You would think buying a birthday gift for someone that you know literally everything about would be a piece of cake.
Soul "Eater" Evans was fast discovering that this was not the case.
"Aww, dammit! Why do I always wait 'till the last minute to do important stuff like this? Not being able to find a present for Maka would be so uncool" muttered Soul, as he exited the seventh shop he had visited in the last hour. Death City was a vast place, and Soul had yet to quiet give up on finding the perfect present for his blonde-haired meister. Maka's birthday was today, and a party (courtesy of Soul) was being thrown for her in just a few hours. Everything had been arranged and taken care of. That is, with the exception of one little procrastination.
"Jeeze, what would be more uncool, arriving late to a party that you are supposed to be hosting, or being the only one without a present for the birthday girl? Damn, I had so much time, too…" Soul said, frustrated at his rapidly closing window of time. What the hell was he going to do? Soul was so caught up in his moping that he didn't spare a thought to where he was walking, and he crashed headlong into a figure coming around a corner.
"What the…" Soul shouted, stumbling backwards to catch his balance. "Really, Soul, what has you so preoccupied that you can't watch where you are walking, hmm? I thought all of the party details were taken care of." asked Death The Kid, Soul's classmate and friend, who also happened to be a Grim Reaper. Soul noticed that Kid was currently bereft of his twin pistol partners, Liz and Patty Thompson, and assumed that they were helping Maka get ready for the party. Soul was about to crack a smart-ass remark when he suddenly hit upon an idea!
"Kid! Oh thank Death I ran into you! Listen, I still haven't gotten Maka a present for her birthday, and I'm almost out of time! YOU'VE GOTTA HELP ME!" Soul begged, grabbing Kid around the wrist and starting down the road deeper into downtown Death City. He made it about two feet before Kid dug in his heels and stopped Soul in his tracks.
"Ok, Soul, a couple things. First, why in my father's name did you wait until now to get Maka, your BEST FRIEND, a birthday present, when you KNOW that you both are awful at buying presents for one another, and require ludicrous amounts of time to pick something? Second, what do you expect me to do about it? I have already arranged my gift for Maka, and I don't have any more ideas" said Kid, in his matter-of-fact voice, which at the moment was giving Soul a splitting headache.
"OH COME ON, MAN! You expect me to buy that? You're her boyfriend, after all! You've gotta have at least one good idea hidden up that suit sleeve! Pleeeeeease!" Soul normally didn't dust that word off much in conversation, but he was getting desperate, and begging was not beneath him at a time like this.
"While it's true that Maka and I have been dating for close to six months now, I can't really understand why you would think that would give me a better insight on what she would want for her birthday. You have known her for YEARS, Soul, many more than I have. If you can't figure out what to get her, then I don't know what I can tell you that will help" considered Kid, now feeling slightly sorry for the poor scythe, self-inflicted though his dilemma was. "Have you tried finding a book she would like?"
Soul shot a look that was half exasperation, half bare-faced disgust at Kid's query. "You think I didn't already have that idea? I kept trying to pry answers out of her about what kind of books she prefers, but I always got the same vague, generic, half assed "I love 'em all" answers that anyone who loves to read gives. I gave up on that three days ago when I realized a book from me would be meaningless." Soul sat down on a nearby bench, defeat threatening to overtake his face. "I'm just at a loss. What could I give her that would mean what I want it to mean? She's important to me, and I want this gift to represent the relationship we've built over all these years. To most people, it would seem like I'm making a big deal out of nothing, but Maka has been there for me for so long, and she believed in me when no one else would. I need to find something that describes just how much all that means to me. BUT WHAT THE HELL SHOULD IT BE" Soul cried in half rage, half despair, his arm half turning into a scythe blade out of sheer frustration.
Kid stood there, trying to find some way to console his friend and help him with his problem. Soul was showing a side of himself that he very seldom let out, and Kid knew that indicated this was a time for being serious. As Kid tried to deduce a proper gift from his knowledge of Maka and Soul's relationship, an answer bubbled up into his mind from seemingly nowhere, but he knew instantly that it was what Soul needed to hear to solve his dilemma.
"Soul, I know how you can get Maka the perfect gift!" Soul looked up, barely allowing himself to hope. "What you have to do is do something that only you can do. You need to take all of those feelings, and you need to express them in a way that only you can. If you keep those parameters in mind, I am sure that you will come up with something perfect" instructed Kid, feeling hopeful that this new insight would send Soul on the proper path. Soul looked a tad confused, but comprehension began to dawn on his features, and he looked up at Kid with gratitude in his crimson eyes. "Thanks man, I think that's what I needed to hear" said Soul.
"No problem, Soul. I'm glad I could help. Now, there is a little over two hours until the party begins. I am going to go check up on the girls, and I will see you at the apartment, eight o'clock sharp!" exclaimed Kid, with a tinge of euphoria that he was able to convince Soul to change the party time from seven to eight. The symmetry of the number was tantalizing in his mind as he walked down the street, leaving Soul to his deliberation.
"Ok, Soul, you can do this. All you have to do is sum up all of the feelings of gratitude and friendship you have for Maka, and project them in a way that only YOU can. This CAN'T be that hard!" thought Soul, the gears turning in his head at smoke-producing speed. He blew another fifteen minutes before an idea hit him like a Reaper Chop. Shark teeth barred in a satisfied grin, Soul took off towards his new destination. A destination, Soul knew, that would provide him exactly what he needed to achieve exactly what he wanted.