DISCLAIMER: I do not own Soul Eater or anything to do with it.
It was a cold day in the church...
It looked cold enough outside even to snow today. Over the past few days, in fact... It had been nothing but dull, miserable weather. Nothing but heavy weeping showers of rain that seemed to go on forever, occasional angry roars of thunder in the ever-darkening evenings, clouds looming in the sky and desperately hiding the sunlight away, so it remained out of sight, and out of mind. As if it were a secret with no particular desire to be found out.
Listening to the priest drone on and on, words coming out of his mouth, but never quite being able to reach her properly... it wasn't entertaining. It certainly wasn't fun, or even mildly interesting to her, and she knew that if he'd gotten to have decided, it wouldn't be this way.
They were just words, after all. They could never replace what had really stood in the way of those words, until just a few days ago...
Just thinking about it made her wince slightly, sending a shiver down her spine, and now not only from the freezing temperature outside but from a pained feel of discomfort upon remembering a memory that she didn't necessarily want to think back to.
She'd gone back to that exact moment so many times. As if replaying the scene in her mind, and constantly pausing at the exact moment it had happened...
But she'd dwelled on that far too many times now.
She decided it would be best to find another distraction, and let her mind wander, and take her to a place far away from here.
Anywhere. Just not here.
"I'm bored..."
She had sworn to have heard a deep, yet calm and collected voice mutter next to her. However, knowing exactly what would happen if she were to turn her head now, and look next to her, she kept her gaze averted to the priest, looking slightly like a student who was bored in class, and instead silently murmured, "Me too..."
"How long is this going to go on for..?"
The voice half-asked, not even talking to anyone, but merely contemplating the situation and making a comment on what was going through his mind at that exact moment.
She knew he couldn't hear her. She knew that no matter how desperately she cried, no matter how loudly she screamed his name, he would never acknowledge her existance... He'd never reach out a hand, and pat her on the back, he'd never be there for her when she needed a shoulder to cry on, he'd never be able to defend her when she was feeling weak...
Hoping?
Hope hadn't a point anymore. It wouldn't change anything, as she knew by now, and had she been forced to accept it, gradually, maybe she wouldn't even be thinking about this. Maybe she'd be off in some better place. Maybe she'd be...
...Somewhere else.
But this world she lived in wasn't 'anywhere else', and it wasn't going to change just for her sake. It wasn't going to rewind itself, it wasn't going to go back and fix it's many pointless, unfair mistakes.
Perhaps, although she couldn't change anything, just remembering it might serve a purpose though. What if she just travelled back, turned back the clocks? Maybe if she thought about it once again, long and hard, it would allow her to come to a realisation... Like a mental trigger in her mind that would force her to feel again.
Perhaps if she simply did as people were actually meant to do in these gatherings, and remembered the certain something that was gone, she'd come to terms with it. Maybe it would make a difference... There had to at least be a point in trying. There had to be some other way out...
"Maka?"
A familiar voice called her name, and she gave a flick of her hair as she turned around to face her weapon partner, Soul Eater, somewhat cheerfully, although choosing not to show it.
"What?"
"Get on." He demanded, one foot down on the floor, and the other on the footrest of his shining red motorcycle.
He revved the engine, as if indicating at her again to get on the passenger seat.
"Yeah yeah, I'm coming..." She replied, almost rolling her eyes, but then instead climbing on the backseat and smiling in slight satisfaction as she felt the breeze hitting her face at lighting speed.
The first time she had ever ridden on the back of Soul's motorcycle, she remembered being very scared, constantly worried about something- be it his driving, anything that might not be working absolutely 100%, falling off the seat- there was always something on her mind preventing her from having fun.
However, now, after having known Soul for quite some time and therefore having gotten used to riding on the back of his motorcycle, it was quite refreshing. Instead of worrying, clinging onto Soul for dear life and praying they wouldn't crash, now she simply closed her eyes, and felt the cool winds rushing onto her face.
"Where was it- Some old street, right?" Soul asked, not looking away from the road.
