Hello everyone

I am so sorry this took so long. My computer crashed on Tuesday so I've been using someone else's and I don't have a lot of time to be on.

Moving on, are you ready to find out what happens?

I'm not.

Disclaimer:: I do not own Soul Eater. If I did, you'd know.

It was quarter of midnight by the time Soul found himself sitting in an archway that opened to the arena. Wasn't very hard to get in if you knew not to use the main entrances, he noted silently. He hadn't really snuck in so much as used common sense. But seeing as she made it sound like a difficult task, he didn't doubt that there was something waiting on the other side of the arch to stop him.

He was tempted to go through right then but he didn't want to be early. Who knows what that witch would do if he didn't follow the rules of the game. Anger burned through him, a steady flame. I hope Kid's okay, he thought, If he's not there'll be hell to pay. There was a growl behind the threat, even in his mind. He couldn't stand the thought of her touching his Kid. The time seemed to tick by slower and he forced himself to stay pressed against the cold stone until it was time to strike.

At two of midnight, he decided it was safe to move. He crept through the archway, silent as a mouse. This is almost too easy. Barely having finished the thought, he found himself flat against a wall.

"State your business," a rough, menacing tone growled.

Damn him, he cursed silently. "Why do you care?"

"Because I want to kill you." The matter-of-fact answer caught him off guard and the grip holding his arms back tightened.

"I'm here for Barahime. We have a date," he said, thick ice in his tone.

The guard tensed, pushing him forward into the wall. "Your name?"

"Evans."

The guard instantly relaxed, pulling him away from the wall and shoving him the rest of the way into the arena. He stumbled on the steps but managed to stay standing. He glanced around in the sudden brightness. The place is full! And it was. Every seat was filled and it appeared most of them were of similar descent to Barahime.

He suppressed a growl as he saw Barahime sitting in the center of a little half circle of young boys. Among them was Naru, who sat on the ground at her left side. The weapon's left arm was draped over her left leg in an intimate way and the right rested lightly against the teen's own leg, relaxed but ready for action if necessary. Even knowing the weapon was older than appearances would suggest didn't help the sickening feeling he got thinking about just how close they might actually be.

The crimson haired witch turned her muted apple-green gaze away from the blond at her side to pierce him with an amused glare. "Welcome, Mr. Evans. You are right on time," she called, easily filling the stadium with her voice even without a microphone.

He bared his teeth, trying not to lose control. "If you hurt him I swear I'm going to-"

"Calm down, Mr. Evans. Your precious reaper is in good condition. Though, whether he remains as such is up to you," she told him in a falsely reassuring tone.

He didn't hold back the snarl that ripped from his throat. "What do you want from me?"

"I want to play a game. Everything is in its place, except for you that is. I even brought all these people here to observe."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I'll kill him."

"How do I play?"

Her dew-drop blue lips turned up in a smirk and she snapped her fingers, the emerald crystals attached to her ice-blue fingernails shimmering. He felt a hand on his shoulder a few seconds before his body hit the hard ground with a jolt. He was only down for a few seconds and pulled himself up as soon as he could. He glared up at the witch.

"Shall we play now that you are in place?"

"What kind of game is this?"

"A fun one." She shifted her gaze to one of the boys in her circle. He had black hair and bright purple eyes and looked no older than Naru, or at least in appearance. "Tell him it's time and leave the door open. Let him come out on his own," she instructed. The boy nodded and immediately took off. She ran a gentle hand through Naru's hair, earning a satisfying purr from the weapon.

Soul could do nothing but watch as he waited for the "entertainment" to start.

Kid's head was still pounding. No matter what he tried, he couldn't get the headache to go away. It made thinking difficult. He was sprawled out on the cold ground attempting to sleep when he heard the heavy click of the deadbolt on the door. The thick metal door swung open slowly and he turned to find the shadow this time was more childlike.

"It's time."

He forced himself into a sitting position. "The Evans boy is here?"

"Yes. Are you ready?"

He laughed, low and dangerous. "Are my guns out there?" he asked.

The shadowed boy shook his head. "Your swords are, sharpened to perfection."

"Good enough, I suppose. It should be enough to beat that boy anyways."

The shadowed boy nodded, moving back into the light.

Kid smiled evilly, thinking of how good victory would taste when it was finally his. He stood, staggering slightly, and walked slowly from the darkness into the half-light.

He made his way to the door to the arena. There, he found both his sabers leaning against the wall. He took one in each hand and felt the adrenaline course through him. He could just hear the voice of the woman who'd spoken to him earlier through the thick walls. "Now, Evans, prepare yourself for battle. Open the door!" he heard her say and seconds later the door creaked open.

His headache forgotten, he stepped out into the light, itching for a fight.

A battle? Somehow I knew it would be this. Soul drew the dagger he'd taken from his belt. This was normally the time he'd make a sarcastic comment, but he was too focused to even try. He kept his crimson gaze trained on the doors across from him and a few century long seconds passed before they started to move. He tensed, expecting to find some monster charging at him. What he found in its place, though, was not he expected. He was sure he'd prefer the monster.

