JustACountdown321: Ugh. I literally haven't gotten on my computer in a month (that wasn't for homework purposes). I'm so sorry about not writing anything lately guys, but as you just heard, I've had a shit-ton of homework (damn AP classes). But I finally caught a break and that brings us to here…

WARNING: contains foul language, violence, and yaoi.

DISCLAIMER: honestly, I don't know why I still type this line…

Black Star's POV:

What's happening?

I couldn't stop him…

"BLACK STAR SAVE ME!"

I couldn't reach him in time…

When Soul started to panic and glow, I knew it wasn't going to end well. I've stopped him from those panic attacks when we first met. He hadn't had any since he told me what happened… I was actually starting to believe he'd never have one again.

But neither of us were prepared for that…

I still had no idea what just happened. Soul's soul manifested outside his body when he was hooked up to Stein's new contraption; we still don't know why his soul wasn't attached to him… all souls are generally anchored to the body; but Soul's was flitting about, dancing, mocking him by sharing with everybody the one thing Soul feared the most…

I already knew that he was raped, he told me back when we first met; when I told him I loved him. I had spent a week training not to set him off in any way that would trigger any negative feelings about his past, hoping to help him forget, and to get used to knowing what he'd been through.

He was raped… And that made me livid. If he hadn't killed those guys back then, I would've. For him. I would've used every technique, maneuver, and torture mechanism I learned from my assassin training on those bastards for what they did to him. And I would've enjoyed every scream and plea they made as they slowly died.

But at the same time, I was scared. I had no clue as to what I had gotten myself into when I first met him and instantly fell in love with him. When he ignored me and fell asleep in class that first day, I couldn't ignore the peaceful hum he made as he drifted off. And when he freaked out, there was an overwhelming sense of protection in my heart that made me stay and help him.

I thought I was capable of knowing what had happened to him…

I was wrong.

I didn't know the details… Hell, I didn't know they did that right in front of his dying brother. I couldn't avoid the bubbling of anger, pity, confusion, and fear that overwhelmed me when I heard him crying out for someone to save him. Couldn't ignore my seething as I heard those bastards laugh. And then I heard the laughter of a psychotic child and all emotions left my head, leaving behind only fear. Fear for my life and for everyone who was in the vicinity of Soul. And then I caught his eyes and saw the hurt in them.

He knew…

He could see the abject terror in my eyes and the eyes of everyone around him. He could feel the uneasy stares as people started to realize that the screaming was no longer from the child that they all knew as cool-kid, Soul Evans. He could sense the shift in emotion as people who had started out with nothing but sympathy and pity had begun to tremble at the mere sight of him, as his haunted memory filled the air.

And I knew that he needed me.

I saw him, panicking; fear rising in his eyes and choked out sobs and screams echoing in my head, I saw he was going to go mad. I tried to run to him, but that monstrous little soul of his was blocking me. Upon closer inspection of the daunting blob, I could see that it was growing larger due to his fear and panic, each thought of his floating within the soul. The one that stood out haunted me most…

"Black Star hates me."

I ran to him, plowing through the celestial blob and climbing over every chair and person in my way. I heard Stein shouting for people to run, but I knew that they couldn't. They were immobilized with fear.

Soul started glowing white, and I knew I wasn't going to make it. I was inches from grabbing his hand, when his eyes caught mine and they flashed in a moment of clarity.

"BLACK STAR SAVE ME!"

A white light exploded from him and sent everyone crashing against the walls. I landed against it with a thud and felt something crack. I was embedded in the concrete. I collapsed to the floor with a grunt, ignoring the shooting pain of what were probably broken ribs. I looked around at my friends and saw that they were dazed and scraped, but not much else. Stein was pressed up against the chalkboard, the blast affecting him more than others, but less than me. He shook himself off then looked around at everybody. And then his eyes rested on the center of the classroom and widened. I directed my attention to where his was and gasped.

Soul was floating half-a-foot from the ground, a ghostly red-black aura surrounding him. Several scythes were protruding from his body, a majority running up and down his arms. Red lines had appeared under his eyes and ran down like tears, ending at his jaw. His eyes were pitch black except for his red irises.

He had the grin of a lunatic.

