1. Introduction

A warm breeze whispers as it moves though the rooftops and spires of Shibusen Academy as a trickle of contented but tired students make their way down the long steps back to their homes. Soul trails behind the rest of the flock, stretching out his back and arms and soaking in the last of the sleepy suns rays.

Propping himself against a wall he waits for his meister, Maka, as he does routinely every afternoon. Energetic mumbles of students grow softer, and the wind whispers louder, sending a small shiver though Soul's spine. His soul perception is nothing but useless but his gut instinct is always right, and he knows something isn't as it should be, but chooses not to dwell on the churning in his stomach and instead on the pink and gold light dressing the sky and Death City with a warm glow.

He had been partners with Maka for only a few months but they are a good -if flawed- team. She, unlike so many, matches his introverted yet arrogant soul wave length and her lack of popularity works for him; it means he doesn't have to deal with the cliquey students he can't be bothered with and enjoy a quite life at Shibusen. But the more time spent in Maka's company, more he realises the student population seams to be more afraid of Maka than dislike her book worm personality traits. But Soul has never been interested in the meaningless gossip of his fellow students, so now knowing Maka for the cool and determined partner she is, never bothers to ask. Anyway, not being in the know is so un-cool.

She emerges from the grand arches of the Academy clutching a piece of paper -the assignment that had been specially given to her by the Reaper himself- with false glee:

"I think I've got a good one." she beams.

Soul sees though her fake smile, but plays along. "We always get the good ones..." He lazily pulls himself up from slumping on the brick wall and grins; "Lord Death knows we can handle anything now." Soul boasts, but this confidence is more to re-assure his partner than his own ego.

Maka nods politely, never letting a crack show in her smile, and in comfortable silence they make their way home.

Soul sprawls himself out of the sofa and places his arms behind his head after covering his face with a magazine. Maka, observes Soul for a moment, rolls her eyes and makes her way to the kitchen calling;

"That's going to be a tough assignment, Soul, we should be planning, not sleeping..."

Soul mumbles, squinting as he removes the magazine from his eyes.

"This it was given to us because it will test our strengths," she carries on, emerging from the kitchen door, eyes gazing at her feet.

"We never plan." he dismisses.

Maka disappears back into the kitchen then shortly emerges with 2 plates of sandwiches, "I think we'll need to for this one."

Soul offers up part of the sofa to Maka, who passes him a plate, he tucks in immediately, talking only between bites.

"Let me see..." Soul holds out his hand. Maka scrambles in her coat pocket and produces the assignment. Soul analyses it; "what's so hard about this?" he absent minded-ly, screws up the paper in his fist and chucks it onto the coffee table in front of them. The paper drops off the table edge onto the floor, Maka immediately rises and picks it up. "I forget how tidy you are, sorry." Soul says peering round her to not break eye contact with the television. She joins him back on the sofa, placing the assignment carefully back into her coat pocket.

"Okay, if we're not going to talk about this assignment, lets go do something tonight, it's Friday, no school, no homework..."

"Like what?" Soul still stares blankly at the box.

Maka pauses to think, "Lets go train!" she beams.

Soul grimaces.

"Dancing?" Maka continues to tease, delighting in Soul's squirming. "But it's good for matching out wavelengths." she moves her face closer to his to study his expressions.

Silence.

"Shopping?"

Silence.

"Manicure?" Maka starts to smirk,

"Fine, lets plan this assignment..." Soul suggests, defeated. He stands up, puts on his jacket and waits by their front door, tapping his foot impatiently. "You coming or what then?"

Maka secretly smiles to herself and hurries out of the door.

It has grown darker and the moon has now replaced the sun in the sky. Maka and Soul practise in a clearing in a small wooded area.

"The assignment states that the target is fast but has low defence, so is best suited to light and agile weapon/meister students with soul perception." Maka paces up and down like a drill sergeant.

"check and check,"

Maka half smiles but Soul senses her hesitation, her usually radiant smile has become false and un-characteristically ugly. "Right lets get to this." Maka holds out her hand for Soul who transforms into his weapon form. He delicately lands on the tip of her finders, she adjusts her clasp on the familiar cool grip of the scythe, the moon light danced along the etched patterns along the broad blade. "Resonate with me."

The next evening the pair set out on their assignment. They arrive late to their destination, and find themselves standing together, silently on top of the sheer drop cliff, over looking miles of dry wasted desert, waiting of a sign of the Kishin Egg's soul.