"That isn't being very specific..." She murmured, albeit deliberately loud enough for Soul to hear.
Ignoring her comment entirely, almost as if blocking her out, he replied with; "You should know this Maka, which street is it?"
Now slightly annoyed, because Soul knew that Maka would remember the street, yet he still 'told her off', she scowled.
"I know the street."
"Then what is it? Kinda need to get there, don't have all day."
"Angels' Street. It's on the left after the town square."
He remained silent, although changed the direction in which he'd been going previously, and headed towards town square.
It was odd... This town wasn't far off from Death City, and whereas in Death City there was a recurring theme of death, and other gothic horror-type sorts of things, this place had a theme of... Afterlife, perhaps? It had a sprinkling of everything, although most words were somehow associated with the afterlife, or heavenly things... Angels, gravestones, spirits... Voices. It was like Death City, although more poetic; more beautiful. It made death seem like a far more welcoming place, far more like a smiling child with open arms, than a mysterious dark figure dragging you unwillingy to your end.
"We're almost there-"
"Wait just a moment..." Maka interluded, suddenly pausing and narrowing her eyes, looking more concentrated than she had before, more alert. And just a few seconds later, she suddenly gave a sharp request, "Stop!"
Slightly confused, though willing to obey orders from his meister, Soul's motorcycle came to a grinding halt at his command.
"I'm sensing a witch's soul... Two of them."
"Where?" He asked, becoming slightly more aware of his surroundings in an instant and hopping off the black leather seat.
Maka fell silent for a short moment, although then pointed to her left, towards a dark, damp, old alleyway, giving off a slightly unnerving sort of edge. The end wasn't quite visible, but there was another alleyway possibly to its right, judging from what Maka could see at least.
"Somewhere in that direction." She finally declared.
But there was some sort of feel to that alleyway- an almost disturbing feel, that could easily make someone become a little uncomfortable, a little more uneasy than normal. As if it had been the location of a murder, and possibly even a recent one. It just gave off a strange aroma that was, somehow... displeasing to the soul.
"But it's a dead end." Soul pointed out, possibly looking confused, but easily being able to described as a number of emotions.
"...Then that means..."
Maka suddenly moved a little closer towards the alleyway, carefully edging her way over to the heap of cardboard boxes that signified where it began.
"Soul, weapon form." She demanded in a hushed whisper, picking up the scythe after Soul had transformed swiftly into one.
As his reflection appeared in the scythe's blade once again, he asked, "Maka, what are you doing-"
"Sh, I'm trying to sneak up on her..." She said, eyeing the now-visible witch to the right of the alley. Although with this heavy blanket of fog, it was slightly harder to see than it would usually be.
"Wait, but... Where's the other one...?" She questioned herself in a whisper, growing confused as to why there was only one witch at the end of the alley. "I sensed two souls..."
Dressed entirely in black, the only color in her outfit was her blood red hair. She wore a typical pointed hat, and a long dress looking possibly inspired by that of a nun's. However, her mildly platformed, studded lace-ups looked slightly different; more edgy, somehow completely not going with her look, although oddly making it just right by doing so.
She was talking on the phone to someone, for some reason speaking a little quietly, and tapping her foot on the floor making the occasional echoing sound.
For the first part, Maka hadn't heard she was saying. She was too far away to be able to understand.
However, just then, she managed to hear the words 'ambush', and immediately grew suspicious of the strange-looking witch.
Until, after she put the phone down, and stopped tapping her foot creating an eery silence, a sudden other few words caught her attention much more.
"I know you're hiding there, girl."
She suddenly tensed up, but then took a deep breath and grew more confident. 'I am a DWMA student, I have to defeat this witch!' She thought to herself.
And so, cautiously although determinedly, she moved away so she was out in the open.
The fog helped to create the atmosphere, the tension seeping in like tufts of grey mist.
"I'll be taking your soul now." Maka declared, a certain smoothness to her words that could allow someone to tell she was a DWMA student with ease. A certain rebellious edge, though not suiting to her personality in the slightest.
Yet all of these blended together created a wonderful suspenseful atmosphere.
