"Snapshot" By RavenAK.

Apparently unconnected moments in time, about everything, about nothing, about them. Soul/Maka/Crona, because ever since their roads connected they are undividable.

Disclaimer: Soul Eater belongs to Ohkubo Atsushi, Square Enix and Shônen GanGan. Not me. No, sir. The song "In The End" belongs to Linkin Park.

Warning: Spoilers for the manga. They might get heavier as the story progresses.

Seven: In The End

I had to fall

To lose it all

But in the end

It doesn't even matter…

"Finally…" The Little Imp chuckles, nibbling on its fingers. "You've finally listened to me…"

"Don't be so cocky. We made a deal". Soul is sitting at the piano bench, on the Black Room, his face a mix of disappointment and fear. The room is darker than ever, drowning out the red and white, leaving everything as if colored in a gray scale. He knows what will happen, he knows the chances, but he doesn't regret his decision, for he had no other choice.

"I know, I know. Don't hurt the girl". The Imp says with annoyance.

"Even if she attacks you". Soul completes for him.

"Not like she could stand a chance". It mocks. The bastard.

"You won't fight back". He glares at the demon.

They made a deal. Since Soul had no other choice, because his Meister's soul was gone somewhere else, and Crona was going to kill her, and he wasn't able to stop her, they had to be even in combat. He's a Death Scythe, yes, but he's weak without his Meister, and Crona is a perfect killing machine.

So he gave the bastard what he wanted: his soul, and part of his sanity; not all of it, because he can't afford running around killing everything that moves, but he needs power and strength, if he wants to keep the swordsman distracted while his Meister returns. The Imp can now eat him up from the inside and control him, put the Black Blood to use, use every move he's got against this powerful enemy…

And in return, he had to promise one thing: no matter the situation, he can't hurt his Meister. Even if she attacks him, he can't fight back; because if she does get hurt because of him, then this whole deal would be meaningless. His plan is not to let the little devil run rampant destroying everything in sight, his plan is precisely to prevent his Meister -the one person in the world he cares the most about-, from getting killed.

His plan is to use the Black Blood to be able to guard against Crona, while Maka decides to return. And when she does, she might find one or both of them dead… and this is the best possible scenario.

"You know, I always knew this day would come…" The red demon whispers in his mind, as he enjoys the sounds of the battlefield. "A day in which you would kill your rival for the sake of the one you love… How romantic".

Needless to say, it's anything but romantic. This will not have a happy ending for anyone… but well, he thinks again, love tends to end in tragedy.

With this new insanity-acquired power up, he's pretty sure he might be able to hit Crona critically, leave her incapacitated at the very least. The Black Blood does have a lot of potential, though he was hoping he would never have to use it to full capacity… especially not without her help.

In any case, if he happens to kill Crona our maul her up a bit, that won't be the end of it. The insanity that has been repressed for so long is now an unstoppable hunger for blood. The Imp controlling his body will want to kill anyone who nears him, including his friends, if they show up at the last minute, innocent bystanders, and of course, his Meister. Insanity knows no boundaries, that's why he made a deal.

There's a part of his soul and mind that the Imp can't touch, can't taint. There is a part of himself that he will protect with everything he's got; even if the darkness drowns him, he will keep a piece of sanity, a piece of common sense: his undying loyalty to protect his Meister. He made the Oni promise him, that even in his darkest hour, even when his senses are clouded by bloodlust and ecstasy, he will not harm her, he will be able to tell the difference.

That's why, she will be the only one able to stop him. She will have to kill him, seal him, lock him away, or something, and he won't be able to fight back.

Long story short: He kills Crona, Maka kills him. The end.

Well… he never really believed in happy endings.

As he holds on to what appears to be a bubble of light –which is in fact, the last piece of his common sense- he can see the Imp dancing at the other end of the room, while there's raining Black Blood inside.

On the real world, there's a mad exchange of hits, blows, punches, kicks, stabbing, dicing, needling… all the while both parties are cackling frighteningly, seemingly enjoying the fight they're sharing.

There's no way to tell who's winning, but he knows why there's raining blood on his mind. They're both injured, but it doesn't even matter. He understands that it won't be over until one of them stops breathing altogether, and as much as he hates to admit it, he hopes it won't be him, because then there will be no one who can protect his Meister from certain death.

The rain keeps falling, blood drops hitting and sliding down the piano, the furniture, and the Room's occupants themselves; the floor and curtains' color has faded, and the Imp is growing taller and prouder by the second. At the same time, Crona has successfully re-opened the scar in his body, while he has caused her a rather large wound on the shoulder. There's blood everywhere. It's magnificent.

The fighters only take a moment to comprehend the pain, before deciding that they quite enjoy it, and quickly they're aiming at each other's vital spots again. It's become a competition for them, where the only reward is the right to stay alive, alive to destroy everything and everyone, until there's nothing left except for the unbearable loneliness of their own souls.

Inside the Black Room, Soul understands how Crona has been feeling the whole time: so very afraid, of the others, but mostly afraid of herself. He understands why she had chosen to lock herself away from other people, as he can see his own darkness acting on its own now, how absolutely horrible and terrifying he can be. He's scared of the things he's capable of, and he knows that the only way to stop is to kill the monster along with himself. Same goes for Crona and her power of mass destruction.

The best possible outcome of this fight would be for Maka to have the mercy to kill them both.

Maka…

She had always tried to save them both, to keep them healthy and happy. She had managed to cut through the darkness, to get to the deepest corners of their souls, she had been stronger than the evil inside of them… She had given them hope, shared her light with them, she had made them see the world with other eyes, she had made them dependant on her, determined to protect her… She had made them love her endlessly, till the end of their days.

But she couldn't save them.

"I'm sorry…" He apologizes to the bubble of light he's holding, noticing that it's completely white, and actually has a pair of tiny wings on each side. His courage, or determination, or whatever it's supposed to be, is so small compared to Maka's courage, but it has her light, and her wings, the ones he's borrowed from her in the time they've spent as Meister and Weapon.

He can hear the frightening sound of Crona's laughter, combined with Ragnarok's screeches and his very own music, as fear, despair and self-loathing take over him…

And then something else is pulling the strings of his soul. It's sudden, and it hurts, and it's even more frightening. He turns around to look at the Little Demon, who looks just as confused as he does, and then sets his eyes on something –someone- who wasn't here before.

His Meister is inside his mind –again- and she's not looking happy.