The world was tainted.

Marred by insanity and corrupted by madness, the sky and earth screamed for salvation. The sky, red and black, poured fiery rain onto the dry earth, scalding the long dead flora. Blackened trees stretched out, filling the new space with clawed branches. The fauna cried out, burning. They were dying, dying. Kishin laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

Until Death came to kill the laughter.

True, Death was a person, but he wasn't a wise sage like some may think. The Death of this world was smaller, louder, and not very bright. But the Death of redemption had something his predecessors didn't— a burning desire to once again bring the world into balance.

"BACK OFF!" Death, or (as he would rather go by) Shinigami, shouted as he swung his foot around and planted it in the side of the monster in front of him. The Kishin flew to the side with the force of the blow and tumbled along the ground. Shinigami wiped the blood from the side of his mouth as he tried to catch his breath. Earlier, he and his partner Eibon had been attacked by a hoard of Kishin. The two had separated in an attempt to thin the crowd. It hadn't appeared as if they had gotten anywhere, and the Reaper's stomach growled with hunger.

Shinigami had grown since he had become the Reaper three short years ago. Now a healthy fifteen year old, he had shot up in height and— as a side effect of becoming a god— had grown a short spike from the back of his head, directly attached to the part in his black hair. It had long stopped bothering him, although he couldn't quite get over the soft "boing" noise it made when he pulled it, much like a spring. Along with the strange spike, he now had three complete white lines haloing his otherwise jet black hair. As for clothes, he had already outgrown his old cloak. Therefore, he now sported a new one, the tails for this one coming down all the way to his ankles. The collar wrapped around his shoulders and ended in two spikes— one on either side of his body. He looked like any other teenager, really. It was just the sickly yellow eyes and oddly striped hair that threw others off. Oh, and the new spike.

"Eibon! How are you holding up, buddy?" Shinigami yelled across the clearing. His partner, Eibon, turned his head to glance at the reaper. Eibon had also grown since the battle for power, although he still only came to Shinigami's shoulders. With this new growth spurt, he had actually grown into his clothes, which had always been too big for him. His chocolate brown pants, cut so they came only to his knees, no longer needed to be tied. The lab coat was still a little bit long; well, rather, what was left of it. Years of fighting had worn it down considerably, leaving rips and holes in his shoulders and sleeves. He had managed to keep his two layered shirts, one red and one green, and his precious scarf relatively intact. However, even with the growth, he still seemed thin and meager, especially when compared to Shinigami. He swiped at another Kishin with his transformed arm, slightly sweating.

"Not so great," he groaned miserably. He had been fighting for the better part of the day, he hadn't eaten, and he was exhausted. Panting, he warded off another attack with his bladed arm.

Shinigami stopped, thinking as he tried to catch his breath. He looked around, grinning when he finally found something. Bowling over Kishin as he ran, he made his way over to a dead tree and stripped it of one of its branches. Shinigami knocked it a few times to make sure it was sturdy enough, then smirked. He jumped down from the tree and smacked a nearby Kishin in the face with his new weapon, sending it flying.

Shinigami's grin widened.

Another new trick to being the reaper was the advanced soul-sensing capabilities. Shinigami didn't necessarily look with his eyes when he fought; rather, he sensed where the Kishin souls were in relevance to his own and attacked that way. This way, he could sense the Kishin souls coming at him from any angle. He blocked an attack from his right without looking and stabbed the monster in the stomach with the sharp end of the branch. The Kishin cried out and began to deteriorate into black ribbon, leaving behind a round, red soul.

Shinigami twirled the branch in his hand and got to work.

Seeing his partner's success, Eibon tried to focus better on his enemies. After all, he was the one with the blade. He dodged an incoming Kishin and spun around hastily as it recovered and spun in order to charge again. As it drew nearer, Eibon readied his blade, raising it above his head. The Kishin was within a hairsbreadth of distance when Eibon finally cut down, slicing right through its cracked, dry skin. It exploded much like its teammate, leaving behind the same blood red soul.

Realizing he could only stab to inflict a fatal wound, Shinigami kicked away another Kishin and drove the stick through another body. When he had cleared enough space for himself, he snapped the branch in half. As another snarling Kishin pounced, the teen dropped to the ground, bathed in shadow as the Kishin sailed over his head. Gripping one of the branch pieces, he thrust the end into the monster's stomach. It screamed and promptly burst.

Shinigami fought and stabbed, using the branches to pull the Kishin in and end them in different ways. Head, back, anywhere was as good as any to drive the branch through. Eibon sliced and cut through the monsters, even stabbing one in the stomach as it approached.

