There were a lot of shouting, all of it difficult to differentiate between friend and foe. Soul kept Maka close to him, and she was amazed that he was able to stay upright. Ragged breathes heaved his chest up and down, obviously having trouble breathing.

She would much rather have him be mad at her than for him to be suffering like this.

Soul tugged on her arm, nestling her between him and the wall as he looked around the corner. "No one's coming. Alright, we just need to go through a couple of more hallways and then we can get to the cars—!"

"What, no!" Maka drew back from him, finally able to get some clear thoughts in her head. "We can't just leave!"

His shoulder's slumped, not wanting to fight her, "Yes, we can. Maka, it's not safe for you here."

"But what about everyone else?" She wasn't about to abandon something that she worked so hard on. "Soul, people are dying! We need to at least get the vaccine, just one, and then we can leave—!"

"I can't do that!" Distress was painted on his face, and it scared her. His mask was cracking, and it scared the shit out of her. He glanced around the wall again, lowering his voice, "Please just understand that I have to keep you safe. I already screwed that up when I got sick."

Which was my fault.

"Then keep me safe," Maka grasped his hand and squeezed, feeling the coldness of his fingers, "Soul, you're—you're dying too. You need that antidote now. Just come with me, and we'll be out of here. Promise."

He squeezed back, but ripped it away so he could hack into the crook of his elbow. He wheezed, and every second of it broke Maka's heart.

"Fine, let's go." He muttered, but his voice was laced with understanding.

Maka nodded, and they took off. They rounded corners and constantly listened for gunshots that could be near them.

Her hand still in his, she silently pointed out the lab Ox told her the serum was supposed to be in. Soul nodded and took a deep breath, swinging the door open. He checked the room, making sure it was clear for the both of them.

He nodded for her to come in, silently conveying it was clear. Soul's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, and Maka was sure he was trying not to throw up.

"You okay?" It was a dumb question, but she asked it anyway.

She didn't get a verbal answer, which was what she expected anyways. He stiffly nodded, and kept his eye on the door.

She needed to find the vaccine.

The giant silver lock box at the back of the room caught her eye, and she immediately knew that was where the vaccines were. She reached into her coat pocket to pull out a set of keys, and unlocked the safe. Puffs of bitter cold air blew at her face, goosebumps crawling up her skin as she reached in to pull out a small bottle.

Maka looked at the bottle and bit her lip. Soul needed it. What if she injected Soul with it right now? It wouldn't take very long. It had never been tested, but what if it worked? The bottle she had in her hand was a stronger variation, or at that's what she read on the bottle. This could help him.

"You got it yet Maka?" Soul called out.

Maka held the bottle close to her chest. "Yeah."

He violently coughed again, and Maka was afraid he was going to hack up a lung. He braced himself on a table, trembling in a cold sweat that made her cringe. He mumbled that he was fine as he slid to the floor, but her narrowed eyes caused him to give a weak laugh.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm fine."

If anything, it made her worry about him even more.

"Don't give me that, you're not fine." She walked over to him and crouched down. "You're really are in no condition to move."

Soul gave an uncommitted grunt, rubbing his temples. "Just give me a second."

His breathing was strained, and his hair was matted with sweat. She had to inject him; there was really no other choice.

"Do you think you can take off your jacket?" She stood up to rummage the drawers for a loose syringe and some antiseptic. Faint groans and the rustling of fabric reached her ears as she held up the tool she was looking for. She grabbed a bag of cotton balls and made her way to him.

"What're you doing?" He looked up at her as she crouched down, trying hard to keep his eyes open.

She rolled up the black sleeve of his black t-shirt and swabbed it with the antiseptic, swallowing thickly. It wasn't the best of circumstances, but she would make it work.

"I'm going to give you the vaccine, okay?" Maka took the syringe and slowly drew out the liquid in the bottle.

The fight was completely gone in him at this point. His head drooped so his chin rested on his chest, mind numbing exhaustion taking over.

Maka placed the needle over the skin of his arm and applied pressure to the pump.

It was quick and it was painless.

She just hoped it worked.

The hours that passed by after that seemed like an eternity.

After Soul passed out and Maka gave him the injection, she moved them both so they were out of sight. It took a while, but she should have known to put her faith in Soul when he said that his friends could handle Arachnophobia.

She waited. She didn't exactly remember what she was waiting for, but she waited. She guessed it was trying to make sure that Soul would be okay, even though she there was nothing she could do at the moment.

She recalled sneaking up to the window on the door to see if there was anyone coming, whether it was Arachnophobia or Spartoi. Finally, whoever was in charge of the universe or her fate or whatever else was out there, Black Star came down the hall, his eyes alert.

She remembered opening the door and calling out to him, telling him in a slew of words that Soul got sick and that he passed out and that they needed to get him to a real hospital.

Everything after that was a blur.

The constant beeping of the monitor beside her was only mildly distracting.

She waited by Soul's bedside, watching his breathe in and out peacefully, like it was no effort at all. It was a total flip from what he had to go through, and she was so glad that he was recovering.

She watched his face when he stirred, shifting his body and groaning softly. His pale lashes fluttered as his eyes opened, focusing on Maka.

"Hey." He struggled to sit up, his bones creaking with each movement.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

He cracked a shark toothed grin, and she knew he was going to be okay, "Peachy."

"How are things?" It was a loaded with many answers, but Maka figured she would go the safe route.

"Things are good. Ox helped set up stations so people can get the vaccine. It's a slow process, but people are getting better."

Soul nodded and settled his head back into the pillow. "And you?"

She offered him a smile, as fake as it was, "I'm fine." He raised a brow, silently calling her out on her bullshit, so she conceded, "I guess I have to find a new job, which is kind of hard to think about. But I'll

Soul stared at her evenly for drawn out seconds, and the stillness of the situation started to make Maka restless. After a few moments of the unbearable silence, he finally spoke.

"You know, you could work here." He said it nonchalantly, but she could hear the underlying hope in his voice. "You're smart; we could use someone like you."

Maka smiled; flattered by his offer if not a little shocked. "You only want me here because I'm smart?"

"Maybe there're other things."

She stifled a giggle with the back of her hand. Not failing to utilize his sarcasm was a sure sign of his recovery. He was going to be okay.

She closed her eyes, letting a wave of serenity wash over her. "Yeah, maybe I'll think about it."

His hand found hers and he laced their fingers together. Unspoken words crossed between them and Maka knew that she could make a new life here.

It was a start of a new beginning.