Soul's POV~

Shinigami-sama had called them all into his chambers, the distressed god flitting about the cloud-filled room. He glanced around. All of them were there. Kid, Liz, and Patty… Black Star and Tsubaki… Crona and Ragnarok… and finally: Soul and Maka. All of them showed a look of confusion and mild concern, unfamiliar with their leader looking so… worried. He stopped pacing, turning to look them each in the eye.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why you are here…" he mused. Maka started to say something, but Shinigami-sama continued, cutting her off. "You're all here for a mission of grave importance… one that I would not wish on anyone, but I must..."

Soul gulped, feeling sweat glisten on his forehead. He glanced at the others; only Black Star looked excited.

"Sid… bring out the file." Shinigami-sama ordered. Sid came marching up from the door, his already zombie-blue skin paler than usual. He handed Maka the file, then retreated towards the door, guarding it like the kids might try and break through his defense. Maka glanced at the file, then gasped. Her hands started shaking and the gasp faded into a low moan which morphed into a quieted scream. She dropped the file, clutching her stomach, tears sliding down her cheek. Kid stepped forward first, snatching up the discarded file. He flipped through it, his face changing to a look of horror. He glared at his father, his lips trembling.

"W-what the hell is this?!" he snapped, fighting back tears. Shinigami-sama lowered his head, letting out a sigh. He glanced at all of us, before straightening for his explanation.

"For the past month, a serial-killer has popped up around the country." He paused, letting it sink in. "No one knows if they are male or female, or even if they are working alone or not. The death-count has reached twenty, and is rapidly increasing. The intervals between his killings are getting shorter and shorter. Since there hasn't been any evidence or identification, police have named him 'Nightmare.'"

Soul stood confused. Why would a serial-killer be called "Nightmare?" He grabbed a photo that had fallen from the file, scanning it over. He screamed, dropping the picture and covering his mouth, bile rising in his throat. Everyone else stared horrified, before looking at the same photo, disgust and terror washing over them. Even Black Star seemed shaken.

The picture was of a young woman, about a couple years older than them. She had died, frozen in terror, her last emotion forever there for all to see. She was clutching her heart, as if it was about to beat out of her chest. She had been dressed in a white dress, her arms exposed. Her irises were glowing, casting her face in shadows, but they could not hide anything. Black tears and black blood seeped from her eyes, mouth, and wrists. Her soul lied as a puddle of bright blue liquid among the blackness, shaped into some sort of demon.

Her soul had withered and melted… something that should be impossible.

Soul glanced at Shinigami-sama, not believing any of this. He looked down on them with sorrow.

"This killer is literally scaring people to death. Each melted soul, each pool of blue, is shaped in the victim's worst fear…" he murmured, his voice hollow. He gave us a moment to collect ourselves before continuing. "He always strikes at night, always in the shadows. So far, every victim has been young, beautiful, and female."

Maka threw up, the news getting worse. Soul peered at Liz and Patty and saw that they were both crying. Tsubaki looked like she might join Maka in puking.

"I know this is all awful news; news, kids like you should never have to hear, but Nightmare is in Death City." Soul felt his body tremble, imagining that psychopath roaming the streets. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and turned to see Black Star giving him a smile. He felt himself relax as Shinigami-sama continued. "The police have run out of options, they need the help of meisters and weapons. I selected you eight," Ragnarok cleared his throat. "Nine…because you are the best this academy has to offer…" he looked around at us, a slight warmth in his voice. "You'll be split into two teams: Maka and Crona, Kid and Black Star. So long as you always stay together, you'll be fine…" Shinigami-sama looked like he was about to cry, an occurrence that never happened. He lowered his head and turned, afraid to watch his students leave.

"You have your orders… now go."

It was late, almost midnight. After her soul-search had shown nothing, Maka decided that their groups should split up and search the city. Everyone had grim faces.

Most of the night had been pretty dull, but no one could relax. Soul probably would've been in a full-blown panic the whole time if it wasn't for Black Star kissing his forehead as a good luck charm right before they split.

