SoMa Week 2013: Protection

    "I'm sorry, but I love you too much to risk hurting you with our being together," Soul had said.  The scene from earlier that night kept replaying in my mind, each time causing a fresh wave of tears to course down my face.  I had finally gathered up the courage to pour my heart out to him, and he'd turned me down with a ridiculous, made-up excuse of wanting to protect me from him.
    I hurled a pillow at the wall, shrieking in frustration.  The truth was, I wasn't just heartbroken, I was pissed.  I'd spent years telling myself that I'd never fall in love, but when I'd finally admitted to myself that I had, it blew up in my face.  It made me feel weak and helpless.
    "Um, Maka?" Soul called through the door, "I know this isn't the best time to be saying this, but I think we might be better off getting different partners."
    "Don't you dare even think about it, you jerk!" I cried, wrenching the door open and slamming the spine of the nearest book (Webster's Dictionary) into his skull.
    "Yeah, I deserved that," he said, wincing as he rubbed his injured head.
    "If you don't feel the same way about me, all you have to do is say so instead of making up something about me being in danger by being around you."
    "You don't understand," he protested, getting up off the floor.
    "You're right.  I don't," I spat back as I turned to shut myself back up in my room.  Soul grabbed my wrist and roughly pulled me against himself, pressing his lips against mine.  I felt myself start to melt as I let out a small whimper.
    Why is he doing this? I thought, No matter what he does I know he doesn't love me, so why?  Tears began rolling down my cheeks again.
    "Please don't cry, Maka," he pleaded.
    "Why shouldn't I when you keep lying to me like this?" I asked him, looking him in the eye.
    "Because I'm not lying," he replied, staring back into my eyes.  Those eyes.  It felt like he could see into my soul with them-and he probably could as well as we knew each other.
    "Then why don't I believe you?"
    He sighed, then rested his forehead lightly against mine.  That's when I saw it.  In that moment I caught the briefest glimpse of the inside of his soul, and in it I saw the little devil I thought we'd beaten months ago.  I jerked my head back.
    "The black blood..." I mumbled.
    He gave a grim nod.  "That's why we can't be together."
    "But...how?" I stammered, "How is he back?"
    "I don't know, but as long as he's there you're not safe around me."
    "The black blood doesn't affect me, though.  Remember?"
    "That's not what I'm worried about.  If the black blood takes over I could end up hurting you."
    "We were able to beat it before.  Why should now be any different?"
    "Now I know I love you."  I bit my lip, trying to think of how to respond.
    "No," I said finally, "I'm not going to let you give up before you've even tried fighting back."
    "Maka-"
    "Soul, we both know that we're strongest together, so why try to push me away?"
    "I don't want to lose you."  I'd never seen this side of him before, and it just made me love him even more.  Not knowing what else to do, I kissed him.  For a moment, the world seemed to stop, and every worry we had seemed to fade away.  We stayed like that for a while, tasting each other and taking in each others' scent.
    "Alright, you win," he said when we stopped to catch our breath.
    "Good," I replied, "I was starting to think I was going to have to Maka-Chop you senseless."  Soul chuckled.
    "Those books are dangerous."  He rubbed the back of his head.  I grinned in response, glad that he seemed to have accepted my point of view.  As much as he hated to admit it, I was best protected when I was with him.