Hello everyone! I have always loved the fics that explain how Soul and Maka first met, so I decided to publish a fic I wrote that did just that. Please read, review, and enjoy! :) Also, italics are Maka's thoughts.

-warehouseluver13

Today was the day. Finally, I was going to enroll in the Death Weapon Meister Academy, commonly known as the DWMA by the residents of Death City, Nevada. While I was very excited to finally begin my journey as a meister, I was concerned about being in the same building as my papa. He's Lord Death's current death scythe, who happens to be the headmaster of the DWMA. You might be wondering what the fuss is about, so I'll tell you. My papa decided to cheat on my mama. Since he was doing this very often, my parents used to fight a lot, and it was difficult growing up listening to them scream at one another. Finally, a few years ago, my mama decided she wanted to travel the world, so she left. Now, I don't blame her for leaving without me. I understand that I was too young to join her at the time. So that day I decided I would follow in my mama's footsteps and become powerful meister, just like she was; perhaps I'll grow to become even stronger than her, who knows?

Anyways, I decided that at freshman orientation I would look for a scythe, which was my mama's weapon of choice. I want both my partner and I to become the most powerful pair to graduate from the academy since my parents. I'm determined to make it happen, and I hope that whoever I end up being partners with has a similar dream to mine. That would be amazing!

I looked in the mirror and checked my appearance one more time. I had what would be referred to as a boyish figure; my chest was undeveloped, the only thing I got out of puberty so far was a bit of a growth spurt, and I was pretty skinny. All in all, someone could definitely underestimate me if they chose to judge me based solely on my physical appearance. I have been training in martial arts practically since I could walk, so I usually have the element of surprise on my side if someone tries to tease me about my appearance.

I fiddled with the yellow sweater my mama sent me a week earlier from some far off country she was visiting to straighten it out before pulling on my favorite black overcoat which was another gift she mailed from over a year ago. Using the mirror, I noticed my red plaid skirt was crooked, and quickly fixed it. I swiftly pulled on my black and white combat boots before looking in the mirror for one last time. I slightly tightened my necktie which matched my emerald eyes and decided to throw my messy ash blonde hair into pigtails to keep it out of my face, so I don't end up chewing on it while trying to talk to potential weapon partners.

I jumped in surprise as my door slammed open, and a blur of red hair entered the room. "Maka! Your lovely papa -"

I frowned in annoyance. "Good morning Papa," I said.

"I didn't realize that you were up, Maka! Are you ready for your first day at the academy? Do you have a weapon partner in mind? Are you excited?"

Papa was still rambling questions when I silently passed him. I paused in the hallway outside my room before deciding to give him an answer that would most likely shut him up; at least, for a while. I looked over my shoulder and stared at him. "Just because we're related Papa, doesn't mean that I'm going to tell you how I plan to spend my years at the academy. Can we please go now?"

Papa stared at me in shock, and I sighed. "I'll see you at the academy, Papa." I made my way through our small apartment and quickly exited the small space, before setting off in the direction of the academy. You see, we live in Death City because of my papa's occupation, so finding my way to the DWMA was not going to be a challenge. The fact that the academy towers over the entire town only makes it easier though.

A forty-five minute walk later, and I found myself at the foot of the academy entrance, and the many steps to actually enter the academy itself loomed before me in what could seem to be a taunting manner. I narrowed my eyes and glared at the flight of stairs before me. "I plan on becoming the DWMA's best meister, and a flight of stairs is NOT going to get in my way," I muttered.

The stairs obviously did not reply to what I had said, so I welcomed the silence as I began to climb my way to the entrance of the DWMA. This is it mama. There's no turning back now. Today's the day I'm one step closer to fulfilling my dream as a meister. Now, all I need is a weapon...

*Soul Eater*

I wiped the sweat off of my brow as I finally reached the top, and looked back to find a breathtaking view of Death City. The laughing sun was high in the clear blue sky, and I smiled, knowing that my first challenge as a DWMA student had been completed. I bet Lord Death built the DWMA like this to test a student's will power; if they were determined enough to become a powerful meister or weapon, they would do anything to achieve it; even climb these ridiculous stairs to do so.