"As long as you have this, nothing will happen to you…" he had said, his goofy grin gracing his face. Soul had to turn to avoid the assassin seeing the blush creep across his face. Black Star doesn't know that Soul has a crush on him, and he doesn't know how much that had meant to the scythe.

Everyone else had smirked, Maka nudging Soul in the ribs after Black Star had dashed off. She and Crona giggled to themselves afterwards, even Ragnarok had popped out and leered at him. Soul walked behind them while they searched, shooting daggers at them when they peeked over their shoulders with teasing smiles.

His frustration had helped keep his mind off the horrors they were up against, and he found himself growing bored. Soul kicked a rock towards a dumpster in a nearby alley, expecting a loud clang when it hit.

There was no sound.

Soul stopped, turning towards the alley. It was draped in shadows, the only light coming from a nearby streetlamp. He stared at the rock that sat in the middle of the alley, right where the light met darkness. He glanced at Maka and Crona; both had continued walking and hadn't noticed his sudden absence. He was about to say something to the others, but froze when something cold slithered around his ankle.

Soul shook, peering down at his ankle, gasping when he saw nothing but a shadow swirling around it, reaching for the other one. He pulled his foot back and grimaced when it wouldn't budge.

He was too late. The shadow pulled, knocking him to the ground. Soul shouted, screaming for Maka and Crona to come help. His head was still at the edge of the alley, visible for them to see. He called out to them, reaching a hand out, as he watched them turn and panic. Ragnarok popped out of Crona and they started running back towards Soul, their cries muffled by the distance.

The shadow started tugging. Hard. He was being pulled further and further into the darkness. Soul rolled over; clawing at the ground, his fingers bleeding as they dug into the concrete, but nothing was working. Maka was several feet away when, with one last yelp, he was dragged into the darkness at incredible speeds.

The two meisters became specks in the distance, the shadows pulling at alarming speeds now that Soul was fully veiled in darkness. He crashed into walls and trashcans, crying out every time something struck. He had traveled what felt like miles before the shadows ceased yanking, Soul groaning in pain when they did. He felt blood drip from a gash on his forehead, and his legs felt dislocated. His shirt was in tatters after being dragged such a distance and scrapes littered his body.

The shadows reached out and touched Soul's forehead, right where Black Star had kissed him. He felt his blood run cold as he could feel the shadow slithering around within his mind, reading his thoughts… his fears…

Blood loss and creeping shadows made him disoriented, and he soon found himself slipping into unconsciousness.

He faded out in the middle of cold darkness…

Black Star's POV~

So far his night had turned up nothing. First: they spent the remainder of sunlight available after school waiting for Maka to sense something; which she didn't. Then: they split up; robbing Black Star the chance of comforting Soul when he got scared (he loved the albino's reaction earlier in Shinigami-sama's room). And lastly: their search had led them absolutely nowhere.

Black Star groaned, running a hand through his spikey hair. He heard Tsubaki giggle and he stared down at the weapon-girl in his hand, her current form the chain-scythe.

"You seem irritated Black Star…" she giggled. "What's bothering you now? Is Kid freaking out over a crack in the sidewalk?"

The reaper's son turned, hearing her comment. "Where?!" He began panicking, searching the sidewalk for the imaginary crack, crawling on the ground in a desperate attempt to find the blemish. Black Star groaned louder, glaring at Tsubaki.

"Thanks a lot, Tsubaki!" he growled, wincing as he heard Kid whine in discomfort and the Thompson sisters complain about his silly behavior. The weapon giggled, transforming back into her human form. She placed a hand on Black Star's shoulder, looking him in the eye with concern.

"Black Star… is something bothering you? Do you want to talk about it?" she worried. Black Star sighed, shaking his head.

"Nah… it's just… I don't like the idea of this creep being out here. Or the idea of splitting up." He huffed in annoyance. "Splitting up's the worst thing to do. Sure, it covers more ground. But if we get attacked or find something, then we'd have no back up… not that I need it!" he smirked.