Before him, walking slowly out into the arena, was none other than Death the Kid. But that wasn't what made him take a surprised step back and freeze in place. It wasn't the fact that the reaper wielding two swords, either. It was his eyes. His normally bright, golden eyes were darker now, almost orange, and rimmed in a brilliant crimson.

Recovering from the initial shock of the change, he turned to glare at Barahime. "What did you do?" he growled.

The witch simply smiled, continuing to pet her weapon's head absent-mindedly. "Kid, I would like you to meet Mr. Evans," she said, her eyes never leaving Soul's, "He is the current champion in this arena. If you defeat him, you will be champion. You will be the best."

Soul's gaze drifted back to Kid and he repressed a shudder. Kid looked evil. Not mad, like he were being affected by the Kishin, but evil. Truly evil.

"I will be champion... if I kill him? That does not seem so hard."

The words sent a shiver down his spine. He doesn't know me, Soul thought, sadness gripping his heart. I can't fight him. But I can't exactly let him kill me either. What do I do? He didn't have much time to think about it, as his friend was quickly closing the distance between them. He grit his teeth, raising the dagger to block Kid's first strike. They were face to face for a moment, and close up he could smell the disgustingly sweet scent of blood and roses clinging to the ravenette. He parried the meister's next two blows with his dagger and managed to push him back a bit.

"Barahime, what did you do to him?" he asked again, his tone fierce with underlying grief. He was worried that he'd never get the real Kid back. He felt sick just thinking about it. What could she have done to make him this way?

She didn't respond right away. "I simply took care of him when he was in a tough spot. He asked for help and I gave it to him. In return I asked for your name," she lied.

"You know that's not what I want to know!" he growled.

She sighed in mock disappointment. "He wished to forget and so I let him. It took a lot more effort than I thought it would."

"He's under a spell? Then if I get rid of it, he'll be himself again," he thought aloud. So there is hope!

Barahime laughed. "Don't get your hopes up. My magic is nothing like anything you have encountered before. Besides, he has bathed in the spell for far too long now for it to go away so easily."

Soul clenched his teeth as he felt the tip of one of Kid's sabers pierce his shoulder. "I'll make him remember! Even if the only way to do that is to kill you!" He was determined now. He would save Kid. He had to.

Focusing all his attention on the young reaper now, crimson eyes locked with red-rimmed orange ones. He searched for some sign that the Kid he knew was still there, waiting to be unearthed, but could find none. He let the blades connect with his dagger before connecting his fist with Kid's cheek and sending him flying backwards. He sighed. "Sorry, Kid."

The raven-haired reaper groaned as he sat up. Damn that really hurt. The blow certainly didn't help his headache, though it did remind him it was there. He stood and studied the albino for a moment. He hasn't once attacked me with his weapon. He's using it only for defense. What's he playing at? He's supposed to be the champion, right? It didn't make sense to him. Why would the champion of a death match of all things go easy on him?

He attacked again, this time aiming his swords so they couldn't both be parried by the dagger. He heard the clash of metal on metal before he felt the other sword cut into flesh. His eyes widened as he felt warm blood splash onto his hand. "Why aren't you attacking?" he asked, confused.

"Because I don't want to hurt you!" the weapon hissed through gritted teeth.

He froze. What? His eyes narrowed to slits. He's trying to get me to let my guard down. I know it. He took a few steps back, eyeing the albino warily. "Why not?"

"Because you're my friend! That witch put a spell on you so you'd forget."

"Don't listen to him, Kid. He's trying to trick you. Kill him already," Barahime interjected impatiently.

"Liar! She loves me. She said so herself. I'm her warrior, her protector." He could see something flash in the albino's eyes as he spoke. Fear? Anger? Anguish, he realized in surprise. He could see the other was shaking and he hoped it was because of the wound.

"You idiot. She's using you to get to me! She doesn't love you," he stated matter-of-factly. He could see the hesitation in the boy's crimson eyes as he continued. "She doesn't love you. But I do."

He lost his grip and both sabers clattered noisily to the ground. "You what? I... I don't even know you," he whispered in disbelief.

The albino dropped his dagger, taking a step closer. "Yes, you do. She charmed you so you'd forget. Please, Kid, you have to remember!" He could hear the desperation in the boy's tone. His concern is genuine. Is it possible? He decided to try. He focused hard on the albino, searching every fuzzy corner of his "memory" for a trace of him. He found nothing. His brow creased in confusion and he shook his head. The albino sighed. "I know you're in there, Kid. Please, come back," he begged.

The ravenette remained still, even though he could hear the witch telling him to move, to kill the other and be done with it. "Can you... Can you prove it? That you know me. That you love me. Can you prove it?" he asked after a long moment.

The albino took another hesitant step forward. "You love symmetry. Everything in your house is perfectly symmetrical. Your older brother is Asura and you and the rest of our group defeated him last year," he stated, listing off the first few things that came to mind.