Those who weren't used to Kishins screamed, a couple even fainted. Maka and the others stood wary of their friend, but weren't even fazed by the transformation. No one moved.

And then someone let out a nervous squeal and Soul shifted. He aimed his gaze straight at the student and his smile widened. A low chuckle bubbled up his chest until it was an all-out maniacal laughter. That's when things went wrong.

Ox ran at Soul; Harvar weaponized and building up electrical power. Stein shouted to not approach Soul, but it was too late.

With a flick of his finger, Soul had deflected Ox's blow and sliced him in the process. Blood spurted out of Ox, wounds opening up and down his chest. He was hit back into the crowd of trembling students and several others yelled and charged in defiance. They all got equal treatment and were sent to the back of the class, some rougher than others. Soul hadn't even moved yet, his grin still growing, but a look of irritation on his face.

"Nehhh… after being locked up for five years, all I get is small-fries…" he droned out. Soul sounded different. There was a quirk in his voice that carried nothing but indifference and contempt. He sounded bored… his faced showed excitement. Someone flinched and he chuckled softly, moving so quickly he was on the other side of the room in a second, my own eyes incomprehensive to the movement. The student backed up and screamed and he laughed again, flicking his finger and slicing across their chest. He roared in laughter and Stein finally moved.

He charged at Soul, faster than any of us could probably run, and tried to hit him with a Soul-Wave attack. Soul hadn't even turned, didn't even hear Stein coming, but he smirked and twisted last minute, staring Stein straight in the eyes as he stabbed him in the stomach.

Stein fell and everyone panicked. Soul howled at the level of fear and outrage, his grin growing wider as he admired the blood on one of his scythes.

"Nehhh…? Is this all you got, Doctor? I should think a top-class meister such as yourself would have put up a greater fight." He started giggling, crazily; like when he was a child. He was consumed by the bloodshed he was causing.

That's when Ox had snuck back up on him.

He had charged up Harvar again, electrocuting Soul as he impaled him with the spear. Soul screamed, his face returning to normal for a second before the charge stopped and he crumpled to the ground. He was crying and it sounded like Soul's normal-self…

He reached out a hand and grabbed the spear, holding the point directly at himself before looking up at Ox, who was stunned by the abruptness of the motion. Soul pulled the weapon and impaled himself in the shoulder, screaming at the pain, his eyes showing confusion and hurt. Ox stumbled back, pulling the weapon out with him and Soul let out a wail, tears streaming down his face.

In a flash, the tears were gone and his eyes reverted to their black-and-red state as before, the grin plastered on his face once more.

"Nehhh… Ox-kun… do you really wanna hurt Soul? All pain you inflict on me will only be felt by him…" he smirked, catching the glare from Ox as realization hit. "Every attack will hit him… hurt him… and all he'll feel is pain and betrayal as he only catches the glimpse of his friends hurting him…"

Ox stood back, not wanting to hurt Soul, but remaining cautious of the Kishin in our friend's skin.

I finally remembered my legs could move. It donned on me that I had just been staring the whole time, unable to move out of fear of the person I loved… and the shooting pain in my side from my ribs.

I finally stood up, not remembering when I had crouched on the ground. I quickly looked at my friends. All the girls were crying; Liz and Patti holding each other, while Kid stood back watching and trying to determine the level of threat. He caught my stare and moved closer.

"Soul appears to be held hostage by the Kishin inside him. So far he hasn't killed anyone -I can still sense Stein's soul- but I can feel the bloodlust in him growing. My father should've sensed him by now and evacuated the school. Reinforcements should be on their way. As long as we keep him contained in here, it should be fine."

He stopped to let that all process in my head. I looked around and saw that everyone was getting antsy, their patience levels dropping. I turned back to Kid.

"Everyone's getting over the initial response to not hurt him; they'll attack soon. What should we do?"

He pondered that for a moment then looked me in the eyes, a grim expression on his face. I could already tell what he was going to say.

"You'll have to distract him. And, if possible, calm him down. You were able to prevent his breakdowns, maybe you could stop one." I nodded, understanding. I turned to leave, when I felt a strong grip on my arm. Kid looked me in the eyes, even grimmer than before.

"You may have to fight him and he may try to kill you. Can you handle that?"

