DISCLAIMER: I do not own Soul Eater. ( :/ sadly.)

"413... 414 ... 415!"

Jake let the weights he was lifting drop to the floor. He stood for a moment watching the dust settle as he caught his breath.

Today would be the day. He would take another step forward. Another step in the direction that most people would expect, and that one wouldn't.

Today was the first day of summer vacation. Today was also the EAT class enrollment test. To enter the EAT class, you had to pass the Physical test, Written test, and then the Soul test.

The first one was the Physical test.

And it started in five minutes.

.

...

It started in five minutes!

"Crap!" The purple-haired, currently weaponless, 16 year old, meister jumped up from the side of his bed and, tripping over a couple piles of dirty clothes, made his way to his dresser. Jake grabbed the first shirt from the drawer and pulled it on over his head, and then a pair of jeans that were worn at the cuffs. If he had enough time, he likely would have laughed at the image of him jumping around like an idiot in the mirror, but he didn't.

Not bothering to tie his shoe laces, Jake pulled on his usual boots and grabbed his keys.

Locking and slamming shut the door to his apartment, Jake jumped down to the next landing of the stairwell and took the rest of the stairs two at a time.

"Late, late, late!" Jake pushed open the doors to his building and shot down the street to where his bike was parked. Black tribal decals stood out against the green paint and shining metal exhaust of the old motorcycle. Throwing his leg over the seat, he placed the keys into the ignition and turned it. The engine sputtered to life for a second before dying again. Panicking, Jake stared at the bike in horror. It was over due for a tune-up, but not by that much!

Desperately he kept turning the ignition and pressing the throttle, and prayed to Shinigami-sama that it at least get him to school! He needed this!

At last the engine roared back to life and Jake took off into traffic. Weaving around cars and delivery trucks (legally) Jake sped up to the school (not so legally). Jake half-hazardly parked his bike and ran up the long staircase. Sometimes the stairs were nice for training on, but seriously, this wasn't practical. He'd bet Shinigami-sama never had to climb all these stupid steps when he was late.

Suddenly behind him, Jake could hear a load roaring in his ears. Over his head a rush of wind blew his hair into his eyes and almost knocked him to the ground. Looking up he saw a girl wearing a black uniform soar through the air on a skateboard with an axe in her hand.

Grumbling under his breath, Jake got up again and continued running up the steps. His shirt was starting to stick to his back from sweat as he reached the top of the staircase. A few students were loitering around the entrance when Jake raced inside and felt the cool air conditioning hit his face. Pushing past he quickly made his way to the class room he was to be grouped in.

When he pushed open the door, the other students turned to stare at him. The teacher stopped talking and turned to look at Jake. Her dark hair flew in wisps at the ends and her brown eyes studied Jake's sweaty tee-shirt and barely contained heavy breaths.

"... Jacob Owens, I presume?"

Jake gulped down on his saliva. "Yes ma'm."

"Take a seat on the first row with the others. If you think you'd like to join us."

Jake nodded quietly as he eyed an empty seat on the end. Quietly he made his way over the steps. The only other students in the class room barely filled the first row of all three sets of seats.

After he sat down, the teacher walked to the door and clicked the lock shut. A few students eyed her warily. "Due to the situation of the following tests and what the standards set forth, no one else will be joining this group from now."

Jake looked around as a couple of the other students started whispering. Only a few just looked around; however, about 9 or so people didn't look surprised. Most likely three different pairs of weapon-meister teams.

Well, ... here goes nothing.

[AN- Time skip because I'm a retard who hates how this is coming out completely terrible. Btw if you want, try and guess who the examiners are for the Physical test as they appear in this chapter. First one to write it correctly in a review shall get a free Soul Eater oneshot request of their choice. :3 Yes... I'm begging and I know it's pathetic.]

The air outside was so thick with humidity that Jake could already feel the sweat trickling down his back. The heat rose off the blazing ground in waves. In the distance, at one of the other training areas, Jake could see clouds of dust rising up from several dark spots sparring in the distance.

Jake tapped his fingers against his thigh to release some nerves. On his left, a kid who looked about 13 was about to sweat himself to death; he had a meister tag on his shirt. On Jake's right, he glanced at a boy who looked a few years younger than the other was steely glancing like the complicated track before him was simply a morning jog. The younger kid had dark blue hair and green eyes; a tag that said weapon was pinned to his shirt.

Well this was going to be a trip.

"Alright, meisters! Step forward with your weapons." Another teacher had joined the group of students and the dark haired teacher when they had entered the track and field. Her hair was bright pink and cut in a short bob. She wore skull wrist bands, a black tee shirt with a small skull logo on it, and her white and mint green track suit jacket was tied around her waist and drooped over the matching pants. "Evans-Star pair."

