"I…can," Maka ground out her fingers inching painfully forward. "Reach…you…"
Her hand shook badly but she kept pressing forward against the weight of the Black Blood that was smothering her. Everything was colorless, even Soul was loosing himself the garnet of his eyes fading to black nothingness.
Maka couldn't decide but she thought that maybe that was the hardest thing to watch. The color fade from his eyes, they were her favorite feature of her partner. His bright eyes were her most precious memory of him, those quietly expressive eyes. She panted continuing to inch forward, her hand always reaching for him.
Somewhere nearby the imp cackled madly, greatly enjoying watching the young Miester struggle. Maka clenched her jaw blocking out the demeaning sound and focused on Soul. Or was that even Soul anymore? She couldn't tell.
"I…won't…abandon," Maka panted getting too close for the imp's comfort. "You...S-Soul!" She coughed painfully the Black Blood seeping into her mouth.
Irritated the imp crushed her hand under his boot. Maka inhaled sharply giving a painful shriek.
"You can reach him anymore girl." The imp sneered. "Soul is mine to possess now, not yours."
"I didn't possess Soul!" Maka snarled yanking her throbbing hand out from under his weight. "He could do whatever he pleased."
"Well then," The imp smiled demonically. "What if this is what he wanted? To escape an annoying Miester like yourself, I wouldn't blame him."
Maka's eyes widened angrily as she grew tired of the imps nonsense. Forcing herself to her limit Maka pressed her palms against the floor under her and shoved breaking the layer of tar-like Black Blood that tried to consume her.
The imp's eyes widened in shock; frozen for a moment at the sight of her breaking through the Black Blood. His eyes hardened after a moment as she took a slow but deliberate step forward.
Panting Maka looked at Soul who was staring at her with a cold smirk that tore at her soul, shredded her from the inside out. She gasped sharply. Damn this hurt! Maka opened her eyes slightly and glanced at the floor staring her sorry state, she wouldn't last much longer here.
"Piteous girl, what do you think your doing?" The imp sneered. "Soul will consume you with his madness, he doesn't even recognize you."
Maka gritted her teeth her mind reeling. What could she do? What could she do to save Soul? Suddenly a thought occurred to her, staring at her reflection it suddenly rippled and disappeared appearing instead as Black*Star.
"Black*Star…" Maka mumbled causing both the imp and Soul to suddenly stare at her.
Maka looked at her hands studying them for a moment before she dropped to her knees and placed both of her palms against the Black Blood watching as it rippled out slowly.
"Hah, giving up already?" The imp snarled. "Pathetic."
Soul felt something twist inside him as he watched her kneeling on the ground her eyes staring determinedly at the sea of maddened Black Blood. There was something terribly wrong with this situation, for once he began to struggle against the demon's hold.
"If that idiot Black*Star can do it then this shouldn't be any problem at all!" Maka laughed lying to herself. "Here goes nothing…"
Maka shoved her palms hard against the substance feeling them begin to sink in. She closed her eyes tightly focusing on grasping hold of her Soul's wavelength and summoning her purging abilities.
There! I can feel it; my Soul wavelength buzzing across my palms…it's so…warm.
"What the hell do you think your doing you little brat?" The imp suddenly shrieked seeming to feel the slight ripple from Maka's wavelength. "NO! IT CAN'T BE!"
Maka's eyes suddenly snapped open, her body shuddering with the power that raged through her. As her pupils became almost impossible to see in her now glowing green irises Soul felt his own eyes widen in horror.
"Maka no, DON'T!" Soul yelled taking a step forward.
"DEMON SOUL PURGE!" Maka screamed forcing her Anti Demon Wavelength from her hands out across the expanse of Black Blood before feeling it plunge straight down sending her soul throughout the imp's madness.
The imp's scream tore through the silence as he made a mad dash towards Maka. Sensing his approach Maka forced out her Soul burning the imp as he tried to touch her. Her soul's wings seemed to have grown wrapping around her frail blue soul. Maka's eyes opened slightly as she peered to the side at the imp who was now laying on the ground cursing.
"You won't interfere anymore." Her voice was quiet, fading but there was an unimaginable power behind it. "His soul will be purged."
"Damn you, you little brat!" The imp spat his eyes twitching as he cackled loudly pointing a long boney finger at her. "But at what cost my dear?"
Soul could feel himself coming back; it was like being able to breathe again but he was still empty inside, like he was missing his soul. The world felt like it was spinning around him at nauseous speeds and he could hear voices nearby but it was nothing more than an insistent buzzing.
Suddenly something ripped through him and Soul gasped blinking rapidly as if it were the first time he was able to see. The demon imp gnashed his teeth angrily his eyes fixed on one pin point. Soul's bleary vision followed the imp's gaze to a brilliant sphere of blue with magnificent angle wings protecting it. Inside there was someone, a girl that he swore he's seen before.
