For someone regarded with such a mixture of respect and fear, Lord Death was not what Maka expected him to be. The superstition that encircled the Death Room seemed almost laughable as the meister and her friends entered, standing at attention on a tile platform. Low flying clouds brushed past their feet, leaving goose bumps as they slowly hovered by.

Maka peered around the room from time to time, trying to make her curiosity subtle. Judging by his domain, Lord Death's nature couldn't be anticipated. The room held a whimsical air, filled with a cartoonish and cheerful vibe. Vivid blues skies filled every nook and corner and they seemed to stretch miles beyond what Maka could see. The only gateways to the outside world were a few scattered windows. Each was small and not much of an escape. They were barred. Maka tried not to notice the lack of exits, though her mind wandered back to it constantly.

What if something happened? What if she needed to escape?

What was this feeling…?

It was as if her heart was being squeezed. It ached in her chest, beating so rapidly Maka thought it would burst. An agonizing pain put pressure on her skull. Her brain throbbed with an incoming headache. She wondered, for just a moment, if he friends were experiencing the same misery she was. She glanced at Tsubaki and Black Star. No alarming changes in their expressions. Black Star's face was twisted with a scowl. Maka simply wrote that off as irritation from having to wait. Black Star certainly wasn't known for patience.

As if she was being compelled, Maka felt her gaze slip onto her partner. Soul's eyes were shaking. The movement was so faint that no one else seemed to notice it. To put it simply, Soul Eater was afraid, even if that only applied to a part of him.

Oh yes… paranoia, that's what it was called.

Wasn't that a type of… fear?

"Hiiyah!" Maka flinched, balling her hands into fists to stop herself from shaking. With zero hesitation, she lifted her head to stare at the speaker. Immediately, her grip loosened. The reaper was… far different than she had expected.

Soul leaned over to Maka. "That's him?" he whispered, eyebrows knit with confusion. Maka lowered her head to analyze the creature in front of her.

The reaper stood around seven feet tall, his figure a mass of all black and pointy edges. He could not be mistaken for a human, but one couldn't go so far as to call him a monster. His mask held a childish vibe. It resembled something you'd see as part of a little kid's Halloween costume. Something someone would wear to make you laugh. But through two holes in that facade, the reality was seen. Two glowing eyes of a deep orange hue glared through the skull shaped mask. This was the reaper. This was what people feared.

The glare disappeared in an instant, as if the reaper had noticed Maka's gaze and hidden himself away. In that moment, Maka found herself confused as to what the reaper actually was. If she couldn't understand the being of what stood before her… should she fear its son?

"Welcome to my domain, it's a pleasure to see ya!" The reaper greeted, his voice bubbling over with enthusiasm.

Black Star leaned toward the tall figure, squinting his eyes. "You're what everyone is afraid of!?" he huffed, spitting onto the cross covered ground. "You're not scary!"

Maka resisted the urge to punch Black Star in the face. To her surprise and dismay, she didn't have to struggle with temptation for long. A chilling voice broke any comfort Maka had collected in half. "You should show more respect to my father. You couldn't even manage to defeat me." Death the Kid entered the room with his hands in his pockets, two girls flanking his side. Both were taller than him, each sporting different expressions. The tallest held a frown, while the shorter of the two's face was lit by a wide grin.

The taller walked up to Black Star, leaning in and glaring. "This is the brat who picked a fight with you, Kid?" she questioned, regarding Black Star with only a bit of interest. Black Star scowled, turning his full attention to her. "And who the hell are you!?" he snarled, shoving his hands into his pockets. The girl stood up straight, scoffing at the blue haired meister. "Elizabeth Thompson. Who the hell are you?"

Black Star sneered, lifting his chin in defiance. "Someone whose name is too good for the likes of you to hear… but I guess a star like me can have some pity upon you and tell you." He jabbed one thumb in his own direction, grinning smugly. "I'm the great Black Star. Never forget it!"

"Black Star, huh?" the shorter of the two girl's chirped. She laughed, though her eyes widened with a strange sort of insanity. "Stupid name, right sis?"