"MY NAME IS BLACK STAR AND I PLAN ON SURPASSING GOD, GOT IT?" an extremely loud voice interrupted my train of thought and I looked around to see what maniac screamed that insane statement.

I saw a group of weapons (I think they were weapons) standing near the entrance to the academy, and they were looking up at something - I mean, someone.

There was a blue haired boy standing atop of one of the decorative parts of the academy's architecture. He was relatively average in height, but I couldn't really tell, since he was so far away. I was surprised when a tall black haired girl from the group of weapons began clapping, while the rest walked away and entered the academy's huge entrance.

I watched the blue haired boy jump and gracefully land next to the girl who had stayed and was still clapping. The two interacted for a few minutes before they both walked towards the academy doors, keeping up their conversation with ease. I frowned. That boy seems like he's a bit crazy… I wonder why that girl picked him? Maybe they're both meisters? Well, they seem to be one step ahead of me, and I can't let that happen. At least, not for long. I will find a weapon today. I promise mama, I will.

*Soul Eater*

After getting directions from a weird boy who had three white stripes in his hair, (although he wasn't the one to really tell me, his weapon partners, two sisters, gave me directions after the boy started flipping out over one of the orientation signs being hung crooked, that was weird) I finally found my way to the humongous auditorium where the freshman orientation was being held. I checked in at the table that was right inside the auditorium entrance, and pinned my M for meister badge to my black overcoat before starting to examine my new surroundings. There were kids my age mindlessly milling about everywhere obviously; some were chatting, others took refuge in the auditorium corners; I figured they didn't want to talk to anyone. An interesting shock of white hair caught my eye, but as I blinked, it had mysteriously vanished.

I sighed before continuing to observe my surroundings. There was a decent sized stage as the centerpiece to the space, and upon the stage stood a figure dressed in black and had a skull for a head; I figured that must be Lord Death, the head of the DWMA. I never had the chance to meet him in person until now, and I must say, as a grim reaper, he doesn't look terrifying to say the least.

Of course, standing next to him was my papa. Somehow he beat me here, which seems insane, but I guess papa had a few tricks up his sleeve I didn't know about. Now that I thought about it, my papa seemed to also be looking around the room as if… he was trying to find me. You can't be serious! This is not good!

When he finally locked eyes with me, he started to reach for the microphone, but thankfully Lord Death snatched it out of the microphone stand first. Thank you, Lord Death. I owe you big time, and I haven't even started my time at the academy yet.

"Wassup, wassup, wassup students!" Lord Death exclaimed.

Well, I was definitely not expecting this. I wonder why Papa didn't mention this little fact about Lord Death before I left this morning?

"Congratulations for choosing to enroll here at the DWMA! I know all of you will become amazing meisters and fantastic weapons as you develop your skills here at the academy! Now before you get there, all of you know that today is a very important day. Today is when you choose your weapon partner, or today is the day you are choosing your meister. For those of you who don't know, synchronizing your soul with your partner is a basic step in your journey. If two souls try and fail to synchronize with each other, that means the two are not compatible with one another. However, there are rare cases when a soul is flexible enough to synchronize with almost any other soul, but like I said that's a rare occurrence. Anyways, I wish all you the best of luck in finding a partner. A word of advice; usually weapons and meisters are partners for life, so choose carefully kids!"

I watched in horror as my papa grabbed the microphone from Lord Death and pointed right at me. "Alright everyone, listen up! Especially the boys! My name is Spirit Albarn. You see that girl over there in the pigtails? That is my darling daughter, Maka Albarn. If anyone messes with her, as a weapon myself... no! As her father I will -"

"REAPER CHOP!" I giggled as I watched Papa nursing his head injury as he glared at Lord Death, who completely ignored him and turned back to his audience. "Sorry about that kids! I wish you the best of luck today! Bye now!" Lord Death proceeded to drag my papa off to the right side of the stage, and it seemed like the two were arguing about something… whatever. That doesn't matter now. All that matters is finding a weapon. Preferably, a scythe.

*Soul Eater*

To say that I was shocked when a blonde haired muscular boy marched right up to me, wouldn't even begin to cover it. He stared at me, and I stared back, an awkward tension filling the air. Feeling bad for him, I decided to break the ice. "Hello, my name is… Maka. But you probably knew that, um, uh, considering my papa's... PSA. What's your name?"