"...I doubt it." The red-haired witch replied, and suddenly attempting to attack the two by some sort of magic spell she used, similar to Blair's 'Halloween Cannon' technique, although instead of flying pumpkins, there were blood red roses in their place.
Luckily, Maka just managed to dodge this unpredicted attack, scythe gripped tightly in her hands, although not without a small scratch or two.
"Maka!" Soul called out, concern in his voice as his face appeared in the reflection of the scythe.
"I'm fine, Soul." She replied as she wiped some sweat from her brow and took a moment to calm down.
He was always like that, showing concern for his meister whenever she got a mere scratch. And it was because of this fact he had the scar across his chest... And it still haunted Maka to this day. She knew that it wasn't her fault- as she'd been told by Soul many times before- yet she still felt indescribably guilty.
Picking herself up off her feet, she ran towards the witch with her partner closely at her side, remaining in weapon form.
She had a certain look of determination about her, like she could do anything at all. Like 'impossible' was not a word in her dictionary, and nothing in the world could change that.
However, the mysterious witch's agile defence abilities weren't even comparable with hers, and it seemed she'd disappeared in less than a second.
"I'm up here!" She jeered, waving mockingly from a high rooftop above them wearing a sly grin. Before Maka got time to think, she found herself dodging another attack, this time slightly less easily than the first time. Struggling to get to her feet, she had underestimated the witch's power.
"What's wrong, can't handle me little girl?" She questioned with a dark giggle. "They're all the same. Thinking they can take on everyone, then being beaten like weaklings..."
"...Don't underestimate the power of the DWMA..."
"Oh please, I could beat you with my eyes closed."
"I wouldn't count on it!" She declared.
She dashed towards the witch, scythe gripped tightly in her hands, and furiously started waving it around in the attempts of hurting the witch. There had been some close calls, for both of them, although in the end, both remained perfectly fine. However, with each of Maka's attacks towards the witch, they got slightly closer, and eventually managed to make a large cut across her right arm.
"You stupid kid!" She declared in pain, though quickly picked herself up off her feet and dodged another vigorous attack cautiously.
"Your soul is mine!" Maka yelled, constantly making rapid movements with the weapon in her right hand and advancing yet again.
"...Hey kid," the witch panted, both having come to a halt, stood opposite to eachother as their shadows dramatically contrasted with the grey cobblestone beneath them. "Bet you can't... Bet you can't handle this..."
"What are you-"
"Try this one on for size!" She screamed. "Red roses red roses... BLOODY CANNON!"
And before she had time to think, Maka found herself flying backwards with the great impact of the witch's attack.
As Soul's face appeared in the scythe, he suddenly cried out; "MAKA!" and transformed back into human form.
"No, no, no..." He rapidly muttered, holding her frail body in his hands.
However, he lit up slightly when he saw her beautiful green eyes slowly flutter open again.
"S-S...Soul..."
"You idiot, I thought you were dead!"
"We have to... I have to fight..."
"Then God damnit get up and fight!" He demanded, attempting to pick her up, although to his surprise finding out he didn't need to as Maka slowly picked herself up instead.
She looked straight at the witch again, wiping a drop of blood from her forehead. A serious glint flashed in her eyes for a moment.
"Out of puff, little girl?"
"In your dreams!" Maka declared surprisingly strongly, then lurching forward before indicating to Soul to transform.
Just before he did so, he took a small sigh of relief, and then proceeded to help his partner out by transforming swiftly.
She smirked confidently, as she swung the scythe begin her, and then swung back down and managed to hurt the witch.
And her hand flew off her arm with a spray of blood, she let out a loud cry of pain.
"You... You idiot!" She cried, eyes closed and brow furrowed in rage. "Aaarghhhhhh!"
Seizing the opportunity to strike, Maka said a few final words to the witch, and then ended her with a single strike right into her head.
"I'll be taking your soul now."
And just like that, she was gone.
Transforming back into human form, Soul caught a short glimpse of her black silhouette fading away, and then becoming a purple soul, and he smirked upon seeing his meal in front of his eyes.
