A/N: Seriously, I can't tell you guys sorry enough... Man, lately I feel as though I've lost my mojo with Soul Eater fics. I think this is my best chapter yet. Plenty of SoulxMaka romance, a dash of action and just a pinch of angst. :D All that good stuff.

Break Away

Chapter 10: Give Unto Me

"Here you go!" Maka said cheerfully. She smiled a smile that could defeat the maniacal sun shining through the window behind her. "Sucks your birthday had to be on a school day but here ya go."

It was an assortment of about twenty chocolate cupcakes clumped up together to form a cake. There was a vanilla icing outline of Soul in his soul shape with the kanji spelling of "Happy Birthday, Soul!" on it. There was a napoleon icecream filling on the inside just the way Soul liked it. Maka had slaved away the previous night to make it, neglecting her studies in the process to create the masterpiece. That determination would most likely cost her today in Stein's class.

Soul sat staring down at the cake with a pensive hand at his chin. He tilted his head to the side, the skin around his eyes set tightly as he reached out and poked his finger into the velvety cream. Popping it into his mouth, he closed his eyes briefly before taking a bite out of it. Maka could just barely make out the red tint glowing from his cheeks. Soul coughed and turned away as he munched on his cupcake. Maka sat down beside him, plucking out her own cupcake as she watched him eat. Her brow furrowed at the blush quickly spreading from his cheeks down his neck.

"Umm...are you alright, Soul? Something wrong with the cake?"

"N-nothing...it's just." Soul cast his eyes down, his jaw set tightly. "I've...no one has ever made me a cake for me. Actually, this is the first birthday I've spent with anybody even though as I grew up, birthdays were hardly a big deal for me."

Maka's eyes widened. "You're kidding me. Not one birthday? Even though you're rich...didn't your parents spend time with you?"

"Huh? Oh, well, they were always traveling overseas so it was mostly just me and my older brother, Wes."

"You have a brother?!" Maka exclaimed, standing up sharply.

Soul raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, didn't I ever tell you?"

"No! Not once did you ever mention having siblings," Maka huffed. "Sheesh! This is ridiculous- there's still so much I don't know about you."

Soul half-smiled at her as he sunk his jagged teeth into his second cupcake. There was still things he had to sort out before even daring to introduce her to his family. It gave him chills just thinking about it. His parents were much more bizarre and cynical than he had ever been. Wes was the only one who had actually come out normal- even though being normal was what actually made him the black sheep of the family. He and Soul looked so much alike, except for his height and greater build. Sometimes Soul worried that if he were to introduce Maka to his older brother that she would see that he really was the less talented, the less favorable sibling.

Wes was the only one had ever had any confidence in his little brother. He had loved Soul's piano playing even though Soul could never find anything special about his ability. Wes could play any intrument he wanted- including, especially the piano. Wes was something else entirely....Soul knew he would never hope to reach his standards. He smiled at the memory of his brother complimenting him on his average piano playing.

"Well, that's really sad to hear. Even if your birthday doesn't mean that much to you, you should at least spend the day happy." Maka smiled as she reached over and placed her hand over Soul's. "I have the rest of the day planned out but first open your present."

"What?"

Soul stared down at the silver wrapped gift Maka had set down before him. He looked uncertain for a moment, before looking up and gave her an uncertain helpless look. Maka sighed exasperatingly as she tore off the wrapping paper for him and left him to open the box. Soul flipped open the box to find leather gloves.

"I know you don't wear gloves but every motorcyclist can use a pair, right?" Maka asked, a sheepish grin on her face. "I tried to make something myself but whatever I tried to knit came apart."

Soul silently slipped the gloves onto his hands, slowly stretching out his fingers on one hand. Maka waited with bated breath. Maybe she had gotten his the wrong gift.

"They're cool." Soul smiled at her. "Thanks for thinking of me. "

The blonde, pig-tailed girl's eyes widened at the jagged teeth smiling at her. Slowly, she found herself smiling back, once again, picking up her forgotten cupcake and gave a hearty bite. Last night, she had worked hard to prepare the perfect evening for the two of them. Right after school, Maka had the

After School

"So what's the plan?"

"First we're going to go watch that movie you've been wanting to see since it first came out, followed by dinner and one final surprise," Maka said, taking out her notebook and checking off something.

Soul shrugged. "Whatever you say."

He put his arm around her as he led her inside the theater. Maka pulled out their coupons for free popcorn and beverages, and they headed in to watch a horror movie. Soul was actually a bit impressed she was willing to walk into a horror movie with him. While not exactly squeamish of blood, horror was not one of Maka's favorite genres. She might be sitting there the whole evening bored as hell but she was doing it for his sake only. Soul was touched. They found their seats at the highest place for a good view of the screen. As the the creepy theme music of the movie started up, Soul engorged himself with popcorn and raisinettes.

When it got to the sex scenes, he could feel Maka cringe up beside him. It amused him to see her like this; it would just never got old for him. Though, the longer he stared at the passionate couple on the screen, the more he felt like getting her in the mood for it as well. Sadly for him, Maka was going strictly by what she had planned out for him. It wasn't long before he heard the sound of pencil on paper when the scary scenes showed up. Soul rolled his eyes and snatched the notebook out of her hands, tossing it over his shoulder and hitting someone square in the face.

"Quit being such a nerd and watch the freaking movie, already," Soul hissed into her ear.

Maka jerked away from him but stayed quiet as she waited for the next scene to pass. She stiffened up at this and tried to busy herself with drinking her punch but the invisible patterns Soul was tracing on her back had her almost completely distracted from the movie. Riiight. Even though Soul had just told her to pay attention. Though, even as she glanced around her, there was nothing but pure couples and they were all making out! Maka quickly felt her face heat up at this and knew she would've been a crimson neon sign if not for the darkness surrounding them. Soul chuckled beside her before leaning forward and pressed his lips to hers- or at least what he had thought was her mouth.

"Oww! My eye!"

Soul's eyes widened. "What?! Oh...sorry."

Maka winced as she cupped her aching eye, and turned to fix a venomous glare at Soul. "Hands to yourself."

"How about hands all over instead?"

"Soul!"

"What? It's my birthday, don't I get any requests?" Soul sighed childishly, resting his cheek on his fist.

The meister blushed profusely. "S-soul..." Her eyes widened at the sound of a familiar voice. It couldn't be. "Get down!"

"What?"

"Dammit! Get down!" Maka all but lunged at him and pinned him to the ground. Soul took this as any opportunity to grab her face in his hands and hold her tightly. "S-Soul! Black Star and Kid are here! This is not the time for that!"

The scythe blinked. "So...?"

"So?! I don't want them to ruin this for us! I just want it to be you an me," Maka whispered frantically. "Black Star will never leave us alone."

She stiffened up when she felt Soul's hand patting her thigh non-chalantly, and felt her mind short-circuit when his lips touched hers'. Soul cradled the back of her head as he ravaged her mouth with wild abandon. He smothered her squeals of protest when he rolled her over, and pressed his lips forcefully against hers. His tongue tore through the seam of her lips and explored the cavern of her delectable mouth. Soul's eyes opened a fraction as he tried detecting where Black Star and Kidd were sitting at. Tilting his head to one side, he could see them climbing the stairs and choosing a seat a few rows away from them.

Maka gasped for breath as she sharply pulled away from her boyfriend, her chest heaving with every breath she took. She glared at Soul when he tried to swoop down for another session. She pressed her palm against his mouth and tried to shove him off of her. Soul gave a muffled protest before tearing her hand off. He leaned forward until they're foreheads were touching.

"Might as well make something good out of this. Don't you think?" Soul asked, his warm breath puffing into her face.

"We're- we're not gonna lay here and make out like irresponsible teenagers a-and what about the movie?"

Soul placed butterfly kisses along her collarbone. "What...about...the movie?" he asked in between kisses. "It's pretty good so far so it'll definitely be worth buying when it comes out on DVD. For now just...wish me a happy birthday, Maka."

There was hardly enough time for Maka to think this over when Soul's mouth was suddenly attacking hers' once again. Her hands rose up to push him off her again but she found that the longer she stayed on the floor with him, the less she wanted to leave. They slackened for a moment and instead chose to wrap themselves around Soul's neck. This was not apart of the plan! Why couldn't they just stick to the plan?!... Because this was Soul and Soul never went by the rules- he bent them, twisted them; whatever you'd like to call it.

Maka huffed as she walked over to Soul's motorcycle, smoothing down her disheveled clothes and checking her pocket for another hairband to tie up the one pigtail that Soul had managed to pull free. She slipped her arms through her coat as she waited for Soul to approach her. A chuckle was heard behind her and all she could do was sigh. Honestly, when she was with him her hormones tended to get the best of her. It was his birthday, after all, she couldn't argue with him on that. She blushed as she recalled that they been caught by the security guard and all but kicked out of theater. Thankfully, Black Star and Kidd were too caught up with the movie to pay her and Soul any attention.

Soul tossed his arm around her shoulders and grinned down at her. "Thanks for that. I've been wanting to do that all day."

Maka blushed. "W-well...time to move onto dinner. I picked out a nice Italian restaurant I think you'll like."

The young weapon's eyes widened. "Maka, don't tell me you're paying for me. On my part, that looks extremely gay to make you pay, regardless that it's my birthday."

"No, don't worry about it," Maka chirped, suddenly feeling in a brighter mood. "...I made my dad pay."

"Huh. I see."

Soul grunted as he mounted his motorcycle, and waited for Maka to climb on as well. He twisted the handlebar, revving up the engine to test before shooting off through the streets. It was several blocks of avoiding traffic and weirdos like this one beefed-up guy in a monster truck that had stopped beside them during a red light. He had really been looking Soul over as if he were eye candy. Soul got so freaked out he twisted the handlebar and ran right through the red light. There hadn't been any cops at the scene at the time so they had gotten away with it for the moment.

Soon they had arrived at the restaurant and were being led to their reserved seats. It was a solitary table with a red-checkered cloth over it and a single white candle floating in a glass bowl. A garland of red roses was wound around it- they seemed to be freshly cut with drops of dew clinging onto the petals. The glass caught the light from the candle and glimmered different colors of the rainbow. Soul smiled at their surroundings,and thought back on how this place reminded him very much of the dining hall back at home. He went behind Maka and pulled out her chair for her. Maka smiled with gratitude and immediately began skimming the selections of the menu.

