It may take a little longer for episodes since I'm getting slower on ideas. I appreciate all the support so far though! Thank you! *GRAPHIC WARNING*

Maka grimaced as she once again braved the cold of Russia, the chill hitting her bones as soon as they had stepped off the charter plane. It had only been just over a month since returning to Death City and the meister missed the warmth of the desert already. Tsubaki seemed fine with the cold but Black Star…

"It's so cold my nuts are practically in my throat!" The ninja screamed as they began the trek back to Innopolis, birds fleeing in surprise from the surrounding trees.

"Maybe it'll shut you up for once!" Maka hissed as she threw a snowball at him, just missing him. "You don't know who or what is nearby, so I suggest you hurry up and choke already!"

Soul snickered as he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, watching as Black Star opened his mouth to speak but changed his mind once getting a stern look from his partner. It still amazed the weapon how fast the obnoxious ninja could be shut up without any spoken words from his partner.

"Maka's right, Black Star, there could be enemies around us so it would be better to remain silent. Dissolve in the darkness and erase your breath." How she put up with him was beyond the scythe meister, but there was no one better suited to shut him up.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Black Star muttered back as he clasped his hands behind his head.

They had been dropped off within about a mile of the small town, due to the lack of drivers for the snowmobiles. Luckily it was a rare partially sunny day, the snow reflecting brightly as they crunched through it. Maka wondered if the nice Inn lady was still there or if she had left after the pre-Kishin had been defeated. It was nice to feel a mother's embrace after so many years of not having one. Her mother had sent a few more postcards over the years, but there usually wasn't anything written on them, just pictures of the places she was. Maybe she would just check using Soul Perception, to see if she, or the others, were still inhabitants of the area. Taking a deep breath in, the meister slowed her steps to a halt, eyes closing as she sensed for the familiar soul. She could clearly see Soul, Tsubaki, and Black Star, so she pushed further out, spreading her scan far and wide.

"What's up, Maka?" Soul and Tsubaki stopped walking as Black Star addressed the stilled meister. "Sense something close?"

Maka's eyes shot open and she stared forward with wide eyes, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. Soul was at her side in an instant, trying to divert her attention to him, hands on either side of her face.

"Maka, what's wrong? Hey, look at me."

"They're gone…" She whispered, looking into Soul's worried eyes. "The souls, they're…there's a faint one left, we need to hurry!" The meister pushed past them and began to sprint, hair flying wildly behind her. Without a second thought the others followed.

Tsubaki transformed as did Soul, the weapons being caught with ease by their meisters. Soul shortened his blade and wings began to grow on either side of the scythe, Maka swinging her leg over without losing her pace. Black Star had activated Shadow Star form, easily keeping pace with the flying meister. Soon, Innopolis came into view on the horizon, the shambled buildings still standing.

"What are you sensing, Maka?" Soul asked as they slowed upon entering the town, coasting over the snow with ease.

"Nadia…"

"The woman from the Inn? Is she –"

Maka suddenly slid from the scythe and willed it to change its form, the wings dissolving away to reveal the death scythe blade. Something was very wrong here. The buildings mostly looked the same on the outside as a few weeks ago, but there was a strange heavy aura hanging over the town. The two meisters walked cautiously through the town, eyes peeled for danger. As they approached the Inn, it looked far worse in shape than before; practically the entire second floor had caved in on itself, roof shingles piled on either side of the dilapidated building. Windows were blown out, shredded curtains snagging on any remaining shards of glass as they billowed violently from the wind. Piles of snow had drifted in through the windows, covering anything in its path with fresh powder. A flash caught Maka's attention and she turned to stare at the Inn with narrowed eyes. A familiar soul, fading fast…

"Whatever you need to do, Maka, we'll cover it." Black Star landed next to his childhood friend, eyes scanning the area. "Even I can feel something isn't right here. Now get going," Maka nodded before sprinting towards the Inn, a sinking feeling in her gut.