"My name is Mike. Yeah, I heard everything your old man said. So he's really the current death scythe?"

I used my soul perception to get a read on his soul to see if he could be compatible with mine. It would be nice to have a backup option if he doesn't turn out to to be a scythe. "Yeah, that's my papa," I replied.

I shivered as Mike looked at me as if he was a lion hunting a gazelle. Then again, maybe I should find a different backup choice. "Are you as strong as him?" he asked.

"No, not really. But I plan to become more powerful than he is. I know it will take a while, but I'm up for the challenge," I replied.

"We should be partners, then," he said.

I looked at him in shock. "Why? You don't know anything about me."

"If your father is really powerful, I know you are going to be too. So what do you think?" he asked.

Using my soul perception, I could see that his soul was becoming agitated, but that didn't stop me from realizing that he didn't want to be partners with me because of my skills, only on the off chance that I develop powerful abilities just like my papa. I narrowed my eyes in disgust. He just wants to use me… just like Papa used Mama…

"No."

"What?" he angrily asked.

I watched his soul become even more agitated than before, and I saw that kids had started circling up around us, curiously observing to see what would happen next. "I said no. I'm not going to partner up with anyone before learning more about them, and I especially will not become partners with the likes of you."

I began to walk away, but I was violently pulled back by the forearm by said blonde haired boy that was not taking no for an answer. "We're not done here. In fact, we're going to be partners whether you like it or not."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll have you know I plan on being a scythe meister. Are you a scythe per chance?" I knew I was taking a gamble, but I also knew that scythes were extremely rare, so I was hoping luck would be on my side.

Lo and behold, luck was smiling down on me as Mike looked puzzled. "Aren't scythes rare?"

I shrugged my shoulders, and played dumb. "I don't know, I'm pretty sure that they are."

Mike laughed. "A puny little girl like you couldn't handle a scythe even if they offered you a chance at a partnership. You're too weak."

I froze, and it seemed like all the side chatter from the crowd around us had stopped. I looked at him coldly. "What did you just say?"

"I said-"

Before even allowing the asshole to repeat himself, I gave him a painful uppercut using my left hand, in order to free my right one one from his damn grip. He staggered back in shock, as if he was wondering where all of that power had come from. "You better watch what you say, got it?" I spat.

Mike's soul began to give off crazy wavelengths, which meant he was truly angry. I wasn't that worried, because I was confident that I could defend myself if I needed to.

"You're going to pay," he growled, and launched himself in my direction, with a fist cutting through the air, ready to connect with my face. I was rooted to the floor in shock. Damnit, I underestimated his speed. It looks like I'm about to get a taste of my own medicine.

I flinched as the fist came closer to my face, and it seemed like everything had slowed down. I closed my eyes and reluctantly accepted my fate. This is going to hurt like hell…

However, I suddenly noticed that the fist had not connected with my face yet, which meant… what exactly?

I opened my eyes and saw the familiar shock of white hair from before and gasped. He was about my age and was wearing a red and black pinstriped suit. He was standing about about a foot or so in front of me, and was holding onto Mike's fist, who was currently shaking out of fear.

"Cool guys don't hit girls. It's uncool." His velvet voice was deadly as he continued to glare at Mike, who in turn looked shamefully at the ground.

After a minute had passed the boy released Mike's fist, and waited for him to excuse himself from the room before he turned around to face me. He was definitely unusual. His skin was tan, his eyes were a dark crimson color, and when he smiled, he appeared to have sharp pointy teeth like a shark. "Are you okay? I'm sorry for stepping into your fight, but a cool guy like me isn't going to stand by when a girl is about to get punched. It's uncool to sit back and do nothing."

I blushed slightly. "It's okay."

"Okay." the boy began to walk away and I quickly grew confused.

"Hey!" I said.

He turned around to face me, which wasn't a problem because the crowd of kids had dissipated, due to the fight being broken up by this mysterious boy.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Soul Eater."

"Soul Eater?" I echoed.

"You got a problem with my name?" he asked.

I smiled and tried to wave off my miscommunication. "No, no I don't! Actually, I think it's it's a nice name. It suits you very well." I noticed the W badge pinned to his suit. He's a weapon! Could he be… a scythe?

