine. I promise!" She shook her hands in front of her to try and play it off. It had taken most of her energy to sprinkle some enthusiasm into her words and wave her hands about like that. She regretted it almost immediately but she had to hold on until her friends decided to relent.

"I think you should go see Death and take the day off."

"Curse you Tsubaki and your caring nature!" Maka internally scorned her friend.

"I agree, Maka. You're in rough shape; I mean, how are you supposed to teach a class like that?" Liz was painfully brash, always was. Patty was the worse of the two but it was no trouble to tell that they were related.

"I'm fine. I promise that I'm okay and right after I'm done here today I'll go home and take a nap. Is that fair?" Maka looked up at her friends hopefully. Perhaps they'd accept her compromise and move on with their day; they were soon going to be late to their own classes and Maka Albarn refused to let that happen.

"Yes, but what time do you plan on going home? Hm?" Tsubaki folded her arms as she chastised Maka. Tsubaki knew all too well how much Maka obsessed over her work or anything she did for that matter.

"Fine! I'll go home right after dismissal!"

"Promise?" The two girls asked simultaneously.

"Yes," Maka drawled as she slouched her shoulders and began to walk towards the stairwell. She noticed that her posture resembled her whimsical father's and it made her cringe. She did not want to share a single quality with that pitiful man.

With each stair, she felt her energy fading fast. Her soul had shriveled up and was in the fetal position somewhere inside of her. She saw a couple of her students a few steps ahead of her and suddenly, fresh vigor rushed through her veins. The best part about her job was giving it her all to help the students. She would feel pathetic if she just threw in the towel and left her students in the dark. Climbing the stairs suddenly got much easier.

Last year, when Maka first started teaching at DHS, she was rather…persistent. She outright refused to take sick leave or even vacation time. Everyone watched as the pressure she placed on herself ate away at her sanity. Despite that, she'd still diligently work in her away at her desk, long after school hours; toiling away to find the next best way to engage her class in her lectures. Many people admired her tenacity but everyone couldn't help but worry. There was an incident where Maka refused to take time off after coming down with influenza. This was during the middle of Winter and as a result, she ended up becoming very ill very quickly. She spent three days in the hospital trying to recover.

Spirit antagonized himself for weeks after that incident. He believed that it was his fault that it happened to her. He felt like he should've forced her to stay home and rest but he couldn't assert himself to her. That was when Death explained to Spirit the truth that horrified him: Maka was an adult now, she made that decision on her own and there wasn't anything he could do about it. After that, Spirit was a little less obnoxious in his attempts to win his daughter's favor. He tried to let her do her own thing but he still stretched out a fatherly hand whenever he could. He found it unbearable that his little girl had grown up and became a woman but he was proud of her nonetheless.

Maka tried her best to maintain a peppy attitude in class. Her class eyed her suspiciously as she paced about the classroom delivering her lecture. She tried to keep moving so that she wouldn't feel the sudden urge to lay down on the floor and have a nap. Her class was obviously aware that something was going on. If her eyes weren't a dead giveaway, the frequency that she stumbled in her sentences was a strong indicator. She found herself unable to answer a few of her students' questions, which vexed her. A well-rested Maka would be knowledgeable and swift to deliver an answer befitting the question. Her perfectionist nature forced her to sit on those thoughts for far longer than would be deemed healthy.

Maka somehow managed to trudge through the day; albeit, with immense difficulty. She had an energy drink for the first time since university. She despised the overwhelmingly sweet taste that blitzed her taste buds but coffee just wasn't cutting it. Her small frame was advantageous when she drank any liquid that had stimulating or depressing effects. It meant that a night on the town was exceptionally cheap for her and that a single can of Red Bull was enough to set her liveliness on 11 for a few hours; she dreaded the crash that followed though.

Maka had considered going back on her promise and staying behind after school but she knew better. She knew that Tsubaki would come through that door any minute to confirm whether or not she went home. Tsubaki would go to unnameable lengths to ensure her respite. Rather than take her chances and be lectured endlessly, Maka decided to go home.

She bumped into Tsubaki as she exited her classroom. "Why is it that everybody is blocking my damn door lately?" Maka tried to hide a mock scowl so that her friend wouldn't get the wrong idea. Tsubaki was significantly taller than her. Maka was only 5'2" whereas Tsubaki was 5'9". Tsubaki was near the same height as Black Star and Maka wondered if that would make the vain Black Star nervous. Since there was such a difference in height, Maka couldn't help but face plant into Tsubaki's breasts. Maka always envied her friend's boobs; Tsubaki definitely filled out far better than she did. Her two closest girl friends: Tsubaki and Liz were both shapely and it made her feel out of place. She didn't let it hurt their friendship but she couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"Oh, my! Are you okay Maka?" Tsubaki held a hand to her chest, where Maka's head was buried mere moments before.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I'm going home, see?" Maka pointed at her briefcase playfully, indicating that she was mocking Tsubaki's motherly behavior.

