hey! this is my first post in a while and its another AU Soul Eater fic. I hope it turns out okay!

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.

Chapter 1

"You are supposed to be inside, Maka." The girl turned and nodded, casting long, lingering looks at her beat up tree house. After so many years of simply sitting stationary in her courtyard, the wood had begun to darken with age and the prospect of it breaking down was unfortunately expected soon. "Princess, you are too old for that thing. You haven't played on it in 10 years. It would likely break under your weight."

"I suppose so," she said, hiking up her skirts and slipping back into her castle. Winter was always a hard time of year for her. Her-for lack of a better word-abilities were not favourable for their kingdom as King Snow's army searched for her. They had been trying to find her for almost 2 decades with no such luck, and she wasn't going to give them a tip now. Her abilities were far too noticed in the winter time and therefore gave her away easily.

But she adored winter because he was there. Yes, the ice boy. He had appeared to her, desperate for help many years ago, and she gave him her tree house to protect him from the summer heat. She had eased his pains and done all she could so that he could remain a secret, hidden from the Great Sun that seemed to laugh at the waves of heat being emitted. He was much more active during the winter time though, when the sun was not sweltering and her people did not roam the city so freely. Sometimes, if he had enough energy, he would leave her for months on end, a small trip, he called it, but he always returned with a wry grin on his lips and his hair as white as snow.

"Maka, get prepared for bed, please," called Tsubaki. "I have prepared water for a bath so wash yourself and sleep."

"Yes, Tsubaki," said Maka obediently, walking into the bathroom on her own. She was determined to bathe and clothe herself without the help of her maids, had been this determined since she turned 13. She succeeded that night, but only just, as she nearly slipped in the tub. She recovered without notifying her maids, and made it out of the bathroom without reasonable screw ups. Her only error was leaving her balcony window unlocked, as her friend often entered through those windows. Hence, when he arrived, his timing could not have been worse.

"SOUL!" she cried in surprised, quickly pressing her hands to her chest to keep her towel from falling. "Get out!"

He gave a shout, jolting out of her bedroom and back out onto the balcony. He placed a hand on the ledge and gripped it tightly, trying to desperately slow his heart. That had not been wise, he thought to himself bitterly. He should have knocked like he normally did; like the gentleman he'd been raised to be. The key word was 'should'.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she hissed, and he heard her dress swish, like it was rubbing against her bed.

"I was thinking that I would like to see you, but not like that obviously. Then again, it is not like there's much to see..."

He felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, and he knew from experience that it was a book. He resisted the urge to turn around and picked up the small book, rubbing the back of his head to reduce the bruising that he knew would eventually come. "What was that?"

"Nothing, Maka," he said obediently, and he heard her sniff. "Are you decent yet?"

"Yes, I'm good." He turned and there stood the princess, her nightgown a rich, thick, pink colour like her sheets. "What are you doing in here?"

"You were the one who said I could come in whenever I want and talk to you."

"Yeah, but-" protested Maka but Soul quickly cut in.

"Never mind, you're right. I shouldn't be here at all, it was a total mistake to come here that I regret-"

"No!" cried Maka, snatching up his sleeve as he made to leave.

He turned to look at her slowly, and she saw that there was a smile on his face. "So you want me to walk in on you whenever you mean to change? Because that would be pretty-" She let go quickly, her face going red while Soul's face reflected triumph. But that triumph was short lived, because another one of her books found its way into his skull. "OW!"

"You deserved it," she sang, tugging him back into her room. Maka fell into her bed with a smile on her lips, and looked over at her friend. "And no, I do not want you prancing in here at your leisure, Soul. I thought we agreed that you wouldn't do that unless there was an emergency?"

"Maybe I thought there was an emergency," he said, straightening himself. When he stood at his full height, he was always taller than her; however he had a habit of slouching, a habit that she honestly found slightly endearing.

"Was there an emergency?" she asked, curiously. "Is there a problem?"

He shrugged and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Depends. I've got to show you something first, though."

"But I want to know what's wrong now."

"Nothing's wrong, Maka." Soul rocked back on his heels, something he did when he was nervous. "I just want to show you something."

"Okay…" She walked over to her closet and grabbed a think cloak appropriate with the weather. "I assume I'll shall be needing this?"

He nodded and waited patiently for her to finish. "Come and meet me by your Music Hall," he said, moving to the ledge.

"Couldn't I just come with you?"

"And have you jump out of your window with no proper cushioning? I don't think so."

"Well, you'd catch me," she said, and he chuckled at her confidence.

