A/N: arborealSoothsayer would like to remind her readers that Life Is a Process is based off of the anime. You may find references or actual events from the manga, but she finds it easier to work with the anime since it's already ended. Also, arborealSoothsayer would like to mention that she's heard whispers of a remake that would follow the manga, rather than veer off on its own and turn into something else entirely. Can this be confirmed? Also, for the sake of this story, Crona will be a boy.

Thank you, that is all.

Prologue

The basement was dark. The malicious air permeated Maka's skin, seeming to infect her bloodstream. She shivered at the icy breeze that came from no where. Maybe the countless souls floating around them somehow created a frozen lake of themselves, their eddies the effective coolant. From distant points in the gargantuan basement, drops of water could be heard landing heavily in the puddles, the echo of their pain bouncing off the walls.

The horror Maka felt in the presence of this rotund and grotesque Kishin shocked her to her core. She tightened her grip on the black shaft of Soul's scythe. Gritting her teeth, she locked her gaze with the monster before her. The bottomless pit in his gleaming eyes was enough to scare her out of using Soul Perception, but she knew she must persevere.

"Maka, you're shaking," Soul said as he shifted under her tight and quivering grip. He was worried for his meister, who was so much more vulnerable than he. She was also stupid and reckless as of late, which made him all the more incredulous about entering this fight headlong. He sighed and looked at Maka with tired eyes, then hardened his gaze as he focused on the Kishin Schlem.

"Shitty girl, you gonna' move? I've cleared out the room for ya', huh? Hey! Shitty girl!" Schlem swiped his arm through the air and smirked at Maka. She tore her eyes from his and closed them, focusing on her Soul Perception. It was a daunting process to open them again; she was running on no sleep, hunger, and fear. When she opened her eyes, it was a flashback to her first encounter with Stein. She felt so small and meek, like she could be easily overpowered by this giant of a soul.

"Soul, match wavelengths with me," Maka said with as strong a voice as she could muster.

"Are you thinking Genie Hunter?" Soul asked dubiously. Maka shook her head, the image of a leather-bound book flashing before her eyes.

"Just do it. I need your soul wavelength to amplify mine." She looked down at Soul, impatience tinting her face a light pink. Soul hesitated for a moment before nodding his head and doing as his meister instructed. Their souls connected at once, mind and body being filled with the other. The familiar closeness comforted her, but barely. Maka was aware that Soul knew she was planning something unknown to him and possibly life-threatening. She cornered off that part of her mind, weakening their connection.

Maka knew she wouldn't be able to complete Soul Manipulation on her own, but she figured she could use it through Soul since his body was infected with black blood. She closed her eyes and called Soul's essence into her body. Letting go of Soul with her right hand, she held her arm out and beckoned for Schlem's soul. She felt the power welling in the pit of her frozen stomach; it surged through her veins like a drug, expanding her soul, but not touching her weapon's. When she opened her eyes, she found that nothing had changed. Schlem's soul was still towering over her, and giggling at her.

"So, you tried to use Kuzo-chan's technique, huh? Well, you suck at it, shitty girl!" Schlem slapped his stomach, then laughed and lunged at Maka. She moved with Schlem and pushed his outstretched arm away with the end of her scythe's shaft. Skidding to an abrupt halt, she leapt away from the gigantic Kishin.

"Maka, below-" As Maka looked down she watched Schlem's meaty hand wrap around her leg and sling her to the ground. Her back hit the concrete straight on, laying her flat out and stunning her. "Hey, what's wrong with you, Maka? You're not entirely resonated with me!" Maka coughed and ignored the waves of agitation and worry Soul threw at her.

"This isn't an ordinary mission, Shibusen girl. You won't be able to defeat this Kishin, the only one with Kuzo-chan's blessing!" He licked his lips and grinned broadly; his large, blue eyes were wide and wild. Maka lifted herself from the floor, feet away from Schlem and kneeling. Every inch of her body burned with aches and bruises.

He keeps mentioning this Kuzo. And what does he mean by "Kuzo's technique?" Soul knew this technique had everything to do with the section of Maka's mind completely blocked off from him. He glared at the titanium barrier she put up between them, and at the last few thoughts that would make the meister-weapon pair one entity. He felt Maka's grip on him tighten as she noted him analyzing the obstruction in their mind.

