Author's Notes:

So, after many, many years of never completely working on this story and publicizing it, I have finally decided to return to Fanfiction. It has been years, and I have to admit I feel a little bit nervous about the quality of my writing. A big, big note on this to keep in mind, is that all of the characters from Soul Eater who are high school age, will not be the same ages in my story. Most will be 18+, and some well over 18. Just thought I would include that as the story will be getting quite mature later on. Thank you so much for clicking on my story and I hope you enjoy.

~.~

My Soul on Fire

Prologue; Find Me in This Sandy Sea

From nothing we are born,

Stripped of all of our whimsy.

Here, we enter the world.

Existence is fragile, flimsy.

To be thankful?

For just a taste of life on this Earth.

Or hateful?

Resenting, from whom you were birthed.

How simple, how short,

Life may sometimes seem.

And yet here we are together,

Braving this desert sea.

~.~

So here she was, seated in her father's passenger seat of his Jeep, plowing through the desert. Sand as far as the eye could see. The rumbling and heat were to the point of being unbearable. Maka could feel her skin damp with sweat, not just new sweat, but a nice disgusting layer of old and new. It was way past the point of a shower for her, and yet here she was marinating in her own filth.

Maka cast a side-eye towards her Father, Spirit. His brow was furrowed, and he did not take his eyes off of the expanse of desert ahead. Sweat glistened on his deep-set dark circles, and every so often his sweaty palms would start to slowly slide down the steering wheel. It's been like this for a while, just a straight shot driving in silence. Not that Maka had a problem with that. She would much rather be completely silent than talk to her lunatic father.

The real problem was the fact that they were even driving through this Gods' forsaken desert in the first place! Mobbed out of their home because of her fathers' inability to refuse the temptation of screwing their neighbors' wives. Even more disturbing than that was the sight of their vehicle packed and ready to go at the drop of a hat as Maka and Spirit rushed to make their escape. Supplies, gas cans, the works.

"Spirit!"

The look of surprise on her father's face was that of hopefulness.

"Yes, my darling daughter?" He prompted, shifting his gaze from Maka to the sandy "road".

"Are you actually sure that we are going the right way?! And how the Hell is there even a city out here in the middle of nowhere?!"

Spirit took a calming deep breath, "Maka, I need you to understand and trust me."

Maka flung herself into the back of her seat with a doubtful scoff. Spirit sighed and continued to fixate himself on the task in front of him. Spirit was tired; a kind of tired he had not been in so long. His eyes flicked sideways at his seething daughter, feeling a wash of guilt and sadness. Spirit shook his head vigorously, trying to free himself of all of the negative thoughts invading his already swirling mind.

Little did Maka know, Spirit was going to make things right. He was determined and couldn't shake the feeling of excitement for their lives to begin anew.

~.~

Smooth, satin sheets, a gentle warm breeze, and a solid but comfortable surface. Maka's eyes fluttered awake in a moment of disbelief. To her surprise she was laying slightly upright on a lush bed, in a practically barren room, save for a dresser and a lonely armchair in the corner. A window to the far side of the wall let in a delightfully comforting breeze coupled with beaming rays of sunshine.

The change of scenery was unsettling, as Maka had no recollection of how she had even gotten there, let alone where her father could possibly be. She whipped off the light covers that were on her, relieved that she was still dressed in the same clothes. Taking a moment to listen for any odd noises, Maka slowly moved from the bed, tiptoeing ever so quietly to a door not far from her.

As Maka reached for the handle, it simultaneously started to turn. Not wanting to turn tail, Maka stood her ground, wondering who or what she could be facing. As the door slowly opened, she was met with a background of pure darkness, and a looming figure. Maka's eyes traveled up, up, up, only to be met with a set of glinting green orbs staring her down.

It was almost within the blink of an eye that Maka found herself pinned down to the bed. She was astonished by the speed, wondering how this person could have so easily tackled her across the room and trapped her wrists to the bed, half her body hanging over the bed in between his legs. Now, in the illumination of the sun, she finally got a clear picture of who her assailant was.

Silver hair, green eyes, and an unforgettable smirk. Were those… stitches across his face?

Within a couple of seconds that seemed to last for hours, Maka was in action. She sent a knee as fast and hard as she could upward. And yet her attacker was again too quick as he leapt away just in time to save his manhood. Maka sat up quickly, staring down the man as he stood a few feet away. He was tall and lean, dressed in a black and gray stitched turtleneck and white lab coat. He was striking.