"How can you be so sure? What if I didn't catch you?"

"You would," she said and she put out a hand, gesturing for him to leap first.

He clicked his tongue and jumped off her balcony, landing in snow. He didn't let out any cry that signalled that the fall had been bad, so she left it alone. She peeked over the edge and saw Soul wave at her from the ground. "Dare you to jump, Princess."

She clambered up on the ledge, gritted her teeth, and propelled herself off the top. Soul let out a gasp when he caught her, falling on his backside and absorbing much of the fall. "Sorry," she moaned, pushing herself up off him. He lay on the ground for a moment, recovering from the hit, and taking deep breaths to steady himself.

"No, it's fine. I asked for it," he said, sitting up properly. She thought about offering him a hand, but she knew better than to touch him. Bad things happened when her skin touched his. They ended up hurting each other in ways that could have been avoided by not sharing skin to skin contact. It was harder than she anticipated it would be. To have physical contact was a rather normal part of being human. Not that she was completely human, but still…

"I'm sorry," she said again, clenching her fists.

"It's no problem," he said, standing up and rubbing his back. "I'm always struck by how fat you are-" Once again, he had said something without thinking and one of her books made contact with his head. "God, every time, Maka." She huffed to herself, and slipped her pocket book back into her cloak. "You know, this could be why all your suitors run away."

Maka stiffened. "My suitors are men who know not how to respect a woman. They run because they know they are not welcome in my kingdom."

"Or in your bed," joked Soul, dodging the book with a laugh. "Besides, it's technically not your kingdom yet."

She pulled up her skirt and began to walk towards her music hall, her thin slippers filling with snow easily. However, it never stayed long and melted quickly, leaving her with a wet feeling. She had never liked wearing thin shoes in winter. Her body always melted the snow down before she could enjoy it. Maka found her way to the hall door with ease, and turned to wait for Soul before realizing he had made it through easily as well. It was almost as if he walked above it, rather than through it though.

She rummaged through her thick pockets for the keys and, upon finding it, gave a triumphant sigh and opened the hall.

Soul did not often ask to be let into the music hall. They had met nearby, she thought dimly, almost 2 years ago. The music hall held something important to Soul that Maka did not know or understand. She'd tried to ask about his infatuation with the hall, but she'd never truthfully gotten a straight answer. So, she had decided not to bring it up any more and wait patiently for him to tell her. She had been content in allowing her friend into the hall, no questions asked.

"It's the same as before," she said finally, slipping off her coat and hanging it on a hanger. "Nothing's really changed since you last came here." She watched him stroke the keys of the instrument, longing in his dark eyes. It had been a hard thing to acquire but every kingdom owned at least one. The keys and the body had been all wooden and thanks to the skills of those from the land of Fire, the instrument appeared polished somehow. And it seemed to be Soul's favourite instrument, which made her admire the dark beauty even more. "You wish to play?" He jerked his hand away and gave her a wild look. "Or not; it's really up to you."

"No, I-" He scratched his head, lowering his eyes. He seemed conflicted for reasons she did not understand.

He had only ever played in front of her once, and when it wasn't in front of her, she had pretended the beautiful sound from the piano did not come from him. She missed hearing the haunting, beautiful music, as her kingdom's musical style differed greatly from his. "You know," she said quietly, "it's been a year since you've played." His eyes flicked to hers. "I really liked it the first time." He stared at her, taking in the request, before shaking his head with laughter. "So you'll play?"

"Yeah, I guess that's cool." He pulled the hood up and took a seat on the bench with a resigned sigh. She folded her hands and came to stand beside him, waiting patiently for him to begin. He smiled at her, a small smile, before sliding down the bench and patting the seat. "Sit."

She hesitated, and Soul tugged her down beside him, hand around her arm. She sat, her thigh pressed against his and got a nervous feeling in her stomach. She had never been this close to him before. Soul bumped his shoulder with hers, seeming to sense her discomfort. She gave a shaky smile, and he laughed, low and rumbling. Then, without much warning, he had started playing.

The instrument boomed out sound like a fountain, and Maka watched in awe as his fingers skittered over the keys, creating skips or deep plunges in tones. Maka closed her eyes, her mind –as it often was- too dazzled by his playing to form coherent phrases. She let a more creative side play with the music, and, in her mind's eyes, imagined a raging ocean. The waves crashed into the shores and rocks many times, but then, as if by God's will, the ocean ceased moving. The mystical sounds filled up the air space, and Maka imagined the ocean's waves calming, the skies clearing until all that was left of the storm were small ripples in the water. She suddenly felt the incredible urge to draw, which she found perplexing because she wasn't the best artist.