With a heavy kick, the old wooden door caved in and landed softly in a pile of snow, sending a cloud of the substance floating into the air. It was weak, but she could feel the soul just ahead, back towards where the showers were. Part of the second floor had collapsed onto the first, making it more of an obstacle course than the meister expected. Luckily, she was still thin enough to squeeze between two fallen beams, though her hips seemed to snag for a few moments in the small space. The closer she got, the more her heart pounded heavily against her rib cage. Nothing was making sense; why had the town suddenly become even more worn down and decayed in a matter of weeks? What happened to the remaining villagers?

"Maka, something doesn't feel right here." Soul warned. "Be on your guard."

Glass crunched under her boots as she cautiously weaved and ducked around debris, jagged wooden beams snagging at her thick jacket as she passed. The doorway to the showers was still intact, albeit the frame was painfully bowed down by the weight of the second story. Movement caught her attention and she swiftly swung the scythe to her front, the blade gleaming dangerously.

"Show yourself."

"Deti? Is…is that you?" A weak voice spoke from beneath a pile of rubble in the corner. "Maka…and Soul?"

"Nadia! Are you alright? What happened here?" Maka rushed to the pile of rubble, falling to her knees as Soul transformed back to help shovel the debris away. "Where is the rest of the town?"

"Deti…there were more creatures…they were waiting for you to leave…please, leave me and go…it's a trap…" Nadia wheezed out, a wet cough following.

"More creatures? How many can there be?" Soul grunted as he tossed a larger chunk of wood behind him. "Nadia, what happened to the rest of the villagers?"

It became quiet and both meister and weapon shared a panicked look, tossing the debris as fast as they could. As her body became visible, Maka gasped in horror and Soul clenched his jaw tightly. A piece of rebar had pierced through her abdomen and was jutting out through her back at a weird angle, dried blood soaked into her clothing. Her head was resting on her left arm while her right arm had been crushed by the debris. Fresh blood was trickling from her lips, plopping softly onto her arm.

"Oh…oh no…Nadia, please, talk to me…" Maka whispered as she shakily brushed bloody clumped hair away from the woman's face. "Please, answer me…"

Slowly, Nadia's eyes opened. The light was fading fast from them, her soul flickering as its flame was extinguishing. She shifted her arm from under her head and awkwardly reached for the meister, her stiff fingers locked in place. Maka softly grabbed her hand, holding it firmly as tears spilled down her face, emerald eyes filled with despair.

"I am glad…to have met you…Maka, Soul…I wish to see my family now. Know that my…my love will follow and protect you…protect her with your life, Soul…and know your love makes each other stronger…I love you, moya doch', moy syn." With a final shaky breath, Nadia passed, a small smile on her face as unseeing eyes stared into space.

Maka let out a sob as the hand she was holding fell limp, the warmth quickly evaporating in the frigid air. With care, the meister gently laid her hand down on the rubble. Shaking fingers lightly closed her eyelids, giving her a more peaceful appearance. Strong arms wrapped around her and she crumbled into them, sobbing against Soul. The weapon held his meister as she cried silently, red eyes drifting to the peaceful expression on Nadia's face. His vision watered and a few tears slipped down his face. She was like the mother neither of them had; she fed them, groomed them, comforted them, showed them love and treated them like her own children. The grief was like a knife through the heart, but there was some comfort in knowing she was reunited with her real family.

The cold was soon biting at their faces, the tears nearly freezing to their skin. Maka was still clutched against his chest, fists knotted in his coat as she grieved, her chest shaking with hiccups. Soul knew they needed to move, to get out of the cold, but with her sitting against him heartbroken…

"Soul, Maka! Get the hell out here, we've got company!" Black Star yelled into the building ruins, his voice echoing loudly in the rooms. "Looks like those creatures are back for round two!"

"We need to go, Maka, can you stand?" Soul asked gently as he grabbed her arms and pushed her back, her eyes and face red from crying. "You can grieve later; now you've got the chance to make sure she rests in peace by killing those things. All those people were killed because of these creatures, we can't let them have died in vain."

It took her a moment, but the meister slowly looked up at her partner, green eyes shining with pain. He was right, like always; with a small nod, they stood close together, foreheads touching as their fingers intertwined. She could feel the grief shifting towards anger as Soul gave her strength, green locking with red. He gave her a crooked grin as his body began to dissolve, the smooth shaft of the scythe resting firmly in her hands.