I paused. I didn't know, but I have to try. I nodded and turned back towards Soul, noticing that he was standing on the other side of class, but was smiling like he heard everything me and Kid had whispered. He was staring straight at me, a smirk on his lips.

I gritted my teeth and stepped forward…

Soul let me approach, the smile never leaving his lips and curiosity shining in his eyes. Oh, how I wished his eyes would return to normal. I was about five feet away when he finally spoke.

"Nehhh… Black Star… are you sure you want to do this? Do you really want to fight your beloved…?"

I cringed. I didn't want to, but I had to. There was no other way. I got into a starting position, drowning out the nervous murmurs from the class. I know I didn't have a weapon, but I also had a feeling Soul wouldn't want to hurt me.

Apparently I was wrong, because he didn't even hesitate to jump forward and knee me in my already broken ribs with the force of a semi-truck. I collapsed on the floor, catching my breath for the second time today, listening to the chuckle coming from Soul's mouth as he stepped back, allowing me my break.

Well if that's how he wants to play it…

I whirled forward, striking him in the gut and catching the look of surprise and pain flicker across his face. I was fast enough to avoid him reverting forms, but I might not get that luxury again. He glared at me, staggering back while wiping a small trickle of blood from his mouth. I guess I hit him pretty hard… he was pissed now. I let a smile grace my own lips as I readied myself for the next attack.

He struck at me again, putting more force into it, and also using his scythes. Well there goes my chance of not dying. I dodged the attack, taking note that his moves were sloppy, driven by anger, but they were quick and powerful. We fought for several minutes, me managing to avoid his attacks and him being careless and receiving the majority of them. He let out a frustrated snarl when my last blow had hit him right in the face, sending him back a few feet with the force. He hadn't bothered to revert forms yet, probably not enough time to do so when I'm attacking him every few seconds. He was starting to show signs of fatigue and injury. I got in another blow to the shoulder when he screamed in anger.

A ripple of energy hit me and I felt myself slow for just a second, but it was a second long enough for him to get in my defense and slice me. I felt his sharpest blade pierce my flesh several times, before he took a step back, finally getting a chance to rest.

I felt myself bleeding out and knew it was bad. I couldn't fight anymore. Reinforcements haven't shown up and the only person able to be on par with him was now critically injured. I heard him chuckle and looked up to see him standing over me, a triumphant look on his face. He raised a scythe and sliced again, forming a long, stinging line of blood to appear across my cheek. I let out a small yelp at the pain. I knew I was going to die, and he'd enjoy every minute of it.

I glanced up at him again, fire lighting up my eyes. If he was going to kill me, then I'll die with my pri-

Soul looked absolutely horrified. His face had paled several shades and his whole body was trembling. He had taken several steps back from me and had reached a hand up to cover his mouth. Tears were streaming down his face and his eyes kept flickering back and forth between normal and black.

"N-n-no-oo… t-that m-mark… o-on y-y-your ch-eek…" he shakily choked out.

I was confused. He had just scratched my cheek, why should it terrify him so much? I was about to ask when his soul blossomed out of his chest, his form still trembling.

His soul floated up above his head and started blinking. Everyone peered up at it, afraid of what it'd do now. An image appeared within his soul, clear enough for everyone to see. It was an image of a man who could only be Soul's brother with a knife pressed to his cheek and blood trickling out. The image changed to one of a young, trembling Soul, pinned to the ground, with the same knife cutting the same mark into his cheek; tears streaming down his face.

I glanced over at Soul, who seemed to not notice his soul floating above his head. His eyes were intently watching my cheek, staring at the wound he had inflicted on me. I looked a little closer at Soul and for the first time noticed the faint scar on his left cheek… right where he had been scratched in the image…

Right where he had scratched me…

Realization struck as I figured out that this scratch was a reminder of what happened to him. I looked back at Soul to see his knees buckling. He was absolutely petrified.

"N-no… not p-possible… he's d-dead… he… he shouldn't b-be h-here to leave that mark…" His head was moving frantically back and forth, searching for the person who had left that mark all those years before. The fact that he couldn't find him only made him more terrified. Soul's knees gave out beneath him and he sank to the floor, forgetting all about the hundred students around him. His breathing was coming out in ragged pants and his eyes had decided to settle on one black, one normal; both equally scared.

