Because after playing Wadanohara and the great blue sea, I just couldn't leave this story like this. I had to make it up to Soul and Maka c: So this is just a bonus chapter to the series.


Fall of the crystal founder

Nothing. He felt nothing. Soul's breathing was shallow and slow and his fingers were numb. His head was spinning and the white ceiling made his stomach stir, bile rising in his throat. Immediately he closed his eyes and the dizzy spell did not disappear.

What was going on? He had never felt this sick before. Maybe the moment his dear queen passed away, but never had he felt physically sick like this. His body shivers and sweat pearls appear on his forehead. The air is cool. Uncomfortable cool. Soul inhaled loudly and found comfort in the controlled darkness.

To his astonishment, the room seemed warmer. His shivers reduced until they slowly disappeared. He dared to crack his left eye open, met with the white ceiling, but his stomach did not stir with nausea. His eyes fully opened and that is when he realizes it was not just the white ceiling he saw. The whole room is white, he cannot see where the walls melds together. It's like he's under a white cloth with no ends what so ever.

Soul lifted first his index finger. The numbness was gone and he moves his other fingers carefully. No numbness. He heaved himself up in a sitting position. Soul's eyes almost bulged out of their socks when he noticed the smooth skin on his hands. His wrinkles were gone. His dark spots were gone.

His hands flung to his face and he was met with smooth skin, well, aside from the stub of his upcoming beard.

The dark red shirt did not cover his chest, instead he wore a white shirt and white pants, spotless and completely free from dirt.

He jumped up on his feet and noticed the strength in his legs. His body was nothing like the crumpled and weak old body of his. It was like his body went back in time to the peak of his h―

"Soul."

His eyes widened. He knew that voice all too well. The same voice he always heard whispering into his dream. Her giggles that he played in his mind when he looked at the statue of her. The same voice that turned his world upside down, changing him into someone better.

Slowly he turned on his bare feet as clean as his clothes. There she stood. The same white dress she wore on the day she died, clean from her blue blood. Her cheeks are not as pale and lifeless as she was on Arachnophobia. Her lips not blue, instead a rich and full pink and her eyes sparkling brighter than the stars in the night sky.

His mind could barely catch up with his body. He was moving and his body, to his joy and relief, collided with hers. Her warm, alive, body heated his up like the hot spring they met at. He melted into her touch when her arms tightly wrapped around him.

"There is no need for tears." her voice whispered into his ear, making him shiver.

He hadn't even noticed. His cheeks were wet and he could taste salt on his lips. "I missed you." A sob ripped his body. "You have no idea how I have longed for your touch, to simply hold you in my arms again and hear your voice." His body shook. For year, decades, he'd missed and longed for her. Physically he longed for her, mentally he needed her and emotionally he carved for her, thirsted for her love. Her love was something he needed to survive.

"I know Soul." He almost melted when her lips connected with his cheek. "I have watched over you and Juliet. You know I would never leave you like that." Her hand ran through his hair before she rubbed his back. "I'm very sorry I left like that. It was not easy for you to―"

"No," sob, "don't apologize." His hands trembled on her back. "I should've never started the fight. I should've just let you take care about it and talk him down, but instead I jumped at the opportunity to fight and I fucked everything up. You died because of my damned f―"

"No." Maka pulled away and cupped his cheeks. Tears blurred her eyes. "It was our fault. The three of us could have acted differently. We cannot change the past so there is no time dwelling on it."

"But―"

"No buts." A smile stretched on her face as her tears broke free from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. "I'm so proud over how Juliet grew up. How wonderfully you raised her and how wonderful of a person she became."

"I didn't do anything." He rested his forehead against hers and squeezed her waist close to him. "She had good genes from her mother. Very good genes."

She giggled and gently wiped away his tears staining his cheeks. "I think a devoted, loving and active father outweighs good genes." She sniffled and her forehead moved to his shoulder. "How I wanted to be a part of her life."

"You are." Soul whispered into her ear and planted a kiss on her temple, simply relishing the moment with the love of his life. "Juliet has a statue of you on her nightstand and many times I have found her praying for you. She considers you a part of her life and she loves you dearly. But you already knew that, right?"

She nodded against his shoulder. "Yeah, it's just, it's hard watching you two interact and not being a part of that. Watching you two cry over me and me not being there to sooth your pain. It was tough."

"I think I know what you mean. Well, somewhat." He tightened his grip on her. "I always wanted you there, but I could never see you."

"Soul." She sniffled and his shoulder grew wet. "How come you never moved on from me? Was it just because of the marriage documents?"