"Let's go…Soul Resonance!"

They were fast, Black Star admitted, but not fast enough for the shadow ninja. With ease he sped past them, slicing them with Shadow Star Zeroth From: Masamune Infinity. By the time he had emerged at the back of the hoard, the creatures gave out agonized screams as they were split in half, bodies exploding into thick black particles. More were crawling from out of houses, over roofs, and even digging themselves out from deep snow drifts. With a grin, the ninja launched himself forward, letting out a battle cry as he aimed for the center of the wave.

Maka stood on the remnants of the Inn roof, Demon Hunter humming silently in her hands as she watched the battle. The black blood had been activated, and her thick winter attire faded away to reveal a tight strapless black dress, matching gloves adoring her arms. After Soul had ascended to Death Scythe status, the black blood armor had changed, even years after the battle with Asura, and it had become almost like a second skin. Black heels covered her feet, ribbon straps intertwining themselves around her calf. Winged hair accessories fit perfectly on top of her pigtails, giving off an intimidating factor to her outfit. Green eyes followed the blue haired ninja as he bowled through the waves of creatures using Shadow Star techniques left and right.

"Can't let him have all the fun, Maka," Soul casually mentioned. "These ones look smaller than the first one. Shall we?"

"I'll lead this time." Maka said as she placed her hands in the proper dancing position on Soul.

"Taking charge now, are we?" The weapon's grin grew as a light blush appeared on the meisters face. "Alright then, lead the dance."

The music was the same; a slow classical composition that had played hundreds of times over the years, almost becoming white noise to the pair as they swung. The little demon was nowhere to be seen, most likely hiding behind the closed door in the corner. He hadn't been seen or heard from in weeks, not since Maka was floating in the darkness. Usually the little bastard spent most of his time taunting Soul as it was his main source of entertainment.

"I haven't seen the little demon," Maka commented as she twirled away from Soul, his hand guiding her back to his chest. "For a few weeks at least."

"He's probably hiding behind that door. If this room still exists, he's still here somewhere." Soul's eyes shifted to rest on the door. It almost looked like the door was slightly cracked open…

"You remember everything from that night, don't you, Soul?" Maka suddenly stopped, watching the floor with high interest. "What he said about the black blood? And that creature…"

Soul looked down at his partner, watching as she nervously chewed on her lip. He remembered that night clearly, the memory burned into his mind. Just her mentioning it brought back a flash of the creature, holding her by the throat before plunging its claws into her stomach. It made his stomach churn at the memory, a heavy feeling gripping his chest tightly.

"We were resonating at the time…so yeah, I did see it."

"I don't think that was just a nightmare, Soul, I think it was a premonition of sorts. Maybe it's connected to everything that's been happening lately. There's no other explanation I can think of."

The weapon could feel the turmoil of emotions swirling around in his meister, his own soul mirroring them. When she was unconscious, she would have the same nightmare about the creature; each and every time it would torment her before killing her a different way each time. Claws through her chest, through her heart, slicing her throat, even going as far to decapitate her at one point. It made him sick; he couldn't even wake her up to stop the nightmare, instead grabbing her hands and holding them tight as she struggled. He wasn't sure how many hours of sleep he had gotten while she was out, staying by her side until Blair kicked him out to eat or shower.

"Do you remember any of the nightmares you had when you were unconscious?" Soul asked suddenly, surprising his meister.

"I don't think so, why? Did something happen?"

*~B~*

Maka leapt from the rooftop, Demon Hunter spinning effortlessly in her hands as she dove for the horde of creatures. With a fire burning in her soul, the meister let out an angry scream as she swung the scythe, tearing through their bodies as if they were paper. Over and over she swung, her veins burning as she slayed everything in her path. A thick black ash began to blanket the area as the two meisters exterminated the pre-Kishins, slaying each and every vile monster that lunged for them.

"Is this what you and Maka fought last time, Soul?" Tsubaki called from her Shadow Star Second Form. "They're like nothing I've ever seen."