I glanced around at all the students, catching their looks of fear and confusion. I caught sight of Maka and the others and saw they were relieved that he had stopped moving for now. Stein had been propped up against the wall by Kilik, his wound still bleeding, but not bad enough to kill him. He glanced around at the students, then at Soul, and then turned his attention back to me. He was on the other side of the room, but could be heard perfectly from my position.

"Black Star… go."

I understood what he meant. I stood up, struggling to do so with my level of injury. I was going to have to stay in a hospital for a while after this. I walked over to Soul, who was still trembling on the ground, clutching his head like he was trying to block something out. I knelt down in front of him and reached a hand up tentatively. I still saw no response from Soul and decided to go for it. I ran my fingers across his scar, wiping away tears that were still streaming down.

He lashed out, grabbing my wrist and twisting us both around so that I was lying on my back and he was kneeling over me, his other hand pulled back and forming a fist. He was staring down at me with anger in his eyes, little tears slipping from the corners. His breathing was shaky and little hiccups were mingled with them. We stared at each other for a few seconds before I spoke up.

"Soul… it's okay now..."

He froze, his eyes flashing back to their normal color. His hands continued to tremble, the one holding my wrist loosening. I reached a hand up and stroked his cheek again, careful to do so slowly so I wouldn't get punched. He continued to stare at me for a bit, before remembering all that had just happened. He peaked at the scratch on my cheek, a sob breaking the uncomfortable silence. He turned to look at me again, a sad smile gracing my lips, and his breathing turned to whimpers and sobs, some hiccups, as tears began pooling in his eyes and his lips started quivering.

"B-Black Star…?" he squeaked.

I flashed him a soft smile. He suddenly broke down, uncontrollable sobs wracking his body. He leaned down and wrapped his arms around me, crying into my shoulder. I reached my arms around and pulled him closer, gently comforting him as he continued to cry.

The entire classroom was silent except for the loud wails coming from Soul.

We lied there holding each other until his crying had transformed into rapid hiccups and the position made it difficult for him to breathe. I sat us up, groaning at the pain in my side, but continuing to hold him against me.

Stein had gotten up, using Kilik for support, and walked over to us. He gestured for everyone to evacuate which many did so quickly. Maka, Tsubaki, Liz, Patti, and Kid had stayed behind and were watching from behind Stein. Ox stood by the door escorting people out. No one said anything.

Soul's hiccups quieted after a while, leaving behind only sharp intakes of breath when he inhaled. He sat back, still clinging to my shoulders and looked at everyone. I could tell he was terrified that they were mad at him or that they were afraid of him, but no one said anything. He turned his attention back to me, but refused to meet my eyes. I let out a sigh and reached a hand up, brushing his bangs out of his face, causing him to look up at me finally.

"No one's mad at you, Soul…" I whispered to him, "only worried that you're hurt."

He looked apprehensive at first, but finally looked at everyone closely. They all had smiles on their faces, muttering their concern for his well-being. He let out a nervous laugh, a smile slowly forming on his lips. He turned back towards me, the smile turning a little sad.

"I'm sorry for hurting you Black Star." He murmured.

I chuckled. "I'm just glad you didn't kill me. Besides… now you have to take care of me for once."

He smiled brighter and leaned forward, kissing my cheek. I reached up a couple fingers and redirected his kiss to my lips, causing him to gasp at the action. He pulled back, blushing profusely and hiding his eyes, not looking at anybody. We all chuckled. He punched my chest then apologized when I fell over groaning. He had hit my ribs again.

My vision had started to blacken -someone shouted for the nurse- and then I fell asleep with the last image being Soul, grinning and crying over me.

JustACountdown321: Yes, I did it! God, action is hard to write… especially when your cat is rubbing your face and stepping on the keys. I hope I caught all the spelling errors that she created when she did so. I hope you all enjoyed this. This may (or may not) be the last chapter of Just Try and Save Me (I might create a little happy-ending chapter-thing). Thank you all for supporting and reading through this journey of writing a very dramatic fanfic. I'll (possibly) see you all again eventually (not literally, but through, like, reading-telepathy or some shit).

~BYE!