She placed it down after a moment and folded it as she handed it back to the waiter who was coming back with their drinks in hand.

"I've decided on Chicken Alfredo and garden salad." Maka tilted her head in Soul's direction. "What about you Soul?"

"Huh? Oh, umm I'll have a burger and fries."

Maka nearly fell out of her seat, a placid smile twitching onto her face. "S-soul, this is an Italian restaurant. Indulge as much as you can. After all, my dad is the one paying for us."

Soul placed a pensive hand under his chin. "...Pasta with some cheese sticks, I guess. Oh, yeah and some garlic bread too."

Maka shook her head while smiling as she turned her body so that she was now facing her boyfriend. She had her hands caged together on her lap and her legs tucked beneath her in a very lady-like demeanor. Her weapon was so easily entertained seeing as how he was playing with his straws' paper and making it slink along the table with every drop of sprite he placed it on it. It resembled that of a white wrinkled caterpillar. Maka sighed as she watched him play.

"I'm a little worried about Stein's exam from today," she said, bemoaning the test results. "I stayed up all night making your cake so I couldn't find any time to study."

"Oh, be quiet. You know you did fine whether you studied or not. You've always been a whiz in Stein's class," Soul said, munching silently on pita bread.

Maka chewed the inside of her mouth. "But-

"No buts. Once we get home, we're playing Connect Four, munching out and watching anime."

Maka's eyes widened. "Soul, you did remember to tape my drama before we left, right?"

"Well, it may have slipped my mind-

"Soul!"

"I'm kidding! Sheesh!"

Maka let out a sigh of relief. "Tonight the new season is starting off. I can't miss it."

"Thanks again for today, though I feel like a jerk for making you do all this," Soul muttered, his face forming into a scowl momentarily.

Soul reached out across the table and clasped his hand with Maka's. He had the serenest, most sincere smile on his face as he stared into Maka's olive orbs. The light of the candle reflected off of Soul's garnet eyes, and made him appear mythical to Maka; something demonic and insane as well but at the same time mysterious and soul-stealing. Was there any wonder why she had fallen for him? Maka smiled back at him in reassurance and squeezed his hand.

"It's no problem at all."

"Then tell me, what would you like for your birthday?" Soul pressed.

The meister's eyes widened. "But...my birthday's not for another four months."

Soul shrugged. "Still, I wanna get you something. Lemme guess, a book, right?"

"Umm...it doesn't matter."

Maka glanced down at her lap. Most people assumed that since she was a book worm, that's what she wanted all the time. So on her birthdays, usually, she would receive romance novels and such but what she really desired was something a bit more girly. Like maybe a necklace or something of the sort. Her heart had never allowed her to voice its inner working to anyone.

"I think it does." Soul frowned as he reached into his black jacket's pocket. He rifled through its contents until he pulled out a white box covered in silk. He held it out for Maka to take, his crimson eyes glowing with anticipation. "Well, don't just stare at it, goof. Open it."

Maka smothered her mouth with the palm of her hand. "...Soul, it's your birthday. You shouldn't be getting me anything."

"But I want to," Soul said meaningfully. He grabbed Maka's hand in his once again and placed the box in it. "I know it's only been like three weeks since we started going out but I really wanted to do something for you."

"Soul..." Maka's eyes softened.

"Just open it already!" Soul roared.

"Eep! Okay, okay!" Maka squeaked. She flipped the lid of the pearly white box only to reveal a ring of pure sterling silver with wings shaped into it. "...It's so pretty. Can I try it on?"

The weapon shrugged, a bit of pink creeping onto his ghostly pale cheeks. "Y-yeah...go for it."

Maka squealed happily as she slipped the ring on her finger and allowed the light to catch it. How had he known? How had he known the deep desires of her heart to have something so simple and yet so womanly. The answer being simply that it was Soul; it was because he was Soul that he knew her so well, inside and out. She held the ring close to her face and gave it a chaste kiss.

"Sorry, it's not as great as your mom's ring."

"My mom's ring?"

"Yeah." Soul rolled his eyes as he pointed at the amethyst ring on Maka's left hand. "I really could've gotten you something nicer but since I haven't gone home in two years my mom is starting to cut me off on my spending. She says she won't let me keep taking money if I don't come and visit at least once in a while."

Maka felt the lump of guilt form in her throat at this. She had had no choice but to lie to him or else risk a dangerous confrontation with him. For weeks on end, she had tried in vain to get this stupid ring off of her but to no avail. A part of really wanted to tell him but she just couldn't find the heart to. She stared down at the winged ring that glistened right next to her amethyst ring as if mocking her. Her pink seashell lips formed into a thin line of irritation. If it wasn't for Jin butting in, things would be perfect between her and Soul. As she was caught in her trail of thoughts, the waiter suddenly appeared beside their table holding their plates out. He set them down in front of them, silently telling them to beckon him over should they need him.

"'Bout time. Do they want me to go on a diet or what?" Soul snorted.

Maka laughed. "You're thin enough as it is, Soul. I don't think anyone wants to put you on a diet."

"And what about you, miss built-like-a-stick?" The weapon pointed his fork at Maka's garden salad. "What're you doing eating salad? What happened to overindulging? The girl I go out with has to have at least some meat on her. We're ordering flambe and lots of pastries for dessert, you understand?"