Jake's eyes roamed at the sound of the famous name. Everyone in Shibusen knew exactly what the names 'Evans' was. True, a few recognized the musical connection, but when you lived in the Death City Bubble of Knowledge (that which included Kishins, Deathscythes, Shinigami-sama, kids turning into weapons being normal, and witches instead of convicts, superstars, the Pope, and kids on crack) then the Evans name was famous for the superb Deathscythe known as Soul Evans 'The Last Deathscythe'.

The title stuck even though about two other Deathscythes had been made afterward. While about half the witch population had accepted the peace between witches and Shibusen, the other half later bitterly broke off and formed a seperate group to go against all who didn't side with them. They were more ruthless and dangerous than witches had been before. (AN- Imagine Medusa. Compared to them, she's an angel.) A few others were kind of in the middle of the two sides. However, not much was known about the witch rebellion that was still seeking to wipe out all of Shibusen. Most witches are still a little unsure and secretive even after 19 years of (relative) peace.

Jake was pulled from his momentary flashback to last night's cramming for the Written Test when the pink-haired teacher called again."Evans-Star! Time is money, let's go!"

"Which one do you want?" A girl's voice was heard at Jake's far left. He cranned his neck to see the girl who had a petite stature and platinum blonde hair frowning at the glare from the brightness outside. She was obviously an Evans from the way her blood red eyes glinted harshly with a flinty spark. Her bangs were brushed back from her face and pinned at the top back of her head.

The teacher rolled her eyes and proped her hand holding a clip on her stuck out hip. She waved her hand in front of her face with an exasperated sigh. "I don't care. Do Rock Paper Scissors for it. Just one of you come up here and do the freaking course."

The girl leaned forward and looked over to the boys' line. "Do you care?"

Jake looked back over his shoulder to look for whoever she was talking to. It seemed to be a boy with buzz cut white hair and sky blue eyes who looked bored. Jake wanted to throttle him. He shrugged at her and motioned to the track with his hands still in his hoodie's pockets. "Doesn't matter."

"Ok, I'm going first then. Atarashi, let's go!" The girl replied and stepped forward.

The teacher rubbed her temples and, speaking to the dark haired teacher, asked, "I thought we were breaking up those in the same family into seperate groups?"

"Havar had too many so I took them for him." The dark haired teacher responded coolly.

Teacher Pink responded with an irrate glare before waving her hands at the pair who had stepped up. Jake suddenly noticed the boy with dark blue hair that was on his left had moved to stand with the Evans girl.

"Alright, so the goal of the course is to get to the end. Along the way you have to avoid getting shot with the red paint. You also have to hold your own against with the examiners waiting for you at various sec-"

"BEHOLD! THE HEAVENS HAVE BLESSED YOU EARTHLINGS TODAY! STARS FILL THE SKY TODAY! ATARASHI! KEI! KNOW THAT YOU WILL ONE DAY SURPASS ME!"

Everyone turned to look down the track at where the dark spots had been dueling a few minutes ago. One speck was shouting so loudly it could be heard all the way over where the students were standing. Everyone blanched. They knew who that voice belonged to and what strengthed now backed up the Bushin's words proclaimed across Shibusen for a little under 34 years.

Teacher Pink took the megaphone that Teacher Brown Hair handed her. She yelled through the megaphone in the direction of the distant spot. "OI! POSITIONS WERE MEANT TO BE SECRET, YOU BIRD-BRAIN!"

"YOUR WIMPY, PARK-STROLL CANNOT CONTAIN THE LEVELS OF MY GODNESS! MY POSITION HAS ALWAYS BEEN KNOWN BY HOW BIG I AM- OUCH!"

A chorus of 'Shut Up's rose from the obstacle course in front of them before the loud proclaimations stopped.

Just then it struck the line of students just how long this course was. It stretched from the back of the school over a quickly constructed, rickety, wooden bridge that loomed over the buildings, down to the wall that surrounded Death City, before circling back around to the back of the city, and stretching into the desert for a mile or two.

Everyone in line started sweating; even Mr. Cool-Spawn himself.

Teacher Pink turned back to the students with a mischievous grin, "Begin, NOT students. Any of you who want to quit now and try next year, head to the lockers and get your crap. The road to becoming and being an EAT student is a long, hard one. It's not a walk in the park. There will be problems, bumps, and bruises. But those who succeed; those who work with their partners and fight harder each day. Those are the ones that will make it. And who knows, you may just make a few friends, enemies, memories, and nightmares."

Her green eyes glinted as her grin softened for a second. Something seemed to pass over her face, a peace or ... tranquility that made Jake curious. It was only for a second, though, as her mischievous grin returned.

"Well! Let's go. All who stay will go in every few minutes."

A few pairs, including Nervous Guy on Jake's right, shuffled to the locker room; the rest looked at their partners before staring at the course with determination again.