When they finished, the clearing had become a field of red souls.

The same thought ran through both of their minds: We can't keep this up.

"Eat up, Ei! I'll go find some food." With that, Shinigami turned on his heel and strode away. Eibon frowned and gingerly took hold of a nearby soul. He hated this part; why did souls have to be so big? Stretching his mouth out to as far as it could go, he carefully placed it on his tongue and closed his mouth. He could feel a tiny surge of power course through him as he chewed the soul. He swallowed and felt the soul slide down his throat, leaving a cool trail of sticky slime. He shuddered and turned, groaning at the sheer amount of souls he would have to inhale.

Meanwhile, Shinigami had broken into a run, shooting past rows of dead trees. He assumed this place used to be a forest. The Kishin had turned this beautiful land into a graveyard. And it was all his fault. Shinigami grit his teeth upon thinking of his father. He swiftly navigated through the maze of roots and tree stumps, dashing this way and that, using tree trunks for leverage and a place to push off from and increase his speed. In a few moments, the forest finally ended and made way to the hills.

He stood in awe of the enormous city before him. Houses here resided on layers, snuggled into the knolls. At this time of day, citizens were out tending to their animals or doing laundry. Children played in the streets with sticks and rocks. Shinigami spared them a glance before making his way through town, hearing with advanced senses the gossip from the ladies and the talk of the working men. As this was his first time coming to this town, no one questioned his presence. He frowned and peered around.

"Where's the damn temple in this place?" he grumbled angrily, shielding his eyes from the sun as he turned this way and that. In order to please the gods, the food offered were some of the best in the town. And judging by the size of the town, Shinigami would have a feast tonight. He licked his lips hungrily, slurping up a bit of drool that had leaked from the corner of his mouth.

Suddenly overcome with the thought of food, Shinigami broke into a run. I've got to find that temple! he yelled in his head, hunger overpowering all his senses. He zoomed past the gossiping ladies and playful children, heading to the top of the hill. The temple was usually placed at the head of everything in the town to symbolize the gods' presence. He ignored the angry shouts and cries as he climbed a particularly steep hill, driven by only determination and hunger. Clawing into the ground as he ascended, he toppled over the crest and landed on his back, sighing in satisfaction. He stood up and gazed upon a grand, stone temple.

Grinning, he trotted over to the entrance and entered with his head high and back straight. Knowing he didn't have much time before the citizens put two and two together, he swiftly gathered as much food as he could shove into the pockets of his cloak. As he was squeezing a fruit into the inside pocket, he heard a footstep behind him. His body immediately locked up with panic, but he forced himself to turn and grin.

To his surprise, there wasn't an angry mob with torches and pitchforks. A girl only two or three years older than him stood there, her body and face obscured by the long black cloak she wore. By her outfit, Shinigami guessed she was some sort of storyteller. Perhaps an assistant, given her age. She began to walk over to him, her bare feet brushing against the dusty stone floor. When she reached him, she bowed.

The young reaper blinked in surprise. "Hello."

The storyteller extended her hands. In them was a small package, wrapped in cloth. She placed the gift in Shinigami's hesitant hands.

"Thank you," was all Shinigami could choke out, extremely confused. Most of the time people punished for stealing. Here he was rewarded?

"No, it is you who should be thanked," the girl spoke, her voice monotone but words genuine. "Thank you for saving our dying world, Reaper."

The boy grinned and scoffed. "Hey, it's my world too!" he laughed, rubbing the back of his head nervously. He wasn't used to being thanked just yet, but it felt wonderful. The storyteller quietly giggled with him before bowing once more and turning to leave.

Shinigami watched her go with a small smile on his face. Tucking the gift into his pocket, he left the temple with a bulging cloak and a big smile.

The smile faded as he was greeted by a mob of angry citizens wielding pitchforks and torches.

Shinigami laughed nervously, scratching his temple. As he saw the citizens tense for battle, the laugh died and he shot out of the temple grounds, hotfooting it into the city. He slid down the steep hills, generating a cloud of dust as he descended. A lady folding her laundry coughed and yelled as he passed, but he ignored her as he ran into the city's inner walls.

