Everything is Laughing.

"All stable over here."

"Are you sure? We only get one chance to flip the switch."

"…"

"Well?"

"We've double, triple, look I'm not even going to say quadruple because you've been working on this for years. Have some faith in your own work."

"Hm. It will be what it is, and we'll live the consequences."

"I'll let you have the honours then."

…

…..

...

Drowsiness hung heavy over Maka, like a comforter draped over her entire body. Her eyes cracked open to the minuscule amount of light breaking into the room. The room in question was not of her own, but instead it was one of the stone rooms deep beneath her school, like the one she had always visited Crona in. The question of why she was sleeping at school, and not at her apartment with Soul came to mind, but then she realised that nothing else was coming to mind. Sitting up on the thin mattress, her mind felt empty, like a vast expanse of open sky. There were deeper memories; family, school, Soul and the rest of her friends, even a vague flicker of a battle that they were part of. But as she tried to bring up anything recent her mind changed back to the empty void.

Gaining nothing by sitting, Maka left the bed, bare feet pressing against the cold stone and taking her out of the room. Her plain shirt and shorts didn't do much to keep her warm in the long and empty halls.

"…Soul?"

She clung to the solid thoughts, her weapon partner and best friend. While her friends pushed her forward, she suddenly felt anything to break the silence would ease the wavering of her soul.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Perhaps an ear piecing scream that almost knocker her off her feet was not exactly what she was going for, but as the yelling continued she had a goal. She picked up her pace to reach a room further down, door slightly ajar.

"My- my beautiful, perfect, all powerful body-!"

"I-it's not that bad…"

The voices seemed familiar, so she looked inside. Green eyes found a blue haired boy sobbing as he pulled at his hair, and next to him a girl with black hair doing her best to console him. Her brain guessed at who they were, but it wasn't without a testing soul perception that she was certain that it was BlackStar and Tsubaki. Both were acting like usual, but their appearances were off. BlackStar's muscular build had vanished along with his signature tattoo, and while his hair was still blue, his face was more angular to match the spikes. Tsubaki was now only a few inches off Stars height, with a bob of short black hair and lighter coloured eyes.

"Guys?"

The two paused to look at Maka, mild confusion sitting on their faces, until Tsubaki's lit up.

"Maka?"

"WHAAAT?!" BlackStar still had his loud voice if anything, "That really you Maka?! I would have never guessed with the…" He gestured with a circular motion from his chest.

Maka squinted at him, then down at herself. She had to admit something was off, but she had simply thought it to be with her empty mind. Now she could see that her own athletic body had disappeared, and that her cause of mockery from the boys, was now replaced with a modest bust. Her hands raced along her body to find other changed, the main being hair own hair being equally as short as Tsubakis'.

"I thought I heard annoying nearby."

A fresh feeling of relief hit Maka as a wavelength she knew all too well came up behind her. Her Scythe partner Soul Eater thankfully still looked as close as he could to as she remembered. Tired red eyes seemed closer to brown, but the mop of white hair still sat on a head that was as close to the one she had always known.

"Soul! Thank god."

Both pairs of Miester and Weapon discussed the differences in their looks, and the all-round confusion about why they were resting in the school's underground. All related the same blank spaces in their memories, and the vague feeling of a battle they had experienced, but with no solid answers they simply chose to search. The four set out back into the halls, keeping eyes out for the other three missing from their group or any other familiar faces.

The maze of corridors was the same as always, drafts chilling the carved stone and making the teens shiver. Doors were opened, but revealed no more than cobwebs and dust, even the room Maka swore was the one she always visited when beneath the school. Their path moved towards the exit stairs that would take them back up into the school.

"If the school still exists."

"Don't say stuff like that!"

Soul sighed, "You gotta admit it feels like a possibility."

No one replied, too afraid to admit the same sinking feeling was inching its way into their heads. Thankfully, a sound of a voice rung out, urging the group forward from their thoughts.

"Whaaat?! What are you saying?"

"Please, if you mind, do not shout."

"Whaaaaat?! What you saying stupid mouth!?"

Even as angry shouts, the four teens recognised the Thompson sister's voices ringing down from the top of the exit stairs. Taking the steps a few at a time they were greeted with the two pushing themselves into the personal space of a blond man in the doorway. The girls looked the most identical to their old selves, their matching short hair the only defined difference.

The man stood defensively against them, hands up and asking for calm, but as grey eyes moved away from the sisters and onto the new comers, he changed his attention.

"Ah, so you are all awake. I suppose we can move right on."

"HEY! We're not done with you." Patty moved to grab his shirt, but he was out of her reach in the blink of an eye, his hair shifting above his shoulders the only sign he moved.

"This way please." He smiled.

The group was on guard. An unfamiliar face, marked by a vertical line of stiches down the centre, and an unfamiliar soul that felt possibly guarded. However, their options were few, between going back to the labyrinth, or following him into the school. With a silent agreement to be ready to fight, they followed behind, walking into the familiar school halls. There wasn't a student in sight, nor any other living soul until they reached the top of the school, and the sight of Death's personal room.

Infront stood another unfamiliar soul, a creature with a long face and thick fur covering everything not hidden by clothes. It was similar to the wolf man Free they had once fought, however, why such a beast stood quietly by Death's door was a new mystery on the list. Its eyes shifted between the rooms guests, before turning away.

"Lord Death will see you now." It growled.

Pushing the door open, their guide gestured for the children to enter, before following in behind them. Each tentatively filed into the Death room, passing under the guillotines and making their way to the centre platform. Seemingly as always, the black form of Death stood facing away into his mirror, and everyone took comfort in the sight.

Maka however froze several steps back, staring into the black figure, noticing that like themselves, there was something off. His figure was wider, forming down into two legs rather than a single spike, and his hands that were folded behind his back seemed average compared to the old comically large ones.

"Good to see you all awake." Came a tried and almost deadpan voice, drastically different from Death's usual jovial tone, "If only it was in better circumstances."

Maka couldn't stand it. "Just what exactly is going on here?"

Her friends looked at her, then back to Death, who had turned to them. The sudden brimming frustration left tears pricking in her eyes, but she shook them away.

"Who…are you?"

"You know how to tell."

She did. Her body was foreign, but she could feel her gift from the depths of her soul. Soul perception had revealed her friends, but here she'd pushed the ability down, almost afraid to know.

She took in a deep breath, steadying herself as she reached out with her soul, passing by the blond man and her friends, towards the skull faced figure. She felt, and thought. Ideas fluttered in her head, but all came ack to the main conclusion. She knew.

"…Kid."

With a small motion the reaper removed the mask, revealing an all too familiar, yet drastically different image of their friend.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions."