I in no way own Soul Eater.

I may write Maka a slight out of character, but I'm trying to stick to them as much as possible while driving them in the direction I want.

This is the first time I've written in a long time, so bear with me!

The ash-blonde girl sighed as she blankly stared out the window. Various shapes and colors flew past her view, but nothing seemed to be committing to memory. The only thing that stuck was the curious way that things closer to the train seemed to be moving much quicker than anything behind it. At first, her eyes darted quickly from side to side as she glanced from tree to tree. After a while, her gaze lifted and focused on something seemingly more stationary. Her pupils constricted as she stared at the silhouette of a tree in the distance. It seemed somehow peaceful standing in the middle of an open field with the orange sun hovering just behind it. And yet…there was something else to it. Something missing. Something wanting.

"Keep staring and you'll be blind by the time we get there," came the always cool voice of Soul's.

Maka Alburn turned her head to look at her partner. He was leaning back in his seat with his hands behind his head and looking at her out of the edge of his eyes, while she sat turned around in her seat leaning against the window in utter boredom. Surely, there must have been a quicker way to get there, she thought, but this was how she was instructed to travel. Taking any other method of travel would have made her stand out. Still… This much time spent on a practically empty passing through what seemed like the middle of nowhere seemed like too much. She was growing more impatient by the minute.

After all, they were headed for a town that was rumored to be home of a particularly pesky which that would serve as the final soul they needed to make her partner a Death Scythe. They had missed opportunities before, and she was not willing to make this another big restart point. If they failed this time, she could see no other choice than to –

"What's the face for?"

"Hm?" Maka's thoughts were interrupted once again by the voice of her partner. He was looking over her with a look of confusion. Unaware of how her thoughts were affecting her body outwardly, Maka had been scrunching her face in pure determination. Unfortunately, it gave her quite the look of anger that she had not been intending in the slightest. "What's wrong with my face?" she finally responded, blinking in confusion.

Soul chuckled softly under his breath and turned his gaze away again with the coolest smirk crawling across his features. "Lost in thought as always," he said simply.

"What else is there to do? I forgot my books…" she complained.

Again, Soul laughed. "Changes nothing."

"What is that supposed to mean? It changes everything! I'm so bored…" Maka leaned backwards, forgetting for a moment she had been sitting the wrong direction and she would not have support to stop her from falling. Luckily, she had been holding on to the arm rest and was able to hold her body up suspended over the edge of her seat.

Like always, Soul just watched her. "I guess you're right. It changes a lot," she stated. Maka's ears perked at this. He was agreeing with her? "Now you can't 'Maka chop' me."

In one swift move, one of Maka's feet had found its way out from underneath her and connecting in a strong kick with Soul's shin. With a soft shout, he fell forward out of his chair. Truthfully, he should have seen it coming. It was an obvious challenge, and she already won. By the time he finally lifted his head to send her a nasty glare, she had prepared an innocent smile. With the sweetest, no, cutest voice she could muster, Maka giggled down at her partner. "Think again!"

This particular train ride certainly was unbearably long, but as usual Soul was not willing to show his discomfort. He did not have much to complain about, really. He was getting away from Shibusen for a while, he was on his way to becoming a death scythe, and he was with Maka. Life felt pretty good at the moment, as a matter of fact. Soul always felt better after a mission. Having fun with friends was one thing, but taking the souls of those that strayed down the wrong path was another.

Besides, there was something to be said for how strangely comfortable he found himself on this train. The mocking sun had finally taken the final fall from the horizon and left the scenery overcast in darkness. The only light left now was the gentle glow coming from within the train itself. It was almost too gentle. It was no wonder Maka had fallen asleep so quickly.

Soul glanced down at the mess of hair resting on his chest. It had been quite a slow and amusing process that led to their current position. It all started with a head nod, and not even in his direction. She nodded off, falling slowly backward and forward. Once, she had nearly fallen backward so far he thought she would surely fall from her seat. (Why did she have to sit facing the window anyway?) When she finally seemed to be taken by sleep she was leaning into her arms against the window. Then, after a while she began to slip ever-so-slowly to one side. It just happened to be in his direction. Suddenly, when she had slipped so far that her head hit his shoulder, she jumped up with a start, only to lean her head right back against the window as she had before. It was not long until it started all over again and in no time, there was her head on his shoulder again. This time she did not wake. Instead, she remained to use him as a pillow. Whether or not she was aware of it, he could not be sure. She remained on his shoulder for a short while before she began slipping again. Given that he had been leaning back, his chest then made the perfect place for her head to finally come to a halt.

Asleep, she seemed so helpless. It was simply adorable. He sincerely did not have the heart to wake her unless it was entirely necessary.

When the train began to slow only half an hour later it actually seemed a shame.

"Maka," he said as gently as he could, considering her ear was against his chest and would likely hear the hum of his voice before his words. "We're here."

Hope you enjoyed the intro. :] There's more to come, so stick with me if you enjoyed it so far!