Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.


Chapter 12: ...I'd need the sound of your voice

It is a unique feeling to feel like one has cheated death. Not in the literal sense, of course, because that would imply that Soul had cheated in that poker game with Kid and Black Star three months before his mission and Soul had done no such thing.

At least, no such thing that he was willing to admit to it.

But for Soul, cheating death was what he did every day. He did not die from his wounds, despite their severity, and it was as if his creator had something more for him. This was a different feeling. This was not just luck and chance anymore. This feeling could not stem from simply not being dead. This was a close call; a brush with death that scared everyone he knew.

Because Soul didn't particularly enjoy waking up in hospital beds -after his fight with Chrona, the hospital was the last place he wanted to be- and here he was, strapped to the bed like a mental patient.

He struggled against his restraints at first, the straps frustrating him incredibly. When that did not work, he looked around the room for other people, analyzing it. He heard a light breathing from the bed next door, meaning his fellow patient was sleeping. There was light pooling at the foot of his bed, which meant that it was still daytime. There was no medicine cabinet before him, which indicated that he wasn't in the Death City Infirmary. Soul knew he must have been terribly injured if he was stationed here instead of at the school infirmary with Stein. Yet, he could not quite recall what his injuries had been, nor where he had acquired him. He now only felt a more intense soreness in his left leg and a throbbing in his head that refused to cease.

There was a rustling in space next to him and he thought his neck was going to break at the speed that he turned, but it was only the wind slipping through the cracks and playing with the thin fabric of the curtains. He let a breath slip out from his lips. It was his mind playing tricks on him. Thankfully, there was nothing there, but it was still that lack of life that offset him. Where was everybody? And why was he strapped down?

He recalled...very little. He and Kid had gone out for something...a mission...an undercover one, if memory served. He had had to dye his hair, he recalled grimly, and even now the scent of the black dye and antiseptic of the hospital was enough to make him gag a little bit. How long had it been since he had started that mission with Kid? He remembered that it was only supposed to be a few weeks, except something new had come up and it had been extended to a little over a month. He hadn't been able to connect to anyone except Kid for that time period and then-

"Soul? I take it you're awake now?"

"Miss Marie?" He was stunned to see the golden haired teacher coming towards him with a clipboard and pen in hand. Her eyes were just as light as he remembered them to be, but her expression was one of strained politeness, if the way she tightened her fingers around the clipboard when he spoke was any indication. The tenseness in her shoulders could not be missed either, and he realized she was distinctly on edge about something around him, though he knew not what it was. She walked over to him and checked the IV he was hooked up to and the heart monitor alongside it. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you were a doctor."

"I'm not, but Franken called me in anyway. He needed me for this."

"What are you talking about?"

She exhaled softly, taking a seat in the guest chair beside him. "You were poisoned in your last mission with Kid."

"Poisoned?" he choked out, trying to stare down at himself but being acutely unable to. "How?"

"You both went to a university to find the rogue witch stealing human souls, remember?"

"Yeah.."

"Kid said that you guys went to a party you knew the witch would be at, however, she had spiked the punch in order to draw you both out; she succeeded because it wasn't alcohol she put in but a special kind of poison that increases blood flow."

"Oh." Well that explained it. "And I'm in the hospital because I lost it?"

"Unfortunately." He felt his heart drop to his stomach, a sick feeling slipping through his veins. He had let the madness consume him...

"What happened?"

"It was going fine until the witch approached you both and started fighting. Kid said she chanted a certain spell and then all of a sudden, your wavelength became uncontrollable. He couldn't wield you and had to cut off the connection."

"And then?" he asked hesitantly. He had to know what had happened, even if he didn't like it.

"Kid managed to fight the witch off on his own. He maintained his own strength and managed to drive her off, however by the time he came back to you, the Black Blood had spread throughout your body and he could not contain you alone." He was silent, trying to picture the image Marie was depicting for him. He could imagine it with too much ease; himself, writhing on the ground, trying to fight the madness that was sure to overtake him and cause him to hurt the people he cared about, and Kid, whom would have been doing his best to calm the weapon down, going so far as to use his Reaper shadows to restrict his movements while simultaneously worrying about the witch. "This was the closest hospital; you were too unstable to return to Death City."

"Is that why I'm strapped down?"

"Yes."

"Miss Marie," he asked after a moment, "why are you here?"

"Kid called Death City for some reinforcements, specifically for Stein since he knows more about the Black Blood than anyone else. Stein proposed that I help you since he knew I was in the area. Liz and Patti arrived not too long ago to ensure that Kid wasn't left unarmed," she added when she caught the distinct despondency on his face.