Maka smiled softly when Soul's final note echoed through the hall. She couldn't see him clearly, but she imagined he'd be smiling as well.

"Like it?" She hummed her agreement and blinked her eyes open, only to jerk back in surprise. His face had been so close to hers, so much so that she could feel the wisps of breath on her face.

"What are you doing?" she breathed, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I find it hard to see with this lighting, and I thought you'd fallen asleep to my playing," he said, sounding more annoyed than breathless like her.

"Oh! Um, I'm not asleep. Don't worry, nothing happened. I just love it when you play and sometimes it makes me feel like I'm getting lost in it all...Is that weird?"

He blinked twice before smirking. "No, it means that you internalized the beat. You've taken it, accepted it, and tried wrapping your head around the concept." She watched as his eyes returned to the instrument, scanning it over. "Getting lost in the music is nothing to be ashamed of."

Maka felt as if the entire room had suddenly filled up with snow. She felt her stomach clench, the tip of her nose grow colder and colder until it left her numb. Something was wrong; she could feel it deep within her. "Soul?" she asked warily, tugging on the sleeve of his jacket. "Soul, there's a problem, isn't there?" His red eyes flashed to her face. "I thought so. No matter what it is, we can get through it."

He shook his head, and she noticed him clench his fists. "That's not going to be possible."

"Soul, don't be pessimistic. Anything is possible. If it's us...we could do it." She folded her hands in her lap, fingers intertwined. "You can tell me."

"I know I can tell you. I just..." He paused. "I don't know if I want to."

"You don't know if you want to tell me a problem," she repeated, green eyes unwavering. "I was unaware that I was that unreliable."

"No, Maka, it's not the same thing." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I can tell you; I mean, I did promise you that-"

"Wait, you're leaving?" she asked, eyes widening.

"Maka-"

"You told me you'd only make promises you were certain to keep. And this...you have only ever made me one promise; that you would say good bye to me and tell me when you leave. This is one of those times, isn't it?"

"Maka, don't sound so betrayed. I have done nothing wrong."

"It's not about doing things wrong, Soul. This is different than that." She started to stand, and Soul grabbed her hand impulsively. It was a mistake -one they both regretted instantly- because they pulled sharply away after the contact. However it was too late. Maka's hand, wherever there had been contact, felt chilled, as if frost had gathered on it. In fact, Maka could see the tinged ice on her hand where he touched her. Soul's hand was burned instead, the skin pulsing as all the blood rushed to it.

"I'm sorry," he said, staring at his hand like it betrayed him.

"Me too," she said quietly, cradling her own hand to her chest.

"Maka-" he started, but then he seemed to change his mind and say something else. "Do you remember the first time you tried to touch me and this happened?" He held up his hand and she nodded. "You told me it was weird but that you wouldn't pry. Well, thank you for that but I think it's about time that I told you about who I am. I realize you're at war with the Snow country. Are you aware that that kingdom has 2 princes as well?" She shook her head slowly but made no move to exit. "The eldest prince had undergone his coronation years ago, and the kingdom he rules over now is co-ruled with his uncle, but the youngest prince remains. In fact, the youngest prince is known as volatile and has been known to leave his kingdom for months on end." He took a deep breath before saying, "I am that prince."

She just stared at him, shocked by his words. A prince? From the Land of Snow?

"You can't be…"

"I understand that you might be scared but-"

"Soul, you are the prince of a kingdom that wants to kill me." Her eyes seemed to shine with tears. "It's hard not to be a little scared. You've practically been living in my courtyard. God knows how much you've told your brother."

"I would never tell my brother about you or your kingdom," he said fiercely, so much so that she was surprised by it. "You've got to believe me, Maka, I never wanted this."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm the ache in her chest. "I trusted you," she said softly, throat tightening. "I worried when you were gone for months at a time. You never bothered telling me how long you were going or who you were going to see. You told me you wouldn't lie like my father but…" She cast her eyes away. "I believed that you wouldn't-" She cut herself off. She had made a mistake, the gravest mistake; and she had no chance of going back.

She flicked her eyes to Soul, and even though she knew he was the enemy, her heart didn't know, and it beat quickly for him just as it had the last couple months she had known him.

"Maka, I didn't mean to hurt you. At first, I didn't know you were a part of the royal family. For a while I thought you were just a random girl, perhaps a maid that worked there, but then you told me…. I just didn't know what to think."

She was quiet for a moment, her eyes watching him carefully before speaking again. "I don't think you know how much I want to hit you right now."