Do you trust me, Soul?

Of course.

Then leave it alone.

Maka...

"Hey, shitty girl! You awake? You know, what Kuzo-chan's doing isn't so bad. Why do you fight it? It's all about cleansing. Don't you want to be cleeeeaaaan? EEE-HEE-HEE-HEE! HEAVY FREE FALL!" Schlem jumped into the air above Maka, poised to crush her with his body. She dodged his attack and kicked off a nearby wall to swing Soul's sickle back and forth at her opponent; with each movement she felt like her muscles were being torn from the bone. Schlem easily sidestepped the blade and avoided her.

"Soul, let's go! Genie Hunter!" She roared, pulling Soul back, whose blade exploded into a beautiful and blinding attack. Just as she brought the scythe down, Schlem put the heels of his palms together and curved his fingers to imitate crude teeth.

"Gravitational Thrust!" The rush of air cast by Schlem's hands was strong enough to put Maka on her knees and absolutely stop her. Genie Hunter was still held high behind her. She attempted to force herself through the gale with the attack itself, but suddenly felt her body being pulled toward Schlem. It was a tug-of-war between the immense opposing current and the gravitational pull; she felt strands of hair being ripped from their roots, her scalp alive and tingling from the prickling pain.

"Maka, get out of there now! He's gonna' rip you in half!" Soul ordered drowning in the panic of both of them. She finally cut through the current and leapt several yards away, out of breath and on fire. What am I supposed to do? She thought to herself, though she knew Soul could hear her. If I get too close and leave myself open with Genie Hunter he can easily kill me with his own attack. How am I supposed to beat this monster? Genie Hunter isn't enough...

Soul! Remember when we fought Asura and we used Kishin Hunter? Maka was desperate enough to try anything. Ignoring Soul's doubt, she licked her lips and kept her eyes locked on Schlem.

Are you serious, Maka? We haven't been able to use that since! Do you really want to rely on an unmastered ability? It could be dangerous. His worry and skepticism were inches from bleeding into her own emotions, but the line between Maka and Soul was clear and bold in this crude and inhibited resonance. Schlem pulled his fist back and charged for Maka, creating a crater in the wall she had been standing in front of moments before. Maka settled safely behind a pillar.

What we're doing now isn't any better. I can stand to get hurt by him while using Kishin Hunter; it'll take him out in one strike. She gripped the shaft of her scythe tighter and heard her gloves faintly protest. She begged Soul to end his silence and accept her proposition. Soul, hurry up and decide!, she growled through gritting teeth. With an exasperated sigh, Soul slung his head around, radiating disapproval and uncertainty.

"No, we- damn it, fine! Do it, but I swear to God, Maka! If you die, I'll-" His words fell on ears deafened by her scream.

"KISHIN HUNTERRRRR!" Soul's sickle grew larger than Genie Hunter, but was still visibly smaller than the first time they used Kishin Hunter. Maka jumped into the air and propelled herself to Schlem, prepared for and unafraid of the pain the Kishin might serve.

"Gravitational Thrust!" Schlem shouted, raising his hands. Here it comes, Maka growled. Her grip was now so tight on Soul she became aware of his discomfort.

Look out, it's different this time! Soul bellowed just as Maka was forced onto the ground once more. She landed on her side with a sickening crack. In an instant she was up, and Soul was prepared to change into his human form and sacrifice himself for Maka at any moment. The gravity from Schlem's attack yanked her stumbling forward, but she lost the momentum and was quickly thereafter hit by an air current, stopping her movements again.

"RRRAAAGH!" Maka glared Schlem down, determined to force him to look her in the eyes. But he wasn't looking at her. In her direction, but- "SOUL!" The push of air and pull of gravity hit Soul with terrifying brevity, shattering Kishin Hunter and sending a monstrous rift down his sickle; cracks like spider webs crawled across his blade; chunks of the metal were thrown into the shadows before Maka could yank him out of the current and toss him to safety. He was in his human form before he hit the ground, screaming and writhing in agony. Maka perceived the explosion of pain before their connection was severed simultaneously.

