Hey everyone! This is my first time writing anything that delves into this field so bear with me. This is a steamy little MakaXSoul one-shot. I really don't think I'll be adding on to this story, but I'd still love to hear back from you guys in case I think about doing some more one-shots with the two of them later. Warning for sexual content. Read and review!

As always, check the bottom of my profile to see what I'm up to and when I predict I'll be done with things!

"Soul!"

Silence.

"Soul!"

Silence.

"SOUL!"

The white-haired weapon sighed heavily, pushing the air sharply past his pointed teeth. Maka was calling and he knew how she got when he ignored her. Soul stared up at the sky out the window and bared his teeth in a scowl. The dark red of the sky was ominous and foreboding but he shook the feeling out of himself as he shoved away from the windowsill and towards the kitchen. As he drew nearer, he could he the soft murmur of multiple voices.

"Hah! Madness?! Who cares about madness?! I'll take the Kishin down no problem! He doesn't stand a chance! Hahahaha!" The loudness that was Black Star cut through the other soft noise and Soul grimaced as he entered the room, hands in his pockets.

The voice of reason (and sass) this time around was Death the Kid. "Really? As I recall, it was because you fell for the hallucination the Kishin was released in the first place. In case you didn't know, those hallucinations were caused by madness," he said in that low tone that suggested he had had just about enough of Black Star's crap for the night.

Just as Black Star was about to snap back at Kid, Maka caught sight of Soul and gave him a glare, talking over whatever idiotic response Black Star was about to give. "There you are. I've been calling your name for like twenty minutes," she said, obviously slightly irritated.

Soul shrugged one shoulder coolly as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "Eh, I couldn't hear you. Maybe you should speak up, Maka," he said in his raspy tone. He knew that wasn't exactly true but coming out and saying he'd been ignoring her in favor of dwelling on his dark thoughts would be totally uncool.

Maka seemed to pop a few blood vessels as her annoyance peaked even further. "I was shouting, Soul! How could you not hear me?" she demanded, clenching her fists.

Soul looked up and away, feigning disinterest. Honestly, he felt a little bad for making her stress out like this over something so simple. He'd have to sit down and talk to her later, after everyone left.

Thankfully, Tsubaki came to his rescue by interjecting. "You guys, let's stop fighting," she said, glancing between Maka and Soul and then Black Star and Kid who had resumed their bickering over who was responsible for freeing the Kishin.

Maka immediately nodded agreeably as she watched Soul shrug in nonchalance. Maka turned back to the counter where she was just putting the finishing touches on the meal she'd cooked. She started setting things on the table, welcoming her friends to help themselves.

"Wahoo!" shouted Black Star as he dug in without any hesitation. Kid looked at him in disgust, completely mortified as Tsubaki offered an apologetic smile.

Finally, Maka sat down to join her friends, settling herself between Liz and Patty. Throughout the meal, they chatted and bickered (because heaven forbid they ever go a moment without bickering) but Maka noticed that Soul stayed uncharacteristically silent. And when Blair came home, wearing next to nothing, his nose didn't even bleed.

Frowning, Maka took note of the food on Soul's plate. It had hardly been touched. Instead of eating, he seemed to be poking his food around with his chopsticks, but staring intently at it as if it would disappear if he took his eyes off it.

Tsubaki and Black Star left first. Black Star had eaten so much that he had fallen asleep and Tsubaki practically carried his seemingly lifeless form out the door.

Death the Kid, however, was not so quick to exit. Finally, as the night died down, he was suddenly struck by how disorderly and untidy Soul and Maka's apartment was. He immediately began having a meltdown until Patty suggested that he just straighten up if it was really bothering him. Maka didn't have the strength to protest and honestly…it was free cleaning; why should she complain?

Maka resigned herself to the dishes in the kitchen and left Soul to supervise Kid's ridiculousness. As she began scrubbing at one pan, she caught sight of Liz in the corner of her eye. She had grabbed a towel and was beginning to dry a plate. "So Maka," she began, "what's bothering you?"

Maka sighed and scrubbed harder. "It's not me. It's Soul. Something's up with him but he never talks about his feelings or anything. He's too cool for that," Maka responded, sounding slightly bitter.

Liz laughed lightly, though Maka didn't understand what was so funny. "Boys are like that Maka. They think it makes them less of a man to talk about how they feel. Believe me, I know how you feel. Trying to get Kid to talk about anything emotional other than his love for symmetry is next to impossible," she said.