"Exactly, Patty." Elizabeth, aka Liz, agreed.

Black Star twitched, ready to prove the sisters wrong. Tsubaki put her hands on his shoulders and held him back, sweating a bit. "Oh, Black Star… please don't."

Behind the group, Lord Death was watching with confusion. Finally, he'd had enough and Shinigami chopped Black Star in the head. Black Star, clutching his head, bit his lower lip and glared at Lord Death. Maka covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. She snorted, but felt the joy leave her when Kid looked her way. He stared at her for a moment before looking to his father. "Father…" he began with a small smile. "Their punishment?"

Lord Death stood perfectly still for a second before beaming. "Ah, yes~ Punishment for entering the Dining Hall after hours and breaking curfew..." he said thoughtfully. Maka felt her entire body tense with anxiety. The Death Room was as quiet and eerie as a cemetery, which it did resemble with all the crosses shoved into the ground. A dark red light gleamed out of Lord Death's eye sockets. "Kid, what do you suggest?"

Everyone's gaze fell on the young Shinigami, facial expressions ranging from fear to anxiety to murderous intent (courtesy of the great Black Star). Kid grinned and Maka could have sworn she saw devil's teeth gleam as he did. Kid's grin disappeared in a flash. His stoic demeanor took over, though he shut his eyes as if in deep thought. Finally, he opened his eyes. "It seems obvious to me that these students know nothing of true fear." He spoke with authority, speaking with the kind of arrogance that made every word of his lips sound like the truth. "I suggest having them go through fear exercises… and have them participate in the upcoming ceremony. They're perfect candidates, aren't they?"

Kid eyed Maka, giving his a small smile. Lord Death clapped his hands, agreeing energetically. "That's perfect!" he insisted. Lord Death glowered at Maka, lowering his head. "Your father Spirit is a death scythe, Miss Maka Albarn. You've grown so much since you were a little girl. I can't wait to see how well you do in the ceremony."

Soul glanced at Maka. He knew nothing of any ceremony that was to come. He expected his meister to explain it, but the paling of Maka's face told him that she didn't understand either. She gave Kid a panicked look, eyebrows furrowed with frustration. "Ceremony?" she choked, her eyes flashing a bitter green. Kid cleared his throat. "The Ceremony of Lost Souls, of course. A top student like you should know all about it, especially with your father's status. It's a way of building the Shinigami's power and responsible for the creation of most of the death scythes, your father being one of the mentioned."

Tsubaki perked up. "Oh, I think I know what you're talking about." Her voice rose with knowing, but quivered with understanding. "It's a challenge for a selected group of meisters and weapons. A series of battles occur between the selected view… it's a bloody, all out challenge. The final two meister-weapon pairs are broken apart. All four participants will be put to fight each other in a battle royal. Refusal to compete equals automatic disqualification. Losing means the loss of your soul."

"If the winner is a weapon, that weapon will become a death scythe. This is the only shortcut. If a meister wins, they will assist the next Shinigami in judgment and watching over souls. It's truly an honor… no meister has ever won." Kid finished. Maka saw a dark tint in his irises, as if he was actually anxious for the battle. "Of course, if you lose your soul during the battle, there's some hope… you're allowed to have outside assistance."

The meisters and weapons stood in silence. How could they even respond to such a thing?

"This is all your fault!" Maka pressed Soul's scythe form against Kid's neck, holding the blade so that it was a threat but did not cut his skin. Kid held Liz and Patty in their gun forms but didn't move to use them as protection. He met Maka's glare with an unimpressed stare. "I figured you'd be upset. Who wouldn't be? What's done is done… based on your scores, you would have been a participant either way." He clarified, lifting his neck so the blade drew a bit of blood. Maka's glare faltered for a second before returning with more power. She screamed, reeling her weapon back and moving it to slash Kid's neck.