"Do the others-"

"Many at the academy send their wishes that you get better soon. Black*Star and Tsubaki personally send their well wishes and are on a plane to visit you as we speak. He said something about giving you a godly blessing when he has the spare time or something to that effect, though to be honest, I think they looked for a mission in this area just to see you."

"And Maka?" Marie's lips turned down at his tone and she glanced at the clipboard.

"She hasn't been notified yet."

"I see." He tried to look down at his body, still bound, and this time caught a glimpse of his arms. The lines where the straps had cut into his skin were fresh, the barest hints of scaring just visible to his eyes. He must of have been deep in madness to allow such wounds... "Don't tell her."

"What?" He shifted his gaze to her own wide-eyed countenance. "Why not?"

"I don't need another person worrying about me. And besides, she's visiting her mother back in Japan and I'm here in France. You tell her and it cuts her visit short. Besides, I'm better now, right?"

"Um..." Marie set the clipboard down on the bedside table and gave Soul a sad smile. "Not entirely. We weren't able to completely purge the poison from your system. It'll take a night or two more to do, but until then, you may have fits of madness, savage nightmares, and other things like that until it's completely out of you. Stein said that my wavelength should soothe most of the symptoms, but I think that Maka's could really be more-"

"No. I don't want her here." He shut his eyes tightly, trying to relax within his restraints. He couldn't get too worked up. Death knew what would happen if he did. "I was the one that insisted that I could make this mission without her. I had to prove that I could take this one alone. She can't know that this happened." Nails dug into bruised flesh and he breathed deeply to settle himself. "I'll wait this out, Miss Marie."

The blonde woman nodded and got to her feet slowly. "Soul, you probably already know but we won't be able to take those restraints off of you until we're certain that the poison is out of your system."

"...I understand."

"I'm sorry, Soul, I truly am."

"It's not your fault, it's mine. Thanks for being here. How's your daughter?" he asked instead, hoping to lighten the mood even if only fractionally.

"Oh, she's just fine. Franken's taking good care of her back in Death City, although I know he really wanted to be here with you." While he trusted Stein's expertise, the doctor was certainly not the one he'd prefer to work with.

"And you're sure that you're alright staying here?"

"Anything for one of my students," she vowed with a smile before slipping her pen behind her ear. "So, shall I bring in your friends? They were here before but they haven't really had the opportunity to see you awake and everything."

"Yeah, that'd be fine, I guess." he shifted uncomfortably against his restraints as Marie disappeared, only to be replace by the Thompson sisters and their meister, the death god himself. All three looked a bit tired, Kid most of all.

"Hello, Soul. How're you feeling?"

"Yeah, you kinda look like shit," added Liz lightly.

"I feel like it too. I'm sorry for what I did...before," Soul started cautiously but Kid waved it off.

"It was not your fault. It was the witch who drugged you. Even now, the solution runs through your veins and time is the only thing that can heal you permanently. It will take a week or so to officially rid itself from your system since the Black Blood is reacting so violently. You know," he gave Soul a measured look, "if you resonated with-"

"No," he protested quickly, "not you too, Kid. I don't want Maka here. I told her I could take care of myself and look where it got me! I'd rather not have to hear her nagging right now."

"I really doubt she would berate you for unknowingly getting drugged," Kid frowned, "but she is your meister, there fore it is technically your decision not to inform her." For once Soul thanked Death that Kid was raised to be more by the book than anything else. He would be saved the humiliation and worry of having to face Maka so soon.

"Black*Star should be getting here any minute," reminded Liz, arms folded across her chest. "There anything you need us to do while you're trapped here? I doubt there's much that idiot can handle."

"Nothing," he assured them, appreciating their support. To think that wouldn't have met them if it weren't for Maka...

:SOUL:EATER:

He hadn't expected it to take him over so quickly. It was a sharp pain, started from his chest and spreading like a wave over his body. He'd had been sane enough to claim he was sleepy, an effective excuse in getting Black*Star and Tsubaki out of his hospital room soon after their arrival however Marie remained. Now, he could hear the desperate beeping of the heart monitor and there was a panic button that he wanted to press not far from his hand-

But the Black Blood had spread there already, the demon within him rearing its ugly head, choosing to try and force its way out of Soul's bindings, even if that means breaking through Soul's already weakened body.

"Soul! Soul, can you hear me!" Marie cried, pressing the button for him and placing a pale hand on his cheek. "Soul!"

He couldn't move his mouth, his mind barely able to fit together what he wanted to say. It burned and every inch of him seemed to want to rip himself apart, implode and destroy everything in his reach simultaneously. A thousand needles in a thousand different parts of his body, and he couldn't escape any of it. It was hard to enough to see with the pounding of a sledgehammer in his head, the words he wanted all disjointed and broken in his mouth.