"Good. And straight to bed!"

"Okay, Mom!"

Maka waved as she walked down the hallway and turned the corner. "I'm a grown-ass woman, sheesh! I don't tell her when to go to bed." Her mind flashed back to all of the times that Tsubaki would force her to stop working so hard in school. Tsubaki was adamant that it detrimental to her health. Maka recalled a time she got sick in university and Tsubaki lectured her for weeks about her overworking herself. That and Tsubaki also knew that Maka's diet consisted of junk food and energy drinks. It wasn't that Maka couldn't cook, it was the fact that she was so devoted to her studies she never made time for it; opting for the more convenient alternatives.

Maka was jostled from her thoughts when she heard the music. Most of the English and Music classes took place in the same wing. The sound of a lone piano echoed from down the hall. Her pathway diverged before she could reach the root but she hesitated as she looked down the stairwell. The music was…different. It was dark, ominous even. It was definitely unlike anything that Maka would ever listen to but she couldn't help but find herself attracted to the melody that danced about her eardrums. With a deep breath, she turned on her heel and cautiously walked towards the source.

As she got closer the song seemed to intensify. Maka speculated that the song was about to reach its climax. She found herself in front of Soul Evan's classroom. Her inner voice screamed and waved red flags around. The word "abort" was comparable to a mosquito buzzing in her ear. She tuned it out and swallowed audibly. The door was open a crack but she couldn't see inside. She felt the cold sweat taking residence on her clammy skin. She looked at her hand as it shook. She had no idea what she was getting herself into and that thought scared her. Maka knew there was nothing to be afraid of at DHS. She was afraid of someone or running into them rather. She vowed to avoid him at all costs; yet, here she was, standing outside of his classroom trying to figure out who the mystery pianist was.

She tried to analyze the musician's music. It wasn't a song that she had ever heard before. Even during her stint listening to various kinds of classical music, she never once encountered anything that resembled its melancholy tones. Maka wasn't sure how she felt about it; intrigued maybe. She prayed that the person gracefully manipulating those keys wasn't him but at the same time she desperately hoped that it was.

Maka was so caught up in her uncontrollable vortex of emotion that she hadn't noticed herself slide the door open partway discreetly. The temptation to look became far more attractive as the opening was large enough for her to stick her head through. She leaned her body weight against the doorframe precariously and slowly eased her head through the doorway. She hadn't considered the fact that the piano may be facing towards the door but she was far too invested to stop now. She was relieved to see that the piano was facing the opposite direction and she was staring at the back of the individual.

His white hair had served as a beacon for Maka. She knew immediately that it was Soul who was responsible for such eccentric yet soothing melodies. As she saw him, her entire body tensed up and she nearly lost her balance; which would have her evidently falling into his classroom. She managed to pull herself together, for the most part. Her heart was thumping at an alarming rate, her face was overcome by a flourish of heat and the small voice screaming "abort" was making its presence known once again.

She eased her head away from the doorway cautiously; trying not to blow her cover. She was in the clear, he hadn't noticed her at all and she was safe. Maka couldn't believe that she managed to get out of that situation unscathed; unless you count her current emotional state. She breathed a sigh of relief as she turned around and it was as if the Gods had forsaken her.

"No! Not Black Star!"

Maka was panicking. Time seemed to come to a near standstill as she watched Black Star moving towards her, waving at her while sporting a big, goofy grin. He opened his mouth to speak and Maka knew she couldn't possibly shut his mouth in time without him revealing their presence. She resigned herself to her fate as she slouched her shoulders in defeat.

"Hey, Maka! What are you doing around here?" His voice boomed throughout the halls and but of course, the music had stopped. Maka cringed as she imagined the events that would surely follow.

"I-I'm, um, just passing through on my way home! I finished up for the day and was feeling kind of tired so I figured I'd go and get some rest!"

"What were you doing by that classroom though?" Black Star gestured curiously. She was grateful that he was painfully dense sometimes.

Before Maka could open her mouth to state her case, she felt a familiar presence behind her. She turned to face Soul's arms crossed and his trademark smug grin taking form on his face.

"Yeah, what were you doing outside my classroom, Maka?" Soul said her name like it made him want to vomit and Maka's previous apprehension faded in favor of resentment.