The meister glanced down at her body out of paranoia. Surely, she wasn't that thin. She couldn't afford to get some kind of eating disorder, especially like last time when she had skipped eating for a day and scared the living daylights out of Soul and all her friends. Well, indulge she would. Maka reached over and stole a cheese stick from Soul. He watched as she ripped it up and popped a piece into her mouth, chewing inaudibly as she smiled back at him satisfaction.

Soul smirked. "That's more like it."

The day had been perfect- err minus the part where Black Star and Kidd had walked in on them during the movies. Other than that, just being near Soul was over all great. They were speeding across town on Soul's motorcycle with Maka refusing to let on about what was the third and final surprise for the night. Soon they had arrived at the planetarium and Soul cast a curious glance at his girlfriend. She blushed in turn as she dismounted the motorcycle and shifted from foot to foot nervously.

"Uh umm...I didn't know if you would be into this kind of stuff but-

Soul began dragging her toward the entrance, his hand gripping her elbow and nearly making her trip with his long strides.

"Soul?"

"Let's do this."

After a moment, Maka nodded and hurried to match his way of walking. She smiled internally, even though this was more something she would like, she had really been hoping that Soul would get into it too. She wanted him to know more about the world that she lived in. They bought their tickets and went into an auditorium-like room with hundreds of red-velvet cushioned seats scattered about. Above them was a dome-shaped ceiling where the star projections would be shown. It looked like there weren't many people here tonight so they had the place practically to themselves. It wasn't long before the show began and Soul and Maka were cozying up to one another.

As they watched the many projections of stars, constellations and planets, Maka laid her head on Soul's shoulder and pecked his cheek. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her body as close to his as possible. It was surprisingly cold inside the building. Maka would point at some constellations she recognized from time to time and corrected Soul whenever he thought one constellation looked like something entirely different. He had thought the Big Dipper looked like a hobo's hand begging for money while Orion's belt looked more like a stick of gum. And here ladies and gentleman, we have Soul's breath-taking imagination and knowledge of the solar system.

"Are you bored?" Maka murmured into Soul's neck.

"Nope. I'm with you. How can I be bored?"

Maka smiled against his chest at this; feeling unbelievably touched by his words. She sat up straight when she recognized another constellation and began telling Soul stories about each of them. He paid close attention to her and even seemed interested in the outcome of each tale. They both laid back against the seats, whispering their thoughts and feelings back at one another.

Soul crossed his arms behind his head. "This kind of reminds me of when I was a kid."

"Really?"

"Yup. I was somewhat of a prince who was always trying to escape from duties that no six year old should have. I was home-schooled so I never had any friends and I had to follow a schedule that I had to abide by. The only lessons I enjoyed were piano." Soul smiled at the memory. "Though, I was compared a lot to my brother Wes, I always found comfort by escaping to the roof of my house and just laying back and counting as many stars as I could until I would fall asleep. I would get into such deep shit in the morning when one of the maids would find me asleep back there."

Maka's eyes softened. "It's not all it's cracked up to be, huh? Being wealthy, I mean."

"Well...no." Soul brushed Maka's cheek with the back of his hand absently. "I mean there were times when I thought that there was no one else who felt as shitty as I did but one day my family and I were traveling through this town. It was full of famine and poverty but there was this one family that's always gonna be engraved into my heart." He grabbed Maka's hand, squeezing it tenderly before placing it over his racing heart. "It was then that I came to the conclusion that the poor were actually a lot more happier than the rich. There were times when I would've given anything to have a family like that."

"You said they traveled overseas most of the time, right?" Maka sighed. "Reminds me a lot of my mom. I rarely get to see her ever since the divorce with my dad."

"But she still sends you those postcards, right? She's trying to let you know where she is and that she's safe."

Maka smiled. "Yeah...though I do wish she could just come home to me. And what about your brother Wes, when can I meet him?"

"One of these days...."

"Did Wes share your love of piano?" Maka whispered, her eyes watching every expression that flickered across his face.

"Wes was more of a violin expert but if you asked him to play any instrument, he could do it all," Soul said. "He was just gifted that way. Sometimes it felt like I was the inferior brother."

Maka sat upright in her seat and squeezed Soul's hand. "But Soul, you play wonderfully on the piano. The first time you played that dark melody, I felt so- so, I can't find the words to describe how I felt."

Soul cupped Maka's cheek. "But playing the piano isn't what won you over."

Maka blushed. "I still love you, though."

Her eyes grew at the word. Had she really just said that out loud? Maka gulped when Soul had gone quiet and was now staring at her. She was such a dope. How could she possibly say she loved him when they had only been going out for only three weeks? He probably wasn't on the same level as her to return the sentiment. Soul leaned over to cradle the back of her head, and kissed her firmly with a Soul-like determination- the kind of kiss that made Maka's brain want to short-circuit.

"Love, huh? Yeah...I think that pretty much sums up how I feel about you." Soul caressed her hair as he held her gently against him. "Guide me, okay? I'm still knew at all this."

Maka felt her heart flip at his words, and the heat spread from her cheeks to down her neck. She buried her face into the base of his neck and kissed his pulse tenderly.

"Don't I always?"

"Mmm...Soul," Maka groaned at feeling his warmth leave her.

