Regular Story line: Death City

The afternoon sun sets on the horizon has it gives out an orange pink hue in the sky. Maka looks at the sky with fascination and awe as she tries to ease her mind as she and Soul attempt to collect a witch's soul. Maka notices how anxious Soul is acting but he plays it off. However, she knows his main concern is if this is a real witch.

"You sure this is the real deal? I don't want to do this all over again." Soul grunts as he grips the handles of his motorcycle tightly.

"My answer is still the same when you asked me last time, Soul. Lord Death said that there is a string of missing people and there are rumors that a witch took residence here." Maka reassures

"Fine, but if you're wrong then you're cooking dinner for a month." Soul grunts

"And if I'm right?" Maka ask

"Then we continue our usual routine." Soul replies as he smiles wide

"Jerk" Maka grumbles as she shakes an uneasy feeling in her stomach when they stop in front of a worn out building with windows boarded up with wooden planks. The painting is chipping off slowly and tiles from the roof are slowly falling down. The door is chipped and has some small cracks around the center.

"Can you sense anything?" Soul ask as he parks his motorcycle

"Not much." Maka says as she gets off his motorcycle then closes her eyes to see if she can sense anything but nothing.

"Well let's keep our guard up and pray this isn't another Blair." Soul warns as he transforms into a scythe.

Maka reaches out to touch the door knob feeling nervous and tries to shake off an uneasy feeling inside her. She turns the knob slowly as the door gives a soft creak. The building is pitch black as Maka attempts to adjust her eyes to the dark. As she enters the room, the door shuts behind them. The sudden sound makes Maka jump a bit.

"Guard up." Soul repeats as he struggles to see the room.

"I know. Something doesn't feel right." Maka adds

"Well don't let it affect your actions. We need to be vigilant." Soul reminds her as Maka nods her head. A lone black raven is perched on top of a window sill.

"Oh, a guest. No, a special guest." The raven whispers as she transform into a petite woman with a build similar to Maka's. She has a black hair that matches her olive skin color. She is wearing short black shorts with black ankle boots. She has a gray tank top accompanied by a waist length black jacket.

"My my, if I knew I had company coming I would have put out a nice spread." The Witch says with a playful tone

"So you're the one harvesting human souls." Maka says as she glares at the witch

"Harvesting? No, dearie, I'm a collector and my taste in quite peculiar." The Witch corrects

"Release them now or else." Maka warns as she tightens the grip on her scythe handle

"Cute, but no dice." The Witch says as she releases shadow spikes from the ground which Maka deftly jumps out of the way

"Quick, young, lively, and oh so rare. I want you." The Witch whispers softly as she eyes Maka's movements from afar.

The witch turns back into a raven and flies into the darkness surrounding the duo. As she finds a safe spot she circles the duo while throwing needles at them. Maka deflects each of them with ease. Suddenly no one makes a move as Maka watches each corner carefully and silently.

"At least Blair put up a fight." Soul moans as Maka silences him.

"Something isn't right." Maka repeats as the witch launches at Maka's right with dark purple talons. Maka swiftly slashes at her only to see the witch turn into a raven then flies into the darkness.

"Keep your guard up!" Soul shouts as he tries to adjust his eyes but the darkness is overwhelming.

"I am!" Maka shouts as she feels her anger rising up again.

"We need to be ahead of her." Soul says with a gentle tone.

"Easy for you to say. I'm working with no visibility here." Maka complains as she eyes at the boarded up window.

"Then I think we should do some redecorating." Soul says as he lets out a wide grin. Maka finds one window from her left and slashes at the boarded up planks to let in some light. However, with the sun already setting on the horizon it provided only a small amount of light for Maka.

"Those little brats!" The Witch whispers angrily as she walks out of the darkness with a menacing look on her face.

"You barge into my home, insult my work and now destroying my property. I was going to make this easy for you but now you only made it worse." The Witch announces as closes her eyes then slowly lifts her hands to the sky.

The witch mumbles incoherently as a black pool forms around her feet. Maka eyes the witch's feet but senses something sinister with this action. Underneath the black pool, sharp needles penetrates into few dark purple and black sacs. The thin needle swell up due to the essences they are collecting and make their way to the witch.

"Anytime, Maka." Soul complains as he fidgets. The witch opens her eyes to reveal her brown eyes soon become ruby red. Her short nails become larger and thicker than before.

"Asra is ready to play now, Maka." Asra whispers as she watches Maka. Asra swipes her arm fluidly as she releases a barrage of sharp feathers fly towards her. Maka swiftly slashes each of the incoming feather then glares back at Asra to see she is gone.

"Guard up!" Soul says as Maka grasps the scythe handle tightly

"Well you please stop saying that." Maka says angrily

"I didn't say anything!" Soul argues as Asra strikes down and Maka leaps out of the way.

