Disclaimer: (Just note, left out the "rider" in DragonRider's name for the sake of differentiation.)

DemonRider: OMFG GUYS I HAVE A NEW STORY TO TELL YOU! But I need your help coming up with pieces of it...

NightMare: Hey, no problemo.

Mayonaka: I'll try my best.

Dragon: Tell me everything!

DemonRider: Okay, so...(explains what I have so far)

Group: O.O

Dragon: *Slaps DemonRider* How could you! I can't believe you'd do that!

DemonRider: Oh, but you haven't heard the twist...(explains the twist)

Dragon: *Gasps* He'd never!

NightMare: That's why it's called fanfiction. How about...(explains idea)

Mayonaka: Hey, I like that! How about, after that...(explains)

DemonRider: Hellz yeah!

Dragon: Oh, you should...(explains)...and don't forget to mention that you don't own Soul Eater.

DemonRider: Yeah, yeah...oh, should I...(explains)?

Mayonaka: No! No, you should...(explains)

DemonRider: Hey, good idea!

Group continues discussing things like this until they finish up a decent storyline.

DemonRider: Should I make Maka a cheerleader?

Group: NO!

A/N: Okay, so this story is by me and my little co-authors up there, in alphabetical order: DragonRider404, Mayonaka Naze, NightMare404

So if you congratulate me or something, make sure you give them some credit, too, this story would never have been finished without them! :D

Trust No-One

Chapter 1:

Soul, dressed up in his usual all-black outfit, banged insistently on the door of the bathroom.

"Maka!" he called indignantly.

"What?" his meister called back.

"What the hell are you doing in there?"

"Same thing I was five freaking minutes ago!"

"It does not take you thirty minutes to do your damn hair!" he growled.

"You'd be surprised!"

Soul sighed, giving up once again. Sure, he liked the ash-blonde girl—probably more than he should have—but this was just irritating. He glanced at his watch and growled again, turning around to hammer on the locked door again. He was slightly surprised to see it already open. Maka stood there, tapping one combat-booted foot. She was in her usual outfit, but the dance they were attending was semi-formal, and she had insisted on doing something with her hair. Soul now saw what Maka's intentions had been regarding her hair: it now fell gracefully over her shoulders in luminous curls. He quickly tried to hide his shocked admiration behind an annoyed scowl.

"'Bout damn time," he grumbled, hoping to God he wasn't blushing as much as it felt like. Maka frowned.

"I was going to ask if I looked okay, but I'm a little scared of your answer."

Soul raised an eyebrow. "Scared? How?"

"Look, you're obviously pissed off at me, so why don't we just go?" she huffed as she pushed past him. Soul facepalmed; somehow, he'd managed to screw up with her again. He could never do anything right around her; he'd tried flirting with her like cool guys are supposed do, but he always choked on the word "baby," probably because he'd wanted to call her that for so long...not that she'd ever let him. He marched up to Maka, turned her around, put her hands on her shoulders, and looked deep into her eyes.

"You look beautiful," he told her.

"You don't think it looks a little too...I don't know...girly?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're gorgeous, Maka." Her lips turned up into a small smile, and Soul felt the sudden, familiar urge to lean down and kiss them. But he settled for a simple, guy-girl-friendly, top-of-the-head kiss. Perhaps he would have finally, after so many months of that familiar pang, taken the plunge—even risked a deadly Maka Chop—if it weren't for that one little inescapable detail...

"I'm sure your boyfriend will go nuts," he murmured against her forehead, closing his eyes to stop the tears. He remembered with painful accuracy the heart-wrenching feeling of despair he'd felt upon hearing she'd started dating...someone else, that is. Having had a crush on her for some time now, he didn't really approve of her relationship with Kid, but there was really nothing he could do about it; it was her choice, after all.

Maka giggled and threw her arms around Soul's waist. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Well? You gonna drive me there or will we walk?"

Soul smirked. "Nope." Maka frowned in confusion. Soul held up the keys to his car. Maka had never seen the car, no-one had. It was Soul's brand-new car and he would never let anyone near it, not even Maka. Which was probably why she looked so shocked and amazed.

"You're letting me drive the car?" she squealed, her jaw practically on the floor. Soul smiled.

"I've taken her for a test-drive. I figure you can handle her..." he smirked again, holding the keys above her head, "...if you can get the keys from me."

Maka excitedly jumped at the keys, grasping for them, but they were just out of her reach. She growled and snarled while Soul sat there and laughed at her.

"Well, looks like I'm drivin' after all," he laughed. Maka narrowed her olive-green eyes.

"Oh, no you're not!"

And with that, she leaped on him, wrapping her legs around his waist and pinning him to the wall. In the same moment, she grabbed his right hand, the one with the keys.