Soul had dismounted his bike and was now grinning sleepily down at his girlfriend. He scooped her up into his arms and threw her over his shoulder. Maka's eyes widened, completely alert and distressed at being handled like a sack of potatoes. She squirmed in his hold as he carried her over the many flights of stairs to reach their apartment.

"Gah! Soul, put me down!"

"Quit moving around so much. You know I can see your underwear, right?"

Maka blushed and her thrashing became much more frantic. "Stop staring, you perv!"

Soul chuckled. "White, Maka? You're so boring."

"Grr! Soul, I'm warning you!"

"Oh, look...here we are." Soul smirked as he unlocked the door with his free hand and kicked the door open with his foot. "Pipe down, already. You'll wake the neighbors."

He then stood frozen at who he saw sitting on their couch. Maka tried to follow his gaze but couldn't see too well over his shoulder. Soul carefully set her down on her feet and started walking forward. They both stepped closer to find a grim-looking Spirit sitting on the couch with his chin perched on his fists. Maka worried her lower lip as she came to stand in front of her father. There was a mountain load of snacks piled up on the coffee table.

"What's going on, dad?"

Silence.

Maka sighed. "What did you come here for, dad? It's so unlike you to miss your daily visit to the carabet." She closed her eyes irritably and turned her head away from him. "Blair is probably there too."

"Well, I actually just came back from there- erm no, I mean I just came back from Stein's lab," Spirit said quickly, laughing nervously as he played with his tie. "A-hem...umm can't a father come every so often to visit his cute little girl?"

"A father can..." Maka narrowed her eyes. "But not you. Remember....nothing has changed," she whispered.

Spirit nodded somberly. "I know, I'm quite aware of that. I'm just glad I got my chance to prove I'm not a completely useless dad."

"Something's wrong. If there wasn't then you wouldn't be doing all this," Maka said, gesturing at the snacks.

Death Scythe chuckled under his breath, his red bangs cascading over his eyes. "You always were smart for your age, Maka." His pale blue eyes turned dull as he averted his gaze to the ceiling. "Your mother....your mother has been taken away."

At hearing these words, the technician felt her heart stop and Soul had dropped the bag of Cheetos he had been munching out on. They both stared wide-eyed at the man who held a life-less expression. Maka seemed to be having trouble breathing at the moment as she planted her hand over her mouth. It couldn't be true. Why would anyone take her mother?

"Where is my mom?!" she cried.

By now, Soul had knocked himself out of his stupor and had lept to his feet. He placed his hands on Maka's shoulders, trying to get her to calm down. Spirit gazed at them half-heartedly across the table, though slowly, he began to stand up. He shoved a fist into his pocket as he leaned on one hip and regarding them silently.

Spirit sighed. "I wish I knew. The only thing left in her room was this note. I came here to inquire if you knew what it meant."

He placed the letter on top of the table for Maka to take. She snatched it away, rapidly unfolding it and scanning its contents. Her eyes went wide at what was written. They rolled to the back of her head and she felt the ground tilt beneath her.

"Maka!"

Soul's arms reached out and caught her, pulling her tightly against him. His garnet eyes switched to the letter on the table, and quickly smoothed it out with one hand and brought it closer to read. He set his jaw tight at the haunting words written in disturbing shade of red that resembled blood.

The groom placed the wedding band on the bride's hand. Now they would be forever united.

There had been tears...of course. Maka trembled as she curled up against her bed, still having worn the same clothes from the day before. There was only a sting in her heart that was slowly numbing her body. Not a wink of sleep. She had been put under house arrest by her father and Shinigami-sama who feared for her life. Now, her father and Soul were currently guarding the apartment. Spirit and Soul had tried to talk to her but she was beyond any help. She pressed her face into her pillow as she crushed the note in her hand. It could've only been one person and one person only; the most obvious, Jin. How she despised him for igniting such feelings of hatred that even she hadn't been aware of.

During the last two days, she hadn't left her room, not that she could anyway. She needed to think...she needed to be alone. Maka slipped under the covers and felt her breath come out in white clouds. It was so cold. She had turned off her fan yet it was bone-chillingly freezing in here. Peeking out from beneath her bedsheets, her eyes widened when she saw her glass balcony doors were wide open. Soul? Had he come in to see her?

Maka jolted upright and snapped her neck this way and that. There was no one...at least no one in place sight. She quickly brushed her tears away, momentarily.

"Boo!"

She shrieked when something suddenly pounced on her. She pressed her hands to push him away but a hand curled around her wrist, forcing her to meet eyes with the intruder; it was Soul after all. He grinned at her as he sat at the edge of her bed. His hand gently moved from her wrist to hold her cheek.

"I haven't seen you all day...and we live in the same apartment. That's just sad, isn't it?" he murmured.

Maka blinked and bit her lip. "Sh-shouldn't you be keeping watch with my dad in the living room? Soul, I need to be alone right now. I'm really worried about my mom."

Soul brought up a finger up to her lips, a kind smile gracing his features. "She's fine."

"How do you know?" Maka accused.

"I just do." Soul reached over and pecked her forehead. "Because...I'm the guy that knows everything, remember?"

