Maka trailed behind the man, ducking under the dewy branches that her savior held out of the way. He had barely uttered a word, mumbling something about "stay quiet," which was enough to shut the girl up quickly. His sharp teeth and red eyes sent a shiver and feeling of dread down her spine, but he had also saved her from that spirit, so he couldn't be entirely bad.

She looked around at her surroundings, really seeing them for the first time in weeks. She could not remember what forest they were in, the day, month, even the year. She could not remember anything but her name and her time as a nymph's vessel. She looked down at her hands, hoping that some clue about her existence would be written on her fingers. I look young, but fully-grown. I'm maybe 16?But I could maybe be 20? She tilted her hands every which way, spread and curled her fingers, but found no other clues about her age or history.

"Your hands must be utterly fascinating," The man said from in front of her.

"I was trying to figure out who I am,"

"You're Maka. You just told me that, idiot."

"I know," She frowned at his back, "but that's all I know."

"You just get more and more interesting."

He led her out of the canopy of trees onto a dusty road that offered no protection from the blazing sun. He increased his pace now that no trees could obstruct his path, and Maka, still a little weak from having another soul take control of her body, struggled along behind him. She hid her exhaustion as best as she could, but he had seen this before and knew she must be tired. However, he did not let this slow his place.

"Call me Soul, by the way," he said, finally breaking the silence.

"Well hi, Soul," Maka huffed from a good six feet behind him.

"How'd you manage to get yourself in such a situation back there?"

"I don't remember," her voice was quiet now as she rubbed her hands together again.

"What do you remember?" Soul raised an eyebrow in interest, but poor Maka couldn't see his face while she struggled to keep up.

"I remember the... nymph, did you say? I remember her," What do I remember?

"That's a start,"

"I guess," Her voice shook a little more than she would have liked.

"We'll figure it out, don't worry. I'm a pretty important guy, I'm sure I know someone who can help."

"I would really appreciate that, thank you!" She perked up considerably, although she was still about to drop from exhaustion. "I hope you don't go too far out of your way, though. I don't want to put you through trouble. I owe you too much already."

"I'll figure out a way for you to pay me back, relax,"

At this, Maka shut up. Their feet kicked up dirt with every step causing a small brown cloud to hover around them while they walked. The dust stuck to Maka's sweaty calves and ankles as she almost ran to keep up, her breath heaving heavily in her chest. Her mind felt clear for the first time in god knows how long, a veil of anger and insanity finally lifted from her eyes. She relished in the control of her limbs, in the feeling of having her body to herself, but mostly in the newfound will to live. She felt hope blossoming in her chest, like a rose was taking root and blooming somewhere. She felt the beauty in her new will, but thorns of doubt and fear poked at her insides. They scratched at her throat as she thought about her lack of memory, dug into her abdomen when she considered where she would go from here. She had to distract herself before she began to cry. She didn't know how, but she knew she was a tough girl who would not cry over something so stupid.

"Hey, Soul?" He grunted in response. "Where are we going?"

"You're tired, right? We're headed for a place to stay for the night."

"Oh, ok. Thank you."

"You don't have to keep saying thanks."

"No, I do! You're doing a lot for me!"

"A cool guy wouldn't leave you around like that. You could get hurt when you're this weak."

"How'd you know that?"

"I've seen this happen before. It's not uncommon to feel fatigued. Plus I can hear you heaving and tripping over your own feet back there."

"You would be too if you'd just had a spirit pulled out of your stomach..." Maka huffed and crossed her arms like a little kid.

"Wanna' bet?" Soul laughed at the palpable annoyance in the air. She was feisty in addition to pretty, although he was beginning to realize she was a little too flat for his liking.

"Yeah, I do," She finally sounded strong, and Soul imagined this was her normal voice.

"Hah, don't kid yourself."

"Be quiet,"

"If you insist," He stuffed his hands in his pockets and slowed to walk by her. His slouch was beginning to grate on her nerves a little bit, but she decided to bite her tongue.

"Do you need to take a break?" Soul, now walking by her side, was finally able to see her face. And it looked pretty bad.

"Of course not! I'm perfectly fine," Maka looked straight in his red eyes, but he obviously wasn't fooled.

Soul veered off the path and she followed behind dutifully, huffing about "being ok" and "being a big girl" but was inwardly very happy about this. He led her back under the welcoming cover of leaves and deeper into the woods until they reached a small stream. Maka swore she could cry of joy, but decided to wait for Soul's example. He knelt down by the stream and splashed water onto his face and rinsed the dirt off his hands, then promptly looked at Maka like she was insane because she had not started to do anything.

"Fine, I need a break."