"How much longer can you keep this up Maka?" The imp sneered crawling towards her.
Maka? Soul's eyes widened, how had she gotten here? No it couldn't be…That idiot isn't!
"SHUT UP!" Maka screamed sending another wave of her Soul throughout the Black Blood her arms nearly collapsing beneath her. "I'll keep going until your dead!"
"Will you be joining me then?" The imp asked tilting his head the sudden burst of power having sent him flying. "At this rate you're going to destroy yourself along with the Black Blood. It's hard to purge so much madness isn't it little Miester?"
"Maka?" Soul asked taking a step towards the inflated soul his eyes widening as he suddenly began to feel like he was watching his life being ripped apart piece by piece. The academy, his ability to trust anyone, his best friends, his partner, his future…MAKA!
Maka crouched inside her body submerged nearly up to her wrists in the Black Blood. Sweat poured down her face and her vision was slowly beginning to fade in and out. The imp was right of course, she wouldn't survive this…but what would it matter?
Soul would be free! Never again would he be plagued by the horrors of the Black Blood! No more late night terrors, no more insomnia, no more unexplainable pain…
No more Miester.
Soul's voice echoed softly in Maka's fuzzy head. Shocked she nearly lost focus of the task at hand but managed to regain her footing quickly. Glancing up Maka's eyes caught Soul's and their gazes locked.
He was still colorless but he no longer looked like he was struggling, he looked like her partner again. The one she'd always known and trusted…and loved.
"Damn it girl!" The Imp shrieked clutching his head. "I won't allow this!"
Suddenly the Black Blood began to boil under Maka sending her flying. With a cry of surprise she landed on her back and stared at the ceiling. Panting her eyes darted to the side as she felt the Black Blood sliding over her arms.
It was lukewarm and heavy, unpleasant to say the least. Slowly it began to suck her under tugging at her skin and hair, burning her flesh at a torturous pace. Gritting her teeth Maka closed her eyes tightly waiting for the moment when the tar like substance would fill her mouth and nose, drowning her.
She'd lost, she hadn't been able to save Soul or even save herself for that matter. In the end she'd been too weak to do anything; she'd lost their battle to the Black Blood. Or maybe it had just been her battle, a thoughtless need for revenge.
But she'd defeated the Kishen, the most powerful evil in history. How could she loose to something as diminutive as the Black Blood? Maybe just because it was small didn't mean that it was inconsequential, maybe she should have been focusing all of her attention on this the entire time.
Had she been abusing the most important thing: her partner? As Maka sank lower in the Black Blood she could faintly hear Soul screaming madly and the Imp sneering laughter. Everything that Soul had been dealing with for nearly a year now seemed to crash down over Maka in that single instant. All of the gore filled nightmares, the people that she loved ripping themselves apart around her; coating her in their blood, staining her once innocent skin.
Is this how Soul had been feeling? THIS is what he'd been dealing with for so long now? How…how had he kept the suffering locked away for so long and…so well? She supposed it might have something to do with his slightly distorted soul. But either way the answer was clear: yes, she had been abusing his cries for help.
Quiet sobs began to wrack Maka's entire body making her shiver as the finial realization slammed down on her. She was going to die without doing the one thing she'd vowed to do since the day Soul had been nearly sliced in half by Ragranok. Save her partner, protect him.
"NO!" Maka screamed pulling with all the combined force in her body against the Black Blood that had nearly swallowed her. "I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO HURT SOUL ANYMORE! I. WILL. NOT. ALLOW. IT."
Ripping away from the hold that the Imp had on her Maka stalked towards him easily, gliding across the once restraining Black blood. She stopped shortly in front of him with a malicious smirk before turning her back on him and marching towards Soul her head bowed.
Reaching him she peered up cringing at the state he was in, he didn't even look possessed anymore…just empty. Lips quivering Maka reached out and grasped hold of on of his hands. It hung limply by his side and she cringed slightly at the clamminess of it. She gripped his hand harder and looked straight into the vacant depths of his colorless eyes.
It nearly killed her.
"Soul…" Maka whispered. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't protect you before, that I couldn't help you when you needed it the most." She took a deep breath. "But, I know what to do now, I know what to say."
She leaned in cautiously.
"I love you."
Closing her eyes Maka leaned in and pressed her lips lightly against his own impassive ones and sent her Soul straight through him, feeling him jolt underneath her hold. Behind her the Demon screamed in agony clawing that the floor. Maka let her eyes slide shut as the sound disappeared before opening them and looking around.
They were back in Soul's soul, his own soul. Not the sea of Black Blood but his comfortable Black and Red checkered room. She felt at home. Slowly Maka felt Soul's hand respond to her touch and her gaze drifted back to him. Then with a tiny comforting smile Maka collapsed.
His eyes were red again.