At this, Maka couldn't help but smile a little bit. She shook her head somewhat; so much ego in one guy. She placed her hand on his cheek and gave him a look of apology. Soul one-arm shrugged and quickly brought her into his arms, his hands sliding up her back and holding her in place. Maka buried her face against his chest, feeling her heart beating in time with his. Just being near Soul made her feel at ease. She strongly wanted to believe her mother was alright and hearing Soul say those things made her want to believe him all the more.

Soul pulled away enough so that he was now staring into her eyes. He had a suggestive look on his face that made Maka pull away from him. She gave him an annoyed look and tried scooting away from his grabby hands.

"This really isn't the time for that and you know it. I thought you understood me clearly when I said I wasn't ready. This is going against everything you-

Soul held Maka's face in both of his hands. "Maka...you talk too much. It'll make you forget everything, I promise."

"No," Maka said firmly, planting her hands on his chest. "This really isn't like you, Soul. I think you should either go back to your room or help my father keep watch."

A pair of strong hands pinned her down and ripped the covers off her. Olive green eyes stared up in wonder at the snowy-haired guy now crawling over her. He buried his face into her neck and inhaled her scent. His hand moved along her arm and to her spaghetti strap and yanked it down. Maka struggled against him but once his mouth was over hers', it made her mind go blank. She wrapped her arms around him and let him wrap one of her legs around his waist. Soul growled approvingly into her mouth before dipping down and kissed her neck feverishly.

Maka arched her back and moaned, feeling her face flush from shame and something else. Maybe she did want this...or at least a distraction; a way out from all this chaos and insanity. She reached up and tugged off his shirt, kissing back just as fiercely. His sharp teeth cut her lip and even that seemed pleasurable. Just as Soul was sliding her shirt up her belly, there was something heard at the window. Both flushed teens snapped their necks at the sound.

A dark silhouette was seen crouched down on the balcony railing with the a sliver of the moon appearing through the rolling clouds in the distance. It gave the premonition of rain that was bound to come pouring down soon enough. The figure lept down and stepped forward into the dim light. Maka clamped a hand over her mouth as her eyes grew wide at what she had just witnessed. Soul. And he looked non-too happy about the Soul that was straddling her waist and had his hand half-way up her blouse. Maka blushed as she hastily pulled away from him, and readjusted her clothes.

She watched as both Souls watched each other from their respective places. The Soul standing in front of her curtained balcony looked at her out of the corner of his eye in disdain. Maka cringed at the natural red glow-in-the-dark light of his eyes, and stepped backward until her back had hit the door.

"S-Soul? Which one of you is it?"

The Soul from the bed jumped off and immediately made a beeline toward her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her to look him in the eye.

"Don't be stupid. Obviously it's me."

Maka pushed against his chest hard away from her. "Both of you. Transform your arm into a scythe and then I'll know who's the real Soul."

She observed as both Souls glared at one another. The Soul standing near the balcony closed his eyes, and heaved a sigh as he transformed apart of his arm into a scythe. Maka's eyes bulged out when the Soul standing closest to her did likewise. They both turned to her expectantly, and she felt the floor tilt beneath her. She slowly sank to her knees from the shock, trying really hard to clear the lump in her throat in order to speak properly again.

"T-tell me something only the real Soul would know."

They both seemed to be pondering when suddenly the one on the balcony fixed his gaze on her. "Obviously it's me, stupid. The only thing I regret from walking in on this whole scene is watching how this guy got further than I ever did. Not that I'd be interested in your double As anyway," Soul said spitefully.

An angry mark suddenly appeared on the side of Maka's face, and suddenly a large book materialized in her hand. With one swipe, she smacked Soul- the real Soul's head with all the strength she could muster. Soul grimaced as he touched the bump that was starting to form and glowered at Maka who merely showed him her tongue. She suddenly stiffened up when she remembered the Soul behind her. If this Soul standing in front of her was the real one then the one behind her had to be Jin....he had her mother.

"Argh! Don't talk about Maka that way!"

Maka gasped as Jin started charging at them, but was pushed out of the way by Soul. Her eyes dilated in horror when Jin and Soul went tumbling off of her balcony. She dashed toward the railing and inclined her head to see where they had fallen. She screamed when she felt a hand wrap around her ankle.

Glancing down, she saw Soul trying to get her attention while Jin was turning back to his original form. Soul glared down at Jin holding onto his ankle, and attempted to swing his body back and forth in order to get him to let go.

"Ugh! Let go, Akabara!" Soul shouted.

"Soul!"

Maka dove forward in an attempt to pull Soul upward, feeling a bead of sweat form at the back of her neck. Her eyes locked with Soul's, giving him a silent apology for everything as she gave one swift tug and Soul suddenly tumbled onto her. He braced himself on his hands and knees so he wouldn't crush her under all his weight.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Soul gave her a sour look. "I'll get back at you for that later."

They both turned at the sound of metal clashing and saw Jin crouched down on the railing. He had a pensive gloved hand on his chin as he stared at them. Soul climbed off of Maka and helped her up, instantly standing in a protective stance before her. He glared at Jin and his arm transformed into a part of his scythe. Jin jumped down simply pushing aside his scythe with the tip of his gloved finger, not caring when it pierced through and drew a drop of blood. He had a confident smirk about him- a look that Soul didn't like one bit.

Jin half-smiled. "Did she ever tell you where she got that amethyst ring?"

