Chapter 1

It has been a week after Maka finally made Soul into a death scythe, a week that Soul has been getting love letters, and partners requests. In addition, it is also been a week that she has last hanged out with her friends. Stein and the other teachers noticed.

Maka and the gang were hanging out in the classroom but as usual, Maka didn't hang with them. Prof. Stein walked into the classroom, "Maka." Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at Prof. Stein, then Maka, and then back at him. He puffed out a skull smoke, "Lord Death wants to see you. Alone." she nodded.

She stood up from her seat and started walking down the stairs. Once at the bottom, she exited the classroom, leaving Soul and the others clueless but they shrugged it off thinking that it was probably unimportant. However, what they're going to know later is that they were dead wrong.

Maka arrived at Lord Death's door. She opened it and walked in. The room was still airy as usual, "ah, Maka so you have arrived." Turning her head to face Lord Death, she bowed a little, "it's good to see you Lord Death." He also bowed a little, "and to you too Meister Maka."

"So what is it that you need?"

Lord Death clapped his hands together, "Ah yes. We'll cut right to the chase. Maka, I want you to go to an area called The Hollow of Death." She tilted her head, confused, "The Hollow of Death?" He nodded, "It is an area deep within in another dimension. I never really have to send anyone there before. Probably it never really was a problem. Until now, it seems. Anyways, once you step foot in there, you won't be able to see anything because it'll be pitched black."

"So how am I able to see?"

"By using your soul perception."

Maka turned around to see Prof. Stein walking towards her and Lord Death while twisting the screw on his head. She gave him a stern look, "with my soul perception?" He nodded, "yup, that way, you can see your enemies' soul." Lord Death clapped his hands together again, "oh, I almost forgot, The Hollow of Death is a dimension where there are many kishins."

She gaped at him, "Wha-? And you want me to go? How am I supposed to see their attacks, if I'm supposed to kill them?" Prof. Stein puffed out a skull smoke, "That's why you have your senses. Use your senses and sense where they are coming from. You can't always rely on your sights forever Maka." Sighing, she nodded, "But why me? I mean, Kid, Blackstar, or anyone else can do it. But why choose me?"

Lord Death tilted his head to the side a bit, "because Maka, it seems you really just want some time to think to yourself, so this mission might go well for you. Also, we all know how you aren't hanging out with your friends." Her eyes widen a bit, but she quickly looks down on the ground, "I just..." Prof. Stein putted a hand on her shoulder, "it's alright Maka. You don't have to tell us. It's your problem." She nodded her head and look back up at Prof. Stein and Lord Death, "So how long will this mission be?" Lord Death tilted his head back and hands on his chin, err...mask? Gah! Whatever. "Hmm, it should take you about three months or so."

Knowing the date limit, Maka nodded and started walking out of the Death room until Prof. Stein stopped her, "Oh and Maka?" She looked back at him, "hmm?"

"Forgot to also mention this but it's your choice whether you tell Soul or not. Seems how you two are partners and all. Of course, if you tell him than he'll go with you but if you don't and decided to go by yourself, than good luck surviving."

She nodded, "yeah, thanks for the heads up Prof. Stein. Goodbye." She bowed to the both of them and left.

Prof. Stein puffed out another skull smoke, "are you really sure sending Maka is a good thing? Because of what we know so far, many meisters went in but none came back out alive." Lord Death sighed, "I know she can do it. She may have things that are distracting her now, but with determination and a rare gigori soul, she'll make it out alive. That I am much sure of."

Twisting the screw on his head while puffing out another skull smoke, "What are you going to do if she decides to go alone, not taking Soul with her?"

"Then may we hope that she actually does get out of there alive during those three months."

~Back to Maka~

Maka opened the door to the apartment, stepping inside, and closing the door behind her. She took off her shoes, hanged her trench coat, and dragged her stuff to her room.

She almost made it to her room until Soul asked, "So, what did Lord Death want?" Maka didn't answer him back right away because she started thinking back to the conversation that she had with Prof. Stein and Lord Death. Instead of telling him about the mission she lied, "nothing much really. He mostly just asked how I am and stuff."

Her back was still to him so she didn't see Soul scratch his head, "huh, thought it would be important. I guess not." Maka just shrugged and went into her room. She was about to close the door until Soul yelled out, "Oh! Don't forget to make dinner. It's your turn tonight."

Closing the door all the way, Maka went towards her bed and collapsed on it. She started thinking whether to tell Soul or not because it's been a while since she talked to him until now it seems. Not wanting to think anymore, Maka went to her closet and grabbed a towel and some sleeping attires.

She opened her door to see if Soul is still out in the living room or kitchen but hearing music coming out of his room, she started walking towards the bathroom to take a shower. The hot water that the shower gave her soothed her stiff muscles. She doesn't really know why she's avoiding Soul and the others. All she knows is that ever since she made Soul into a death scythe, she started having strange feelings, as if something bad is going to happen, and especially the dreams that she kept getting every night.