He glanced behind nervously. The mob had descended the hills as well, and were now several feet away from him, yelling angrily. Several guards, hearing the commotion, had left their posts to join the furious crowd. I've gotta slow 'em down somehow, the young reaper panicked. He skidded into a nearby alley and ran forwards. As he came across a merchant's stand, he jumped and latched onto one of the woven branches on the roof's ceiling. As he swung across, he knocked over many of the merchant's priceless vases, purposely aiming them to land in the street. They crashed as he landed on the other side and continued to run.

Unfortunately, his trick only slowed the women in the mob down. The more powerful and less moral men simply jumped over the broken vases as the women bent to pick them up. Shinigami growled and turned another street corner, coming into the market square.

He glanced around, looking for a way to escape. Suddenly, he saw a pack of black robed holy men, their heads bowed. Shinigami snuck into the middle of their group and bowed his head as well, folding his hands and pretending to be praying. That is, until he heard a yell.

"There he is!"

The young reaper cursed, thinking that would work. "Thanks, guys!" he told the men, patting one on the shoulder before hastily making his escape. Running into another alley, he jumped onto a nearby wall and, using it as leverage, propelled himself to the roof of a low building. Unfortunately, the food weighed him down considerably, and he misjudged his jump. He just barely caught the edge of the building, his fingers scrambling for something to hold onto and his feet slipping on the side of the building as he struggled. Glancing behind him, he gasped as he swung his body to the left to avoid a sword strike from one of the guards. The unarmed men took to throwing rocks at him, one smacking directly against the base of his head. Shinigami groaned as his vision went white for a moment, then sharply snapped into focus as he heard a sword embed itself approximately three inches from his left leg.

He finally found footing in a crack in a wall, and used the small leverage to hoist himself up. He scrambled to his feet and started across the rooftop. Hearing noises from behind, he glanced back and noticed the guards climbing the walls. He started to panic; what if he couldn't lose them in time? He leapt across an alley and onto another roof when he saw it- one jump between two buildings. The last jump before the forest. A jump no one was able to make, especially when weighed down by produce and dead animals.

But Shinigami liked to think positively.

He raced across another roof and another jump, now on the building of the big jump. Behind him, he could hear the guards: "He'll never be able to make that. We'll have him then." Smirking, he increased his speed. The edge drew closer and closer as he approached. Pushing himself to his limit, the reaper began to time his steps as he neared the edge.

Finally, he stepped directly onto the edge and pushed off of it, driving himself into the air. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as he sailed through the air. He grit his teeth, willing every fiber in his being to go an inch further. The ledge of the opposite building drew closer and closer, until...

Shinigami slid forward as he landed on his feet, crouching low as to avoid injury. He jogged away as the dust settled, snickering to himself.

"Suckers!" he snorted.

"I return with a feast!" Shinigami announced proudly as he strolled into the clearing. Eibon sat up from his laying position on the ground and gave Shinigami an annoyed look.

"Don't steal more than you need to," he scolded quietly. "You're taking from innocent people!"

"Who were offering up precious food to things that don't exist!" Shinigami complained. "They should be offering that to me!"

"But now they'll have to replace that food," Eibon reminded him. "Those people are suffering just as much as we are!"

Shinigami threw a mango in Eibon's lap. "Eat up," he said simply. "We don't know when we're going to eat again."

Eibon didn't argue. As he bit into the sweet, red fruit, he heard Shinigami chomping noisily on a piece of cooked meat. Eibon looked up in repulsion as Shinigami chewed on the food without biting, leaving it slobbery and disgusting. The younger sighed, absentmindedly licking the juice that had dribbled from the bite in the fruit. He watched as Shinigami haphazardly tossed food from his cloak while eating. It was the usual items: fruit, meat, bread. Eibon was struck by curiosity when Shinigami threw a package down, however.

"What's in there?" he asked. He immediately began to hypothesize. Maybe it had been a gift from a child, or a poor woman, in return for the gods' favor.

"Huh? Oh, that. And before you give me that look- hear me out!-I actually didn't take it. A storyteller gave it to me. Dunno what's inside."

"It could be a trap!" Eibon accused.

"What could possibly be inside that could harm us?" Shinigami pointed out. "At this point, there's nothing we can't use. Anyway, I thought it was nice."

"I still don't trust it. Why would they just give it to you for no reason?"

The reaper sighed, shrugging. "Like I said, I dunno. If it bothers you so much, let's open it up, Mr. Paranoid."

Eibon tensed as Shinigami put down the meat and reached for the package. His fingers traced the outline of the folded fabric, looking for the source. Finding it, he gently tugged the cloth off.

And laughed.

"Look, Eibon," he said, showing the boy the gift. "It's a present from Mabaa."