She watched Soul give a wary smile. "If it meant you'd trust me again, then you could hit me as many times as you'd like." Soul patted the piano bench. "Just sit and hear me out. I'll answer any of your questions." After he saw her fidget, he saw his opening and said, "I promise."

Maka pursed her lips. Soul was an enemy prince, a boy that could rule a kingdom that wanted her dead; a boy whose brother was ruling a kingdom that wanted her dead. The Soul she had come to know was a mysterious boy with an aversion to the heat and that was very sarcastic. She had had a feeling that he was from the Snow Kingdom but this…. The boy he said he was seemed to be different than the boy he had proven to be. Perhaps a chance should be given…he had given her many chances.

She took a leap of faith and sat down, leaving a discreet distance between herself and Soul. He couldn't be completely trusted. He noticed it but didn't comment, knowing that the fact she was still there at all proved she still cared about him to some degree.

"Thank you." Maka nodded. "So what would you like to know first?"

"It depends. How much are you willing to tell me?"

"I'll tell you anything you want."

"Anything?"

"Anything," he affirmed, nodding.

She was quiet a moment. This was a rare opportunity. Here in her grasp, she had a member of the Land of Snow; its prince to boot. The amount of information she could extract…perhaps this war would be over before her 19th birthday after all. "How much have you told your brother of this kingdom?"

Soul scowled. "I told you already, I would never tell my brother about this kingdom."

"But have you?"

"Of course not." Soul glared at his own reflection in the piano. "I hate what my country has become. Why assist them in the war?"

"But it is your country. As its prince, you have a duty to assist it in all things, trying to make it a country worth living in. Why go against your heritage?"

He laughed harshly. "I am no prince. I was born with the title and I represent nothing more but a roadblock in the eyes of my remaining family. The only person who ever cared about my well-being remotely was my brother, and his worry was misplaced with me."

"That is not true."

"It is, because at the end of the day, I am just another chess piece that he must move to suit my uncle's whims."

"You must care about them to some degree though, right? I mean, I assume you return there when you leave this country."

"I do," he said, "but not by choice." He elaborated by saying, "My brother and I have always had a…rivalry of sorts. My late aunt, seeing this, forced us to vow that we would always stay in touch. That vow is one that I must honour. I try not to go often, but I force myself to go eventually. I wouldn't put it past my brother to send guards out to look for me."

"And that explains that month long disappearances?"

"No, I suppose not. When I go to see my brother he -ah, how do I put this- tries to force me to stay longer. I think my uncle put him up to it, to be honest, but every time I returned, he would take me to my bedroom and lock me in there so I couldn't leave. Once, it got so bad that he slipped something in my drink and locked me in the cellar. It was a pretty stupid move because he should know that I could just freeze the locks and break through it that way." Maka blinked twice, seeming to be confused. Soul had done what? "I know it's not the best way, but-"

"No, Soul, it's fine." Maka put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I'm actually impressed. I didn't figure you to be someone who'd be an expert escape artist."

"Well, I did travel with a circus once," said Soul nonchalantly. "Perhaps that explains my skills."

"Don't push it," said Maka, a grin making its way onto her face without her control, "but your features suit a circus when I think about it." She snorted at Soul's expression. "You've got odd hair; add red eyes and sharp teeth and everything makes sense."

"Maka-" he whined, but she laughed it off.

"Don't be angry, Soul, I didn't mean it. And even if I did, you still look great," she giggled. When he froze, she just laughed harder. "Loosen up, Soul. Honestly; and you always tell me to relax, hypocrite." Maka watched Soul quickly look away and her laughter slowed. "Soul? Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?"

"It's nothing you said. It's just…me."

"What about you?" She leaned in closer. "Are you not feeling well?"

Soul looked away quickly. "No, nothing like that. It's just that the way you're treating me…it's like you've forgotten who I am."

"I have not forgotten who you are at all," said Maka, suddenly very nervous about something. He was right, she was getting too comfortable too fast. She hadn't forgiven him nor ridden herself of the pain in her chest, but she felt too much injustice in being enraged with him. "I'm still angry at you, I guess, for not telling me…but when I think about it, I can't picture it."

"You can't picture it? I have white hair, Maka, how much more obvious did you want me to be?"

"It's not that," she snapped back. "I meant that you are no different now than you were 10 minutes ago before you told me. I don't like the idea, but you're still the same Soul I met a good year and a half ago." She stared down at her lap, where her fingers had decided to play with themselves. "At least I know where you go when you leave."