Jake just stood there. Partner-less, he was about to make this journey, both the obstacle course and the road to being an EAT student, alone. Was it really worth it alone? He did feel lonely at times when working out or jogging. He never really fit in with his NOT classmates, none of the weapons without a meister felt the same drive he did. Becoming an EAT student was long term for them. It wasn't their determination. That and none of the previous two partners he'd had felt right. They worked well, he could wield them, but nobody he really clicked with, and felt 'This is my weapon'. Eventually they all moved on to a different partner and the ache of loneliness for a partner to dive into battle with was there again, even though it never left.

Ever since that battle a year ago, he never felt the same feeling after a mission. When he held another weapon it's blade never seemed as sharp or bright. When he wielded it, it always felt more sluggish or heavy than the smooth glide that the girl had used against the afreets. He didn't feel the same pulse through his veins when he fought with anyone else.

He might be slightly obsessed with scythes ever since that encounter, but what he felt more drawn to had been the subtle wavelength he had been caught up in. He hadn't realized it until later that without knowing, he had attached himself to her wavelength when they had fought the afreets. Ever since, Jake wished he could feel the same ping in his soul as that girl's wavelength and his mixing together. They hadn't resonances, but they had twisted together and transferred ideas like DNA. And now he longed for that feeling again.

"Go on ahead, Evans Team A. The rest of you line up with your partners and wait until I say you can go." Jake pulled his, once again, wandering mind back to the present and focused on Teacher Brown pointing out directions. He felt Teacher Pink look at him in line, his solo stance at the end of the line of partners. She glanced at her clip board before glancing at him. "Owens? Where is your weapon?"

Jake felt his ears pink as everyone looked back at him while the Evans girl ran down the platform with a chain-scythe in each hand. He clenched his fists and focused only on the two teachers looking at him.

"I don' have one." The teachers looked at each other in silent communication for a second before looking back at him.

"Can you use your soul-wavelength against enemies?"

"Nay, ma'm."

She blinked dumbly at him. Teacher Pink scratched her temple and flipped through whatever was attached to her clipboard again. Something in Jake's throat tightened.

Teacher Pink sighed and looked over the horizon as the last meister-weapon team shuffle awkwardly across the bridge. She scratched the back of her neck and turned to face him. He looked her dead in the eye, silently pleading.

"I'm sorry Owens. I can't let you out on that course." He deflated as she continued. "The goal behind this course was to push the weapon and meister closer together in their team-work during combat. Anybody can be friends with someone their soul is drawn to; the challenge is strategically working together. You could pass physically, though the chances are very slim, but you wouldn't get the full gist of it alone. I'm sorry, you'll have to sit this one out."

Jake's jaw hurt from how hard he was clenching it. He had trained for this! He had lost sleep at night studying for this. He had run until his knees shook. He had followed teachers around until they agreed to teach/sparr with him. He had pushed himelf over the last two years to be able to do this. To finally prove to that girl, and maybe even himself, that he could be a successful meister. But now? That all went down the drain because he had pushed himself too far for anyone else to want to work with him.

Jake felt his shoulders slump unconsciously, bitterness curling in his chest.

"I'm sorry, Jake."

He purposefully didn't look her in the eyes as he spoke. "It's fine. I'll just have to finally put myself to finding a partner, right? Shouldn't be too hard." He let out a forced chuckle. "I'll just try again next semester!"

Jake managed to turn and wave to them as he walked away.

He felt bitter, frustrated, discouraged, but most of all, sad.

The two teachers watched him go. The one with darker hair flipped to a certain page on her clipboard. The picture of the purple haired boy smiled back at her as she scanned the quick file copy. Holding her finger next to a particular number, she turned it for her meister to see.

Jacob Connor Owens

12/4/ - (16)

Meister

NOT Class

Times of EAT Class Examination Entrance: 7

The meister with the pink hair looked over at the retreating figure disappearing through the doors leading inside the school.

The weapon with dark hair spoke quietly to her meister. "If at first you do not succeed, try and try again."

She flicked her green eyes to the weapon's dark ones. "...The definition of insanity."

Her dark eyes slid silently to the swinging door for a second before returning to her meister's green pair.

Hello :D

I'm super sorry that this took so long! Wifi issues, vacation, school, writer's block, etc. This is actually my 2nd draft for the new 1st chapter. And even then I changed it halfway through. :P Oh, well.

I was originally going to have Ace and Jake meet up here, but I decided that putting off the exams would work too. Give him a reason to pursue Ace and her beautiful habit of turning into an inanimate object and slicing through things. :D

Anyway, if any of you saw the teaser picture I posted of DA for Chapter 1... well that might actually end up being a teaser picture for ... another chapter. :/ oh well.

SEE YOU IN SIX MONTHS :DDDDD

jk, I want to update more, but I also have to get caught up on school... maybe next month? OH! HOLY FUDGE DO YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT COMES OUT ON DVD/BLU-RAY NEXT MONTH? Big Hero 6! I saw it at the movies (first time I'd bought a movie ticket for myself :P I'm poor lol) last month and fell in love with it!

anyway, rant done. I need sleep. ... *crashes*