I was almost tired of searching for the right partner when I had entered the piano room and seen him: he had weird white, spiky hair and long fingers that were sliding through the piano's keys… but, most importantly, the posture he held while he played. As the piano's creepy, dark tune resonated within me, I saw boy wave to his song's beat, as if he had written it.

"That's so beautiful," I couldn't help but expressing.
The boy stopped playing and turned to face me. His red eyes scanned me as he said, "It's the kind of person I am."

I noticed in his elegant suit a tag that read "WEAPON". I remember Mama had told me to be patient even if I'd have to spend months while looking for the right partner. Nonetheless, in the end I asked him, "Can you please play some more?"
"Nah," the weapon boy answered, "I've been playing for a while now. Can you play?"

I was feeling rather comfortable around that boy – and I don't really trust men in general – and answered honestly, "Ehh… I'm not really good at music."
"Mm… That's too bad," he turned back to play something that sounded like a chromatic scale. After playing five of those scales, he turned back at me and asked, "Have you found a partner yet?"
"Uh, no… you?"
"I gotta feelin' she's standing right in front of me," he smiled, revealing a row of sharp teeth. He then finally told me his name, "I'm Soul, Soul the Eater. A weapon, if you could read."
"I read that, Soru-san," I couldn't help but pronounce his name with my Japanese accent. I managed to control my voice to say, "My name's Maka, Maka Albarn."
"Nice to meet you, Maka," Soul's smile widened. "Should we report to Sid as team?"
"Shouldn't we get to know each other before agreeing to this?" I doubted, worried that Soul might be a creep like Papa Death-Scythe.
"Oh, sure," Soul's sharp teeth disappeared under his thin lips. "My room's not far from here, unless you prefer a motel…"
"WHAT?!"
"I was being sarcastic," a drop of drool emerged on the corner of his mouth as his eyes rolled. "Let's just go."

Soul kept quiet all the time we walked over to where Sid-sensei was, and I was trying to talk him out of it. When we approached Sid's desk, Soul quickly grabbed my hand and said, "Yo, Sid."
"Soul? And Maka?"
"No, I'm with my little sister," Soul's sarcastic attitude got the best of me. I took the listing notebook Sid was holding and shouted "MAKA CHOP!" as I hit his head with the back of the notebook.
"Maka!" Sid took the weapon from my hands with his big black hands. "No hitting your new partner!"
"Sorry, Sid-Sensei," I bowed down as I apologized. "What are we going to do now?"
"Owwwwwwwww…" Soul rubbed the spot where the Maka Chop had landed. Then he asked, "Now we're gonna be sent to our homes, right?"
"Not yet," Sid looked at Soul with entertained eyes. "Now we're gonna debrief you on your abilities, responsibilities…"

I ignored the rest of what Sid-sensei said because my parents had told me a long time ago, but I kept a straight face so I didn't look disrespectful. My eyes went over to Soul, who was looking around with an uninterested expression in his face. For a second there, I thought he muttered "Not cool" to himself as we were led to a classroom to be taught about Resonances and stuff like that. After a while, we were led to another classroom to be distributed into the NOT class or the EAT class.

"Huh? Is this some kinda prank?" Soul exclaimed when Papa, who was the one distributing the students, told him to keep away from me.
"Papa," I intervened, "Soul and I are a team, whether you like it or not, and we're gonna enter the EAT class! Just you watch!"
"Okay, things just got cool," Soul smiled at me when I extended my hand as a sign that expected him to turn into his weapon form. "Let's go, then."
"Wha-?" Soul's weapon form was the same as my father's: a scythe. "H-how'm I supposed to fight with a single-edged weapon?"
"C'mon, Maka," Soul's voice echoed from the scythe in my hands. "It's just like dancing." Sensing my worried silence, he added, "Don't worry. I'll lead, and you just follow."

We put on a good show to Papa, who had no choice but to put us in the EAT class. After finishing all the errands we had to do in our first day as partners, Soul yawned loudly and said, "FINALLY! Time to go home!"
"You're staying somewhere?" I asked.
"Sure I am," he answered. "I rented a small apartment not far from here. I still haven't finished movin' in, though, but I think it had two rooms…"
"Oh, what a relief," I sighed, remembering my mother had told me I'd have to stay in the girls' dorm unless my partner had a place of their own.

I was excited to move into one of those apartments. I promised Soul that I'd be paying half on the rent as soon as I could raise money while he carried half of my luggage. Of course, we didn't expect to be interrupted.

"YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" an already familiar voice came from the far side of the hallway.
"What the –?" Soul asked just before he was tackled by a spiky-haired boy.
"MAKA! IS IT TRUE YOU JUST FOUND A PARTNER?!" Black Star asked me with his loud pre-pubert voice.
"As a matter of fact, kid," Soul groaned from underneath Black Star's feet. "You're steppin' right on top of him!"
"KID?!" Black Star's eyes went wild as he heard the word. "KIDS ARE SMALL! DOES THAT MEAN YOU CALLED ME, THE GREAT BLACK STAR, SMALL?!"
"Well, sorry," Soul said sarcastically, as usual, it appeared, "o grand Black Star. I didn't know you were so important."
"'Big' is a more accurate word," the blue-haired boy replied. "And I recommend you don't try and steal my spotlight, new guy!"
"Hmmm… Well, I'll remember that, then," Soul decided to try and stay in Black Star's good side for now.
Black Star helped Soul Eater to his feet and carried the entire luggage both he and I were struggling with until then. Once we entered the apartment, Black Star whistled and said the place needed both a woman's touch and an autograph from him. He immediately pulled out a permanent marker from his pocket and scribbled his autograph on the front door so we could remember him every time we went out, which got him a Maka Chop from me. Soul laughed as I carried the "big" boy into the couch in front of the TV and sat beside him.

"Friend of yours?" he asked with a chuckle.
"Yeah," I answered. "We met a long time ago, the first day my father took me to Shibusen."
"About your father…" he looked serious now. "He's not really cool…"
"He's the worst!" I couldn't help shouting. "He's been cheating on Mama for years! I can't believe they even got married!"
"Oh, shaddup," Black Star groaned as he recovered consciousness. "The Death Scythe is a doofus. I bet you'd make a better Death Scythe out of…" He stopped and looked at Soul before he said, "Y'know, I think you're pretty cool. I like you! Tell me your name!"
"Uh, Soul Eater," Soul looked confused.
"SOUL! YOU'VE MADE A FRIEND TODAY!" Black Star shouted as he extended his hand, which my new partner shook rather nervously. "I'M THE GREAT BLACK STAR! ANY FRIEND OF MAKA'S IS A FRIEND OF MINE!" He lowered his voice to a whisper to try and ask secretly, "Do you like hentai?"
"BLACK STAR!" I shouted before giving him another Maka Chop. "NO PERVERTED STUFF IN HERE!"
"Eesh, setting rules already?" Soul looked away. "You must be a control freak, bookworm…"

After Black Star came back to his senses again, he helped Soul unpack. When he returned, I noticed he had a sad look on his face. I decided to ask the basic question we've been asking each other for the past couple of months: "Found a partner yet?"
Black Star straightened himself and started laughing. "It seems the world's not ready for me yet!"
"I thought not…"
"How come you still haven't found a partner yet, Star-man?" Soul was curious, as well.
"As I said," the boy repeated, "the world's not ready for me yet! As always, I'll give my introductory speech to see if there's anybody ready for me!"
"So it was you," Soul deducted, "the guy who's been shoutin' random nonsense for the past couple o' months…"
"See? You weren't meant to be my weapon yet!" Black Star turned to Soul. "When somebody's ready to truly and reallyunderstand how great I am, THAT and only THAT will be the day the world starts preparing for my greatness!"

I couldn't help but laugh at that. Black Star was apparently taken in by Shibusen when he was a baby, but he's always been an outcast even there. Being insanely powerful, he's always thought he was superior to everybody else ever since he understood what the word "superior" meant. He entered Shibusen as an official student the same year as I did, but he still hadn't found a weapon partner to turn into a Death Scythe. The problem with Black Star is that one would have to be able to put up with him – a very difficult task – to be his friend, let alone his partner.

"Well, Black Star," I finally said. "It's getting late. You should go and rest."
"You're right, Maka! I need to be fresh tomorrow morning to give my speech again! Well, seeya! YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"
"Kid's pretty cool, huh?" Soul smiled after his new friend slammed the door as he left. "Too bad he's probably never gonna find a partner…"
"Well, let's keep our hopes high for him," I answered with a smile. "'Cause, when he does, he's gonna finally stop givin' his speech."
"Good point," he muttered. "Oh, well. I'm going to bed."
"Wait! Aren't you hungry?"
"Just checking if you were alive, bookworm," Soul laughed at me. "Don't worry. I'll make something for us. You like spaghetti?"
"I'll eat anything right now…" I said as my stomach grumbled. "Whatever you do, make it good!"
"As I always do…"

Hmm… Now that I think about it, I feel glad I have Soul as a partner… He's different from other guys. I hope we go far together… My mind was racing and my heart beating as I saw him bring the plates for us to eat at the table.

"Y'know, Maka," Soul started.
"Yes?"
"If you're gonna make me a Death Scythe, I hope you make me a relly good one," he smiled as he chewed a bite from his spaghetti.
"I promise you," I said in the most serious tone I could take with him, "I'm gonna make you into the BEST Death Scythe in history."