"What?" Soul growled. He glared over his shoulder at Maka who flinched upon eye contact. "You said your mom gave you that ring."

"And also," Jin said smugly. "Take a good look at which finger it's on."

Soul refused to give Jin his back for an open attack but simply allowed his eyes to lower to Maka's hand. His eyes widened...it was on her ring finger.

"What the hell is this? Is there something you wanna tell me, Maka?" Soul asked, turning his gaze back to Jin.

"Ah...umm Soul, listen..." Maka paused, biting her lip. "I-I just couldn't tell you. We were already getting really close so I didn't want to ruin it between us when we are only just beginning. I can't take it off. I swear I did not accept this ring willingly. "

Soul nodded ever so slightly. "Alright...I believe you. That's why I'm going to kill this guy!"

Every last shred of composure he had was thrown out the window as he lunged toward Jin who began pulling his naginata out of his hand and crossed blades with Soul. Maka cried out in frustration as she ran back into her room to get out her cape and slipped on a pair of Vans in her hurry. She gasped when she saw her father tied up on the couch and unconscious. The Maka doll he was holding in his mouth made her roll her eyes and ran out of the apartment. She glanced up only to see that they had taken their fight onto the rooftops. She took off running after them, and lept off the many stairs it took to get to the ground level. The sound of metal clashing against one another rang through her ears as well the sound of chaos being brought upon Death City the further Soul and Jin brought their fight into.

Soul would not be able to fight alone without her; a weapon was practically defenseless without a meister. If she didn't hurry, Jin just might very well kill him. Maka felt herself run out of breath as she ran through the streets like a wild child. The streetlamps flickered on and off eerily and there was hardly a car in sight. Only the creepy-smiling moon was gazing down at her; barely a sliver of it was showing through the ghostly clouds hovering over the city. Maka's form was shown to have blue sheen now, and she seemed just a blur to random passerby. Her cheeks were flushed from exertion, and she felt herself bite her lower lip in worry at the thought of not making it in time.

She glanced up to see Soul tumbling backward off of a building, but not before grabbing Jin into a headlock. A large cloud of dirt sprang up from where they landed and thousands of pieces of glass and debris scattered everywhere. Maka picked up speed, feeling her heart jump into her throat and her stomach drop. With a swish of her cape, she all but sprinted over to the warehouse they had fallen through. Maka pressed the button to open up the garage and she walked inside, out of breath and fear rolling off of her shoulders.

The night air had suddenly turned very warm. The sky just couldn't seem to make up it's mind of whether or not it should rain. Maka ducked her head when a brick came flying at her. A whole bunch of crates fell forward and she managed to roll out of the way in time. She could just make out the flailing figures of Soul and Jin having it out in the center of the warehouse where a dim light shone above where they had crashed through. Maka cursed under her breath and began running toward them. Soul turned his neck sharply in her direction upon seeing a flash of black charging at them.

"Get out of the way!"

Maka glared at him. "Don't be stupid! You can't find without your meister!"

"He's right, Maka," Jin drawled as his fingers absently ran up and down the blade of his naginata. "You'll be much safer where you are. I'll come and claim you once I'm finished picking up the trash."

"You're both complete idiots! This isn't even a fair fight!"

Soul took advantage of Jin's distraction and rammed his scythed arm through Jin's arm, and pulled out sharply with an audible rip of flesh and bone. Jin glanced down at his injury and turned his head ever so slowly to glance at Soul. A tiny smirk played at his pale lips as he tenderly touched the hole in his arm.

"...You know, I was gonna offer you to call upon another meister to wield you but that just went out the window right along with my arm." Jin sighed. "No matter. One arm alone is all it'll take to finish you off, Soul Eater."

Jin outstretched his mobile arm and positioned his naginata in a fighting position. His eyes held pure blood lust, the look of a man who had had blood stained on his hands an endless amount of times and could never seem to wash it all off. He made a gesture for Soul to come at him, and after one final glance at Maka, he murmured, "I won't show any mercy. Face it. The ring has us bound. The only way she'll be able to part with it is if she dies," Jin said eerily, a smirk set firmly in place.

Soul let out a low growl from the back of his throat, his chest heaving from the numerous cuts and bruises that were forming along his cheeks, arms, legs. He stood his ground and formed a stance with his scythe arm. Jin 'hmph'ed as he lept forward, naginata at the ready. Soul deflected his move and sent him flying backward. Jin bounced off the wall with his feet, flipping forward and propelled his naginata above his head in frighteningly rapid movements. Within the blink of an eye, he had passed Soul and slashed his side. Soul grimaced as his hand flew to the flesh wound that was quickly dripping ruby.

"She has a mind to decide something like that." Soul let out guttural scream as he pierced his own scythe into his skin, and splattered Jin in his own blood. It left him temporarily blind and left him wide open for Soul to attack. "She's flat with zero sex-appeal, she's a bookworm, she hates feeling weak. What the hell do you wanna do with a girl like that?!"

Soul took a swipe below his chin before giving a swift kick to the back of his neck. Jin had fallen to his knees and vomited a puddle of his own blood. His blue bangs shadowed his eyes as he steadied himself against his naginata. He slowly rose back to his feet, his body starting to convulse when a large pair of bat wings sprouted from his back and his eyes turned a glowing blood red. His unruly blue hair began growing until it nearly reached his waist. Soul felt his heart thump wildly against his ribcage, and had to fight with himself to stand his ground. He had his scythe arm spread out in front of him just waiting for the beast to make its move.