Maka's left arm took the tail end of the attack, her wrist being pulled from its socket and shattered, every bone in her forearm, hand, and fingers either broken or shattered as well. Screaming, she held her arm to her chest as she hit the floor next to Soul. Her cries and whimpers bounced off the walls of the basement. She controlled her breathing by biting the inside of her cheek, despite wanting nothing more than to scream at the top of her lungs. She forced herself to sit up, her stomach churning from the burning pain. Through bleary eyes, she looked over and saw Soul's shimmering form. He was lying helpless on the ground, crushing his right arm beneath himself. The dimness of the room -the only light being that of the bobbing benign souls around them- cast him in a gray-blue light.

She gingerly crawled across the floor to him, the seemingly vast expanse of a single yard leaving her feeling as if she had ventured through hell. She barely registered the maniacal laughter in the background. As soon as Maka pulled Soul onto his back, she shuddered and turned her head away, retching. She did not care about the wetness she soon felt on her legs and feet. Maka shook her head and bit back the rage. Blood. Blood. Blood… there's so much blood!, she screamed in her head. She fought the sight before her eyes, disbelieving that it could be real.

Soul's right arm was a disgusting mass of red, white, and purple. From the few clear areas of skin on his arm she saw blood pooling beneath the surface. Mangled skin dangled from his red and purple arm. Glaring white bone stood in stark contrast to the blood, seen more often than unblemished skin; bones protruded from numerous points on his arm, which was twisted in a horrible position.

Maka threw her right arm out and tore at Soul's shirt, tugging him into her lap. She pulled off her jacket as quickly as she could, not giving a second thought to her own injuries, sobbing and shaking violently as she wrapped it around his arm. "No, no, please, Soul, no. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She shook her head, knotting the sleeves of her coat and pressing it down as she tried to stop the bleeding.

"Stupid shitty girl! A weapon might not last too long on its own, but it can still fight just fine. But a meister is nothing without a weapon! You should have just left him to die so at least you could try to escape." Schlem put his hands on his round stomach and howled with laughter. "Now, stay still so I can kill you faster. Heavy Free Fall!" He threw himself into the air above Maka, who grabbed Soul's limp body, and rolled just out of the focal point of Schlem's attack. The concrete around the Kishin rose and shattered, lifting Maka and her partner into the air; debris was flung at the two, but Maka guarded Soul's body with her own. They hit the floor side by side, a shower of rubble assailing them.

"Back off, Schlem! You won't get rid of us that easily." Maka looked down at Soul, who laid helpless and unconscious in her arms. His eyelids seemed so tender and unreal when closed entirely. Soul's olive tone was gone, now verging on Maka's pale one. A bead of blood spilled from his parted lips and rolled along his jaw line to his ear. Maka's throat was sore and inflamed from shoving down her anger and sadness.

She leaned back and whimpered from her own pain. This fire was shortly extinguished by her adrenaline when she sensed Soul's wavelength fade away. "No, no," she whispered with tears in her eyes. Their mental connection was now fuzzy; she sensed Soul was loosely aware of his surroundings. He could think of and feel nothing other than the pain. She looked down at herself and saw blood everywhere. She was drenched in his blood.

"Shitty girl! Just give up already! Gravitational Thrust!" Schlem howled, pointing his clawed hands at Maka once more. She barely managed to evade the attack by rolling across the floor. She held Soul with a death grip, unwilling to let anymore harm befall her fallen comrade.

What am I supposed to do? I can't do anything without Soul! Schlem is right. I can't- I can't... She looked down at her body once more, eyes wide, tears falling freely. It was Soul's blood, which was tainted with black blood. A second flash of the same leather-bound book gave her an idea. She began to lick her arms clean of Soul's blood, but to no avail. Maka looked at Soul's mouth, seeing more blood.

"It's too bad... our first kiss... has to be like this," she whispered, putting her lips to his and drinking his blood.

Within moments, she felt her heart cease beating. She coughed and gagged on the sick feeling. Soul's head fell to the floor as Maka instinctively reached up to her neck, clawing at her skin for air. She was choking on the motionless state of her body. She looked down at Soul with wet eyes. His wavelength was slipping away from her. Seconds later, she was groping at the void where it had been but was no more. She looked around the room, everything far away and blurry. How... could this... fail... I... She fell to the floor beside Soul, heart and lungs still like death.

...

"Heavy Free Fall!"

A/N: The name Schlem randomly popped into arborealSoothsayer's head one day. She wishes it was her legal name. *arborealSoothsayer is totally chill about this whole tragedy*