Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! (6 Reviews! A better turnout than I usually get. I have another Soul Eater story up if anyone's interested in reading that too… It's a little more fast paced and action-filled than this one)

All the italicized writing are memories.

Chapter Two

Maka hurried past the groups of other students, her head down. Tears were pricking at her eyes, but she wasn't about to let them fall.

'Get a hold of yourself!' she thought silently. It wasn't as if she hadn't dealt with all this before. But before she'd always been able to ignore the snide remarks of her classmates.

Perhaps it was getting to her today because it felt like it was all coming at her at once.

All the other girls in the locker room looked her way when she changed just to boost their own self-esteem. She was the girl that sat at the end of an empty table during lunch, her face stuffed in a book. Every time she answered something correctly in class or was praised for her top marks, her classmates would snicker. She was the epitome of the bookworm with no friends.

She brushed through the doors of the library to the spot in the back where she was content to crouch in the corner with a book- her usual form of solace. But she couldn't have been there for more than 60 seconds before someone's loud, booming voice slashed through the silence.

"Man, what are we doing in here, Soul? I didn't think you were the kind of guy who spent your time reading."

"Well, at least no one doubts that I'm literate." His retort was quick, but not mean.

She perked up slightly at the sound of her partner's voice. Actually, they'd only been partners for about a week, and he couldn't be less like her, but in that first week, never had he ever spoken a mean word to her. Not the taunting kind of words like their classmates liked to throw at her. Though he did tease her quite often in the exact same voice she heard him use now. He often used that tone with her, too. It was a strange feeling- liking being teased. But now she reveled in the sound, hearing him speak to someone else in that same tone. It was like a marker of their friendship.

"Besides," she heard him continue, "I have other reasons for being here. I'm looking for someone."

"Really?" She heard another new voice, this one female. "Who is it?" Their voices were getting closer.

"She should be around here somewhere… Ah!" A second later Soul stepped around the corner, followed closely by a tall girl with long black hair and a chest that was so large it was almost ridiculous (Especially in comparison to her own, she thought a little sadly.) and a boy with neon blue hair that stuck out in all directions.

She looked up and closed her book, attempting not to look like a frightened rabbit.

"Maka, this is Black*Star and Tsubaki. Guys, this is my partner, Maka."

If she were being totally honest, she thrilled a little that he wasn't ashamed of owning up to being her partner.

The girl smiled down kindly. "It's nice to meet you, Maka."

"Yeah, great, can we go to lunch now?" Black*Star cut in before she could reply.

Soul chuckled. "You two go ahead." Though Tsubaki stayed long enough to give her a little wave, Black*Star didn't need any further persuasion. He rushed off and Soul turned to her.

"Why do you spend so much time in here?" He asked, looking around the library and silently deciding that, despite all its grandeur, it really wasn't much.

"I just…" she let her voice trail off, deciding that he wasn't really expecting an answer. "Soul?" she said in a quieter, more timid voice.

He looked down at hearing the unfamiliar sound to his normally headstrong partner's voice. "Yeah?"

She began to pick at the edge of her short skirt. "Why… Why did you agree to be my partner?"

He stared at her for a moment then laughed, making her look up. "Good question," he said, still laughing. "Well, I guess you must be pretty special if a guy as cool as me would pick a girl with a chest as flat as yours."

Maka barely heard the playful jibe. She looked up, this time her tears coming from happiness, and took his outstretched hand.

…

For a moment there was silence. Then Lord Death moved as if he were about to speak, but he was cut off by her father. Her furious father.

"What the hell has that bastard done to you?"

Maka swore she could see the tips of the blades emerging from his arms so she quickly said, "Soul hasn't done anything. We just… aren't getting along like we used to. It's affecting our missions."

It sounded normal, very much like Maka Albarn. Straight to the point, all business… but they couldn't feel the way Soul's name burned her throat, or just how hard it was for her to act like this was nothing more than a mutual decision for the two of them.

Awaiting their decision, she gulped, trying to make it as inconspicious as possible. As much as she longed to spill her story… it just wasn't the type of thing you told your dad.

…

Death the Kid was known for many things. He was a grim reaper, after all, and the son of the almighty Lord Death. But there was an extra perk to this immortal boy that many of his classmates had come to treasure: Death the Kid knew how to throw a kick-ass party.

In all honesty, Maka preferred the parties that were hosted just for their small group of friends. While she'd come to terms with her classmates over the years, she preferred the closer group that was the six of them. But Soul had nagged at her until she'd caved, and here they were.