The night is completely still of any wind, and seams dead of all noise and life. Yet, Soul notices a little sand lifting from the desert floor and swirling briefly before falling lightly back to its bed.

There is still no wind.

Soul -following his instinct- transforms and fall again into Maka's hands, she immediately tskes a defensive stance, using her sight and soul perception to scan the area. Her soft olive eyes become defined and determined, and sandy loosely tied hair, hangs motionless over her shoulders. The air is so dead not even one hair twitched, yet another dusting of sand lifts from the desert bed many meters below the cliff where they stand.

Maka uses Soul to amplify her soul perception further...

...and finds a soul...

...a small whisper of a Kishin Egg.

It seams to dwell within the stone of the cliff, it's wave length pulsing, disturbing the sand below, maybe it's unaware of their presents, or is it waiting for the perfect moment to attack. Soul can feel Maka's wavelength, it is irritate and full of fear:

"What's wrong Maka?" He whispers.

"Nothing..." She lies.

"You need to tell me what's with you."

Maka takes a deep-breath and scans her surroundings, "This assignment from Lord Death."

"Yes..." Soul pushes her for more information.

"It's going to be different from other battles, I'm going to have to do something I've never tried before."

Soul falls silent, taking the moment to check their surrounding for further sign of the Kishin Egg. Nothing.

"You know people are scared of me Soul." Maka's voice sounds more solum than fearful now.

"I'm not. It's not cool to be afraid of a little girl." He grins, trying to break the growing tension, but Maka stays silent, her eyes stop scanning the area for dangers and fall down to her solum reflection in the scythe's blade. Soul appears, replacing his face with hers. He always knew there was something different about this mission, his gut never lies. "I've got your back, tell me what you need." He stares straight at her, confirming his dedication to his partner, what ever that may mean he thinks.

"Help me listen." She is ready to fight now. The pair start to connect and resonate their soul wavelengths faster and further, creating a clean crisp view of the Kishin Egg's soul below their feet. "It's not nervous so it's not hiding." Maka reads the soul's mood and characteristics. "It's almost... excited."

"What about?" Soul asks.

Maka starts to replay when small pebbles on the top of the cliff where they stand start to jump off the ground, the vibrations move from the ground through Maka's feet and legs.

Maka firms her hold on Soul's grip, "It's ready, it's coming."

The edge of the cliffs start to crumble and plunge to their bed of sand. They wait as bits of gravel and rock move and shift underneath their feet. Maka grows more fearful, and more impatient.

"Screw this. I'm going for it." Maka shouts, driving the tip of her blade as deep in the earth as she can, then pushes back on the grip, making the cliff edge crack. She pulls back further on the blade forcing another boulder of the cliff to fall from it's original setting. She repeats this action; chipping away at the cliff. Then, with the next hit the blade plunges easily into the rock. Blood starts to pool, staining the yellow rock red, startled, Maka removes her blade.

"Was that..?"

"I-I don't know." Maka stammers.

"Do it again."

Maka peers into the blade at Soul for re-assurance, then drives the point back into the previous spot. A deathening yell bellows from the rock below. The the cliff vibrates, stronger than before, causing Maka to temporarily to loose balance. Chunks of cliffs are hurled up into the air as the Kishin Egg bursts out of his bed into the night air. Maka jumps back to create space between them and the gnarled evil form. The Kishin Egg stretches out it's back and inspected the wound on his arm, with a crooked smile.

"I am meister Maka Albarn from Shibusen Academy, and I am here to take you soul Kishen Egg Xenolith!" Maka announces with fake confidence.

"I've been expecting you." Xenolith grins. His skin resembles the rocks he came from, he floats lightly inches from the ground -despite his large size- broad and tall and hunched. "It's been a while." he continues.

Soul's form appears again within the blade, to view the monster who is more familiar with his partner than he expected and is comfortable with.

"Not long enough..." Maka says sternly, but Soul can feel her hands shaking on his grip.

Xenolith smiles again, he plunges his hands into the cliff top and heaves up a boulder and places it behind one of his shoulders, balancing it easily with only one hand. Maka braces herself.

"You lied to me Maka." comes a calm voice from her scythe. "He's not light and fast, we aren't suited to this task. Why had Lord Death given us this assignment?"

"There's some souls only I can take." Soul excepts this vague explanation without further questions.

