Persuasion
People were all the same.
They all ran away in the end. His music, his appearance, his newfound weapon gene: they all scared off anyone who came near. Take your pick of what bothered you; something would, and then he would be left alone.
Fuck them, they weren't worth his time.
Soul kicked the tile floor as he shuffled along Shibusen's hallways. It was going to be the same here as it was at home; two hours had passed and nobody had approached him to become his meister. He would fail at becoming a strong weapon, just as he failed at music, at family, at giving a damn.
He wandered through the area of the school that was open to new students. Supposedly most of the academy was closed off so that they did not get lost. He absentmindedly wondered how large the school really was as he walked farther away from the other first-years. They were supposed to chat around, find someone they got along with, and create a partnership.
Load of bullshit, that was.
A large, black door stood in front of him. The words "Music Room" were etched on a plaque nearby. How far had he wandered? He looked back. Nobody. Of course. Most people had probably paired off by now; there was no reason for anyone to have followed him this far away from the main event. With a grin and a barking laugh, he pushed open the door.
A baby grand sat in the center of the room, just waiting for him.
It sickened him, so he just had to play.
His fingers effortlessly plinked out piece after piece, compositions that had been drilled into his memory with years of practice. Boring, uncool. Complete garbage. Where was the emotion?
He began to let his fingers stray where they may. Fuck the rules. Fuck the norm. Fuck his family, fuck his perfect brother, fuck how nobody understood him, fuck this stupid school, and fuck all those people who didn't want to be his partner. Fuck how this school was his only chance at escape, and fuck how he was botching it, too.
That's when she arrived.
He knew she was there. He'd seen her around earlier; scrawny, straw-colored hair. Pulled up into pigtails; how childish. Uncool. Pretty eyes, though. Green was a nice color.
Without missing a beat, he poured his pain, his frustration, his anger at the world into those ivory keys. He snarled out, "This is who I am," and allowed his soul's melody to fill the room. Dark. Twisted. Angry. Misunderstood. Lonely. It all flowed together. He could feel her eyes on him. Scared, probably.
The piece ended.
She clapped, and a strange mix of confusion, fear, and excitement thrilled through his veins.
He eyed her warily. "Not running?"
She wondered out loud why she would run; his music was pretty, wow, he was so talented! It was so cool!
That same feeling flashed through him again. Different. She was different somehow. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't running, she wasn't making weak excuses for why she needed to be somewhere else now, and she wasn't just complimenting his playing because it was polite. Genuine. That was the word. She was genuine.
His eyes ran her over once more. Yeah, still scrawny. Flat as a board. No curves, childish hairstyle, could probably pass for a boy if she cut her hair and wore pants. But still... there was something.
Garnet and emerald met.
"You a meister?"
"Yeah. I'm looking for a scythe, though. My mama was a scythe-wielding meister, and I'm going to be one too. I'm going to make the best Death Scythe ever." He liked that. She had a plan. He had none, he'd need someone with a plan. "I was hoping to find a girl for a partner, but..."
He flashed his teeth in a grin. So that's what would drive her away. She probably had daddy issues or something. He'd give her one last chance to run. "I just happen to be a scythe." Her eyes widened. "Not a girl, though." Maybe this girl, this tiny excuse for a girl, would be his ticket into this world. If she didn't run.
Her face lit up in a grin, and her eyes seemed to sparkle. "You're a scythe? Really?" She closed the gap between them in a few strides and stuck out her hand. "I'm Maka. Maka Albarn." He eyed her hand coolly, but she left it extended. "Would you like to be my partner?"
When he laughed, her eyebrows furrowed. Showing off his teeth once again, he grabbed her hand and grasped it firmly. "Sure, I guess that's cool. I'm Soul Eater."
Something made his fingertips tingle as they met with her hand.
She would pull him out of that world. He could feel it. This odd, tiny girl would save him.
A/N: It's probably hard to imagine how I got "persuasion" to bring me to this. It turned out a bit differently than I intended, but it just started flowing in this direction. I may at some point do a companion oneshot to this for Maka's point of view. Maybe then my reasoning would make more sense. I was aiming for showing how each of them coaxed the other into a new mindset and a new world.
As always, thanks to everyone for reviewing! It gives me inspiration to keep writing!