Kid's already lavish house had been decorated for the occasion (all symmetrically of course). Maka swayed in time with the music, watching the small crowd dancing from off to the side, a drink in her hand. (It looked as if she'd been the only teen in the crowd to opt for soda over alcohol.) In terms of crowds it was on the smaller side, but there was still a considerable number of people there.

If asked, Maka wouldn't have been able to explain why Soul enjoyed parties like this. She knew for a fact that he considered the music that everyone was dancing to to be garbage. And, like herself, he knew who his real friends were. She suspected he felt the need to make an appearance in order to keep up his "cool" image.

Maka found that she could only watch for so long. What passed for 'dancing' these days was indecent enough to make her blush. Honestly, she couldn't imagine ever going out there and completely losing herself on the dance floor. And she was thinking of real dancing. Just another reason to put on her long list of why she wouldn't ever drink.

"Hey, Maka!" an obnoxiously loud, and very recognizable voice called out to her. Sure enough, a second later she spotted Black*Star fighting his way through the throng to her. She hadn't seen him since the party started, but then, she'd lost Liz and Patty in the crowd as well.

She smiled and set her soda down on one of the tables now that she had real company. "Hey, Black*Star, how's the party?"

He shrugged. "It's pretty good, I guess. Of course," he boasted, "it wouldn't be nearly as great if I wasn't here!"

Maka allowed herself a private chuckle. She'd learned to humor Black*Star over the years, but she couldn't imagine being in Tsubaki's position and having to tolerate him all the time. Not that the taller girl seemed to mind. Speaking of…

"Tsubaki asked me to come find you. Said she wanted to talk."

"Yeah?" But he had already taken her by the hand and was dragging her to the upper floor of the mansion. There she found Tsubaki, sitting on the floor of a spare bedroom, waiting for her.

"Hey, Maka. I figured I'd rescue you from the party downstairs. I can't dance because I sprained my ankle when we were running away from our last target-"

"Tsubaki! How many times do I have to tell you? We weren't running away! We were retreating! Retreating is a tactical battle strategy used all over the world. A guy as big as me would never run away!"

Tsubaki just smiled at his ridiculous antics. "Right. Sorry, Black*Star. Anyway, I knew you'd rather be up here, just talking, so I figured I might ask you to join me."

Maka smiled and took a seat on the floor beside her closest female friend, deciding she'd rather not take the chance of messing up either of the two immaculate beds Kid had in the room.

Black*Star stayed for a while but ultimately ended up leaving the girls for the excitement of the party. Maka and Tsubaki stayed up there, sharing stories of their recent missions and other petty gossip for quite a long time- until they heard the party beginning to wind down.

However, after emerging from the bedroom, Maka wasn't three steps down the stairs before she remembered that she'd left her jacket upstairs. She hurried back up, claiming she'd only be a minute, until she reached the hallway and found that every single closed door looked exactly the same. She paused and then flung one open at random, hoping it was the right one, or at least close to the right one.

She supposed she really should have been better prepared. After all, this was a teenage party complete with alcohol and a spacious mansion. The thought that she could be about to intrude on some young couple didn't even cross her mind as she flung open the door.

She jumped a little when she spotted movement under the ruffled sheets of one of the beds. She began to make some hurried apology for bothering them, her cheeks flushed, when she stopped. As the two moved and disentangled she saw a very familiar shock of messy white hair and two very familiar ruby red eyes staring at her through the darkness. Then she heard his groggy voice call her name.

"Maka?"

But by this time she was already down the hall and on her way down the stairs. Her heart was imploding with a sort of hollow pain and tears stung at her eyes.

"Maka, wait!"

How dare he have the gall to follow her! But follow he did, and she found she had no trouble parting the crowd downstairs. As the two made their way down the great staircase, every eye in the room turned to the two of them.

It was her Cinderella moment. But it was all so wrong.

…

Maka waited for Lord Death to break the silence so that her traitorous mind wouldn't make her relive that night yet again. And finally, he did.

"You know this is a very serious request, Maka."

"Yes, I know."

There was another long pause and then, "All right. If this is really what you wish, then your partner reassignment will begin tomorrow morning."

Review please!

And I would like to thank everyone who's already reviewed so much! I really appreciate it! The way I've got this planned out, there should only be two more chapters.

I don't own Soul Eater.