I was packing up my things, form the dorms at the DWMA, I had formally withdrew from the academy and had gotten a small apartment just outside the school.
"Leaving today?" A voice called from my doorway, I turned to find Soul leaning against the door frame.
"Yeah, just getting the rest of my things." I turned to my desk and picked up the picture of me and Hiro. He looked so happy, we had caught our 99th kishen egg. His black hair was mess as usual, and he had the biggest grin on his face. He had his arm around me, and there I was, staring at him, like the world was in my hands. I wiped the tears from my face and placed the picture in the box with the rest of my things. Soul walked through the doorway and laid his hand on my shoulder,
"He wouldn't want you to cry. Hiro was a very cool guy, always happy. Kind of like Black Star, but less annoying." I managed to giggle a little. But I knew he was right, Hiro wouldn't want me to be sad all the time, he knew the risk of challenging a witch, as did I. He died protecting me, fighting with me, the way a weapon should go out, with honor. I sat down on my couch and took one last look at my dorm, I peered over into what used to be Hiro's bedroom. Soul sat beside, I laid my head on his shoulder, and sighed. He had been with me every step of the way, Soul came and stayed with me for a few nights after it happened. He even helped me with Hiro's belongings, he didn't mind when we had to stop every few seconds so that I could compose myself. I had grown very fond of him and his company. I looked up at Soul, and smiled,
"Thank you for everything Soul. You have been the biggest help through this." He smiled back at me and chuckled.
"I'm here if you need me."
I stood up and grabbed my box making my way out the door, I turned and smiled at him again. "Don't be a stranger, you have my address and you're welcome any time." With that, I walked away fully believing that this would be the last time I saw him. He and Maka were on their own journey to making him a death scythe, so surely he wouldn't have time to bother with me. But I was wrong, a few days after I moved into my apartment, I got a knock on my door, it was Soul. He shuffled his feet in the hallway and asked if he could come in, of course I said yes. He stayed all day and we talked and joked, he stayed for dinner and then went back to the dorms. This exchange went on for a few weeks, I expected him every day, and everyday there he was, shuffling his feet outside my front door.
Sometimes he ran errands with me, and other times we just talked about everything, from life at the DWMA, to his and maka's battles. He always told me how much he wanted to be a death scythe, how he could just taste it. We talked about Hiro and how I was adjusting to life without him, I got a job helping Dr. Stein at the DWMA. Soul would wait for me after work outside the building, or my apartment. I eventually gave him a key to let himself in if I wasn't home, we grew closer and closer with every visit.
One night we were watching television, he had his arm around my shoulder, and I had my head resting on his. He looked at the clock,
"It's pretty late, I should head back to the dorms." He looked over at me, as if looking for a reply.
"Well…I mean…you could stay here," He looked a little shocked, "o-on the couch I mean...I have extra blankets and I'm sure you could call Maka so she's not worried."
He smiled and moved a little closer to me, "I guess that would be cool."
I inched closer to him, "I mean it's really late and I'd hate for you to get hurt on your way back or something…"
He smiled and moved closer to me, our faces were almost touching, I closed my eyes and pressed my lips to his, I felt his hands on my back as he kissed me back deeply. Our lips parted and I felt his tongue caressing mine, exploring my mouth. I moaned, taken in by the moment, I pulled back a little and opened my eyes, and I saw Hiro. My face went blank, and there was Soul, looking at me lovingly, he leaned in for another kiss and I backed away.
"I…um…I better go and get those blankets." I hurried into my bedroom and opened my closet, I heard Soul enter behind me.
"Is something wrong? I mean…I thought…" he sighed, "maybe I better go."
I turned to him, "No, please Soul, don't leave." I sat down on my bed "I did, I mean I wanted you to…it's just…" He sat on the bed next to me,
"Hiro?" I started crying,
"I like you Soul, I really do. But after we kissed and I opened my eyes, I saw Hiro. I see so much of him in you and I'm worried that I'm trying to replace him with you and my feeling may not be real." I sobbed into my hands, I felt so ashamed. Soul put his fingers on my chin and lifted my head so that my eyes met his, they were piercing red, and he spoke to me with such passion in his voice all I could was stare.
"I'm not Hiro, and I know you know that. I like you, I like everything about you. You remind in some ways of Maka, but I know you two are different. You're sweet and passionate, you're fun and playful, and there is so much hidden inside you that I want to know about. I am like Hiro in many ways, but I know that you know inside, I'm not him…and you know everything that we feel is real. I'm not trying to replace him, because I never could, and you're not trying to make me into him. I'm me, and you like me for that, not because I resemble him in a few ways. If you're not ready, that's okay, but don't try and play this off." My eyes widened I had never heard him speak like that before, he stood and started toward the door. I quickly ran after him, and wrapped my arms around him, I buried my face in the back of his track jacket.
"Please…don't leave Soul." I let go and he turned to me, wiping the tears from my face,
"I will never leave you." He leaned in and kissed me, then took my hand and led me back to the bedroom. We laid together and held each other all night, in the morning he left, and I felt like a weight had been lifted off of me, like I was whole again.
That was it, from that moment on, we were pretty much inseparable. He spent every day at my house, and some nights I would visit him at the dorms. After he got wounded in his first battle with Crona, I spent my nights with him in the dorms. He was everything to me, after he became a death scythe, which he recounts as he and Maka's "Coolest victory ever", we got married and he moved in with me. Everything was perfect, every day with the man I love.