Tsubaki sighed at her meister's arrogance. "Nothing's going to happen Black Star. Maka and Crona are both highly trained meisters, and Soul and Ragnarok are strong. They can handle themselves."

Mentioning Soul got Black Star worried again. He remembered kissing his forehead earlier and blushed. He did the good-luck charm without realizing it, completely forgetting that not only was everyone around, but that Soul had no idea that Black Star liked him.

He groaned, feeling embarrassed. Tsubaki was about to laugh at him, when Kid stood suddenly. He glanced in the direction they came from, back where Soul and the others had been headed. Black Star stiffened, knowing something must've happened. He glared at his weapon for her previous statement, before taking off in their friends' direction.

There were no words, just movement. Kid never said anything as to what he felt and no orders were given; they all just had the instinct to find the others.

Black Star chewed on his lip, worry plaguing his mind as he thought about what could've happened. His focus drifted to Soul and his worry increased tenfold. He knows the scythe is strong, stronger than most kids their age, but his personality had its downfalls. Soul might've been loyal, headstrong, and passionate, but he was also cocky, naïve, and sometimes a pretty big dumbass.

Black Star smiled thinking about the boy and that eased some of his worry. They ran in silence, only exchanging looks between them. Every so often they stopped, looked at Kid, then continued in whatever direction Kid sensed the others to be in. The closer they got to the group, the colder Black Star felt. Something really bad must've happened.

They arrived at an alleyway, pausing to listen. A noise echoed off the alley walls and they all turned, preparing for a fight; the Thompson sisters still in gun-mode. Tsubaki had transformed into shuriken, ready to strike. The sound got closer and Maka stumbled out of the alley, her appearance catching everyone by surprise. Tsubaki transformed back, running forward and catching the small girl.

Maka was crying, tears streaming down her face. She tried to speak, but would break down in tears again. Black Star knew she wasn't going to be able to say anything anytime soon. His frustration got the best of him and he slapped her, grabbing her by the shoulders and staring her in the eye.

He muttered one word: "Where?"

She shakily pointed behind her, back in the alley. She started sobbing again as tears pricked her eyes and sadness overwhelmed her. Black Star stood, ignoring Tsubaki's heated glare as he brushed past her into the dark alley.

He didn't run, fear telling him not to. His first instinct was to get the hell out of that alley, but he knew he had to go forward. He passed blood. More blood than he wanted to see. It wasn't thick, but it was sprayed everywhere, coating the alley and trashcans with red. He felt his body trembling, anger and fear rising. He spotted Crona and dashed to the young meister.

Crona looked depressed, though Crona always looked depressed. Ragnarok popped out, his expression sullen as well. He uncrossed his arms and pointed further in, looking down as Black Star passed.

Black Star gulped, dread rising in his throat. If Maka was alright… and Crona was alright… then that means…

He dashed forward, instincts be damned, as his heart stopped dead in its tracks. The alley widened out into a small clearing where a basketball court used to be. Black Star felt his anger flaring at what he saw.

Blood…

So much blood…

The court was covered in blood; splatters across the walls, small puddles around a trashcan, bloody handprints of someone desperately trying to hold onto something on the basketball hoops, and a large pool of blood directly in the center. He crossed to it, ignoring the bile rising in his throat at the sight. He gagged at the smell, covering his nose. He stood next to the pool, catching his reflection in the shiny substance. He didn't like the look of red on him.

Something in the reflection caught his eye. He glanced up at the abandoned building sealing the court off from the outside world. His heart clenched and he felt tears prick at his eyes as he saw the wall and the little message left for him.

There, ten feet up the wall, was his star symbol written in blood; the word "Nightmare" a signature on the side.

And there, pinned to the wall in the center of the star, was Soul's headband; blood staining the fabric.

Black Star fell to his knees as he heard the others enter the clearing. Their gasps and wails filled the alley, echoing off the long brick walls of the enclosure. He gritted his teeth, scowling at the unfortunate truth. He screamed at the sky with fury and pain until his throat was coarse and dry and he had no more fight to give, cold tears flowing down his cheeks.

Soul was gone… and Nightmare had taken him…