"Do you need anything else?" he asked.

"Actually, I was wondering if you heard anything that I yelled when I was arguing with that guy."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure everyone in Death City heard you, Maka."

Anger coursed through my veins, but I chose to ignore it and act civil. "I'm a meister in search of a scythe. What kind of weapon are you?" I used my soul perception to read his soul. At the moment, it appeared to be calm, and almost in sync with my own soul wave length.

He chuckled and put his hands into his pockets. "Well, if you must know, I am a demon scythe."

My eyes widened and I nearly exploded with glee, but forced myself to remain calm. "Hey, um, Soul… do you think I could be your partner? I know I don't look like a strong partner I know that but-"

I stopped speaking when he held out a finger to silence me. "Has anyone told you that you talk too much? If you want to be my partner, please follow me," he extended his right hand, and I accepted his invitation without a second thought.

Soul weaved through the crowd, and I'm pretty sure the only reason we didn't get separated from each other was that our hands remained linked the entire time. Soul slowed down once we were in range of the stage. He gestured for me to follow as he climbed the stage stairs. "Come on, what I need you to see is back here." he disappeared behind the red curtain that was covering the entrance to the backstage. As I followed him, I gasped at the sight of a beautiful grand piano sitting in the middle of a lone spotlight. Soul walked over to the instrument and stroked the keys before sitting down on the seat before the piano itself. I remained silent, letting him take the lead.

"This is who I am, Maka."

He inhaled a breath of air before slamming down on the ivory keys to play the most haunting piece of music I had ever heard in my life. I watched as he played, his smile growing wider and wider and it seemed like his crimson eyes grew in size too. But what really interested me was that while he was playing, his soul wavelength grew at least double its normal size. I used my soul perception and watched in amazement as his soul began to dance in a way; it's really hard for me to describe, but… all I knew was that this was going to be the start of a beautiful partnership.

A partnership that almost slipped out out of my fingers, because I was so enchanted by Soul's music, I didn't even realize that he stopped playing.

"I figured," he mumbled, before getting up to walk away.

He was at least half way back to the backstage exit when I realized where he was. "Hey!" I yelled and sprinted to close the gap between us. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh, back out there. It's okay, I know you don't want be my partner. That's fine, really," he said.

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "I didn't say a word!"

Soul stared me down. "You didn't have to."

I looked at at him in confusion. "What?"

He waved at me dismissively. "Forget about it." He continued walking away, and I knew I had to do something.

Like mama always said, one must always give, to get something in return.

I walked over to the piano bench and sat down. I knew I couldn't say this to his face, so I stared at my combat boots instead. "What are you afraid of Soul?" I softly asked. I heard him stop cold in his tracks, and I knew had his attention. "Everyone is afraid of something. For me, it's my mama. I don't want to end up like her. She was betrayed by someone she loved. Someone she trusted. But right now, I'm afraid of entering the DWMA alone, without a weapon partner." I chuckle humorlessly at that thought. "From what you've shown me so far, you definitely know how to make a first impression. Standing up for me back there, and playing the piano to show me your soul, the real you… I just wanted to say, I may be afraid of a lot of things, but I'm not afraid of you. Your appearance doesn't frighten me, Soul. You have been misjudged by too many people, and you know what? I'm just like you, so feel free to join the club."

He slowly made his way back over to the grand piano and sat down beside me. I could feel his eyes searching mine to see if I just lied directly to his face. When he sighed, I knew I had gotten through to him. I took a risk and glanced at my potential partner. He looked like he was wrestling with his inner thoughts, trying to figure out what to say in return.

"Rejection," he whispered.

"That's what you're afraid of?" I asked.

He nodded his head in agreement. "I have an older brother named Wes. We've always had a sibling rivalry between us, but every time we competed my parents constantly favored Wes over me. At first, I thought it was because he was the better musician, but as time passed, I came to realize that I was not living up to their 'standards.' My music was never good enough for them, but Wes, he was always perfect. I began to feel like I didn't belong, and that it seemed like my parents were… rejecting me." He dryly chuckled. "Once I found out about my ability to turn into a weapon, I thought things would be different. I guess I was wrong."