"Maka-" started Soul softly before Maka turned quickly to look at him.

"So tell me about your kingdom. Why did you leave?"

Soul's eyes darkened and Maka worried that he would go back on his word and leave, but he just straightened and began to speak. "My brother...when I left the kingdom he had just celebrated his 3rd year as the reigning monarch. My uncle, my father's elder brother, had been guiding us since our parents had died. He had...ah, never really liked my father since he was the second born and had gotten the throne instead. My uncle was under the impression that the eldest should always get the crown no matter what. He...did his best to isolate me from my brother, talking badly of my music and often sending me to the confines of my room because the other guards respected him more. My brother never wanted to be king, but once my uncle spoke his words to him, he...changed.

"Soon, my brother was ruling the kingdom with my uncle as his closest advisor. My brother cared for me, but the distance my uncle put between us kept him from actually talking to me. He had no idea what the outside world was like. So to get out, I told him I would go look at other countries for him."

Maka froze. "You said you'd what?"

"It wasn't that big a deal," he said, "I was lying to him. Sometimes I think my uncle knows that I'm lying but then I realize he could never really know. I barely talk to him anyway."

"Soul, I'm not sure if you realize this, but lying to a monarch could be punishable by death."

"Don't worry too much about it," he said. "Snow doesn't suspect me. And even if he did, I could always come here."

"So you're just going to run away and hide here?"

"Well sure," he said. "It's convenient."

She started at that and gave him a keen look. "Excuse me?"

"Ah, what I meant to say was-"

She froze, eyes locked on a white mark behind his ear. "What's that?" she asked, interrupting him. Even with her emotions running high, she could notice this much.

"This?" Soul's fingers came up and brushed the mark. "It's white, right? I don't know. I never even noticed it there until I returned here a few months ago."

"But you acquired this in your country, yes?" she said, her voice shaking. She recognized this mark. And if it was indeed what she thought it was, Soul had doomed them all.

"There's no way to know because I noticed it on my trip back but I guess so." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I know it looks weird, but it's harmless. Maka, I-"

"No, Soul, you don't understand. That is a royal seal that is placed behind your ear. There resides one in every major kingdom and cannot be replicated. This thing has the power to transfer memories and import the will of others into it. Every knight has one, as does every servant, for safety purposes, but this?" She stared at him in horror. "Every time you went home, they had the ability to take your memories of this place. They'd know what I look like, and where my castle is. If you have indeed gotten this from your uncle, then he will know everything."

His eyes bored into hers, incredulous. "But that's- how did he- when-"

"You would be asleep," she said, tears pricking her eyes. "You had no idea, Soul."

"Maka, I-"

"Don't." She stood slipping away from him. First he was a prince, then her country was 'convenient' and now the seal? "Don't talk. Just..." she breathed in deeply. "You should return to your own country," she said, steeling her voice. "We've been preparing for war for a while, and with this information, we actually have a chance of winning."

"Maka, please, don't do this. My people will fight you. I've seen your army, Maka, and they will die by the thousands."

"My people will not kill once I inform them of the situation. You know of my mother's hesitance, as winter is when we are the weakest. However winter is almost over, and when the snow melts, so will your powers, and we shall make our move. My mother will order Snow's dethronement, and when he refuses, we shall act. None will die by our hand on purpose."

"So what? You want war? That's all fine and dandy, Maka, but what has that got to do with me? Why do I have to leave?"

"You're here because your country is unstable, no?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in his direction. "Because it's convenient? I will remedy that. I will storm your country, rid it of its dictator, and put your brother as king. You needn't really be here. In a week, spring shall come and you will be free to go home."

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, his voice raw and desperate. "Banishing me…where am I supposed to go? Back to Snow? He'll take my memories and attack you first; is that what you want?"

"If you were planning to return there first thing, then my guards can just lock you up and we can use you as a bargaining chip."

"Snow wouldn't fall for that."

"Perhaps not, but it sounds like your brother would."

He laughed harshly and gave her pained look. "You've thought of everything then?"

She turned away, and choked on her tears before saying. "My country comes first, Soul. Whatever it was we had...it'd be better if you forgot about it. Besides, you came to me today telling me you were going to go away again. And this time, I won't fight you. I just won't welcome you back with open arms."

"I see." His voice was cold just the like kingdom her came from.

"Good bye."

She strode out of the music hall, her tears freezing on her face.

No footsteps signaled a pursuit.

Maka thought perhaps she would have cried more if the snow had not been freezing.

how was it? too weird?

Please R&R to tell me what you thought