It was a beautifully sculpted clay figure of a dragon, its teeth bared and eyes sharp. It was very finely detailed, even down to the texture of the scales and roughness of its wings. Shinigami gazed it appreciatively, a smile gracing his face as he turned it this way and that.

"I-It could be one of her bombs!"

"Calm down, Ei. I think it's nice." He held it to his chest, gently stroking its head. "I wonder if she made this herself."

Eibon could only groan and fall forward, smacking his head against the ground.

Tucking the gift into his cloak pocket, he quickly changed the subject. "Ah, so Eibon, did you find shelter?"

The boy shook his head regretfully. "Sorry, I couldn't find anything. No caves, no nothing."

"Ah." The reaper gazed at the dead tree branches. "Then I guess we're sleeping in a tree tonight." He sighed. "I hate that..."

"Sorry."

"Don't be."

"No, I mean for-"

"Don't be."

Hard. It was very hard where his head rested. Curious. He distinctly remembered falling sleep on Shinigami's soft shoulder. A very confused Eibon stirred, clawing at the rough bark under him. In an attempt to sit up, he moved the slightest bit to the right.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open as he fell through the air with a gasp. His back smacked against the tree trunk and he spun along the ground before coming to a stop. He groaned as pain shot up his back. Bearing with the extreme pain, he heaved himself up and sluggishly stumbled along the ground.

"Shingam-samah?" he slurred sleepily, yawning. He forced his tired eyes to open fully— or, at least, halfway. He caught a glimpse of black laying on a hill by the clearing before his eyes closed again. Using moonlight to guide him, he dragged himself to the hill and collapsed on his back next to the black object, the searing pain shooting up his spine again.

"I guess you're wondering why I'm not sleeping," the black thing began, and Eibon knows his guess was correct by the sound of his friend's voice.

"Mm," he hummed tiredly.

"I can't sleep." A sigh. "Something's been bothering me lately."

"Mm?"

Shinigami paused. "...I miss Kid."

"Mm."

"I miss him so much. It...it kills me to know that I won't see him for another- well, who knows how long. And by then, I'll be an adult. I'll think differently. I probably won't even remember."

"Mm."

"And I miss Liz and Patty, too. I miss them all."

"I miss them too," Eibon mumbled through only slightly parted lips.

"And...I just...I can't wait. I don't want to wait."

"You have to."

Shinigami raised himself on his elbow to glare at his friend with glowing yellow eyes. "No, I don't! I want to see him!"

"You have a duty here."

Shinigami growled, throwing himself back on the grass angrily. "You don't understand. You're not a father."

"Neither are you!" At this point, Eibon had awoken some more. "You'll just have to accept that you won't see him for a while. But remember your promise! You're here because you're fighting for him to be able to live peacefully! Don't you want that? You don't want Kid to grow up in this place, do you?"

"..." Shinigami sighed in defeat. "No."

"Good."

After a few moments, the tension slowly dissipated. Shinigami glanced over to his partner, only to see that the boy had already fallen asleep. The reaper shook his head.

"I need you, you know," Shinigami murmured, knowing that Eibon was quite the heavy sleeper and thus wouldn't hear him. "I know I act like a jerk all the time, but really I don't know what I'd do without you."

There were a few moments of silence before the reaper boy slowly closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him.

He didn't see Eibon's soft smile.

Shinigami: Yo! What's up? Shinigami here! Well, how'd you guys like the first chapter? I know it must be awesome because I was in it.

Eibon: Tell them about the story.

Shinigami: Huh? Oh, yeah! Welcome to A Leap Through Time! Action! Comedy! Drama!

Eibon: Romance.

Shinigami: *claps hands over Eibon's mouth, muffling Eibon's protests* No! No romance! This is Soul Eater! We ain't in no shoujo manga!

Eibon: On the next chapter of A Leap Through Time- "The Leap Through Time! Shinigami and Eibon's Grand Entrance?"

Shinigami: Wait, what's a shoujo manga?

A/N: I know what you're thinking: "Star, you finished Through the Crystal Ball six months ago!" And to that I say "It was five." But my point is, it also sucked. Barely a plot, no character development...it was just terrible. I would edit it, but I don't even know where to start. So in exchange, I'm gonna make this the best fanfic I've ever written. There's plot! Other characters! Character arcs! And Shinigami! Just use Through the Crystal Ball as reference. Damn, I love this story and I haven't even written most of it yet. Trust me guys, it's gonna be awesome. So take a breath, take a bow, and take the leap!