Brief Commentary:
Is it just me, or is anyone else getting alert e-mails from really late? It might just be my e-mail, who likes to be a bitch, but it's pretty irritating none-the-less. Anyway, I'm glad that people are fairly enthusiastic about the story - I'll definitely updating when I can - I'm just as eager to get Soul's story out there as you are to read it. :) -changes song from I.W.I.W.A.L. to some random music-

Somewhere after midnight,
In my wildest fantasy,

Somewhere just beyond my reach,
there's someone reaching back for me


The Evans Household
The Third Anniversary

The months passed, slowly but steadily, and soon Soul's third birthday had arrived. He was not quite old enough to grasp the concept of a birthday, nor what it meant, but he was able to understand that when people asked him his age, he could say that he was "three," and not "two."

As per the usual, hundreds of guests were present for the celebration, Soul being one of the prime centers of attention besides his parents. It seemed no matter where he went, there would be another old woman pinching at his cheeks, another man exclaiming how much he had matured already, another guest fawning over him and not giving the three year-old any peace. Frankly, Soul had become exhausted not an hour and a half into the party - there were too many compliments, too many presents (which he wasn't allowed to open right away - that was bad manners), too many different kinds of cake. He honestly just wanted to trek up the staircase back to his room, change into his night clothes, and go to sleep.

But his mother would get upset with him, so Soul forced his eyes to stay open and smiled and said a small "thank you" to every guest who would tell him congratulations, or happy birthday, or look how much you've grown.

It was after an exceedingly overweight woman had stepped away from him, leaving his cheeks red and sore from a rather hard pinch, that Soul's attention had been completely recaptured by a boy who could only be roughly six or seven years old. The boy greeted him with a devilish smile, nodding his head and asking,

"Well, how's the birthday going for you?"

"Um..." Soul was dumbstruck with awe. He had not ever personally spoken to some one roughly his age - certainly, he had seen children walking along with their parents on the street, but his mother had always instructed for him to never intermingle with those kinds of people. "They're awfully dirty and awfully poor," her voice had been steely and frightening, but it eventually softened, "I don't want you to get dirty, Soul Eater, so please don't interact with them."

"It's good. Everyone is very nice," he said, feeling slightly guilty since it was a lie. The boy gave him a knowing look, and Soul suppressed a shiver. "Um, what is your name?"

"Daniel. Daniel Castillo," he introduced himself, bowing slightly before making a grab for Soul's hand. "I already know who you are, so let's go have fun at this dumb party. When are you gonna open all the presents, huh? There's too many, you know."

Soul stumbled a bit as he allowed himself to be dragged, eyes wide with wonder and his mouth frozen shut in respect. To his three year old mind, this boy, whom he had just met, was someone to be admired.

"My mother won't let me," he scrambled for words to explain, trying to seem clear headed. But it was so hard when Daniel was so...he didn't know what he was, but all he wanted to do was impress him. "She said that it's bad manners."

"Your mom?" Daniel's voice was laced with disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"

Soul dropped his gaze to the floor, suddenly ashamed.

"Y-yeah...I'm not allowed."

"Pfft," the boy muffled a laugh. "Who cares? Let's just grab a bunch and open them anyway - she won't notice, seriously. Oh, and my mom and dad got something really cool for you."

"A-are you sure?" the three year-old felt his face pale. But Laura would get so mad at him...and his mother was so very frightening when she was mad...almost as frightening as his father... Soul shivered. "But we'll get in trouble!"

"You're afraid of getting into trouble? What are you, a baby?" Daniel narrowed his eyes into a glare, stopping his fast-paced walk but maintaining a tight grasp on Soul's hand.

"No, I'm n-not," he spluttered, cheeks heating red. "I'm three. Babies aren't even one...right?"

The boy rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you are. Baby."

"Stop calling me a baby," Soul felt his lower lip tremble. "I don't like it."

"Baby, baby, baby, baaaaby," Daniel laughed, his voice teasing as he jeered at him. "You're such a baby, Soul Eater. What a dumb name, you know? Who names their kid Soul Eater?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he mumbled, feeling tears begin to prick at the corner of his vision. But he didn't want to cry. Then Daniel really would think he was a baby, and that would be just awful.

"Ah ha ha...why are you apologizing?" he grinned. "It's your weird parents who named you that - you can't help it, even if you're a baby. Anyway, let's open your presents now! I'm so bored, you know?"

"Um, really?"

"Duh," Daniel spoke as if it were obvious, before dragging him off. The table where the overwhelming stack of presents stood solemnly in front of the two young boys, seeming to glitter in the harsh light of many chandeliers.

"Whoa...I wish I got this many presents for my birthday," Daniel stared up at the massive pile, eyes as wide as saucers. Soul missed the greed and envy flashing in his eyes as he puffed his chest out a little in pride. "You're lucky, you baby."

He winced, quickly deflating. He was still calling him baby? Soul squirmed.