"Yeah, but these are smaller than the one we fought. Even with the Black Blood, we were struggling." Soul grimaced as Maka caught a claw across her arm, blood spraying into the air.

"Oi, Maka!" Black Star called out as he easily dodged deadly claws before blasting his soul wavelength into the back of his attacker. "Wanna see who kills more of these things? I'll bet you a week's worth of ice cream!"

"You're seriously trying to make a bet right now? In the middle of all this?" Maka yelled over the horrendous death screams. "Make it two weeks and I'm already at thirty-seven kills!" With a quick swish of her blade, another three creatures exploded into oblivion. "Correction; forty!"

"HA! I'm at fifty-five! You'll never catch up to the great Black Star!" The ninja cackled before upping his slaying, eyes gleaming with joy as he took on the challenge.

*~B~*

"You realize he'll probably now destroy everything in his path, right? You'll be buying him sundaes every day." Soul pointed out as they resumed their swaying across the red and black tiles.

"He's got the energy for it right now, so why not let him have his fun?" Maka shrugged as she rested her head against his chest.

She never told him, but her shoulder was still killing her from the previous battle. He wouldn't have let her jump in so recklessly had he known she was still recovering. It was probably just a pulled muscle or something. It would be healed within a few more days with a hot compress and rest, though swinging around the scythe as recklessly as she was right now was probably not the smartest idea.

"He's never going to live this down," Soul drawled on as he clasped his hands around her waist, resting his chin on sandy locks. "I can already hear him kicking the door down screaming for his reward."

"Guess we'll have to do more missions to keep up with his atrocious appetite." They swayed back and forth, embracing one another as the music became white noise in the background.

Soul was hesitating to bring up the nightmares Maka had no remembrance of, not wanting to think about them himself. The way her face was warped in agony and surprise, tears streaming down her face as she silently screamed. The creature standing in front of her with a mirror image of the meister, a sinister grin showing jagged teeth that oozed acidic slime. Even now he could barely get a full night's rest without seeing at least one of those images and he always shot straight up in bed, drenched in sweat.

Curiosity poked at his soul and he broke from his thoughts to see his partner staring up at him with a notched brow.

"You haven't been responding to my questions. Is everything alright?"

"Just thinkin', that's all." He gave her a toothy grin, but she looked right through it as she placed her hands on her hips and gave him a stern look. Guess they were talking about it now. He sighed. "I asked you earlier about those nightmares, right?"

"If I remembered them, yeah. I don't have any memory of them for some reason." Maka relaxed a little as she turned and slowly strolled towards the lone chair in the room, tucking her dress under her as she sat. "Everything is hazy when I try to recall what they were. Sometimes I get a sharp headache when I push it too hard."

Soul took a seat on the edge of the piano bench, sitting just a few feet from her as he studied her expression. Her brows were knitted together as she racked her memory.

"I think there's a reason why you can't remember them, Maka. Your mind doesn't want to relive the trauma." Maka gave him a strange look and Soul just laced his fingers together, looking everywhere but at her. "I…know what they were. I saw them when I touched you trying to wake you up. They're…not something you want to remember, trust me on that. I can't get the images out of my head, no matter what I've tried."

"Soul…"

"Every night it was something different, a different way you…you died. That creature was the one who did it, killing you while wearing your own face—"

"Soul…"

"I couldn't stop it, Maka, I couldn't save you no matter how hard I tried to wake you up. You were screaming…Kami, the screaming…"

Gloved hands suddenly pulled at his face and he jerked up in surprise, his vision watery as green eyes locked on his. When had he started crying?

"Soul, breathe. It's okay, I'm here, I'm alive. That thing won't get to me, I promise you." Maka carefully wiped away his tears with her thumbs, giving him all the time in the world to compose himself again. "As long as we're together, we can overcome anything. I'm with you, no matter where you go."

Soul snorted as he grabbed her hands, kissing each of her fingertips softly before bringing her closer and closing the distance between them.

"Using my own words against me? Not cool, Maka, not cool." Maka giggled as they parted, faces flushed.

"I figured I would need them someday, so I kept them. Seems I was right."