Maka had to take a moment to admire the way Liz seemed at ease when she spoke about Kid's lack of openness. "But don't you get frustrated? Always wondering how he's feeling and never knowing?" she huffed, handing the pan to Liz.

Liz laughed a little harder this time. "Oh yeah. There are days when I think I'll actually kill him," she replied easily. "But then I remember that I love him, despite all of his flaws," she said. Her tone had grown more serious but it remained just as simple, almost matter-of-fact.

The sheer simplicity of Liz's statement made Maka stop scrubbing and look up at her, the noise of the running water constant in the background.

Liz didn't look up from her drying but did allow a smile to grace her lips.

Soul's voice from the doorway made Maka turn. "Hey Maka, you almost done? Kid's starting to piss me off and Patty's laughter really isn't helping," he said as he leaned against the doorframe, hands jammed into his front pockets.

Maka's annoyance with him had all but disappeared as she turned to look at him. She scrutinized him closely. He looked tired. There were bags under his eyes, which looked less mischievous and bright than they usually did. Even his mouth was too tired to remain turned into its usual scowl; instead, a blank expression overtook his face.

She was struck with a pang of guilt for not noticing sooner. The look Soul had didn't appear in one day. He must have been bothered for several days before he'd look so down in the dumps.

It was Liz's voice that broke the silence. "Don't worry. I'll grab Dumb and Dumber and we'll get out of your hair," she said pleasantly, setting down the dish in her hands. She looked between Soul and Maka briefly before speaking again. "Thanks for having us over, you guys." She leaned over to bring Maka in for a hug and whispered in her ear. "Just talk to him. Let him know you're here for him if he wants to talk about it."

As Liz pulled away, Maka smiled at her. "Thanks Liz," she said genuinely.

Liz waved a hand flippantly. "Oh, don't mention it," she said as she snuck past Soul into the other room.

Soul looked suspiciously between the two girls and let his eyes follow Liz as she dragged Kid away from the picture frame he was straightening on the wall. No longer having anything to laugh about, Patty got to her feet and followed after Liz who was tugging Kid by the shoulders out the door. "But wait!" he was shouting. "That picture frame isn't perfectly lined up with the floor!"

Patty giggled as Liz rolled her eyes. "Oh jeez. Who cares Kid?! We're leaving! Say thank you to Maka and Soul!" she reprimanded.

"Thank them?! For what? Their asymmetrical apartment?"

Liz felt the urge to slap him but she refrained from doing so. "For Pete's sake. Bye guys! Thanks again!" she called.

"Bye!" Patty sing-song echoed her sister.

"See ya," Soul grunted lowly as Maka waved from just beyond him. Finally, the door shut and silence fell over the apartment.

Maka turned back to the unfinished dishes with a blank face and diligent hands. She avoided looking over at Soul and a few tense moments passed without any exchange between the two before Maka felt Soul's arm brush hers as he moved to take Liz's vacated place drying the dishes.

That's how they went on. No sound was heard but the sound of running water and the occasional clank of dishes.

Finally, Maka rinsed the final dish but when she turned to hand it to Soul, he had vanished. Grumbling under her breath, she dried the dish herself and placed it in the cabinet. Grabbing a clean towel, she dried her hands as she stepped into the next room to find Soul.

He had thrown himself onto the couch haphazardly and now lay with his hands folded behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. Maka set down the towel in her hands and moved to take the ties from her hair that held up her pigtails. She moved forward and reached under Soul's calves, lifting them so she could sit on the couch and place them back down in her lap.

This interrupted Soul's scrutinization of the ceiling and with a curious look, he tilted his head down to look at her. Maka met his gaze steadily and simply asked, "Soul, what's wrong?"

As she expected, the silence fell once more. He didn't look away, though, which was a pleasant surprise. Long moments passed without anything but their intense stare. Finally: "It's nothing Maka."

Maka wanted to strangle him. She wanted to get up and beat him until he cried uncle and then she wanted to storm off to her room, slam the door and go to sleep.

That's what she always did. Now she knew that's not what Soul needed. He needed Maka to be the gentle one, the soothing one. He needed her to be a woman.

Soul fully expected her to get angry with his cryptic response and because of this, he let his head fall back down with a sigh and returned to staring at the ceiling.