Asra shoots needle shadows as Maka dodges each of her attacks. Suddenly Maka's back makes contact with the cold wall then notices that Asra is gone again. Fear and worry fill her body as she watches each of the dark crevices of the building carefully before advancing. She attempts using Soul Perception but Asra keeps moving causing Maka to become unsure of her position. She catches a glimpse of the witch and prepares herself.

In her raven form, Asra swoops down then revert back to her human form and tosses a purple spear towards Maka. Maka prepares to block it as she senses the incoming attack. She turns around as she slashes it to see it becomes intangible. The impact causes Maka to drop her scythe away from her as she collapse on the floor.

"Not cool, Maka! Is this some petty revenge thing?" Soul shouts as he tries to adjust his eyes to the dark. He sees Maka's ash blonde hair then finds a purple substance around her body.

"MAKA!" Soul screams as he rushes towards her then gently turns her body gently to see her face. A small stream of blood escapes from her mouth as she opens her eyes to see Soul's worred face.

"You knew I could have guarded you! Why didn't you use me?" Soul ask as he regrets raising his voice with her but she should have known. The spear liquidates then spreads on top of Maka's blouse.

"Oh, an emotional one, this should be enticing." Asra comments as she walks towards them.

"I kept my guard up." Maka says as Soul notices her lips aren't moving. He looks up to see Asra giving them a wide smile.

"Great impression, right? I did yours earlier and it really got her uptight." Asra admits as she gives a soft chuckle.

"I'm sorry." Maka apologizes weakly as Soul looks at her with anger then changes it so she didn't think he was mad at her.

"Don't talk, okay? Let me help you up." Soul whispers as he attempts to lift her up, the black substance on her body won't budge like if she is glued to the ground.

"What the?" Soul questions as Asra lets out a chilling laugh.

"She isn't moving from there no matter how hard you pull. As of now, her body will be engulfed in a purple sac and be another piece of my collection." Asra explains.

"Let her go and we will leave you alone!" Soul begs as the purple substance spreads quickly around Maka's body.

"You misunderstood, you can go but she stays." Asra repeats as Soul grips Maka tightly.

"You honestly think I will leave her behind with a maniac like you?!" Soul argues as he continues to pull Maka away from the substance.

"You have a point." Asra says as she throws five needle shadows at Soul as he turns his arm into a blade to slash the needles but they pass through. They hit his shoulders, arms, and lower abdomen.

"No." Maka whispers as she slowly opens her eyes to see the needle penetrate through Soul's shoulders and arm.

"Hang in there, I'll get you out." Soul reassures as he pulls the needles out of his body.

"I think she wants to say something to you." Asra mentions as she points at Maka. Soul looks at Maka as she extends her hand towards him. He grabs her and attempts to pull her off but nothing.

"Don't talk, okay? Don't waste any energy." Soul pleas as Maka shakes her head.

"You're hurt, Soul." Maka says as she places her hand on his chest.

"I really did guard, but I guess I miscalculated her attack." Maka mutters as her eyes become red and puffy.

"Don't worry about me." Soul says with a soft smile.

"You're over staying your welcome." Asra warns

"I'll leave when I kill you!" Soul shouts as Maka uses a small ounce of energy to grab his arm. The substance has covered most of her body all that remains is half of her face.

"You need to leave, please." Maka begs softly

"No way." Soul argues

"I'm tired of you sacrificing yourself to save me." Maka confesses

"We're partners, remember!" Soul shouts as anger creeps into his tone. He notices a tear falling down Maka's face.

"Stop putting my wellbeing over yours. For once think about your own safety!" Maka argues

"What an understanding partner you got there. Shame you'll never realize how special she truly is." Asra teases

"You shut your dirty mouth!" Soul retorts as the grip on his jacket is gone as he runs towards the witch then launches himself on top of her with his arm now forming a blade. His blade is near her throat but he hesitates. The witch makes a shadow blade then slashes Soul's cheek with it.

"Keep your guard up." Asra imitates with a sly smile

"Maka hold on tight okay?" Soul reassures as silence falls upon the building.

"She's gone, love." Asra whispers as her words hits Soul hard as he has a difficult time catching his breath. He slowly turns his head around to see no one behind him.

"What did you do to her?!" Soul ask as Asra head-butts Soul causing him to lose balance then falls on the ground.

"Now do you want to play or respect your partner's dying wish? Asra warns as she creates an army of raven shadows from behind her as she gives Soul a wide smile. She releases the wave of raven shadows as they each pierce through his skin painfully aiming for his arm, leg, cheek, chest, and wherever they find a vulnerable spot.

Soul looks back at where he found Maka then clutches his hands in the ground. He looks at Asra then gets up as he bolts straight for the door. The adrenaline flows through his body quickly as he ignores his wounds. As he gets to the door, he hesistates for a moment then hears the distant caws from the ravens.

"I'm coming back, Maka." Soul whisper as he opens the door quickly then closes it as the barrage of raven's disappear the moment they hit the door.

"Aw, just when we were having fun." Asra sighs as she look closed door