"Such a bookworm,"

There was no end to the hordes of hybrids, overflowing from the trees and deep snowbanks surrounding the town. Black Star was still going full blast, darting through the sea of creatures faster than the blink of an eye. The area had become covered in the black powdered substance, turning the once pure white snow to an ugly decaying gray. Maka was struggling, surrounded on all sides by snarling jaws and sharp claws. All she could do was stay defensive, whirling her scythe around in an attempt to get some space between them. Her arms and legs were sliced up from fast attacks, drying trails of black blood coating her porcelain skin. A few lucky shots had even hit her face, a cut above her right eyebrow dripping blood into her eye.

"Maka, we have to get out of this, there's no way to fight against them." Soul called out; his voice strained. "You're going to get torn to pieces if this keeps going."

"I don't exactly have many options right now, Soul, so just keep up the defensive until there's an opening." Maka grit her teeth as one creature lunged, its claws mere centimeters from her eye as she bent over backwards to avoid it. "Where the hell is Black Star? Could use his help right about now!"

"Don't worry, Maks, the great Black Star is here to save the day!" A massive blast of soul wavelength slammed into the horde of creatures; their agonized screams cut short as they evaporated into thick black particles.

"Perfect timing as always,"

"Of course, Soul! To be honest though," The ninja's cocky grin slid from his face as he backed up against Maka, Tsubaki in chain mode. "This is getting old real fast. How many of these things are there?"

"I don't know, but I'm really sick of it. If there's this many in the area, that ninja clan probably has something to do with it."

"Maka, how are you holding up? You look out of breath," Tsubaki asked the meister, brows knitted in concern.

"I'll be fine, just getting started." Maka wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, anger still burning within as she panted. It didn't matter how many they sent; she would avenge Nadia and the others even if it took all night.

"Back again, are we? With backup this time, it seems."

It suddenly went silent as the creatures backed away a few feet, turning their gazes behind the duo. A familiar soul flashed in Maka's mind and she whirled around to see the mysterious ninja standing on a dilapidated roof, arms crossed over his chest.

"You…"

"The one and only, Ms. Albarn. Ah, and you must be infamous Black Star, correct?" The man stared at Black Star with interested eyes, studying every detail of the blue-haired teen. "I've heard stories of your abilities. I must say, very impressive that you can nearly match the power of a Shinigami."

"Who the fuck are you? Some sort of wannabe ninja or some bullshit?" The meister sneered at the new enemy; there was something about him that set the hairs on the back of his neck to attention.

"Black Star, he's part of the hidden ninja clan deep in the mountains." Tsubaki said quietly before transforming back, standing a few steps in front of her meister. "I'm well aware of your clan's history and background, including your connection with the Kishin Asura."

"Nakatsukasa Tsubaki. Daughter of Sanjuro Nakatsukasa, younger sister of Masamune Nakatsukasa. Member of the Nakatsukasa Clan. You're a Demon Shadow weapon…I know all about your history as well." The unnamed man studied her with an unknown emotion, tapping his fingers on his arm as he thought. "You killed your own brother as he was on the path to becoming a Kishin and absorbed his soul, gaining the Uncanny Sword abilities. My, my, what a special one you are."

"I suggest you keep your eyes to yourself before I rip them out of your skull," Black Star threatened as he pulled his weapon behind him, eyes murderous.

"Such a temper! You must truly love your partner. Ms. Albarn, I assume you're here in order to search for the hidden ninja clan up in the mountains, correct? Well, unfortunately for you, that won't be possible at this current time."

Maka released Soul as he reverted back, emerald eyes staring into snow white ones. Judging by how the creatures backed off, they either feared him or were awaiting his next order. Her heart was racing as the gravity of the situation hit her, mind quickly formulating a new plan of attack.

"And why would that be? Planning on stopping us or are you going to run away again like the coward you are." Venom dripped from each word, hatred brewing deep in her belly once more as she glared him down. "What's your connection with the witch Ametrine? Why are you creating armies of pre-Kishin creatures and using the local residents as their food?"

"Hmm, so you know about that witch. I shouldn't be surprised, really, but this just makes the world seem a little smaller. And I'm sure you would love to know what we're planning, but that's not up to me to give an answer." The master ninja shrugged as he vanished from the roof. "I'm merely here for the entertainment; these mountains do get very boring in the wintertime, so I needed something to cheer me up. And what better way than to give a demonstration?"