Kid ducked and slid behind her, pushing her against the wall with one of the guns. He pressed the other gun's barrel to the back of Maka's head. "By the end of this, I will be a full-fledged reaper. I will have either your soul or your friends' souls, so I think it would be better to show me some respect." With an irritated sigh, Kid lightened some of the pressure on Maka's head. "You don't understand." He hissed, annoyance shaking his voice. He released Maka, departing before the meister could lift herself from her crumpled position on the floor. Tsubaki ran to her side, lifting her and helping her balance as Soul changed back into his scythe form.

Black Star growled under his breath, crossing his arms. Maka wasn't terribly hurt… just a few bruises from falling to the ground. The next few weeks of preparation were going to be hell for everyone. Tsubaki gave Maka a determined look. "We'll find a way through this." She asserted her statement, her tone strict. Maka nodded, staring at Death the Kid's retreating form. What did she not understand? That the Shinigami were truly wicked?

Or was it something else?

That night, when Maka laid on her beg, blankly staring at the ceiling, she moved one hand to fluff her pillow. Beneath the comfy bundle, she felt her fingers brush something tiny and crisp. Removing the small, folded note, she read it mentally.

Hatred consumes you now… but bitterness doesn't last forever.

After all… you're only human.

Then again, even I don't know what a human is. Please, teach me.

Maka crushed the note and chucked it against the wall. It had no signature, but its message made her think. Who didn't know what a human was? Maka paused… Could she really explain what a human was to someone? Strangely enough, she began to hum a song. It was an old tune, one that always puzzled her as a child. Its lyrics were strange and she didn't know its name… but she'd heard a woman singing it in the Academy gardens.

"What kind of life can I really hope to have?

Living all alone like the monster that I am.

Humans go so quickly, they fall so deep asleep.

Never show the shock. Never hear me weep."

That was all she remembered of it. The song haunted her that night as she drifted off to sleep. Soul lifted his head when he heard her singing from the living room. He glanced into her room before disappearing to his own room. He could have sworn he heard a young boy singing those same verses in the Academy gardens when he was younger. He shrugged off the feeling. Shutting his door, his flopped onto his bed and fell asleep.

(And that's chapter three… The song I 'stole' the first few verses from is Shinigami Record, JubyPhonic's English dub at watch?v=s5NS9Z70WPI&list=PL47A56A51506A9997. It's a nice, sad song… and I thought that the first few verses fit the feeling a certain somebody is struggling to portray. Thanks for reading again! It's been a pleasure reading all your comments 3 )

Preview of the next chapter….

"Why do you keep looking at me that way!? All you've done since I met you is mess with me!" Maka hissed, balling her fists against the ground. Her bleach white palms were stained with crimson, her green eyes hollow with grief. "What do you want from me!?"

Kid gritted his teeth, lowering his head to avoid looking at the girl before him. He was still getting used to humans… still trying to understand them. How could he have expected her to understand how he felt? How could he have expected her to realize his pain? He hadn't meant to lash out of her… even his abilities as an awakening Shinigami were foreign to him. Despite her trying to hide it, he could see the bleeding marks on her palms, the burns on her fingertips.

"I don't know…" His voice was so fragile that the wind could barely carry it to Maka's ears. Maka fumed, her face burning bright red. "You don't know!?"

"I saw your soul!" Kid suddenly screamed, gaze burrowing into her. Maka shivered under his gaze, but remained furious. She could feel his eyes searching within her and it was a scary feeling… a feeling she didn't welcome but was unable to stop. This, she realized, was how others felt when she read their souls. Kid fell onto his knees beside her, carefully lifting her to his eye level. "You have the soul of an angel, Maka… I don't know why, but I found myself attracted to you that night we met. It scared me and I blamed your damned grigori soul."

Maka froze. Kid's hands were shaking, their grip on her arms growing more violent. "I've never had feelings for anyone!" he hissed, her eyes brimming with tears. Nothing fell from his eyes, but they shined with so much agony. Maka actually felt it… she felt the pain he had. Kid quivered. "And I fell for a human! A worthless human who will die in just a few years! Maybe I do want you to lose… once I reap your soul; I won't have to see you ever again."

Maka was speechless. A feeling grew inside of her. This feeling was… what?