Every night the dream would always have her surround in a pit of darkness and later a bright light would come out of nowhere. Revealing Soul and the others, dead right in front of her, their blood on her hands and body.

Maka snapped her eyes open, not wanting to think of the dream anymore. She turned off the water and quickly got out of the shower and into her clothes. Getting out of the bathroom, she noticed that Soul was still in his room. Sighing, she went to her bedroom to put her towel away and towards the kitchen, starting on dinner.

There really wasn't much stuff to make dinner, besides ribs and the things to make pudding. Cooking the ribs didn't take much time to prepare it because all she had to do was season it and let the ribs cook in the oven. While the ribs were cooking, Maka decided to start on the pudding.

An hour or so passed and dinner was ready. She set up the tables and putting ribs on each of both hers and Soul's plate. After setting up, she walked towards his bedroom door and knocked on it, "Soul, dinner's ready." Soul replied with an okay. Maka walked back towards the table, sat on her seat, and started eating. A couple of minutes passed until Soul came out of his room to go and eat.

The room was quiet and the atmosphere was somewhat awkward. Maka wondered why Soul is being so quiet. Usually he would be the first to start a conversation or mostly talked about something. Remembering about the conversation, Maka stopped eating.

Soul saw this and looked at her, "is something the matter Maka?" She didn't answer right away, but when a couple of minutes passed, she finally spoke, "Hey Soul?"

"Hm?"

"What would you do if I were to disappear?"

Maka looked up from her plate to see Soul's reaction. Instead of seeing his reaction, she saw him with a thinking face, eyes closed while rubbing his chin. "Well, if you disappear, than that means I can finally get a different partner," said Soul, smirking at the end of his sentence.

She doesn't know why but after hearing him said that, a sharp pain stabbed her in the stomach and heart. Ignoring the pain, Maka looked back down onto her plate, "oh, I see." He kept going on, "yeah, and I can finally have a partner who may have a chest instead of a flat chest and one that may not keep chopping me." He stopped when he heard a chair screeched. Looking at Maka, he saw her picked up her dish and threw away the rest of her dinner into the trash. He couldn't see her expression because her bangs were covering her eyes.

"Thanks, I think I'll go to sleep now."

With that said, she put her dishes in the sink and left towards her room, closing the door after her. Soul just sat there, stunned that she didn't even give him a Maka-chop or anything. He stared at her bedroom door and felt that something was wrong. Instead of finding out what it is, he just shrugged the feeling away and finished his dinner.

Maka was still standing with her back on her bedroom door. She was staring at the floor until her vision blurred. Feeling something hot and wet trailing down her face, she wiped it with her hand and saw that it was her tears. Not understanding why she's crying, she wiped the rest of her tears away and started grabbing the stuff that she needed.

Since the dimension that she is going doesn't really need stuff, she went towards her closet and opened it. Taking out a big black box, which she hid in the corner of her closet all these years, she put it on her bed and opened the lid. It revealed clothing. The clothing's were deep black, and out of all of them, there was only one thing that stood out. A very red ruby necklace that's shaped as a soul.

Knowing that she wouldn't be bringing Soul with her, she decided to leave at midnight since it's only nine. Putting the lid back on and back into the closet, Maka laid on her bed. She knew that she wouldn't be able to go to sleep, so she stared at the ceiling and started thinking about her friends, even Soul. Sure, they had a lot of fun time together but ever since she started having that nightmare, she started to stay away from them.

Usually a nightmare doesn't make her that scared that she wouldn't be with them. However, the nightmare kept giving her a bad feeling that if she kept staying with them, they would be harm. Therefore, that's why she kept distancing herself away from them.

She doesn't know when but after getting out of her thoughts, she saw that it was already midnight. Getting out of bed, she took the black box out of the closet and settled it on the bed. Opening it, she quickly stripped out of her sleeping attire and wore the clothing's that were in the box.

Looking at herself in her full-length mirror, Maka stared at herself. She was wearing a black tank top turtleneck, mid-thigh shorts, black fingerless gloves, boots that are lighter than her usual ones, and a trench coat with a hood. Of course, the ruby soul necklace rests right on her chest, shining with the moonlight that's shone from her bedroom window.

Sighing, she knew that tonight is the night, that she will be gone for three whole months and that there will be no one who will miss her. Walking towards her desk, she took out a piece of paper and scribbles down a note to Soul. After that, she opened her bedroom window. Before jumping out, she looked at her bedroom door, thinking about how Soul would feel if he found her missing. Shaking her head furiously, because she remembers about the conversation that they had at dinner, Maka decided that he wouldn't care if she were gone or not. He can finally have a worthy partner that won't drag him down. Besides, he's finally a death scythe now so he can have whatever partner he wants.

That in mind, Maka jumped out of her bedroom window, safely landing on the ground and started running towards the academy, closing her heart so that no one else could enter it ever again.