"What?" His eyes widened with shock. "I could never move on from you. You were always constantly on my mind and my feelings never changed. I still love you just as much as I did when we were together if not more. Those feelings aren't something I could simply forget about and move on to someone else. I never wanted or needed anybody else's love. All I need is you."

Sobs filled the white space around them and the love of his life trembled under his hands. "What will happen to Juliet now? What will happen to us?"

Soul blinked with confusion. "What? What do you mean?"

Maka pulled away from him and peered at him with wet eyes. "You do not know? Soul, you collapsed taking a walk with Juliet through the garden. You are dying."

Memories rushed through his head. How Juliet hooked her arm through his and they strolled through the garden together. His back buckled and his skin wrinkled. After Juliet had attended her royal meetings, she wanted to take him out to the garden to receive some fresh air. With his old body, it made it difficult for him to walk for a long period of time. He had disagreed due to the fact she was pregnant with her husband's baby.

His face crumpled with distaste at the thought of his daughter seeing him collapse and then died. He's hoped, prayed for him to die in his sleep so his daughter wouldn't witness a loved one die. He couldn't even imagine how she was feeling.

"Am I dead?" Soul stuttered.

Maka shook her head. "No, Juliet's screaming and trying her best at healing you. The ball is in your court, if you want to live, then you will live and if you want to die, you will die."

He could decide. Did he want to live, or did he want to move on and die to be with the love of his life? After decades of living with a broken heart and the absence of his soulmate, after living only for his daughter, there was nothing left for him to do.

"I don't want to live."

Her eyes widened to twice their size. "Soul, what about Juliet? Do you not want to see your grandchild?"

"Of course I do." His hand brush through her hair, a light smile playing on his lips. "But I think it is for the best for me to go now. Juliet does not need me to die twice and my body is old and weak. I think it is my time to let go now and I have you here. I can't let go of you now, not now when I have you again."

Her lower lip quivered and tears spilled on her cheeks. "You sure about this? Think about Juliet Soul." She removed herself from him and entwined their hands together. "Just, let me show you this.

The white space in front of them opened up and a round window to the outside world came into view.

Soul's old and scrawny body lied on the back with his mouth opened and his eyes closed. Juliet screamed at the top of her longs as tears came down like waterfalls. Her hands pressed against his left ribcage where his heart was located. She stopped to then connect their lips and blew air into his mouth. After blowing into his mouth, she continued to press her hands against his chest.

"Please dad!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, her husband stood right behind her with his hand on her shoulder, the other one covered his mouth. "Don't leave me! Not now! Not now! NOT NOW!"

Soul bit his lower lip as the round window closed and the white space returned to a whole. His heart tightened and guilt weight down on his chest. He knew all too well how she felt. He reacted that exact same way when Maka died, he almost killed Black*Star because he was so taken with his hurt and emotions.

"Can you really do this to Juliet? She is hurting, Soul."

A tear spilled over and he pulled Maka into a gentle hug. After he inhaled, he enjoyed her warm body and her tiny frame against his muscular one. "It would be selfish of me to return." He whispered into her ear. "She may be hurting now, but that will go away eventually, that is why I can't return there and deal her another pained death. She is a grown woman and a brilliant queen and she has a supportive and caring husband who can help her with the pain. There is nothing I can teach her. It is time for me to let go. I have someone else I need to attend to."

"Soul." She sobbed and clutched to him. "I do not want our daughter to hurt."

"And she will only hurt more if I return to die a week later. You know how old my body is, it is not going to hold me up much longer. I love you Maka and it is time to close my living chapter and start a new one with you. A life with you for eternality."

She broke down. Tears streamed down her face and completely soaked her shoulder. Sobs wrecked her body and her weight slowly crept up on him. He held her close and they sunk down to the invisible ground. He rubbed her back as she climbed onto his lap. They held each other, clinging to each other for dear life, or dear death in their case.

"It's unfair." She sobbed and inhaled loudly. "Why could we never be together? As a family. Why is it always you being ripped between me and Juliet?"

"Why?" He gulped and closed his eyes, forcing down his own tears. "Because life is unfair. We won't be separate forever. As much as I don't want to admit it or even think about it, Juliet won't live forever. We will all be together then."

Before he knew it, Maka's lips were over his and immediately he kissed her back. Strawberries and milk. Just as wonderful of a taste as ever. His tears broke free and they kissed each other with passion, love and sorrow.

For their joy in eternity in death was Juliet's painful life. For their happiness came a price, which no one wanted to pay, but both of them had to remember every life has a limit and everybody would die, including their darling daughter. Only then could their family be complete. Only in death.