"Stupid witch." He muttered, grabbing the glowing soul in front of him and gazing at it for a short moment, before holding it up to his lips.
Maka was silent for a short moment, and Soul began to wonder why, although of course not until he'd fully devoured the soul.
"...Soul?" She asked eventually, interrupting the silence.
He looked up at his partner, and nodded briefly in response.
"...has anyone ever... died, on a mission?"
Slightly taken aback by Maka's rather unusual question, he raised a brow.
"I, uh... How am I supposed to know..."
She stayed silent at his reply, although then exhaled loudly and folded her arms over her chest.
"Better head back now."
"Roger."
"Motorcycle still where you left it?"
"Probably..." He answered, turning his heel to walk the other way, then being followed by his meister.
"H-Hey, uh, Maka-"
"AAARGHHHHHHH!"
A sudden scream cut Soul's sentence short, and both he and Maka turned their heads upon hearing it.
"Woah, Soul, weapon form, quick!" Maka demanded, quickly fleeing from the woman sprinting towards her at maximum speed, blonde hair flowing freely behind her.
A second later, her hands came to the familiar feel of steel, and Soul's face appeared in the reflection once again.
"Is this another one?" He asked with a slight groan.
"I dunno, but they look pretty darn similar, so... it's likely!" She implied, quickly dodging a sharp, long blade to her right. Looking back ahead, she saw that the woman was indeed a witch, for she'd used some kind of spell that elongated her fingers and transformed them into thin blades- temporarily of course.
"Phew..." She sighed, relieved that the blades hadn't hit her.
"You... You murdered my god damn s-sister..." She stuttered, a slight sound of anger to her voice. "You'll pay..."
"Sister... Huh. So that must be why I sensed two of them."
"Her quest... Kill all DWMA students..."
"What the hell is she going on about...?" Soul half-asked, confused, though mildly concerned.
"You'll pay..." She said through gritted teeth, her expression changing subtly from worry, to rage. "You'll pay with your lives!"
And just at that moment, she lashed out again. However, this time Maka was far quicker to dodge, and managed to make a cut somewhere on her leg.
"I wouldn't be so sure, witch lady." Soul commented.
"Why not? I could kill you easily... There would be nothing in the world I'd enjoy more!" She stated with a giggle, spears shooting out of her fingertips once again, making Maka wince slightly out of fear. Although, she then closed her eyes briefly, and when they opened, they had a look of determination in them.
"Maka, be careful..." Soul suggested. "She's dangerous."
"I know."
"Ring around the roses..." The witch quietly sung, a certain creepy sound in her voice. "I'm going to kill youuuu..."
"Jesus Christ she's creepy." Soul commented.
"They all fall down..." She continued to sing, slowly getting down from the roof, waving her fingers about as if playing an invisible piano. It was just the way the blades danced in the air, just the look in her eyes...
She lunged forwards, flailing Maka's shoulder with two of the thin blades, and causing the young meister to let out a small cry in pain.
However, every other one of her attacks she'd fortunately missed.
This witch was stronger. There was a dangerous sort of aspect to her...
Continuing to attack, she stopped for a moment. However, she hadn't stopped to catch her breath.
...She had stopped so she could get the perfect angle.
The spears at the ends of her fingers came closer, and Maka let out a sudden gasp upon realising just how close they were getting.
By the second, they rapidly came closer to her chest, and she had a short moment of stillness, realising what was about to happen.
Realising what was about to come to an end, realising what was about to become of her...
Nothing. She knew by now, and the blade was only a little more than an inch away from her chest...
However, at that moment, she froze.
Because, standing in front of her, being pierced in the chest and defending her...
"S-S...Soul?" She said suddenly, eyes widened in horror, as his blood dripped down his chest and onto her lap.
Her world turned into a blur, as a short silence followed her words. She couldn't think, she couldn't hear, she couldn't even feel anything, and her whole body had gone numb in fear. This couldn't be happening. This was a dream... Right?
"No, no, no, no this isn't fair, this isn't right-"
"Maka..."
