The apartment was very loud. The sound of running water, clanging pots and pans, and the TV blaring all filled the air, competing for full attention in Soul's eardrums. He sighed loudly and turned the volume on the TV up. Why was Maka always so loud whenever she made dinner? And then, another sound was added to this annoying symphony: the telephone ringing.
"Soul! Could you get that?" Maka hollered over the metallic sound of pots being clanged. "Kinda busy right now!"
"Oh fine," he mumbled, lazily hoisting himself from the couch. He ambled over to the telephone and grabbed it off the hook as it rang.
"Hello, Albarn and Evans residence..." he said, sounding bored.
"Hey, may I speak to Maka please?" a male voice said on the other end. Soul froze, his eyes darting over to his meister in the kitchen and his eyebrows knitting into a curious furrow.
"Who is this?" he demanded, rather rudely, not answering whether or not this strange gentleman caller could speak to her.
"Uhhh, this is Kaze from school... did she not tell you she was expecting a call from me?" Soul now cast a disapproving look at Maka.
"No, she didn't mention it," he said flatly to this Kaze fellow. This got Maka's attention, as she craned her neck away from the stove and in Soul's direction.
"Oh, I see. Well, anyway may I speak to her?" Kaze asked again. Soul felt his fist ball up in anger. He didn't like this Kaze punk, not at all.
"She's busy right now," Soul said through nearly clenched teeth, not offering for her to call him back.
"Soul, who is that? Is that a call for me?" Maka asked her partner as she walked toward him. She had set dinner on the stove; apparently she had finished prepping just in time. Soul didn't respond.
"If it is, I'm not busy anymore. I just finished cooking. Give it here," she told him cautiously, noticing how angry he looked, as she extended her hand out. Hastily, he clapped the phone into her open palm without saying a word, then abruptly turned and sat back down on the couch. He tried to tune out what Maka was saying, but it was no use. And he didn't like what he was hearing.
"Oh hey Kaze! Yeah sorry, don't mind Soul... Yeah he didn't know you were gonna call... So what's up?... Oh yes, sure, I would love to! When? This Saturday? Alright, sounds great... meet you there!"
At this point, Soul nearly snapped the remote control in half. He had been trying to flip through the channels to distract himself, but it was no use. He clenched his fists in anger, temporarily forgetting the fact that he was holding the remote. As soon as Maka had hung up the phone, he stood up and threw the nearly broken device onto the couch.
"Since when do you arrange phone calls and dates with guys without telling me first?! And who the hell is this Kaze bastard?!" he yelled, a little more harshly than he had intended. Totally not cool.
Maka froze and stopped what she was doing, mouth hanging open in shock.
"Oh my gosh Soul what are you saying?! I have to report all of my social activities to you or something? What are you, my father?" her voice sounded irritated yet composed.
"No! But I'm your partner and as such you should tell me these things!" he hollered, stepping closer to her. She folded her arms across her chest and smiled slyly. It made Soul uneasy.
"Oh really? And why's that? Why do you care whether or not I spend time with another guy?" she raised her eyebrow at him, highly anticipating his answer.
Soul suddenly realized how jealous he was acting. His mind went blank, he panicked. What the heck reason was he supposed to give for acting like this? It was so uncool to act jealous. His brain scrambled for a good excuse, and thankfully he was able to come up with something. He crossed his arms over his chest triumphantly.
"Well Maka, as your weapon partner I'm supposed to protect you right? Not just from physical harm but from emotional pain as well. So naturally I need to meet and approve of any guys that take an interest in you. You know, to make sure they aren't jackasses that are gonna break your heart," he replied smoothly. Phew, dodged a bullet there. Maka's eyebrows went up and she relaxed her stance a bit. She seemed to believe his reason, whether it was true or not.
"Alright, fair enough. You don't have to get all screamy and forceful. If you really wanna meet Kaze I'll introduce you to him at school tomorrow," Maka said lightly. Soul nodded, and then sat back down on the couch.
As Maka began to set the table for dinner, Soul's thoughts began a turn for the worse. Was that reason he gave her the real reason why he was so concerned? Or was it truly jealousy he was feeling? He never thought he'd have this problem. Maka wasn't unattractive, but she wasn't really the dating type; after all, she hated virtually all men except for him, and maybe Professor Stein. Now that Maka actually had a potential suitor, he didn't know how to handle it. He never thought she'd ever express any tender feelings for any guys other than him, but now she was interested in this Kaze character... obviously, the solution was for Soul to find something he didn't like about Kaze so that he could keep Maka from seeing him anymore. But why didn't he want her to see him anymore? This was the one question he found that he couldn't answer.
~x~
"Kaze, this is my weapon partner Soul. Soul, this is Kaze, another weapon in one of my accelerated Soul Studies classes. I'm so excited for you two to meet!" Maka said cheerfully the next day. She and Soul had been walking to third period, one of the classes they didn't have together, when she had spotted Kaze in the hall. Upon seeing him, she grabbed Soul by the wrist and hurried over to where Kaze was, and now they were standing facing each other, Maka standing beside them. Soul's eyes narrowed as Kaze extended his hand out to him.
"So you're Soul! I'm honored to meet one of the youngest Death Scythes ever created! Maka has told me so much about you!" Kaze said enthusiastically. Soul gripped his hand and shook it once, firmly.
"I wish I could say the same about you. Maka has barely mentioned you. Before yesterday of course," Soul replied coolly, gazing at his meister, who was now glaring at him. She obviously didn't like his response, but Kaze didn't even seem phased.
"Oh yeah, well what's so great about me huh? I'm no Death Scythe, I've never taken a full frontal slash to the chest and survived! And I surely can't play the piano!" Soul was stunned. He had blatantly insulted Kaze and he had responded by agreeing with him? He eyed this very modest guy carefully. He was slightly taller than Soul, with black hair and piercing blue eyes. His build was a little on the lanky side, but he still looked like he could pack a punch.
"Kaze don't say such negative things! You're so nice and smart, two things Soul is definitely not," she giggled, throwing a playful, somewhat scornful glance at Soul.
"Maka, you seem to forget that its my turn to cook dinner tonight. Don't give me incentive to burn it," he shot back at her. Kaze laughed.
"You're just as cool as everyone says you are Soul. I'm very happy to have finally met you," Kaze said earnestly as he put his arm around Maka's shoulders. This made Soul gasp and jump a little. He did NOT like that, not one bit. He didn't want anyone touching Maka except for him.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of Maka tomorrow on our date. And I'll have her home at a decent hour too!" Kaze told Soul cheerfully, as Maka blushed beside him. Soul thought his heart would break right there and then, seeing her blush at another man's touch. That was when he realized it.
"No funny business Kaze. Maka is not that kind of girl. If that is your motive, you better cancel your little date right now," Soul told him darkly, getting defensive.
"I would never dream of anything like that. You don't have to worry," Kaze reassured him, his voice not sounding uneasy at all. Maka was blushing even redder now. Just then the bell rang.
"Whatever. I'm watching you," Soul warned as he began to turn around. "I'll see you later Kaze. Maka, wait for me by our lockers before lunch." And with that, he left, and, trying to look as cool and nonchalant as possible, walked off to his next class.
His mind was no longer reeling. He knew everything now. Seeing Kaze put his arm around Maka, and seeing her blush and smile nervously up at him had given him all the answers he needed. He knew the reason why he was jealous. He knew the reason why he didn't want her seeing any guys. He knew the reason why he so desperately wanted to find something to hate about Kaze.
Soul was in love with Maka.