But Maka wasn't ready to give up. She rested a soft hand on his clothed calf and gently rubbed her thumb there, making Soul's head shoot back up so he could gaze at her again. "I understand that it's probably hard for you to admit that you're upset or worried about something," she said quietly, looking away from his fierce red eyes and down at her own hands instead. "But talking about it will help. Trying to bury it won't make it go away."

She could feel his eyes on her face as she sat, awaiting his response. Finally, he gave a light chuckle. "I'm not trying to bury it Maka. I'm just trying to forget about it for awhile," he said.

This made her look up. He returned to not looking at her but once he felt her eyes back on him, the words seemed to tumble out of their own accord. "Honestly, I don't understand how everyone can be so calm and dandy. I mean, have you looked outside? The sky is dark and red because the Kishin has been released. And the Kishin was released because of us. There's nothing 'dandy' about our lives anymore. The world is going to be consumed by the Kishin's madness unless someone does something about it. And sitting around, throwing dinner parties for your friends isn't the thing that's going to stop him."

Maka took pause. In hindsight, she supposed she could've guessed that was what was bothering him. What else would there be? Soul was "too cool" to get stressed out about normal stuff.

"You're right."

"Huh?"

"I said, you're right," Maka repeated. "Sitting around, throwing dinner parties isn't going to save the world. But maybe it'll save us. We're young, Soul. And if this world is really going to fall apart, then I think we deserve a little time to enjoy ourselves before we risk our lives trying to save the world."

This made Soul sit up, but he didn't take his legs from Maka's lap. "Are you kidding me? You think it's alright to be hanging around here while the madness spreads? Tch, and you call yourself a meister," he growled.

While that stung, Maka tried hard not to let it show. "No Soul. That's not what I'm saying. When the time comes, I will fight. We will fight. But this isn't the time. Lord Death knows more about the Kishin than anyone. I trust him to make the calls when it comes to dealing with him. Don't you?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

Soul continued to glare. "Yeah, but-"

"There are no 'but's Soul! At this exact moment in time, there's nothing we can do! So that's why I say throwing a dinner party can save us. It reminded me what I was fighting for in the first place," she said, her tone softening. It was true. Who else would she fight for, if not those she cared for? She reached up tentatively and touched his cheek. "Besides, I would've thought you could use a distraction. You've been all tense and growly for days," she said, a small hint of disappointment in her tone. She hated when Soul became cross with her. He was her best friend and so much more, even if she didn't tell him often enough.

Soul searched her green eyes for something for a long moment until finally, he let himself laugh briefly. As his hand came up to cover hers on his face, he leaned into her touch. "Heh. I guess you're right. Everyone needs a little distraction now and then, right?" he said. Maka smiled at him as he shrugged. "But…I don't think the whole dinner thing really worked. I still couldn't stop thinking about it," he said, his voice growing grave once again.

Maka frowned. I need to do something to perk him up. He'll drive me nuts if he stays this way much longer. Maneuvering herself out from under his legs, she pushed his shoulders gently until he gave way and let her push him back onto the couch.

"Maka? What are y-"

"Shh," she said quickly, covering his lips with one finger. She deftly climbed onto him, straddling his hips with her slender thighs. Placing one hand on the couch beside his head and the other on his chest, she leaned forward, her hair falling around their faces like a curtain. "I'm going to distract you," she whispered in his ear.

Soul felt the blood rush to his face. This was very out of character for Maka but hey, he wasn't complaining. Slowly, her lips fell against his neck in a series of gentle, featherlight kisses. With Soul, lovemaking was often not lovemaking at all. It was sex; it was aggressive, primal and rough.

But now Maka was in control and already things felt different. Her mouth found the hollow behind Soul's ear and it was there that she placed an open-mouthed kiss that had Soul sighing and clenching his teeth. She continued this down his strong jawline until she reached the corner of his mouth. She paused there, looking down into his eyes, which were clouded over with lust by this point. But just underneath, she could still spot the stress and worry.

She brushed her lips softly against his, teasingly. "Forget about it," she whispered. His lips parted as he breathed out and she reveled in the hot feeling of his breath splashing against her lips. Gently, she placed one timid kiss on his lips before pulling back. Then another. And another.

At this, Soul was frustrated and leaned forward, capturing her lips aggressively and slipping his tongue out to prod at her lips, begging entrance. His request was denied as Maka pulled back even further, shaking her head softly at him. His hands slid out from behind his head and reached to grab her hips, but she quickly sat up and took his wrists, pinning them above his head.