"I heard music and I assumed one of the students was staying behind unsupervised. Leaving the students unattended seemed like something a slacker like you would do." She was proud of her rebuttal but she knew that her words would make no ground on his indifferent attitude.

"Bullshit. I bet you were sneaking around because you heard me play and you hoped that you'd find me sitting on that stool." Soul's gaze almost pierced through her soul. He was absolutely right but she couldn't allow him to figure that out. She put on her best tough girl face and tried to keep the charade up.

"Dream on! I'm actually surprised you're good at anything other than running your damn mouth!"

"Guys, guys! Come on, we're all friends here!" Black Star attempted to intervene.

"Pft, hardly," Soul shrugged his shoulders and looked away from the two as if he had someplace better to be. Maka fought the powerful urge to pound the shit out of him. Her sub conscious thanked him for making it easier to suppress her real feelings for the time being.

"Yeah, you got that right!" Maka chirped back as she turned away from him and crossed her arms in contempt.

"Geez, you guys really hate each other huh?" Black Star was a master of pointing out the obvious and this was no exception.

Maka huffed and began to walk away from the two guys. She was back to square one with him again; she hated his guts and that was the way that she liked it.

"If stupid Black Star hadn't shown his face, I would've been out of there scot-free!" She stamped as she walked. "God, he is such a dick. Why did I ever think anything good about him at all?" As her anger petered out, she felt another feeling welling up from the pit of her stomach: sorrow. She felt sad that he didn't consider her as a friend for some reason. It wasn't like she ever gave him a reason to think they were friends but it still bothered her. She started to wonder if she was being a little too harsh on him but she kicked herself and began reminding herself of all the malicious things he had said to her.

"Maka," she heard Soul's voice call out to her. Her breath hitched and she thought that she was imagining things until she heard it again.

"Hey, Maka! Wait up," she turned to see him running down the hallway in her direction. She looked up at him innocently as he caught his breath.

"Fuck, I'm out of shape!"

"What do you want, Soul?"

"I wanted to ask you…" he panted a couple of times, "…are you okay? You look horrible."

She furrowed her brows at his statement. "I look horrible, huh? Thanks."

"Not what I mean, I was just…concerned, ya know?"

She felt a lump in her throat. Why? Why did he have to go and do this to her? She felt her sanity slip away with each word he spoke. He was supposed to be some pompous jackass who didn't deserve her time of day. He was making this far harder than it needed to be and yet, she just wanted to surrender to the romantic thoughts in the back of her mind.

"You don't need to be concerned. I'm fine, thank you for wondering." She had to get away from him and fast before she did something she'd come to regret. The best option was to push him away; she'd always been good at that.

"You don't need to be so cold but alright, whatever," Maka swore that he expressed dejection when he looked away from her. That couldn't be right, Soul Evans couldn't feel, could he?

When eye contact was made again, silence fell over them. Neither of them would avert their gaze and they were both trying to predict the others' thoughts but to no avail. Maka speculated that a poker match with Soul Evans would be a good time but she didn't dwell on that thought.

"Anyway…I'm going to go. I'm tired and I need some rest."

"Yeah."

With that, they parted ways. Maka crossed the playground and got to her car. Thankfully the rain wasn't torrential today so she sat comfortably dry in the driver's seat of her car. She mulled over her muddled thoughts about Soul. His personality undertook such a sudden shift that Maka was left stunned. She didn't expect that from him at all and she didn't know exactly how it made her feel. She was happy that not all parts of him were tactless but that still didn't excuse him from his previous offenses. All of these thoughts plagued her mind as she slipped her key into the ignition and turned; nothing. The car sputtered but refused to turn over.

"Son of a…" She slammed her head down onto the horn hoping that nobody was around to see her breakdown. Life had been hell ever since he came into the picture and her unbelievably bad luck continued.

She looked around the parking lot to see if anybody was still at the school. She breathed a sigh of relief as she spotted a few vehicles across the lot.

"Let's see…" she paused as she tried to peg the owners of each vehicle. She recognized one right away. "…that one is Dad's, ew," Spirit suddenly sneezed and assumed somebody was talking about him; he hoped it was Blair and he gushed as he daydreamed about her assets.

Maka saw a couple of vehicles that she didn't recognize at all and last on the lot was "Tsubaki! Yes!" Maka nearly high-fived herself. She knew she was in for the lecture of her life but at least she wouldn't have to walk home and call a tow truck.