The next thing Soul knew, he was against the wall, with Maka latched onto his waist. He looked up at her and her face was only inches from his, her hot, minty breath caressing his face. Suddenly, the keys, the car, and the dance didn't matter for shit anymore. All he knew was that she was so close...he leaned up, his lips slightly parted...

"S-Soul? W-what are you doing?"

Soul stopped and opened his eyes. He hadn't moved too much, so what was she...he looked down at his left hand. His right was still pinned to the wall by Maka, but his free hand had somehow sauntered up to her upper thigh. He looked at her with wide eyes, dropping his hand and Maka, handing her the keys. He quickly tried to restore his "cool" countenance.

"Okay, okay, you can drive her. Do. Not. Hurt. Her."

"Jeez, you sound like you're giving one of your buddies permission to fuck me or something."

As Maka was walking away, Soul stared after her, shocked.

"I didn't even know you had a dirty mind, Maka!" he called after her, grabbing his wallet off the kitchen table. He shoved it in his pocket and ran after Maka. "Wait a minute, is there more where that came from?"

Maka laughed as Soul caught up with her, putting a friendly arm around her shoulders, as they walked together to his precious car.

Maka awoke with a strange, sore feeling between her legs. Her vision was swimming, and she had an impressive headache. Attempting to move, she cried out in pain; her wrists had been rubbed raw by something...something that was still binding them above her head. She tried pulling on her restraints—painfully—but it was no use. She tried closing her wide-open legs, but her ankles were also tied down by something that had rubbed them raw. She pulled hard at whatever was tying her down—what felt like a thin, tough rope, but only wound up hurting herself more.

Maka became more and more panicked. She couldn't move. She couldn't see clearly. Hell, she wasn't even sure where she was! All she knew was that she was tied down and she felt very, very naked. She tried to cry out for help, but her voice was raspy and her throat was sore. She felt the same gritty rope that bound her wrists and ankles laying between her back teeth. How did she even get here, wherever she was? Her vision cleared a little bit, but her head was still pounding. She looked around and could tell she was in her own room, tied down to her bed with ropes. So she was in her own house...how did she get there? Why couldn't she remember anything, no matter how hard she tried?

The dim sunlight coming in through the window said it was maybe early morning...probably before. Where was Soul? She tried to remember how she'd gotten here, but all she could remember was Soul walking her off to see his car. After that, there was simply nothing. That only frustrated her more, causing her to pull at the ropes harder and scream for help, even though it hurt her throat.

"I'm home," she heard Soul call from the door. Her eyes widened and she yelled louder, praying he could hear her through the rope that was gagging her.

"Soul!" she cried, "Soul, help! Soul!"

Eventually her screaming must have gotten his attention; she heard footsteps racing down the hall, and the doorknob was rattled.

"Maka?" she heard him crying from outside. "Maka, is that you?"

"Yes! Soul, help!"

"I-I can't get in," he cried, "the door's locked! What's going on?"

"Just help me!" she sobbed.

"I'm gonna have to break the door down..."

"Help!"

There was an earsplitting BANG on the door—probably Soul kicking it—once, twice, then finally it pretty much broke off its hinges and Soul stood in the doorway. When he saw her, his face went pale and he sprinted to her side.

"Oh my fucking God, Maka, what the hell happened?"

She could only shake her head and cry harder. Soul pulled his jacket off and laid it across her naked body, pulling a knife out of his pocket and, careful not to cut her, cut off the rope that had been in her mouth. She gasped and sobbed out loud, finally able to speak clearly.

"S-S-Soul..." she cried as he cut away the ropes at her wrists.

"What is it, Maka?" he asked soothingly, beginning to work on one of her ankles. Maka massaged her wrists and shoulders, wondering exactly how long she'd been laying in that position.

Still crying, but not as hard, she said, "G-God, I was so scared...I d-didn't know h-how I got here or...o-or why, I just..."

When Soul finally had the ropes cut off, she sat up and stared down at the bed, then stopped. Her eyes went wide and her face slowly paled.

Blood.

The sheets were soaked with blood. Just as she was starting to panic again, Soul picked her up bridal style and carried her to the bathroom.

"S-Soul..."

"I know," he answered, trying to stay calm as he edged into the bathroom, "I saw it."

"S-s-so much blood..."

"Calm down, you've made it this far."

She whimpered and held on tight to his neck. Sitting her down on the edge of the tub, he turned on some warm water and let it run for a bit, pulling his shirt off.

"Don't wanna get my shirt wet," he explained when Maka blushed. He carefully laid her the water, making her shiver. Muttering soothing words to her, he gently scrubbed off all the blood and dirt and such.

"Soul...?" she murmured after a while. She felt much calmer now that Soul was here with her; he always made her feel so safe.

"Hm?" he looked at her as he rung out the washcloth in the now-pink water.

"C...can you...wash my hair, too?" she asked quietly. Saying nothing, he nodded, signaling for her to turn her back to him. She turned and hugged herself tightly, making no sound as Soul tilted her head back and poured water over it. He massaged the shampoo into her hair, and she sighed, closing her eyes; she always loved being this close to him. She would love to be this close to him all the time, but he wasn't much of a cuddling person.