I took his hand into my own, growing concerned over what had happened to him. I locked eyes with his crimson ones. "What do do you mean?" I quietly asked.

He moved his gaze to his dress shoes before he continued, and a painful expression flashed across his face as he seemed to recall some bad memories. "When I was traveling to get to the DWMA, I crossed paths with a few meisters. Some would take one look at me and immediately say no, while others would give me a chance, but freak out after I played the piano for them. By time I arrived at the DWMA, I came to the conclusion that no one would want me as their weapon. That is, until I stumbled across your little argument..." He smirked and I felt my cheeks heat up once more.

"So, uh, you never answered my question, Soul," I said.

"And you never answered mine," he said.

I nodded in agreement, knowing that while he didn't ask the question aloud, it might as well be the hypothetical elephant in the room. "Yes," I remarked.

He stood up, and extended a hand."So what do you say, Maka Albarn? Let's face our fears together as partners."

I happily nodded and grinned as I accepted his hand once again. "Yeah," I said, "as weapon and meister."

*Soul Eater*

We made our way back out to the auditorium to see that freshman orientation was slowly coming to a close. I was walking over to the registration table, with Soul in step behind me, when a dark cloaked, red haired figure got in my way. I sighed. Why now?

"Hello my darling Maka! Did you find a weapon partner yet? Who is it?" He eagerly asked.

My papa's actions reminded me of a small puppy. Time to rain on his parade. He's going to flip once he finds out that I'm partnering up with a boy… Well, no time like the present. "Papa? This is Soul, he's a demon scythe. Soul, you remember my papa from before, right?"

I watched as Papa looked from me to Soul and back again. "But Maka! He's a - he's a -" my papa stuttered.

I rolled my eyes. "He's more trustworthy than you will ever be Papa. Let's go, Soul. There's still time for us to register." I continued to walk towards the registration desk, while Soul decided to cause some mischief of his own.

"See you later, old man," Soul called.

"I'm not old!" Papa exclaimed.

"It hasn't even been an entire day that we've known each other and you're already picking a fight with my papa?" I asked.

He simply shrugged. "It keeps him from talking to you, so I don't really see a problem doing it."

I shook my head and smiled. "It's your funeral, Soul," I warned him.

He smirked and appeared to be oozing confidence. "I think I can handle your old man, Maka. Will you relax? It's just harmless teasing."

"Trust me, he may seem a little… weird, but I guarantee he would crush you in a fight. He's extremely powerful," I said.

"If he actually behaved like a responsible adult I might believe it," Soul replied.

"You have no idea how many times that thought has crossed my mind…" I muttered.

We finally approached the registrar's desk. There was a short brunette woman wearing glasses and pinned to her shirt was the name Kathy. She looked up and smiled at us. "Welcome to the DWMA! May I see your student ID's?" she asked.

I pulled my student ID out of my black overcoat pocket and handed it to the woman; I saw Soul do the same. I watched as the woman scanned both of our ID's before she meddled around on the computer for a few more minutes. Once she was done, she handed our ID's back to us and happily smiled. This time, I found it slightly creepy though. "You both have been formally registered in the DWMA's system as each other's weapon and meister, congratulations! And for academics, both of you have been registered for the EAT class! No need to worry about what it means, you'll find out on Monday! Enjoy your weekend! Goodbye!"

I shivered as we walked away from the brunette, who was still smiling. "I wonder what EAT stands for?" I mused.

Soul lazily looked over in my direction and shrugged. "Who knows? Like the lady said Maka, we'll find out on Monday."

"So what should we do now?" I asked.

We both stopped as Soul's stomach loudly growled, causing both of us to laugh. "I guess that answered my question. Come on, since you're new to Death City, I'll take you to one of my favorite taverns in the town square. They serve the best burgers and fries around here."

Soul widely grinned. "You had me at burgers. Lead on, Meister Maka."

I laughed and looked up to the grinning moon that was slowly beginning to emerge in the sky. I did it, Mama! I found a demon scythe to be my weapon! Although this is just the beginning of our partnership, I know that together, we will be able to accomplish anything we set our minds to, and that includes turning Soul into a powerful death scythe. Wherever you are, I hope you're proud of me, Mama. I really do.

So what do you think? Let me know by leaving a review below!

-warehouseluver13