Maka got out of her vehicle and began walking back towards the school when she heard a loud revving sound approaching her from behind, followed by a piercing screech. She turned to find Soul sat on his motorcycle; she didn't want to admit to herself that he did in fact, look cool. He pulled off his helmet and shook his hair. Maka watched, mesmerized by the way his white locks flowed as he shook his head.

"Need a ride?" Soul asked while she was still distracted by his features. "Hello? I asked if you need a ride,"

"Uh, uhh, you only have one helmet though."

"That's the best I can come up with? Come the fuck on Albarn, get your shit together!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Maka felt relieved that he was going to give up on his venture. She almost screamed at him when he suddenly threw his helmet in her direction. She had to drop her briefcase to catch it and she was going to kill him if the lock popped open and spilled her papers everywhere.

"You can wear mine. Throw your briefcase back in the car, you don't need it tonight if you're going to rest."

Maka tried to search her mind for an excuse, any excuse would do but she didn't have one. The last thing she wanted to do was ride on the back of his motorcycle with him. She was concerned about his lack of helmet but on top of that, she knew how the riding arrangement would be. Her face heated at the thought of wrapping her arms around her waist and nuzzling her face into his muscular back. She managed to catch herself before she began spacing out again.

"Fine," Maka tried to play it off as if she really didn't want to go with him, hopefully, he wouldn't see right through her.

She dropped off her briefcase and walked up to him nervously. "Are you going to be okay though? I really don't feel comfortable being the only one with a helmet on."

"Maybe if I hit myself on the head, I'll be more likable to you."

"A quick retort, that's so you Soul." She giggled a little bit, hoping that he didn't catch it but his smirk indicated that he did. Maka pulled the helmet over her face to cover her blush.

She hopped on his motorcycle and trembled as she reached forward. "Hold on," he demanded as she finally worked up the fortitude to wrap her arms around his waist. He nipped the throttle and the sudden force lifted the front tire off of the pavement ever so slightly; Maka let out a feminine scream of terror as he did this and Soul burst into laughter.

"God, you're such a scaredy cat! It's fine, I've driven this motorcycle thousands of hours; I know what I'm doing."

"You fucking better! Don't ever do that again you, you–"

"You what?"

"Never mind. Just take me home."

"Thought so."

Maka's emotions were an uncontrollable ball that ricocheted off the walls of her mind. Her body felt scorching hot as it wrapped around Soul's. There were layers on layers of clothing between them but Maka was sure that he could feel the immense heat billowing off of her skin. She had to be very conscious of her positioning against him. If she nuzzled in too close she was afraid that he might get the wrong idea; even if that was what she really wanted.

She once again found herself in the gutters of her mind; wondering what it feels like to have her bare chest pressed against the warm skin of his bare back. She felt her core writhe in discomfort. The last thing she needed was to get wet on Soul's motorcycle seat. She cursed herself for her consistent skirt wearing some days and today was one of them.

Maka doesn't know how she did it but somehow, she managed to coherently give him directions to her apartment. If it wasn't for the fact that she lived in the area for a few years, she probably would've forgotten the way back to her own place. She knew that Soul would tease her for that. As he pulled up she subtly reached a hand down towards the seat to check, just in case. Thankfully the seat was devoid of any moisture; that would've been an awkward conversation she'd much rather avoid.

As she hoisted one leg off of her bike she regretted wearing a short skirt for the first time ever. Before, she was never nervous about wearing skirts in public; she was confident enough to ignore the catcalling and taunting by the locals. With Soul, she felt like she couldn't cover herself up enough; she felt like she wasn't wearing enough but yet too much.

"U-uh, thanks, I guess." Maka didn't remove the helmet right away because her cheeks were still a rosy hue. She was petrified that Soul was checking her out as she got off his bike.

"No problem. Anytime you need a ride let me know." She was shocked at his kindness but stubborn emotional concealment was practically muscle memory at this point.

"S-sure. Oh, here's your helmet back."

"I'll see you around…kid." Maka's eyes narrowed in sullen anger as she was sure she could see his smug grin through the tint of the helmet visor.

"Oh, you son of a–"

His motorcycle revved and his tires let off a loud screech before he blitzed down the road at dangerous speeds. Maka knew that this was an effort to impress her but his bravado was the last thing she was interested in. She couldn't deny the fact that he was pretty cool, she would never admit that to him though.

If one thing was for certain, the feeling in her loins spelled another sleepless night. Maka thought that it might be alright to surrender and indulge in that urge but only for tonight.

Author's Comments: I've been gone for a while haven't I? I was busy taking care of real life circumstances but with that being said I still am; therefore, I cannot guarantee a high frequency of updates to the story. I will finish it but it will take time. Bare with me.

Thank you for reading/reviewing!