The Meditation: Civil War Inside My Soul?

Maka and Soul are walking through the woods, calm and relaxed, which is shown by Soul having his hands in his pockets and by Maka kind of zoning out and just walking straight. They don't realize where they're going until they reach the clearing that they had come to the first time they had learned Raina's secret. Soul suddenly stops and stares, and Maka is quick to follow.

The place was pretty and serene with a few flowers and the sun that would hit directly on the patch of dirt in the center, with green grass surrounding in the shade, with a few small boulders resting against the treeline. But what stopped Soul and Maka was the scorch marks on the grass near one of the boulders, and Raina leaning against the rock, her head down and not moving, from what they could see. Maka panics and cries her name.

Maka: Raina!

Raina looks up, which surprised them both. They see a quick flash of dark blue before her eyes become their regular color again.

Raina: Oh, look, you found me. What brings you here?

Soul: Maka wanted a walk.

Maka: Soul! You agreed to the idea!

Soul: Only cause I had nothing else to do.

Raina: Stop squabbling, please.

The tone of her voice made them both stop cold. It wasn't usual for Raina to sound strict, but that's exactly how she sounded. Then her voice softens.

Raina: Sorry. It's just, you kind of interrupted my meditation, and when that happens, it's like you're trying to wake me up in the middle of the night. I get cranky and not in a good mood.

Maka: You were meditating? Then... what happened to the grass?

Raina: Hmm?(she looks down around her, noticing for the first time she was sitting in singed grass.) I don't really know. Maybe something to do with my soul growing in the same place a lot? I'm not sure. (Raina tells that lie, but she does know exactly what had happened. )

Soul: OK, then. Well, if that's the case, maybe you shouldn't meditate here anymore.

Raina:(looks up at him quickly, her face blank but her eyes flaming) I could never do that!(scared, then her voice hardens) You don't understand the importance of this. (her voice softens again and she looks quietly up at them) Well, I don't expect you to. Anyway, you can stay here if you want, but...

Soul:Why would we want to stay...

Maka:(hits him lightly on the head and cuts in) We'll stay, if that's alright with you, Raina.

Raina: If you're quiet I don't care either way. (with that, Raina closes her eyes, and starts meditating again.)

Soul:(sitting down on the other side of the clearing with Maka and whispering to her) Maka! Why did you tell her we would stay?

Maka:(staring in Raina's direction) I want to see this. If you don't want to, you can leave.

Soul:(leaning against a tree, hands in his pockets.) Hmph.

Maka wanted to see Raina meditate ever since Raina told her about it. It seemed like a weird way to strengthen your soul to Maka and Soul, but to Raina it's become second nature. Suddenly, Raina's soul grows around her, like in Soul Resonance. Soul and Maka lean slightly forward, as if trying to get a better view.

Raina's thoughts inside her head are jumbled. The point of meditating was to clear her mind and strengthen her soul. But clearing her mind was the first step, and it was proving to be difficult. It had become more and more difficult with each passing day. 'What's happening? Ever since I got
to the Academy my soul has become restless. I don't understand what's going on, but it's seeming to drain my energy. I can't think as clearly as before. Something's happening to me, but I don't want to tell anyone, because I don't know how they'll react. That kid, Soul, he was angry at me because I didn't have a weapon partner! How would he react to this?' Raina sighs inside her head. 'This is pointless. I can't clear my mind will all this going on.' Raina opens her eyes and looks up.

Maka notices the motion and looks at Raina. She looks startled, and not completely back to her senses. Maka felt some kind of power in the air, and something compelled her to keep her mouth shut and let Raina come out of it. Slowly she came back to her senses and shook her head lightly, her eyes fading back to their normal color and the world coming back into focus.