"Marie! What's happening?!" He could hear Kid bursting into the room alongside some doctors, see him move up and try to help restrain Soul, but he was volatile, inconsolable. Soul opened his mouth but instead of words, there was a string of wild laughter being ripped from his throat and filling the air. His body convulsed against the straps of his restraints violently, the leather breaking skin.

"Call her now!" she ordered and Soul couldn't stop her; no part of him could. The Demon relished the thought of having an opportunity to have the one thing that kept him in check close enough to destroy. They would call Maka and she would come to him and the Demon would control Soul if only to kill his meister, his only light in the darkness. The youth tried desperately to stop the possession but there was not much he could do. They'd have to restrain him.

"Where's the anesthetic?! And the sedative?"

"He broke the last needle!" one complained, another white cloaked doctor rushing out of his room and with him, their chance of subduing him. "We need a replacement."

"Soul," said Marie, her haloed face coming up above his. He could feel her wavelength trying to reach his but the Black Blood blocked her out fiercely. Whatever abilities she had had in the past seemed distinctly diminished this time, and the burning was becoming excruciating. It was as if there were shards of glass ripping through the sensitive flesh of his organs, tearing his soul into ribbons, splintering his bones while they remain in his body with painful accuracy. The soothing voice of his old teacher was lost as the sound of his own uncontrollable laughter filling the room. Even his vision blurred, Marie's golden hair looking more like natural sunlight than anything else. Her nails dug into the skin of his arms as she tried to hold him down amidst his thrashing.

He could catch bare snippets if he focused hard enough. The words 'distraction' or 'her' or 'help' made their way to him but they made no sense; nothing did. He just needed to stop the pain, stop everything. The whispers of the Demon were more like shouting in his mind, ricocheting against the caverns within and echoing through his entire being. He didn't recall ever being this conscious when he was possessed by the Black Blood and now he knew why. The sheer pain of it, the way it morphed his mind like fresh clay, had no doubt forced him to block out the memory. But how to get it to stop? He needed to stop thinking of suffering and Black Blood and the steady burning of everything he held dear. He needed it to stop. He needed it to stop. He needed it to stop. He needed-

"Soul?" He felt cool metal on his cheek and everything slowed down, his name echoing through his head like a hopeful prayer. The laugh died in his throat, blood seemingly frozen in his veins as she repeated his name again. "Soul? Soul, are you there?" There was a prick of pain in his arm, very slight, and all at once he could feel Marie's wavelength rush over him like a blanket. It consumed him pleasantly and wrapped him up, pushing back the Black Blood. "Soul, it's me. Are you okay? What's wrong?" Her voice was like magic, pressing against his soul and rounding it with its familiarity.

"It's working," he could hear one of the doctors say. "The phone call worked, Ms Mjolnir. The distraction was immediate and just in time."

But Maka was still saying his name, asking for him, softening his mind like feathers brushing against the darkness, urging him back to reality and distinctly away from the madness. He tried very hard to focus on her, the familiar lilt when she called to him and the ever present tone of worry.

"Soul," she said again, "Kid won't tell me what's wrong. Soul, are you there?" He took a breath, relishing in hearing her voice. It had been so long without her. He had missed her, certainly, but he didn't know he'd missed even her voice this much. Considering that it was staving off the madness coupled with Marie's physical wavelength and whatever drug they'd injected into him, he figured it was the best he was going to get. He blinked slowly, a drowsiness creeping up in the corners of his consciousness, threatening to take him away from her beautiful tones.

"I can hear you breathing, Soul, please just tell me what's wrong! Are you hurt?" Concern laced her voice and he could vaguely register the squeal of a chair being pushed back roughly followed by the opening and closing of a door. "I'm coming for you, don't worry. Whatever's happened, you'll be okay."

How could he tell her that he was no longer in danger? His last fit, though severe, had been handled. He didn't want her to worry. Or come to France. He didn't want her to leave her mother. She'd been so excited for it. All these years of waiting, of receiving flimsy postcards, and she could finally see her parent in the flesh.

A heaviness settled in his aching bones, leaden limbs preventing any movement. He tilted his head, pressing his cheek closer to the phone and said her name. Soul wished he could say more, but he was so tired. So sore. Even his twisted soul felt fatigued, drawing in Marie's wavelength greedily.

"Soul? Yes, you called me?! I'm right here. Soul, you don't sound like yourself. Explain to me what happened? Soul?! Talk to me, please." But he was fading far faster than he would have liked. Marie's wavelength was equivalent to a nap in the sun and the drugs would bring him back to his dreams any minute now.

"Maka," he said again, eyes drooping before closing shut altogether, her worried tones the last thing he heard before slipping into sleep, safe from her worry and eventual wrath at his foolishness until he woke again.