Her eyes shone, as she held Soul's limp body in her arms delicately. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she looked right into his weak, half-opened red orbs.
"Get me to a hospital..." He said, although his eyes closed before he could continue.
Maka fell silent in horror.
"Soul?" She cried, shaking his his shoulders and attempting to force him to awake. "Soul, wake up!"
Her head dropped down onto his chest, and she listened for a heartbeat. A large sense of relief came over her when she could just feel a slow, faint thumping against her ear, and she closed her eyes.
With tears trickling down her face, and landing gently onto her partner, she whispered quietly; "Soul..."
Beep
Beep
Beep
This sound was keeping her sane.
This sound gave her hope...
Because, even though it was slow, it was still there.
The faint beeping, the movement of the line upon the screen, both reassured her that her partner, lying weakly in a hospital bed, was still somewhat with her.
They'd told her he might not make it. They'd told her that he wasn't looking good...
But she still had hope. That beeping sound, it was her hope. So long as it was still there, she was going to carry on telling herself that he was okay. Even though it slowed down more every hour, it was still there and it still had managed to give her some hope in her heart.
He hadn't woken up yet... But he would. He had to.
"Maka?"
A voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. Hesitantly, she raised her head, a certain look of despair shining in her eyes. Her cheeks stung slightly after having cried so much, and her throat was dry, but the most truly upsetting thing about her was her eyes. They looked so utterly sad, lifeless, like a stray puppy having been left in the streets by it's owner, abandoned.
Looking up, she saw a man in a stitched white lab coat, holding a clipboard in one hand and a needle in the other.
He looked somehow less emotionless than usual, a sad emotion detectable from his expression.
"...we have the final test results." He told her, unwillingly, though with a small hint of kindness in his slightly quieter words.
"How is he?" Maka asked, now standing up in her seat.
It took a moment before Stein could answer, although when he did, he closed his eyes for a brief moment afterwards, sighing to himself in sorrow.
"He's not looking good."
Maka stood still.
"...We're going to have to put him down."
She froze, and the only sound to be heard besides the beeping from the heart monitor was her shallow breathing. There was a short moment of quiet, an eery silence lingering in the air, and a deep feeling of sorrow in Maka's heart.
"B-But he still... He's still alive, he has to wake up..." She cried, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.
"I'm sorry. But there's nothing else we can do for him."
"No, no, no, I won't let you!"
"Maka, look." He calmly said, averting his gaze towards the heart monitor.
Wiping another tear from her cheek, Maka did the same.
"It's hardly moving at all. And his soul wavelength is weak." He said. "Whether we do it or not... The result will be the same."
And with that, he left the room.
Crying into her hands, Maka sunk to the floor.
The realization had hit her like a bus, and she'd finally come to terms with it. Her partner, her best friend in the world, and the one person in life who she really felt she could trust... was dying. Who knows how long she'd have left with him.
What would she do afterwards? She couldn't bring herself to live in a world without him, she didn't want to... but living was her only option. She'd be trapped in a never ending hell, and all she wanted was to be with him...
But she didn't want to die.
However, she suddenly stopped upon hearing something. Something she never thought she'd hear again, only in her imagination, if that. A voice that surprised her so much, she fell silent for a moment afterwards.
"M...Maka..."
She looked up, and then brought herself to her feet, gasping as she saw that it wasn't just her imagination after all.
With one eye opened, and a small tear looming by it, was Soul. He'd tried to smile, though was so extremely tired, vulnerable, he'd found himself unable to.
"S-Soul?"
"I'm not going to make it, Maka." He stated quietly, weakly raising a hand and intertwining her fingers with his. "But before I go..."
"You can't die..." She cried. "Don't die on me now, Soul, don't leave me alone, I don't want to..."
"You're strong... You'll make it." He smiled weakly. "And I just wanted to say... before I die..."
Maka sniffed again, forcing back tears, trying her hardest to be strong.
"...That I'm okay. It was either me or you, and... Maka... I died in the best way I could, by saving the person I love..."
"S-Soul, you-"
"I love you... Maka..."