He tilted his chin upward at her with a smile, and he chuckled, "Hehe, nice job, Maka. I wouldn't expect anything less from Spirit's daughter."

Maka tried not to show her surprise at his knowing of her family.

"Who are you, and what the Hell do you want with me and my father?!"

The man put his hands up in a mock attempt at surrender.

"Listen, I'm not a threat to you, if anything I would be considered an ally."

Maka scoffed, "Yeah right, you haven't even told me who you are or why the Hell I am even-!"

"Stein."

Maka faltered, "What?"

"Stein. You can call me Stein."

Maka wasn't about to listen to this nonsense. She sprang from the bed and darted towards the door, slipping slightly in her sweaty socks on the wood flooring. It was almost inevitable that her wrist was caught almost instantaneously, and she found herself whipped around, and body almost flush with Stein's. She stared up at him with emerald orbs filled with anger and slight fear. He looked down on her with the same smile, lifting her wrists as high above her head as she could manage painlessly. Maka could smell cigarettes and coffee emanating from him, surprised that it didn't stink to her like she was expecting.

Stein dropped a wrist, using his free hand he touched Maka's cheek, slowly moving it to the back of her head. Maka didn't know what to do, feeling a surge of heat in her cheeks and heart begin to race. Stein stared at her with those dreamy swampy green eyes, focused.

"You look so much like your mother…"

That statement alone broke Maka from her stupor and she slapped Stein's hand away and managed to jump away from him. She stared at him in rage, huffing and puffing away, picking through her mind on her next move, totally and completely oblivious to the third party standing in the doorway.

Maka and Stein turned their heads simultaneously and soaked up the sight of an enraged Spirit standing in the doorway. Eye alight with fury, shoulders heaving up and down, he threw down the plastic bags in his hands and charged at Stein.

"Steeeeeiiiiiiin! You sicko! You sick, sick man!

Spirit shouted obscenities as Stein held him in place with one hand on his head, Spirit's limbs flying wildly wishing they could make contact.

"How could you?! This is my baby! I will bury yoooooouuuuu!"

Maka could feel it welling up inside of her, this feeling she couldn't shake, this uncontrollable… laughter! She wasn't sure what the Hell was going on but this had to have been the funniest thing she had ever seen. Spirit and Stein were astounded and stood watching as she shook with laughter, barely able to contain herself.

Maka tried to breathe as the guffawing subsided, "Ahaha, Spirit! Do you actually know this guy?!"

Spirit gave Stein a menacing glare, and then turned his attention back to Maka.

"Listen Maka, I think you should go get cleaned up and changed, and then I will explain everything."

Maka sucked her teeth at him but couldn't deny that a shower sounded heavenly. Stein led Maka to the bathroom in silence. The hall they walked down was dark and almost foreboding. No pictures on the walls, no light in sight. They reached the doorway and Stein reached over and flicked the light on. Maka peaked inside and was surprised to see a spacious bathroom, and more surprisingly a clean one at that. Maka stepped inside, feeling Stein's presence at her back. She jumped as Stein pointed over her shoulder to the far wall.

"Towels are over there. Your dad will have a clean set of clothes for you in the room when you're done."

Maka wanted to show gratitude, but a bubbling in her stomach made her feel nervous.

"Th-thank you," she said sheepishly as she kept her back turned. The door closed behind her, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Before making her way to the shower she made sure to lock the door, annoyed by her own thoughts of Stein potentially walking in on her.

The bathroom was set in a gorgeous gray-black tone from one side to another. The shower encasement was of clear and streak-free glass, a large rainwater shower head in the middle. After a couple minutes of trying to figure out how the shower worked, she was standing in a stream of warm water. On the floor of the shower, she noticed a caddy of shower supplies, thrown off again by the preparedness of the situation. As she was washing her hair, a glimpse of her wrists caught her eye, and she was staring at the image of bruises on her skin.

As if she wasn't already disturbed by the situation at hand, even more unsettling was Maka's body's response to the fresh memory of her and Stein's encounter. She let out a long sigh, looking upward, hoping the water would wash away this strange feeling she couldn't shake.

Something warm in her belly, her mind, her heart. It was unrelenting, just like the desert sun.

~.~

Author's Notes:

So how did you feel about it? I would appreciate any and all feedback or criticism. I'm sorry it's so short but I just wanted to test the waters and see how the initial reaction to my writing would be after so many years. I will try my best to stay on top of writing chapter one and hope you will return for it later. Thank you so much for reading.