Chapter One

Maka

Their eyes flashed around me, flashing lights of every existing colour as their faces pressed closer. Their pale blushed cheeked faces stood inches away from mine, sucking my breath away with their own as they admired my flesh, brushing their pastel fingertips against it.

Each finger that was pressed close to my skin shot a wave of fear trembling up and down my spine, hurrying across my bones and disintegrating into nothing but a memory, only to by replaced by the next stone cold fingertip that stroked against my skin.

What was I to them? Some kind of helpless stray dog that was lost in their hidden universe, unable to find my way back to the earth that sat below them. The sky. It was the sky that separated both their world - and mine.

Their silhouettes were gathering closer, drowning away the last of light that seeped through the gaps that stood between them, the last bit of light that heated little of my breaking skin, so very little. But as they continued to huddle nearer to my weakened body, what was left of that light was drained away by darkness.

The only light that remained was the sparkle from their eyes. The red, green and blue sparkles that sat around me, staring closely at my damaged body.

Were they trying to rip me apart? I felt like I was already broken before they had found me, but I couldn't remember being found, I couldn't remember them finding me. I only remembered the lights from their eyes, every colour that sat around me was created by their eyes and only them.

I feel so cold...

Their hands were freezing, what was it they were doing to my stomach? I was pinned down, I couldn't see anything besides their eyes. I ached for them to stop, stop whatever it was that made me feel so cold.

My lips parted. What looked like my last ever breath drifted away in the shadows. "It... hurts."

"It's okay." A girl's voice, it came from beside me. The blue eyes. "It's almost over."

Was I relieved? I could hardly feel anymore, I didn't know if I was relieved or if my gut was telling me that I was still afraid. What were they doing to me? I had to run, I believed I could do it. But as I tried to pull away from the surface I was pressed against I was only to be pushed back down again.

"Let me go!" I spat, catching my breath. "I order you!"

I froze, stiffer than I already was. I felt as if all connections to my body were shutting down, causing my body to fall limp and lifeless. I ordered them? I ordered no one. I couldn't order them, I had no right to, I didn't know them, they only existed in my dreams.

But still their hands remained rummaging against my skin, pressing closer against my body with their wide unblinking colourful eyes that locked themselves with my own. I couldn't do anything other than bite hold of my lip until it was all over, even then I still felt pain.

This is a dream Maka, its just like any other dream that you have. You'll wake up soon.

If it was a dream, then why did it hurt so much? Why did each time their hands were placed against my stomach hurt more than the last? They were nothing but a creation of my unconscious mind, they would never be anything else other than that, they would never be real.

My lips trembled. "This is a dream Maka... like all the others."

"The Golden Princess." The name stung at my ears like salt and a stab wound. "Come back to us."

I held my eyes shut tightly, biting down hard onto my lower lip as it shook rapidly inside my mouth. I bit down harder with every second I remained inside the dream, waiting for the colourful eyes and voices to leave me, removing their hands from against my flesh.

Not fingers, a palm. A fall palm was placed on the side of my face. "Please, we need your help."

What help of mine could have possibly been needed? I helped no one, no one helped me. That was the way my life went around and came around. Who could possibly need help from sixteen year old Maka Albarn? I dared not to open my eyes and see.

"We're losing her!" The blue eyed ones voice.

Losing me? But I'm still here.

Another palm was thrown needlessly on the other side of my face. My cheeks were held firmly in their hands. "Please Maka! You're the only one who can save us!"

Save who? I didn't know, I could only recognize the voice because I had heard it from my dreams before. The same dreams where fingertips were almost completely clawing away at my body, but even then I couldn't see.

I wouldn't open my eyes, I refused to, I didn't want to see anymore of the lights. I would remain biting my lip and staring into darkness with my shielded eyes, until I awoke to watch the early morning sun rise from behind the horizon.

"You're not dreaming!" It was a boy's voice that was yelling for me, he was holding my face. "Abbatha needs you!"

Abbatha, their world. The one that rests above earth, the only thing separating us being the universe. Distancing each of our worlds as far away as possible from one another, nothing but emptiness sitting between us.

Another voice – a boy also. "She's fading!"

I'm fading, what did he mean by that? I longed to find out but my eyes were closed, and they remained that way. I didn't want to open them no matter how badly I wanted to see. I didn't drop grip on my shivering lip either, I was too afraid.

"No!" The boy holding onto my face, his voice sobbed slightly. "I won't lose you again!"

It's just a dream.

I wanted to see his face, I wanted to see my fading body, I wanting to let go of my bleeding lip, the pain was excruciating! But I couldn't force myself to do any of those things, it hurt all too much. Even though I knew this was a dream, it was always a dream.

The boy's hands quivered. "Look at me Maka..."

I opened my eyes.

Water stung at my eyelids, tears finally being able to free themselves after being trapped beneath my them for so long. It pained greatly as they pressed themselves against my cheeks, slowly slivering down my face and lacing themselves around the boy's fingers.

Golden eyes. Blurred golden eyes. They stared dazzlingly into my green ones, creating brown forest waves to crash and fall in my very own eyesight. It was like magic, where the forest met the world for the very first time. I could feel the connection becoming stronger and more beautiful as my gaze remained fixated against the boy's.

"Now." He swallowed hard. "Look into my eyes, and tell me you don't remember me."

I knew their voice. I knew their eyes. I knew the way it felt to have their hands pressed against my cheeks. I knew this person. But as I tried to place my finger against who they were to me, everything just went blank.

My body felt cold. "I... can't."

"We can't keep her here!" The blue eyed girls voice was fading from beside me. "She's going back to the other world!"

I couldn't look away from the golden eyed boy, his eyes were tying knots inside my chest. They pulled tighter and tighter until eventually they just exploded against my ribcage. I grimaced in reaction to the pain. It burned.

"She's vanishing!" Cries surrounded me.

The boy's golden eyes were getting dimmer by the second, I could hardly see them anymore but I knew they were still there, staring down on me and watching me as my body faded away. From the eyes, the lights, and the voices. Everything was almost gone.

"Maka." I could no longer feel his hands against my cheeks. "I won't give up on bringing you back, you hear me."

My throat was growing tighter. "I... hear you."

Darkness filled the space around me, there were no longer lights staring in on me or fingertips pressing against my body, or two heart-warming hands on the side of my face. I saw nothing, felt nothing. I was, nothing.

Crashing sounds echoed through the darkness and then was followed by a screaming woman's voice. "Kid, calm down!"

Kid. I remembered the name.

I suddenly wanted him, I wanted Kid. I was suddenly afraid and I wanted Kid to sweep me away from the darkness and carry me to the world of Abbatha. I wanted him, needed him. I longed for every ounce of nothing but him.

"Death the Kid." My voice came out like a whisper.

Help me! Where am I? Where is everyone? Why can't I see you anymore? Why is this happening again? If it's a dream then why can I feel everything? I need you Kid!

I took in a deep breath of empty air. "Kid!"