Maka felt his soul spike behind her and she whirled around, fist ready to pummel his face in. Only as soon as she turned, she froze, fist still clenched mid-air. It wasn't him standing behind her…

"Nadia…" The frozen corpse of the woman was floating a few feet away from the meister, stray drops of blood staining the snow beneath her. Seeing the full extent of her gruesome injuries, Maka bit back the bile creeping up her throat.

"The poor woman, first she lost her husband and child to that pre-Kishin you so kindly killed, and then dies a horrible death of being crushed beneath the very Inn she thought of as a second home. Do you know why she was the only one left in the town when you entered? Why there were no other souls in the vicinity?" With a snap of his fingers, the bloodied and broken corpse of Nadia began to twitch violently.

Bones snapped into shards as flesh and muscle tore like paper, congealed blood plopping into the snow in grotesque chunks as her body expanded and twisted. The blackened ground around them seemed to throb as the pieces of body hit, translucent tendrils soon emerging, snatching any and every chunk of flesh they could. If she wasn't frozen in fear at the sight before her, Maka was sure her stomach would be emptying itself right now. The others were watching with wide eyes, Black Star even going as far as covering Tsubaki's eyes. Soul cursed under his breath, his jaw clenched as he slightly stood in front of his meister, arm transformed into a blade.

"Nadia here was being used as bait to lure you here, back to Innopolis, so you could witness for yourself what happens when you combine the power of Asura's madness and the ancient arts of the Hidden Shadow Ninja Clan. Behold; your 'pre-Kishin' has been born!"

A strong wind picked up as the black flakes shot from the ground and into the mangled corpse that now dangled high in the air, the wind soon becoming a strong tornado that nearly threw the students into the woods behind them. Maka felt paralyzing fear grip her heart as the flashes soon came back to her. The creature, the one that had tormented her in the black haze, killing her in agonizing ways, flooded her mind and her legs gave out. A heavy ringing filled her ears as she remembered the way the creature spoke, its putrid breath hitting her in the face like a brick wall; she could almost feel the wounds throbbing all over her body, the blood pouring over her lips and down her chin as a mirrored face grinned manically down at her. The claws puncturing her organs, shredding bone and tissue and nerves like they were nothing, the pain nothing like she had ever felt before. All she could do was scream silently as her body was ripped into chunks flesh and bone, blood spraying like a hose into the air. Someone was shouting her name, shaking her shoulders violently but all Maka could do was stare at the familiar creature standing in front of them, putrid saliva spewing from between its jagged teeth and onto the frozen tundra beneath.

"What…what the fuck is that…" Black Star sputtered as he took a step back, holding his arm over his mouth as the stench hit him. "Fucking hell, that thing is nasty. Maka, is this the…Maka?"

Maka was slouched over on the ground, hands digging into the snow as her frame shook violently, heavy uneven breaths forced from her lungs. Soul was shaking her, trying to get her to respond but to no avail. Her sobs hit the ninja's ear and he felt his lips curling into a snarl, holding his hand out towards his partner.

"So, that's what happened…Tsubaki." The weapon nodded while transforming back, taking on Shadow Star Zeroth form. The meister slid into an attack stance as his shadow morphed into a wispy scarf, twitching angrily in the winter wind.

"Oh, interesting! This must be a fairly strong attack." The white ninja watched in awe from his original resting spot, crouching down on the shambled roof with ease. An intense aura of murder triggered his senses and he tensed up, his body telling him to escape. Black Star barely turned to look at him out of the corner of his eye, his pupils turning a dull yellow as they morphed into a star shape.

"You're the one who hurt my friend. After I kill this thing, your head is mine."

Holy. Crap. Black Star snapping is not something you want to deal with. Ninja dude gonna get it now. Updates may be a little further in between as I'm handling a friend's recent death and having trouble focusing. Thank you all for the support so far. So the breaks I'm entering in Word aren't showing up here like I wanted, so I have to go back through and adjust them so certain section seperate.