"Well, let's open this one first," he announced, snatching a larger present off of the table and crawling under it, easily concealed beneath the dark red table cloth that draped all the way to the floor. Nervously, Soul followed him, glancing around to make sure nobody was watching. The air beneath the table was stuffy and he was felt crowded, even though it was only himself and Daniel, who sat cross-legged opposite him, a hungry gleam in the boy's eyes.

Ripping off the ribbon and then the elaborate wrapping paper, Daniel grappled with the task of opening the cardboard box before he eventually tore the clear duct tape sealing it and forced open the flaps. He glanced inside and let out a low whistle. The boy reached inside to pull out a glass figurine shaped like a soul, a glass scythe looking as though it were cutting into it. Some engraving had been set into the base of the statue, but Soul could not read very well yet. Apparently Daniel could.

"You never told me you were a demon scythe," Daniel glared at him accusingly, causing the three year-old to shrink back. "Well, I'm gonna be a meister, so you're now my partner, okay? We'll get a million souls and Shinigami-sama will give me-I mean, us - lots of fame and money, you know?"

Soul stared at him in confusion. Demon scythe? What was that? And what was a meister? He made the mistake of asking these questions aloud, and received a deadpan look from the boy opposite him.

"What are you, stupid? You don't even know what you are?" Daniel sneered. "You are dumb. Dumbo. That's what you are - you're nothing but a big dummy!"

He swallowed.

"No I'm not," he protested, but he was ignored as Daniel proceeded to sneak back out, grab another gift, and crawl back under.
"Well, let's see what this one is," he said hastily, pulling yet another box out of a green and white spotted bag. "Why does everyone put their stuff in boxes?"

After a small bit of struggling, he pulled out a delicate-looking china piano, painted black with yet another engraving on the underside.

"You play the piano?"

"Um...yes," he admitted, voice cautious.

"That's dumb," Daniel told him flatly. "Don't you play any sports?"

"No." What was a sport? His mother had never told him what that was.

"Have you ever gone to a baseball game? Basketball?"

Soul shook his head, face slowly turning crimson.

"You are stupid."

"But my mother says I'm really smart," Soul tried to keep his lip from trembling again. He shouldn't cry! "She says so."

"She's lying, duh," Daniel rolled his eyes. "She just says that so that you don't feel stupid, even though you are. You need to get smart so you can be my demon scythe, geez. I won't be your partner if you're still dumb when we turn twelve, you know?"

"Sorry," Soul mumbled, fidgeting his fingers. "...I'll get smart, I promise."

He snorted. "I hope so, dummy."

"I'm not a-"

"Anyway, let's open another present," Daniel interrupted, and he crawled out yet again. "Maybe the next one will be cooler than a dumb old piano thing."

"...okay," he lowered his voice to a whisper, face burning with shame. Why did he feel so sad? He didn't want Daniel to think he was dumb, or a baby. He ground his shark-like teeth together, forcing back the tears that threatened to leak out onto his scrunched up, soft red face.

"Back," announced Daniel, pushing aside the table cloth to rejoin him, a smaller present in his hands. "This is the one my mom and dad got you. It's totally cool, you know? Hey, are you gonna cry?"

"No," Soul shook his head. "Can I open that one?"

Daniel shrugged and shoved it into his hands. With a sneer, he remarked,
"I hope you can open it by yourself, dumb baby."

"But I can," he protested. "I know how."

"Then do it. Geez, you're slow."

Hastily, the three year-old tore off the wrapping paper, as he had seen Daniel do, and was surprised to find that the present was a small portable chess-set.

"What's this?"

"A chess-set, dumbo. And the pieces are made of ivory and marble," came the snide reply. "Anyway, now that you've gotten your cool present, let's go."

"But shouldn't we clean up?" Soul glanced at him in puzzlement. Laura had always instructed him to be a "gentleman" (whatever that was), and clean up his own messes; he would look sloppy and lazy if he always left everything to the servants.

"Clean up?" Daniel's voice was incredulous. "What're you talking about? That's what servants are for, you know?"

"But we should-"

"Would you shut up?" he snapped. "You're so annoying, dummy!"

Soul shrank back, flinching when Daniel grabbed his wrist and dragged him out from under the table.

"Come on, dummy."

Daniel glanced around the room, ignoring Soul, who was frightened and shocked from the boy's sharp command to close his mouth. Obviously, such a phrase had never been spoken to him, except for his father when he was really, really angry. But that had only happened once, and his mother had eventually come into his room, made him apologize to his father, and made him feel better.

Soul stumbled for footing when Daniel pulled him up, glancing around and spotting the grand piano at the opposite end of the room and the crowd of people near by. A devilish grin rose to his lips, and the three year-old was dragged by the six or seven year-old over to it.

"Hey, everyone," he raised his voice, his tone polite but energetic and kindly-sounding, "Soul Eater has said he wants to play piano for you."

Soul's eyes widened in newly-found terror as the crowd turned with renewed interest to face him. He was pushed over to the grand piano, Daniel smirking and ushering him on.

"Come on, isn't that what you said you wanted? Play for everybody, Soul Eater."


I like Mr. Daniel Castillo. His character is great fun to write. :D