What had began as a quick break had quickly disintegrated into an all-day affair. After washing up and drinking her fill, Maka decided she needed to rest against a tree. She and soul snacked on bits of bread and dried fruits together. Eventually her eyes started drooping and he started humming such a lovely melody that she dozed into the sweetest sleep she's ever had. Soul moved her a bit so that she was laying down with her head on soft moss, expecting her to wake up any moment. Luckily for him, that nymph soul had filled him up so that he could keep his head on straight again for a while longer. When he smelled such a wonderful dying soul his most primitive instincts came out, usually hunger, followed quickly by lust, violence and greed. Souls were the most important and treasured thing in his life and also the bane of his existence. It was like he needed the civility that most of the souls possessed to stay civil himself. Which made absolutely no sense, but he couldn't very well help the way he felt.

Maka intrigued him. She was possessed, she was attractive, she was feisty, she seemed intelligent, and she remembered absolutely nothing about herself. Loosing memory after a possession like that was extremely rare and more often than not on purpose. Which means she must be someone worth wiping the memory of. Or know dirt about someone important. Either way, Soul was almost certain she was wrapped up in something bigger than she knew, so he was determined to help her, if only because of his own curiosity. Besides, she was his responsibility now—no matter how little he wanted to babysit her, he couldn't leave a girl with no memory to fend for herself! If he couldn't find her past, he would find a future for her in some small town. She was human and humans adapt quickly.

Somewhere in this train of thought, Soul let time slip. He started fantasizing and imagining all the dangerous and incredible plots Maka could be involved in and didn't notice the sun pass from morning to afternoon until a bunny caught his attention and made him notice his surroundings again. He stepped over to Maka with the intentions of waking her up and making her walk her ass to the nearest inn, but she really looked close to death. Instead he scooped her up bridal-style and walked out of the woods with her. He braced himself for the sun's assault as he stepped out of the trees, sweat immediately pouring from his pores; likewise, Maka's hair began to get damp and sticky against his chest as sweat beaded on her brow.

The two continued down the deserted road, her head lolling against his chest and her breath tickling his neck. Her face still had that glow the he had originally noticed, although the dark circles pooling under her eyes made it hard to appreciate. He realized now that her golden hair was actually thick with tangles and dirt and her body felt unnaturally thin. What had this spirit been doing to her? Should I just kill her now and take that soul? Clearly someone wants her out of the way.

Soon the sun dropped to near the horizon, releasing purples and pinks into the atmosphere. The moon already began to glow in the still-blue regions of the sky; it's ghostly radiance pale in comparison with the fiery sunset blazing against the earth. Clouds swirled in puffs and tufts, also clothed in rose and gold above the treetops. Travelers stopped to marvel at such beauty, at such a pristine example of nature's glory, but not Soul. Soul could see the Inn in the distance. Soul was carrying this damned girl still. And Soul was hungry, not the soul-hungry but the needs-energy-too-much-physical-work-could-eat-a-co w hungry. He did not spare a glance to the sky as he approached the out-dated inn, completely exhausted from all of his efforts.

An employee rushed to his side, ushering him to a seat where he could rest Maka. Upon being set down, she slumped over like a rag doll and drooled onto the armrest.

"One room, two beds, one night" Soul slouched against the counter of the lobby.

"Yessir! Checkout's at noon! Follow James here, he'll take you to your rooms," The man ushered to a teenage guy leaning against the far wall of the lobby. Upon hearing his name, he perked, saluted in the general direction of the desk, and began marching down the hallway. Soul grabbed the key from the man at the desk and scooped up Maka before following the over-eager James.

The room was small, dingy, a little grimy and rickety, but it also had two beds; therefore it was the most beautiful room Soul had ever seen. He unceremoniously dropped Maka on the nearest bed so that he could collapse a few seconds later. He ignored his growling stomach, ignored how his feet felt swollen and heavy from walking, and ignored the discomfort of being fully clothed. He didn't care how early it was, he had been chasing souls for two days without a break and walked miles with a girl in his arms. It was time to sleep, dammit.

As soon as he was out, Maka woke up with her entire right side being asleep. She lifted herself up from the bed, shaking her right arm, wiggling her toes, and staring at Soul. Moonlight was drifting in through the gossamer curtains, ghost-light in the small room. The dark furniture drank up the light, stealing it away from her eyes so that she could barely see her room, save for the patch where Soul lay. His hair shone in the light, so startlingly bright Maka thought she might be hallucinating. His face, however, was squished against the bed, drooling and snoring and looking like an utter mess. As she wiggled herself back into her own bed, she thanked her lucky stars that this odd man had decided to talk a walk in her neck of the woods.

A/N: thanks to those that have reviews and favorited and followed! It makes my day!