Kid felt himself cough as a well aimed bat-shaped rocket hit him square in the diaphragm, cutting off his breath and barely allowing him to dodge the series of sword strokes coming towards him at lightning speed. Dammit, why now?! He cast a glance towards Black*Star and how he was fairing with the Kishin, earning a cut on his cheek as a well timed fox patterned katana blow caught him off guard. A warm streak of blood tickled his cheek before his healing kicked in, and he leaped backwards, sending a few shots the Kitsune witch's way, the first two deflected by the blade, the third hitting her in the gut with an audible oof. He nearly started to mentally congratulate himself and go help Black*Star, but his thought was was cut short as a piercing voice stung his ears.

"CHEE KOMO CHEE KOMORII ROCKET!"

Pain exploded in his ribcage, the bat-rocket exploding on impact and sending him flying into the stonewall of the cave.

"KID! You alright?"

He heard Patti's panicked thought and merely responded with a grunt as he rolled aside to avoid another attack from the Komori witch, his adrenaline kicking in and dulling the pain in his chest. He sent a blast in the general direction of the explosion, despite knowing it would miss, and just had time to block an attack from the recovered Kitsune witch, the katana clanging up against the silver gunmetal. Vaguely, he heard a battle cry from Black*Star, a slicing noise, and relief spread through his limbs; his friend was alright. The development giving him confidence, he aimed a kick at the red-haired witch, hearing a grunt of pain as his kick connected which her chest, and blasted her back with a shot to the shoulder, catching the orange eyes widen as she spun away. His attack was suddenly interrupted as another rocket was sent at him, which he barely avoided, feeling the wind by his face as it flew past him. Just my luck to wind up in a battle with two damn witches in a stupid mining cave… Black*Star you idiot… why'd you have to make so much noise… he gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath. He didn't have enough time to do a Death Cannon, so that was out of the question… he again heard Black*Star yelling profanities, roars of agony from the Kishin, and the slashing of a sword connecting with flesh; the fight was almost over. He blocked another strike at his side and attempted at a knee in the stomach, the witch dodging the kick and flying backwards as a rocket flew between them; he'd just have to hold out long enough for Black*Star to defeat the Kishin, and then the fight would be a breeze. With Black*Star's skills, he was more than a match for the Kitsune witch, and without her the Komori witch posed virtually no threat to Kid. Come on Black*Star… he mentally urged as he teleported behind the Kitsune witch and kicked her from behind. The witch managed to put a foot out and spin of it, Kid leaping back to avoid getting sliced in half, casting a glance back to see his position and cursing inwardly again, his stomach twisting in near panic; his back was to the mineshaft which was not good news. He couldn't summon Beelzebub in the cramped shaft if he fell, nor could he hang on, so he'd have to switch his position with that of his assailant. Unfortunately, the Kitsune witch apparently had had the same realization, because she was flying at him and hitting him with everything she had, every stroke meant to drive him backwards. He realized with oncoming panic there was no stopping this, feeling his foot reaching the edge and blocking the next attack, leaning into it with everything he had, a battle of strength starting between him and the witch. What happened next was either a product of the Komori witch's stupidity, or the Kitsune witch's bad luck.

A rocket flew at Kid, obviously aiming to push him in. What the witch did not realize though, was that despite his predicament, he still had battle reflexes. So, in the second it took to realize what was coming, he lurched aside, freeing his guns from the katana and throwing them as far away from the shaft as he could, his one instinct and reflex telling him to keep the girls safe at all costs. After that, everything seemed to happen in slow motion: the contact the rocket made with the mineshaft, the giant explosion, the piercing of the Komori witch's wing by stone as the floor fell out under all three of them. What happened slowest for Kid though, was the thick iron beam jamming itself through his stomach, the taste of blood welling up in his mouth, and the terrified cries of the girls as he felt himself fall, golden eyes wide with fear as he realized what just happened.

And then, darkness.

{o]

It was dark. Everything in his body stung, or ached begging to go back to the unfeeling darkness. A familiar metallic tang was in his mouth, strong, and disgusting, his head a heavy weight, dragging him down...

"Mabaa almighty, look at that rod…"

Voices. He didn't know them. He didn't care. He just wanted to go to sleep, to fade…

"You think we should take it out? We don't, he'll probably die…"

Who were they talking about? Him? Die? At the moment that seemed like a desirable fate what with the pain he was in…

"Don't be stupid Kiki! He's a Shinigami, even if that wound manages to kill him, what do we care? Let the bastard die!"

Yes, let him die. Or go to sleep… he was so tired…

"Akama, think what a valuable prisoner he would be! To capture a Shinigami… think of the reward, what that bastard's father would pay for his little son back!"

Silence. Good. Were they going to let him sleep...?

"…I… hmm… good point…" A hesitation, "Yeah… I guess you have a point…"

"Yeah, and think of the respect! We were the ones who got Shinigami's son!"

More silence. The words were starting to connect into his head, but he wasn't sure to what… it was like trying to solve an algebra equation with only one variable, the rest unintelligible symbols. What was he trying to find out?

"I suppose so… and if he gives us any trouble we can always knock him out, state he's in…"

"Exactly!"

"Hey, hey! Where're you going?"

"To pull out the rod! What, we going to lug him around with it stuck it? 'Sides, his healing will stop the bleeding at least, even if his energy's pretty low."

"I know that! Out of the way, I'm stronger."

A few footsteps, louder, coming to him. A dropping feeling in the pit of his stomach, and he began to feel anxious, although not sure why. He felt a slight shift, and pain made him feel weak with complete nausea.

"Right. Here goes…"

The pain that followed was indescribable. He couldn't scream. He wanted to writhe, but he couldn't move. He wanted to wail, but blood blocked out his throat, and it came out in one giant heave. His thoughts jumbled, and if his body could scream, it would have been deafening to all. A thousand hot spikes crushed him slowly, a million weights fell on his stomach with no barrier, overwhelming him with agony and torture. No escape. It would be forever, this ultimate suffering, and he would be unable to die, unable to live, unable to experience anything but this living hell.

And then, it stopped. Just like that. A mouthful of blood poured out through his gaping mouth, and then, he was still, every muscle in his body suddenly useless.

"Is he still alive?"

"Of course he is! Can't you see his breathing! C'mon, I'll carry him, you try to clear the path. Use your rockets or something!"

"Alright Akama, calm down! Geez, you'd think everyone was below you all the time-"

"Kiki, do as you're told, it's enough I have to carry this pissing brat."

The voices were muddled, but he thought he could pick up a sniff of indignation as he suddenly felt himself lifted off the hard surface, and onto someone's back in a childlike position, and he vaguely felt warm fur on the shoulder of one of the individuals. He was too tired to protest, he had an extremely ominous feeling about these two, but his mind seemed to be detached from his body, and he couldn't gather any coherent thought. The voices got farther and farther off, and slowly, more of his mind shut down, back into the black void of unconscious, floating away…

Or was he falling? He couldn't… tell.

A/N So. What do you think? Should I continue? My first Soul Eater fic, and I'd really like some feedback on it, every and all reviews are wonderful and cherished. I also need some OCs, as I'd you all to use your vast and wonderful imaginations to help me. Preferable weapons and/or meisters, in detail please, age, description, personality, weapon or meister, likes, dislikes, everything. I will pick out the pair(s) that seem most interesting, or developed, and you will likely see them in the next chapter, should want me to continue. See you soon (I hope :D)!