Xenolith shifts his weight and moves into a stance ready to attack. Maka moves further back, perspiration appearing on her brow.

"This Kishin Egg is Immortal. People can't kill him, his soul is made of stone." Maka explains never moving her vision from the evil, rolling figure beckoning for her to attack.

"You speak of me like we aren't acquaintances." Xenolith rumbles.

"We've fought before, and I failed." Maka's fear starts to be replaced by anger. "Now I have you Soul, we won't be failing again." She lifts her weapon, ready to fight. "You know what to do."

Maka and Soul resonate together, Soul's broad blade glows white and grows longer and wider, the once smooth blades become jagged and razor sharp. Perfect for sawing though stoney skin.

Xenolith cracks his neck; "Bring it..."

With a roar Xenolith raises his rock above his head, Maka plants her feet firmly; braced for the attack. Xenolith heaves the bolder at her, Soul calls out to dodge the attack but she stands her ground, closes her eyed and holds out a single hand to guard herself. The bolder impacts a breath away from her palm as if it has hit a wall. It bursts into gravel which scatters and falls in front of her toes.

"Impressive." smirks Xenolith, "you're stronger."

"What the hell was that!" Screeches Soul.

"An energy field I've been working on." she explains.

"M-Magic?" Soul stutters, "What are you? A witch? What?" His faith in his partner is suddenly replaced by miss-trust.

"No, my wave length," Maka quickly explains, "it's being amplified by you Soul, can't you feel it?" He can and he has never felt anything like it.

Xenolith pulls up clump after clump of earth and rock and aims at the young technician and weapon. The pair use their new found abilities and agility to avoid and destroy each projectile. Xenolith's anger grows. He pulls up his final lump of earth, the biggest bolder he can muster. Maka can see her opportunity, she sprints, quickly, behind the beast and attacks with her weapon to push him away from the cliff edge and up against the face of a rock. Xenolith attacks heavily, Maka guards with her energy field.

She throws Soul aside, who yells angrily and desperately at her as she holds up her arms to form a cross.

She is in line with Xenolith, arms spread, eyes shut tight.

Xenolith turn from the rock face to attack.

Soul screams for Maka safety. Confused. Frightened.

Maka lets out a breath of air. Her face shows she is calm but deep in concentration.

Then...

Long thin blades erupt from her limbs. Half the blades as black as coal, and the other half glowing pure white.

"You're a weapon?" Soul screams, back in his human form, his jaw hits the floor.

"Amongst other things. Yes." The daggers from Maka's limbs pierce Xenolith's stony flesh and through to the rock face he is pressed against, pinning him down helplessly. The Kishin Egg whales in pain, as Maka's blades shorten bringing her face to face with him. "Your soul is mine." she whispers.

Xenolith's eyes widen with fear. "I'm immortal, w-what can you do little girl?"

Maka smiles crookedly, her olive eyes turn a deep brown and her skin fades to white. Soul regards the scene, his eyes frozen on Maka. He sees Xenolith scream, as his body brakes down into ribbons, disintegrating. Maka's stance loosens, her arms fall back to her side. All the blades vanish as if never there, one of many secrets hidden in her, Soul guesses. She stands motionless for a second, then falls lightly to the ground. Soul runs to her aid, kneeling by her and taking her hand.

"Maka, are you alright?" He pleads softly.

"I'm not used to it, kind of wipes me out." She smiles briefly.

"What am I meant to make of this Maka? What are you?"

Maka sits herself up, keeping her gaze low. "Sorry, I was asked not to tell anyone, but I should have told you before this mission. I didn't know how..."

"It's fine." Soul interrupts, sensing her seniority. "Explain when we're home." Soul rises, dusts himself off and helps Maka to her feet. "Where's the soul?" he asks, scratching his head.

"I guess if it's immortal to reacts differently to normal Kishin Eggs. I don't know." Maka shrugs.

"All that effort and not even a soul to eat." he sighs, "I suppose we should get back." with that, he turns and starts to stroll back down the cliff.

Maka jolts with sudden pain in her right hand, she nurses it with the other hand, on touch she feels hard stoney skin. She raises her hand to the moon light, the stoney colour and texture fade back into her normal skin.

This is my first FanFic. Inspired by the brilliant Soul Eater series. The next chapter will follow on shortly. But for now any suggestions to what to improve, or if anything is spelt wrong or unclear would be a big help. But please be kind I'm new here! :)