Prologue
"Geez, this is so uncool…" Soul sighed as he muttered to himself. The sun was laughing, beaming over Death City, and Soul had been with Maka in a park that day. Soul had taken his eyes off of his meister for five minutes, and when he looked back, she had fallen asleep. Granted, they had been sitting underneath a tree in the park, but still. The least she could do was be reading a book, not just sitting there and pretending to be interested in hanging out. Was she that bored? Soul wondered as he looked at Maka's calm, sleeping face, watching her chest slowly rise and fall in a steady pattern. She wasn't wearing her usual uniform that day. Today she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and neat, iron-pressed shorts as well as some thigh-high socks. Soul just wore his orange shirt and leather jacket, as well as jeans and a black headband. He had a lot of similar clothes. It was easier to be cool that way.
Soul was staring in the calm, clear blue sky and felt himself starting to drift off to unconsciousness, until he heard a noise that surprised him. To his surprise, it came from Maka. He turned to her sleeping body to see her face contorted in a pained expression, her eyebrows quivering and her breathing speeding slightly.
"N-no…" she mumbled, her voice shaking. "Stop, don't…!" Soul watched her curiously, his emotions still unsure of how to react. Part of him thought it was cute, another felt nervous by her pained expression. Is she dreaming? Soul wondered. He felt a pain in his chest when a tear rolled down Maka's sleeping face, and she whimpered. "Soul…" Soul stared at her, feeling his heart-rate quicken at the muttering of his name.
"Maka?" Soul replied, leaning closer to her. "S-soul… Don't…" Maka breathed a shaky breath and stuck out her arm into the air as she slept. Soul stood up, shocked and unsure of what to do. She's having a nightmare! Soul stood in front of her, feeling hurt at the suffering his meister was going through. He did the only thing he could think of, and knelt next to her, grabbing her outstretched hand. Maka bolted awake, gasping. A final tear rolled down her cheek, soaking her collar slightly. She turned to Soul, who stood up, still holding her hand. His head was lowered, and he seemed angry. Maka felt a bell go off in her mind. Oh no, I fell asleep! Maka felt scattered as Soul pulled her up.
"Soul, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep, I promise!" Maka said, quickly wiping the tears she had from the dream, hoping he wouldn't notice. "I guess I was just really relaxed, and I-"
"What were you dreaming about?" Soul interrupted, his voice quiet and intimidating. There was a long pause. "What?" Maka replied. How did Soul know she was dreaming?! "What were you dreaming about?" Soul asked a bit more forcefully this time, raising his head and looking straight at her. Maka was taken aback at her weapon's outburst, and she felt her face grow hot. Her heart quickened and she lowered her head, her pigtails resting on the tear-soaked shoulders.
"You were leaving." Maka muttered. Soul felt a pain in his stomach when she said that, and he could feel his fists clench. "You said you didn't want me as a partner anymore, and that I was weak and useless- a nuisance to you." Maka stared at her feet and the grass, her vision starting to blur from tears. "That I was a sexist, violent, stupid, and-" Soul rushed over and hugged her, quickly interrupting her rant. Her face was in his shoulder now, and her tears soaked the collar of his leather jacket. But he didn't care.
"Shut up, Maka." He whispered as her arms wrapped around him. Her body quivered as she cried in his arms, and Soul rubbed her head comfortingly. "You're the partner I chose. I will never leave you, and that's a promise I plan to keep." Soul felt her nod against his chest, and she clenched the back of his jacket.
"Thank you, Soul." She whispered.