She leaned close again and breathed hotly into his ear. "Patience, Soul."

The sound of his name sent blood rushing straight to his crotch and he growled at her, baring his teeth. She simply giggled and sat back once more. Keeping his wrists together in one hand, she trailed the other dainty hand down his clothed chest, tugging at the zipper of his sweatshirt until it was fully undone.

Requiring two hands, she looked at him sternly. "Behave," she said firmly before letting go of his wrists. To her surprise, his hands remained perfectly still as she pushed his sweatshirt over his shoulders. More of his neck exposed, she leaned in to pepper kisses down it. Soul turned his head away, giving her better access to the expanse of skin. She tugged needily at his collar, moving it out of the way to tongue at his collarbone. His muscles tensed beneath her and she pulled back to blow cool air over his neck, giving him goosebumps along his arms.

One hand reaching lower, she found the hem of his tee shirt and slipped her fingers underneath, gently teasing his taut muscles with her fingernails. This caused his stomach to tense as he fought to suppress the laughter that bubbled in his throat. Her fingers traveled higher, lifting his shirt further and further until finally he sat up in the need to be rid of it. His sweatshirt fell from his arms and she pulled his shirt over his head.

Thinking he could catch her off guard, Soul threw his shirt to the floor and eagerly leaned forward to capture her lips but once again, her hands on his chest had him laying flat and squirming in frustration. She stayed upright, looking down at his bared chest, her eyes trailing over the nasty scar that resided there. A pang hit her heart.

Soul caught sight of the look in Maka's eyes as she stared down at his long scar. He hated that she still felt guilty about it. It was the outcome of his own decision, not her fault at all. He bucked his hips, causing her to fall forward and catch herself with her hands on the couch on either side of his head. He leaned to breathe into her ear. "Forget about it," he said, repeating the words she had said to him what felt like agonizing eternities before.

Maka couldn't help but smile at this and returned her focus to lavishing Soul's bared upper body. As she sucked kisses down his throat, her fingers skimmed up his ribcage and became extra delicate as they glanced over his scar. One hand ghosted over a nipple and Soul's breath caught in his throat.

Smiling against his skin, she repeated the motion before pinching it lightly between her fingers. Soul tensed and grunted, stopping the noise before it could become a groan. Maka's lips trailed downward, placing hot kisses along his pecs and against his sternum, taking a moment to look up at his face.

His eyebrows were drawn together and his eyes pinched tightly shut. His lower lip was trapped between his sharp teeth and above him, his hands clenched on air in an effort to keep them where Maka had said. He was the picture of pleasurable frustration.

Just as he released his lip from his teeth to draw a shaky breath and relax, she let her tongue flick out against one of his hardened nubs. His teeth immediately gnashed together and a low growl came from his throat.

Her hand teased the other side as her mouth continued its torture on his chest, gently nipping the flesh with her teeth. He squirmed beneath her, desperate to find friction below his waist. This continued until he was practically mewling and writhing beneath her and then she moved back up to where his neck met his shoulder and bit down harshly, causing him to yelp in surprise. Maka wasn't normally the one doing the biting.

She sucked hard and tongued the spot until she pulled back to see a bright mark on his neck. He opened his eyes slowly to look up at her. His chest was heaving under her fingertips and she smiled down at him before reaching for the bottom of her own shirt. She pulled the garment up and over her head before casually discarding it to the floor.

Soul's hands twitched behind his head as he ached to reach out and run his hands along her bared flesh which he knew was so soft and sensitive to the touch. He let his eyes rake over the pale pink material of her bra, covering the small peaks of her breasts. She had made him needy; he wanted to worship her body and fall into a bottomless pit of pleasure, but she insisted upon teasing him until he thought he might explode.

Grinning, she shimmied her way down, letting the bulge in his pants draw a line up her body. She placed kisses from the center of his chest down his defined abs and to the waistline of his pants. She nipped the soft flesh there, causing him to twitch and grunt, his hands clenching together desperately.

Her hands moved down his sides and over his thighs, intentionally not traveling too near the aching need in his pants. After moments of Soul's ragged breath growing louder and heavier, Maka decided it was about time she provide the man with some sort of relief.

Her small fingers opened the button and zipper of his jeans almost painfully slowly. She let one hesitant hand trail over the tent in his pants and finally, Soul let out a low, smooth moan that came from somewhere deep within his chest.

