Chapter 7: The Night Brings Fear

After spending a few hours at Maka and Soul's apartment, Kid finally goes home to prepare for the next day. While he was working with her, he noticed that, as soon as the moon began to rise, Maka started acting strangely. She seemed to be on edge and nervous, which was unlike her. He didn't bother asking because they had to concentrate on their assignment. Now that that's over with, Kid thinks, I can finally take it easy.

Meanwhile, Maka nervously paces in her room, unable to sleep. She looks out the window and, instead of seeing the moon, she sees images from her nightmares. She can still hear Soul's screams and Medusa's laughter. She knows that it's foolish to let something like a nightmare keep her awake, but she just can't seem to calm down. When she finally does settle down an hour later, she doesn't get any solid sleep. Finally, at one in the morning, she gives up on sleep and resumes her pacing.

Soul knocks on her door. "Hey, are you awake?"

Maka stops suddenly and her body tenses up. "Y-yes."

Soul walks in. His hair is messy and he looks half asleep. "What's the matter? You've been screaming all night."

Maka swallows and relaxes. "Oh…You could hear me?"

He nods. "It kept me up. I couldn't sleep."

She feels embarrassed to hear Soul say that. He heard me?! I hope I didn't say something stupid, she thinks. "G-gomen…"

Soul holds her by the shoulders. "There's no need to apologize. Just tell me what's wrong."

Maka bites her lip. She doesn't want to seem weak, but she knows that no one is perfect, so why should she pretend to be?

"I…I keep having nightmares," she explains, "nightmares about losing you…"

Soul's grip on her shoulders loosens. Nightmares about losing me? He thinks, She must care a whole damn lot about me to have nightmares.

"You won't lose me." He says firmly. He puts his arms around her and holds her close.

She grips his shirt so tightly that her hands ache. "It was so real…"

"I know, I know. But I'm right here—I'm real. Don't forget that."

She nods. "I won't…"

He lets go and looks at her, smiling ever so slightly. Before she can say anything, he scoops her up in his arms and lays her down on the bed. He sits next to her and pulls the covers up.

"I'll keep you company tonight." Soul says.

Maka hesitantly kisses his cheek. "Thank you."

He smiles. "Any time."

With that, Maka and Soul fall asleep. Unfortunately, the peace doesn't last long…

Maka is running from something—something is chasing her. She can hear laughter that sounds familiar. She looks up and sees the moon; blood gushes from its smile. Fog obscures her vision and she trips over something. She quickly gets up. When she does, she sees Black Star chained to a tree. She goes over to him, only to find that he is dead. His skin is pale and his body is shriveled like a prune. He is covered in blood.

"I killed him," says a voice from above her.

Maka looks up and sees Soul, except he looks more like the Kishin. "Why would you kill your own comrade?"

Soul laughs in a way that makes her shudder. "He would have killed me."

Maka looks to her right and sees Kid, who is also chained to a tree. He too is covered in blood. She knows that he's dead.

"Why?" Maka asks. "Why did you do this, Soul?"

He grins. "I was afraid."

He lunges and kills her with one swing.

Maka wakes up crying in Soul's arms. Her body is shaking and her heart is racing. "S-Soul…"

"I'm here." he says calmly.

She swallows. "This isn't a dream?"

He shakes his head. "No. This is the real world."

Maka slowly calms down. Her breathing is slower and more steady. "You're here."

"Always."

"I was so afraid…"

"You're safe now. There's no place for fear." He kisses the top of her head.

"No place for fear." She repeats. "Yes…Thank you."

I'll chase the nightmares away, Soul thinks.