The young reaper was skeptical. "Obvious facts, thought I'm not really sure who 'the rest of our group' is. If you want to convince me you'll have to try harder than that."

"You hate horror movies and you always lose at board games because you can't keep the numbers even and freak out. You hate fighting with asymmetrical weapons because it makes you feel unbalanced. And you always try to fix my hair, no matter how many times I try to convince you that it's never going to stay symmetrical."

He didn't have to respond as the weapon spoke again. "And as for proving that I love you..." he trailed off and had captured Kid's lips with his own before he had a chance to process the thought fully.

His brain shut down, and though he could still feel the steady pounding of his headache, it seemed to be fading. He heard a faint pop and the fogginess in his head cleared. His eyes widened in shock as he realized exactly what was happening. He was kissing Soul! Warmth spread through him, replacing the chill of the spell, as he pulled Soul closer to him.

The unexpected outright confession almost blocked out the sound of something whizzing through the air towards them. Thinking fast, he pushed Soul to the ground. He didn't have enough to get down himself and he held back a scream of pain as he felt the icy cold metal slice open a long gash on his back. He collapsed, falling on Soul in the process. He could feel Soul's arms around him. "I'm okay," he insisted as he sat up. He could feel the warm life-blood dripping down his back in large waves. The cut was deeper than he'd first thought. He would heal, but would he heal fast enough? That was the real question.

Soul gently shifted Kid off his lap so the reaper could support himself. He stood, fire in his crimson eyes. "You're sure eager to die, huh?" he growled.

Barahime smirked, twirling the chakram on her finger. Kid watched from his spot behind Soul as the witch woman dropped down into the ring, the wind ruffling her rose-petal dress. "You think you can take me on? Well then, let's see what you've got!"

The albino picked up one of Kid's long forgotten sabers and rushed at her. She parried the blow with her chakram, but Soul was one step ahead. His arm transformed at the moment and he swung it at her side. Kid watched as the blade made contact with her dress, taking longer to cut through the bone corset than it should. It must be reinforced with magic, he guessed.

He heard the whizzing sound again and looked around confused. Barahime was wielding Naru for defense. Then what...? The other boys are weapons too! he realized. He spotted the discus a second later. And it was headed straight for an unsuspecting Soul. A new wave of energy crashed over him and he forced himself up, skidding directly into the weapon's path.

The halo hit him dead on, sticking itself into his chest. He coughed violently, nearly choking on the blood that came with it. He fell ungracefully to the ground. He didn't bother to try to pull the disk from his chest. He knew the boy could transform and be free any time he chose. He repressed a shudder as he felt the sticky scarlet liquid pooling around him. I don't think... this one's going to heal... he observed.

His vision was spotty, but he could just make out the form of Soul as he pierced through Barahime's corset and speared her heart. He could see Soul turn and run towards him, leaving the witch's soul behind and dropping the sword he'd been wielding. Then it went dark.

Soul slid to a stop, instantly dropping to his knees beside his fallen love. He didn't notice when the disk disappeared, leaving the black-haired, purple-eyed boy in its place beside them.

He ignored the child, focusing instead on his lover's bloodied face. "Kid, please wake up," he whispered. He pulled the reaper into his chest, cradling his head as if he were just a newborn. "Kid come back to me," he pleaded in desperation.

To his surprise, Kid's honey-colored eyes cracked open just a sliver. "Soul...?"

The weapon shifted so he could see the reaper clearly. "Kid! Are you...?" One look at those dull amber eyes shut him up. He's dying... He could feel tears stinging his eyes but he didn't care.

"Soul...I...I love you...too..."

"Kid, I..." he choked on the words, falling silent again. He took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm so sorry. This shouldn't have happened. It wouldn't have if I hadn't-"

"Soul...shut up," the ravenette muttered with a weak laugh. He wouldn't let Soul believe this was his fault. He forced his arm to move, though it seemed to want to stay limp, and gently placed his hand against the weapon's cheek. Summoning the last of his strength, he closed the short distance between their lips. He fell back in the albino's arms a moment later with the faint trace of a smile. "I love you...Soul Eater..."

Soul's eyes widened in despair as Kid's arm fell away from his face. His tears flowed freely now as he stared helplessly into Kid's lifeless yellow eyes. He forced the young reaper's eyes closed and held him close, reluctant to part with his love.

"I'm sorry this had to happen, Mr. Evans," the purple-eyed boy said. There was sincerity in his tone.

Soul's crimson eyes were glazed over as he looked up at the child. "Don't call me that. It's Eater now. Soul Eater," he whispered. Barahime was dead, he didn't fear his name being spoken.

The boy nodded. "Understood. I truly am sorry. Is there anything I can do for you, Mr. Eater?"

The weapon turned his attention back to the boy he loved. "No."

And done. "Wow Riika that was depressing." I've been kinda depressed lately. Sorry!

Reviews and requests are loved!

Until next story, Riika out, nya~