She tugged his jeans down far enough to see his erection strain further against his black silk boxers. She placed a kiss on the soft cloth covering him and he bucked up unintentionally. She placed her hands on his hips to halt the movement before she leaned back slightly to push his jeans down far enough to where he could kick them off himself and leave them in a crumpled pile at the end of the couch.

Maka pushed her hands up his now bare legs and gently trailed her fingers to the inside of his thighs, under the bottom of his boxers. It seemed like horrible hours before she was grasping the hem of his underwear and pulling them down to reveal his aching cock.

Soul kicked his boxers away to join his jeans and tried to steady his breath. He looked down at Maka, her beautiful face level with his member and begged her with his eyes. He'd never been reduced to such a puddle of nerves as he was now. On one hand, he needed her to touch him, to scratch the itch that was his desire and give him relief. But on the other, he thought that if she touched him now, he'd be undone in an embarrassingly short amount of time.

Her hot breath touched his cock and he groaned loudly, his strength crumbling away. His head tossed back and his hands flew to his sides, seeking purchase in the cushions. He didn't dare meet her eyes when he huskily rasped, "Maka…please."

Finally caving, Maka took a tentative swipe with her tongue, base to tip. The sound Soul made was delicious so she did it again, seeking the same response. After several more teasing licks, she wrapped her mouth around him, swirling her tongue over the top in her mouth.

This is when Soul's hands finally moved and sought out Maka's hair, threading his fingers through her silken, golden locks. She allowed the movement but replaced one hand on his lower abdomen, stilling the motion of his hips, while the other hand wrapped delicately around his base.

Soul watched as Maka's head bobbed up and down between his legs and his grip in her hair tightened when she hallowed her cheeks and sucked hard. A rumbling groan tore out of his throat when she took in as much of him as she could, over and over again.

It was only a few short minutes before Soul was bucking blindly, panting and moaning, a fine layer of sweat coating his body. "Maaaaa…" He started to say her name but it trailed away into a loud moan as he released into her mouth, his fingers clutching desperately at her hair, holding her in place almost rudely.

She took it with good grace and let him fall gently from her mouth. She crawled back up his body and met his eyes as she leaned over him. Licking her lips slowly, carefully it seemed, she leaned even closer until her chest was flush against his, which was still rising and falling heavily and raggedly. "Maka, that was-"

A finger covered his lips. "Shh."

Her response made him grin and a devilish look came over his features as he quickly took her finger and captured it between his pointed teeth. She yelped in surprise and he took the moment that she was off-guard to sit up and push her back the other direction. She immediately felt off-balanced and flung her arms around his neck to keep from falling back completely. He gently grabbed her wrists and detached her from his neck, pushing her back and settling between her thighs.

A blush had risen to Maka's cheeks now that the tables were turned. She thought she was done. "Soul, what are y-"

A rough finger covered her lips. "Shh," he said, leaning closer to her. She had gotten him all hot and bothered, made him beg for it, so it was only fair to pay her back, right?

Soul claimed her mouth without any further hesitation and pushed his tongue past her lips. A small whimper escaped her mouth, which Soul greedily swallowed as he ravished her mouth with his tongue. Her own tongue tried to battle for dominance against his, but she had no chance. When Soul got into it in the bedroom, he only gave up his dominance if he really wanted to.

Her hands slid over his shoulders and behind his neck, lacing into his hair and tugging, which made him growl into her mouth. His teeth nipped at her lower lip and he tugged at it gently, sucking it into his mouth. They separated with an lewd smack sound and he paused for a brief moment to take in the sight of her lips, swollen from his kisses. It was only a short moment before he was ghosting his lips down her neck, breathing hotly onto her skin and admiring the goosebumps that trailed over her neck.

Reaching her collarbone, he let his tongue dart out before dragging it obscenely up the length of her neck. She fidgeted beneath him and whined, "Soul…" He smirked against her skin, mouth resting just below her ear. Then he sank his teeth into her skin and returned the favor she'd given him by leaving a bright mark on her flesh, much higher than she had on him.

She shoved at his shoulders. "Soul! What if my papa sees that?" she scolded.

He simply chuckled as he pulled back slightly, shrugging one shoulder lightly. "So wear a scarf," he suggested. She opened her mouth to protest some more but he covered her lips with his own to prevent her from doing so.