"You are not in any position to complain about women," Jin hissed. The blade of the naginata grew larger and the metal curved and twisted around and the now turned black blade as well as the hand wielding it. "Soul, I don't think you understand just how much Maka is out of your league and how much danger you're putting her in by allowing her to be so close to you. You can feel it, right? Even though you've managed to control the black blood, you hunger to eat Maka's soul, don't you?"

"Shut up!"

Both weapons crossed blades and Soul pushed him off only to have Jin take a swipe at him. A swipe was all it took for Soul to tumble back over a dozen crates. They crashed down upon him, leaving a smirking Jin and a distressed Maka gawking at the scene. They watched the crates being pushed aside after a moment, as well as a shaking Soul rising up to his feet and wiping the blood off his calloused lip.

Jin narrowed his eyes. "Just give it up, why don't you? I'm done playing around with you. If you take the next hit of my naginata, your spirit will be broken."

Soul coughed blood onto his hand, and gave a look of disdain upon seeing the black blood starting to resurface. He closed his eyes tightly and crunched his hands into fists. No, this time he wouldn't ask for help from the demon. Even if his life was truly in danger of ending....he would not die. This was a battle he had to win and the thought of losing alone made his soul want to crumble up already. Soul locked gazes with Maka over Jin's shoulder and gave her a weak half-smile.

"I'm not gonna let you get the best of me. Show me what you've got."

Jin glanced down at his immobile left arm and allowed his wing to stretch out in front of him. Within the blink of an eye, the arm was healed right up without so much as a scratch on it. Jin nodded at their bewildered reactions and held the naginata in both hands as he began propelling them over his head in sweeping, circular motions.

"One Attack. One Minute. One Life," Jin murmured. "That's all it takes."

Even Soul figured it would be useless, he summoned up another two more scythe parts- one on his other arm and one at the back of his neck. He felt his resonance calling out- no, begging to be joined with Maka's but he had to shrug it off and face Jin. If only he could sync up with her and go Demon Hunter on Jin's ass but if he were to resort to that, he wouldn't be fighting with his own power and would therefore only prove Jin's words of him being unworthy of Maka.

"Howling Jackal- Cry of Insanity!"Jin yelled at the top of his lungs.

He and Soul ran at each other at the same time and prepared for was to be largest burst of power that shook the very core of Death City. Jin's attack released a purple jackal-like soul with demon wings that ran right through him and tore his soul out with its bare teeth. Soul's eyes dilated and went dull as he sank to his knees from the sheer shock. He fell over on his side, his lungs struggling to breathe without a soul inhabiting his body. Soul forced himself into a sitting position, and tried his best to focus his blurring vision on the steadily approaching Jin.

Jin stared down at Soul as if he had just been an insignificant bug he had just squashed. "What did I tell you? You should've quit while you were ahead. Now as we agreed, I get to claim my prize."

He snapped his fingers and Maka appeared beside him dressed in a black wedding dress that greatly resembled the dress she wore in Soul's mind. Maka gasped as she saw the outfit she was wearing, and felt herself begin to tear up at the sight of Soul's torn up body. She sank to her knees and took his face in her hands.

"Fight it...fight it." Maka whispered, her eyes brimming with tears threatening to be released. She reached out and pressed her lips softly against Soul's. "Your soul lives within me not him."

"Then are we to make some kind of agreement here?" Jin asked as he stepped next to Maka.

"Save him..." she murmured, her eyes shadowed by her bangs. "Don't you dare let him die!"

Maka glared at him with all the power she could muster but all she received from Jin was a smile. He placed a hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair.

"Only if you swear not to escape this marriage. Though shalt be faithful to thy husband. And even if I do restore his quickly fading soul, with the injuries he has, there's no sure chance that he will live," Jin said.

"Soul will live. You make sure of that or I won't give myself to you."

Jin chucked her chin up and gave her a smile full of desire. "You're so full of spirit. Do you promise to give yourself to me if I give him back his soul?"

"Yes, just do it!"

"All of you?" he whispered huskily.

Maka hesitated but as she watched Soul's near lifeless body lay there, she cupped her mouth with her hands and nodded vigorously. Jin snapped his fingers and his jackal sprung back up on its heels and ran right through Soul. With a swing of it's purple tail, it was back sitting obediently beside its master. Soul's chest heaved up and down which Maka took as a good sign. Just as she reached out to touch his face to reassure herself, Jin caught her around the waist and pulled her fully against him.

"You're coming with me now."

With a snap of his fingers, they had disappeared within a cyclone of darkness, leaving Soul lying vulnerable on the cold ground with a demon whispering sweet promises of revenge in his ear. It was then that the sky had made its final decision; it would rain. Like the gentle hum of a lullaby, it began drizzle over Soul's near lifeless body through the opening overhead.

A/N: Whoah. Been a while since I wrote that much. ^_^ The story is almost done you guys. I'm thinking either the next chapter or the chapter after that will be the final conclusion. Join me next time so that we can see Soul's comeback and how Maka manages to fend off Jin for the time being. Don't forget to R/R for me if you want a chapter uploaded as soon as possible!