Little warning beforehand that I implore you to READ: This takes place AFTER the SE manga. And the manga ends waaaaay after the anime, so spoiler alert like mad. In Naruto, I guess it happens somewhere during the timeskip?

It was dark.

That was the first thought.

So dark... So black...

"My blood is black."

Then... was this blood?

I could feel the darkness, sliding over my skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

"I have done an unforgivable sin."

Did I? What did I do? Why did I do it?

... Who am 'I'?

"I betrayed my friends, killed my mother..."

Why? Why would I do that?

"... I wanted to prove my existence..."

My existence? Why would that matter? Why would any of that matter?

The darkness caressed my cheek and I felt myself slowly sink into the nothingness.

"But this is just an excuse... It doesn't mean anything..."

No, it didn't. Just meaningless words.

"It is impossible to get away from the darkness."

Yes, impossible. There was no point in trying to escape. Especially when the dark was so soothing. So... calming.

"But there is something I just can't let go..."

What? What is it? My mind questioned urgently, fruitlessly as I quickly slipped away. The voice in my head, once so loud, was now barely audible in the overwhelming black.

"Maka..."

Who... who was... why...

My thoughts floundered uselessly, trying desperately to keep hold of consciousness.

But it was futile.

Everything was black.

It was bright.

That was the first thought.

And hot. So very hot.

My skin burned all over, inside and out. The light burned my eyes, though they were closed, and the ground burned my body wherever they met.

... It's bright...

Yes– yes, it was bright.

Did we escape?

Escape? Escape, there was something about escaping, somewhere not long ago.

The darkness, remember?

Yes, the darkness. It was so strong. So dark, so black...

"My blood is black."

A shiver wracked my spine, though I knew not why.

It was so bright, so very bright, but I was sinking into darkness yet again.

No– no, not the dark, not again, please!

I tried to move my hand, tried to reach out, to claw my way out, but I was paralyzed.

The light faded.

There was a voice.

"... are... you... shouldn't... be..."

I couldn't hear them.

"Hey!.. even... listening?"

I am, I am. I am listening, I am.

The darkness is creeping up on the edges again, but I won't fall to it again. I won't.

"You gave me courage, and strength."

Yes, yes, courage and strength. I won't let the blackness take me again.

Painstakingly, I forced my eyes open. It might have taken seconds or days, but regardless, it was the hardest thing I'd ever done.

And it was so bright. The sun seared away at my eyes and it hurt so much, it burned so much.

But there is no sun in the darkness.

Yes, that is true. Even if the sun should burn me to a crisp, at least I am not in the darkness.

My eyes were open now. Yet still I could not see, for all I could see was the sunlight, burning, burning.

I opened my mouth– to cry, to scream, to whimper, to laugh– but all that came out was a harsh croak, like gargling sand.

Sand.

Sand, yes. Sand! The ground, which burned so hot, was sand. My fingers twitched minutely, brushing the hot, hot sand.

There is no sand in the darkness either.

Yes, in the darkness there is no sand, or light, or sounds like that my throat made.

But Soul made sound.

Who is Soul? And why could he make sound, when I could not?

"I said... listening... me!"

The voice. Yes, the voice, I can't forget about the voice.

I opened my eyes again (when did they close?) and tried to see past the brightness. To see something else besides the hot, burning sun.

Yellow. No, blonde. Blonde?

Maka!

The name filled me with urgency and my throat crackled with sound again.

Maka, Maka!

"Dammit... gonna need... medic... looks... civilian..."

The darkness was back, stronger than ever and it was dragging me down to its depths. But I needed to know, needed to see her before I could go.

"Ma... ka..."

The voice– no, the person, quickly looked up at me, green eyes wide. "Hey!" They scrambled over to me, hands grasping my shoulders and shaking lightly. "Don't go... back... wake...!" Their mouth was moving, but all I could hear was the white noise, taking me over with the black dark.

... his hair was black and white...

I was losing myself again, falling again, and the person was above me, saying– shouting, screaming– something, but I couldn't hear it. Couldn't feel the hands I knew were on my shoulders or hear the words I knew were being said. All I could feel was the dark, dragging me down. All I could hear was the white nose, drowning me in its numbness.

And all I could see was the blonde, blonde hair and those sharp green eyes, piercing my soul even as I drifted away.

Ma... ka...

Posting a story that isn't One Piece?! Say it ain't so! But yeah, Soul Eater is actually my favourite anime/manga of all time and the lack of good fanfiction makes me very depressed. So have a tidbit. The next chapter will either happen in a few hours or less, or in a few years. I: