"So I gave him a roundhouse kick to the face! Hya-haa!" Black*Star exclaimed, acting out the scene from one of his current missions for me. "Seems like it must have been pretty exciting; wish I could have been there myself." I said, half-smiling at him. The truth was, I was not so happy going places even lately. Maka had been on an extended mission for a while, and I... Somehow wanted to see her again. Just once.

Black*Star bid me farewell with a rough slap on the back, and I lurched forward, but leaned back again, smiling as he left. I shook my head. Just then, the hallway was silent, and a person I knew walked in, hands in his pockets, eyes to the floor, seemingly sad. Soul 'Eater' Evans, this boy's name was. He was Maka's weapon, a demon scythe.

I walked to match his pace, moving along next to him. "Hi, Soul." I said, looking sideways at him. He didn't meet my gaze, and I narrowed my eyes. "Is something the matter?" I asked, turning my head to him now.

"It's Maka." Soul's words made me hold my breath. I realized now that Maka was in fact missing from her usual spot, walking alongside Soul. They were partners after all. I inquired what it was about Maka, and he looked at me with sorrowful eyes. "She got... Hurt. Bad. Stein sent her to the hospital wing. We don't know if..." He trailed off, his voice quavering.
I stood for a moment, dumbfounded. Maka was on the verge of... Death? I held my breath, blinking back tears that I knew would give my shock away. "M-maka-chan...!?" Was all I could utter, as I was rasping short breaths now.

Soul looked at me with saddened eyes. He nodded, swallowing deeply.

"Where are they keeping her...!?" I asked urgently, even though I knew I couldn't do anything to save her. At the most, I could be there if she... Passed on. Soul directed me to the door on the left of the hospital wing, only the third entrance. I ran at full speed, catching some stares from the passing students as they headed to class. I looked back at them once and a while incredulously. I was dumbfounded by how relatively calm Shibusen was, despite the fact...

I knocked on the door, entering quietly. I saw the problem immediatly. She was marred. I mean, really marred. An IV tube fed its way into her right arm, and her breaths were coming in short gasps.
"Maka-chan..." I whispered, walking towards her bed cautiously. There seemed to be no one in the room, and I hoped silently that no one would enter, and find me here; I obviously was restricted, even though I was a shinigami.

Her eyes trembled open, and she rasped something inaudible. Tears welled at the corners of my eyes.