All of her words were lost between them as her thoughts were erased by the hazy feeling he was putting into her head. When his right hand began moving up from her hip, along the soft skin of her side, she arched into his touch.

His hand, instead of taking the path to her chest like she thought it would, traveled behind to her back, pulling her tighter against his chest. His teeth nibbled at her lip as he deftly unhooked her bra and he pulled away from her mouth to lean back and slide her bra straps down her arms and off. She immediately moved to cover herself, but he caught her hands and pinned them to the couch on either side of her head. "What are you covering up for? You're beautiful Maka," he said in an uncharacteristically soft tone. Her cheeks immediately turned scarlet and she looked away from him.

Almost as if to prove his point, he leaned forward to place gentle, loving kisses in the small valley of her breasts. He trailed open-mouthed kisses over to one side and as he took her breast into his mouth, she clutched at air, twisting her wrists in an attempt to free them from his tight grip.

Maka's back arched almost painfully in her attempt to be closer to Soul. His lips moved downward, still just as sloppy and passionate. Maka squeaked when he dipped his tongue into her naval and he chuckled against her stomach, making her squirm and giggle at the tickling sensation.

The soft flesh just above the hem of her skirt begged Soul to take a bite and so he did; his sharp teeth pricked there and Maka yelped loudly, her body flinching away automatically. Soul's rough hands slid down from her wrists, trailing over the sides of her body until they reached her thighs, rubbing gently there before pushing up the bottom of her skirt, revealing the intricate lace of her underwear.

Soul had no interest in taking off her skirt; it was already out of the way after all. Her panties, on the other hand, those definitely had to go. Trapping the elastic part between his teeth, he pulled them down to her knees before grabbing them with both hands and pulling them away completely. As Soul sat up to look down at her, he realized Maka was pressing her thighs together tightly as Soul knelt between her knees.

His hands were soft on the inside of her thighs, gently pulling them apart. "I thought I told you that you were beautiful," he said. And she was. Soul took long moments to stare down at her, admiring the flush on her cheeks, the mark on her neck, the rapid rise and fall of her chest, her disheveled skirt and the smoothness of her legs on either side of him.

She was practically shaking as he leaned in and placed a kiss on the inside of each thigh. As he settled in, he placed those slim thighs around his shoulders and without procrastinating any longer, drew his tongue along the entirety of her core.

Immediately, Maka's thighs clenched around him and she moaned, all bashfulness gone as she fell into the bliss that was granted by his tongue. Soul's hands moved around and down, gripping her backside to angle her hips upward for a better angle. Soul began to lose himself in the feeling of her thighs around him, the scent of her as his primal instinct took over but only when she threaded her fingers into his hair and started to cry out his name did he pull his mouth away. His ego swelled at the disappointed sound she made.

His hand caressed her face, making her open her eyes to look at him as he leaned in and placed a tender kiss on her lips before sliding into her welcoming heat. She whined softly into his mouth and they exhaled together when he was fully inside her.

Long moments passed that way until Soul began to rock against her at a slow pace. He had sat up but after a short while, Maka had grabbed at his shoulders, pulling him close to her. He buried his face in her neck, breathing harshly, and picked up his pace when she began to tilt her hips up with each thrust.

Maka's hands grasped desperately at Soul's back, leaving red lines in the wake of her fingernails. Her delicate, high-pitched sounds of approval and need echoed in Soul's ear and he gripped the cushion beneath his hands, becoming desperate for release.

They fell into oblivion together with Maka shouting Soul's name and Soul growling as he buried his face into the skin of Maka's neck. Soul felt his arms turn to jelly but had the courtesy to fall to the side of Maka and immediately wrap his arms around her trembling body. He placed possessive kisses down her neck and against her cheek before she turned and landed her lips upon his own.

Still panting, the two broke apart and met eyes. "Well that worked. I don't even remember what I was worrying about," Soul said, a grin plastered on his face.

Maka blushed but giggled lightly. "Well, I'm glad," she said. There was a heavy pause before she spoke again. "No matter what you forget, always remember that I love you Soul."

He stared into her eyes and let a handsome smile fall across his lips. "I know, Maka. I love you too."

They shared a drawn out, tenderly sweet kiss before Soul pulled Maka half onto his chest and covered them with the throw from the back of the couch.

As Soul listened to Maka's breath grow long, deep and even, he found himself staring out at the dark, red sky again. But this time, his thoughts were full of hope.