She remained silent, but then had another small outburst of tears.
"Don't leave me please... don't leave me..."
"I'll never leave you, Maka... So long as you keep me in your heart, I'll always be by your side..." He told her, slightly reassuringly. Although he'd noticed too, now, that the speed on the heart monitor had gone down rapidly.
"Promise me... That..."
"What?" She sniffed.
"I want you to... I want you to keep living... no matter what..."
"I'll never forget you Soul." She cried. "I can't live without you. I'm weak."
"No, you're... Maka, you're the strongest person I know... And I'm glad that you'll be the last person I see, before I..."
"N-No, no..."
"I'm glad you were by my side." He said with a faint smile. "And I'll never forget all of the times we've had..."
"You can't... No..." She said, watching the heart monitor gradually slowing down. "You can't die, I won't let you!"
"I'm not leaving, Maka, I'll always be with you..." He said with a faint smile, ever growing fainter, until after his last words, vanished forever. "Cool guys don't leave."
His eyes gently closed, and he was gone.
Feeling his grip on her hand loosen, until gone completely, she froze.
"Soul?" She asked, the hope in her voice almost completely gone. As a silent tear rolled down her cheek, she shook his shoulders. "Soul? Soul! Wake up!" She shouted, sniffing. "Wake up, open your eyes! You have to wake up! You can't leave me!"
However, nothing but silence answered her.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the doorway, and Maka looked up to see her father, a sad expression on his face.
"P-Papa?"
He took a moment to look across at Soul's body, lying weakly in the hospital bed, and then saw that the heart monitor wasn't making any movements.
Maka lept forwards, and then wrapped her arms around him tightly, sobbing into his chest and closing her eyes in despair.
In return, he wrapped his arms around his daughter, forcing back a tear, and stroked her head.
He hated seeing his little Maka cry, but this... this was different.
Because Soul was gone... and he wasn't ever coming back.
Dong, dong, dong
The church bell rung. Looking behind her for a moment, looking back at the place where she's been grieving until only a few moments ago, she stood still by the gravestone.
And as she did, memories came flooding back.
The first time she'd ever met him, when she heard his beautiful piano playing. She'd been amazed, not only at his skill, but at how he'd managed to have her slightly unable to think clearly afterwards. It had been one of her most memorable moments, not only with Soul, but throughout her whole life.
The countless squabbles they had, the countless times she'd been called a 'flat-chested girl like you'. The countless Maka chops she'd given him...
But, even though these silly arguments happened, they were always forgotten quickly, and replaced with happy memories of laughing and smiling together instead.
When Soul had ended up in the infirmary, over protecting Maka from Crona... the feeling she'd gotten each time she saw his scar.
She remembered the time when she'd come home crying, and Soul was there, and she ran over towards him and sobbed into his shoulder. The feel of his arms around her was, an irreplaceable feeling.
And then... She remembered his final words. And his eyes slowly falling closed, as his hand fell weak and let go of hers.
'Cool guys don't leave.'
She looked up to the skies, and saw the grey clouds gathering above her. A slight shiver went down her spine, as she felt a cold raindrop go down her back.
'Has anyone ever... died, on a mission?'
Just remembering the question made her flinch.
But looking back to the scene, she realised, perhaps... it had been a sign.
Angels' street. Perhaps it was meaning to predict the future...
Perhaps he was up there, watching over her. Looking down at her with a smile upon his face, telling her to 'keep living'.
As she looked down again, a silent tear rolled down her cheek, although she sniffed and held it back.
'You're the strongest person I know.'
She stared up at the clouds, and clutched Soul's black and yellow varsity jacket he once had worn in her arms.
She knew, that this was the end... but perhaps, somewhere up there, he was watching over her. His red eyes were perhaps looking down to earth, and seeing her standing there, alone, wishing he was truly with her.
"You were my... You were my best friend, Soul..." She said, staring up at the skies as if in a peaceful conversation. "And more."
She smiled, meekly, feeling the rain softly falling down on her face.
"I'll never forget you... Soul, my angel..."
"...My angel in red."