After about five minutes, Soul rinsed the soap out of her hair and she stepped out of the tub, Soul helping to towel her dry.

"Are...are you gonna be okay?" he asked her quietly. She nodded. Gently, he kissed her forehead before walking over to the other side of the room and putting his shirt back on. "Stay here," he told her as he walked back into her room to get her a change of clothes.

He sighed as he searched for her clothes. Catching a glimpse of her still blood-covered bed, h realized he wasn't completely clear on what had happened. It was obvious she'd been raped, but he didn't know when, by who...he sighed and went back in the bathroom to give Maka her clothes. He'd find out later.

"Hey..." he muttered as he turned around, offering her some privacy as she got dressed, "listen, why don't you sleep in my room for a while?"

"Why?"

"Just because I think you'd feel safer in there."

She smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I would. But...where would you sleep?"

"Couch, prolly," he shrugged. She nodded slowly. "I...I'm gonna go make dinner," he said. Maka grabbed his arm.

"Wait, Soul!"

He looked back at her. "What is it?"

She hesitated a moment then hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," she told him, "for being there for me."

He smiled at her, hugging her back. "That's what partners are for."

A little while later, Soul stood in the kitchen, stirring up some dinner. Maka was sitting at the table, reading a book while she waited for him to finish. He sighed and thought hard on what had just happened. He tried to remember the dance the previous night, but he didn't remember much other than there was a lot of loud music, dancing, and yelling. He remembered clearly that he had taught Maka how to drive his car—a bright red Chevy Camaro convertible, not easy to get—and then they drove off to the dance together. After that, he bought her a soda or two and kinda lost track of her after that; she had run off to hang out with Kid.

Then it hit him: Kid. The boyfriend was usually the one to perform a rape...sure, Kid didn't necessarily seem like that kinda guy, but it was Soul's only lead.

"Done," he said, sliding Maka a bowl of the curry he had managed not to burn this time. (That being said, he would never admit out loud that it was his fault the first time.) As he was walking into the living room, he pulled out his cell phone, beginning to dial the police.

"What are you doing, Soul?" Maka asked.

"Calling the police."

"No!" she cried, leaping from her seat and yanking the cell phone from his hand. He looked at her incredulously.

"Maka, what do you mean 'no?' You just got raped, I can't just leave this alone!"

"But, Soul, I don't want to get the police involved! They'll ask all sorts of personal questions and insist I'm lying about not knowing stuff."

"Maka..."

"Soul, please."

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, Maka, I just want what's best for you. If that means getting the cops in here-"

"Please don't," she muttered. Soul would have ignored her, but he happened to catch a glimpse of the tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Oh, God," he groaned, putting his phone in his pocket and wrapping his arms around her, "Oh God, no, please don't cry...I hate it when you cry," he muttered into her hair. He kissed the top of her head. "It's okay, Maka, it's gonna be alright."

Cuddling into his chest, Maka sighed. Of course, now that he was holding her, she felt better...she felt warm, she felt loved...she felt safe. He stroked her hair and hummed a soft tune. She smiled; even though his voice shook a little bit, she still loved it. She opened her eyes a little bit at a sudden realization...

...what if she loved him? He was always there for her, always protected her, no matter what. He'd always been her best friend, even after all the shit they'd been put through. And even though he was a "cool" guy, she could always be herself around him.

But...even if she was in love with him, it didn't really matter now; she had a boyfriend already, and, true love or not, she was no two-timer. She supposed it was just the shock of what had just happened, and she was simply grateful that Soul had found her when he did.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a drop of water on her left shoulder. She looked up incredulously at Soul.

"Soul? A-are you crying?"

"What? No! Cool guys don't cry."

Maka sighed and wiped a tear off of his face.

"You don't have to put up the whole 'cool guy' act around me, Soul," she murmured, "Now what's wrong?"

"I'm just..." he sighed, "I'm just kinda pissed at myself...for not being there when you needed me."

"But you were there when I needed you!"

"Not when you were being-"

"Please, Soul, just...just don't bring that up again. The point is," she put a hand on his cheek, "you were here. If you hadn't shown up when you did, I would still be tied down and panicking." She kissed his cheek softly and took both his hands, pulling him over to the couch. He sighed and sat down next to her, allowing her to cuddle into his side. Lucky for him, it wasn't long before she fell asleep in his arms. Sighing, he pulled out his cell phone, pressing a few buttons on the keypad and putting it to his ear.

"I'm sorry, Maka, but I've gotta do this," he murmured. A few moments later, "Hello? Yeah...my partner's been raped."

A/N: Please review! I'll put updates to this story and my others on my Facebook page, so make sure to take a look at that. Thanks! Stay Tuned!