Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, will never be able to own Soul Eater Q__Q

MAKA----

They both sat in silence, speechless.

So it truly wasn't a prank as she had first imagined it to be. It was serious. She has a fiancée. She will be getting married to someone she doesn't know. Would she be forced to marry this person?

She sat silently, unmoving. Here she was, the person who wouldn't want to have anything to do with romance – forced or not – and now, she was getting married, forced most probably. But it was also possible that there will be no intimacy involved, and she much preferred this. She had experienced the result of romance-gone-wrong. Twice.

Her parents first of all, her mama, a smart and well respected lady in the city, one of the best meisters in Shibusen, was partnered with her papa, a current Death Scythe, and a total womaniser. This combination was quite predictable and because of her papa's actions, a divorce took place. Her mama left, and her papa, even though he always screamed that he 'loved Maka and mama the best', was still going to bars and meeting with other women. Despicable. She loved both of her parents but she couldn't help but feel dejection towards her mama, for leaving her alone to her papa, and annoyance towards her papa's idiotic actions.

Another was the one-sided love she experienced towards her childhood friend, Kid. Childhood affection also seemed inevitable to her, and even though she had taught herself to hold back her feelings right after her parents separated, things don't always go the way she had wanted it and she slowly started to like her best friend. Who wouldn't though? Ignoring his abnormal obsession towards symmetry, he was quite handsome and was very gentlemanly towards women, unlike her father. So, during their early high school days together, Maka had decided to confess to him. It was the wrong move - he rejected her. Although she understood and listened to his selfish reasons, she couldn't help but want to avenge herself, and so two years ago, a few months right after she and Soul became partners, when Kid himself had taken an interest in her, saying annoying things like she was perfect, symmetrical, and that he apologizes for the way he had acted years ago, she rejected his confession. The feeling of bittersweet victory flooding her soul at that certain moment was overcome with guilt. This wasn't how she'd usually act – she had let her anger overcome her and realized that she still bore feelings for him. She had wanted to apologize and she had tried to for months, yet none of them ever reciprocate to each other's apologies. It only feels like they will forever be awkward with one another. And now, Kid is gone. He left her for Brooklyn and she knew she deserved to carry the guilty feeling that she was burdened with now.

Romance will never work with her. She won't fall prey to it anymore.

If she didn't have anyway to escape this marriage, she would prefer it if the marriage was loveless. It would hurt her less than if it was propelled by love. But, this thought only crossed her mind for a second when determination returned to burn in her eyes; she will definitely find a way to escape this wedding.

Maka returned her gaze to Soul, who was sat there with his head bowed onto one hand, while the other grasped the envelope, his eyes glazed over, reminding her of how she usually looks when she was remembering something.

She had guessed that the information she had shared with him this morning had affected him, seeing as how he had acted in class earlier. He should've been sleeping then, like always, since he detests Stein's lessons, but she felt that he had been awake, in the same thinking state that he is in now. He was disturbed by the prospect of her marriage, most probably, even though he had brushed it off and pretended to be uninterested. She didn't have any idea why he would though – only that he acted like that because he was feeling her wavelength and how she didn't want to go with the marriage. Or maybe he was jealous? The thought was immediately shook off. She wouldn't even think that, she wouldn't allow anything romantic to occur between them. He was the one she doesn't want to leave her most, since he and her were like two sides of the same coin, knowing each others' feelings and knowing how best it was to act around one another. She wouldn't lose him to some petty feelings of 'like'.

In the back of her mind, she remembered he had mentioned something. Something that seemed to be important – a possible catalyst to what Soul was feeling about this now. Maka racked her thoughts, search for that one piece of information, tried to remember that one simple connection—

He knew the Evans family.

That's right. He did mention that at the café this morning. Was that why he was acting weird? Does he have anything to do with that family? Does he know them exclusively? Any information she could use against them? Would he give her the information she wanted?

Once they had exited Stein's class, she was impatient to ask him about this but he quickly asked to go home, not even giving her a chance to protest that they would miss the lesson. Now. It was now that she has this chance to ask him.

"Soul," her voice was quiet and cracked from the long silence but he had managed to hear her. Raising his head, they locked eyes, causing Maka to momentarily forget what she had wanted to ask. Determination was apparent in his eyes, curiosity and confusion filled hers.

"Maka, I-" So suddenly, this glaze of determination wavered and afterwards had shown her something akin to fear.

SOUL----

He couldn't say it.

Maka, I think I'm your fiancee.

They were but a few words and yet he couldn't seem to bring himself to even mutter them.

He was scared.

Of what might happen if he did tell her.

Of what her reaction would be.

Of how these few words might affect their relationship.

Coward.

There were plenty of reasons for the fear. He'd been witness to how Maka and Kid's long time friendship dwindled when romance involved itself in their lives. It caused awkwardness in their relationship and they were straying away from one another.

Soul didn't want those to happen in their friendship - in whatever their relationship was. And he'd go to any lengths to stop any threat to them.

His determination rekindled, he wanted to try again, but using a different route. "Maka, do you think you want to go through with this marriage thing?"

She only shook her head quietly and he smirked at the action. "Then, I'm going to help you stop it."

Standing up, he saw Maka's eyes curiously following him - she wanted to know what he was thinking, and he knew that she was trying to make him talk by surrounding him with her wavelength. It was like telepathy, understanding eachother so well, but now was not the time to voice the answers to her questions. The weapon smiled and only reached down to pat her head, and it seemed like she understood. She was a patient person. A smile graced her features and she muttered her thanks – for helping her with a problem that he believed she cannot solve herself.

Sticking his hands in his pockets, he exited the nostalgia-filled sanctuary and headed out towards his own apartment.

Outside of his apartment, a phone booth stood and he made a beeline toward it. Gathering all the courage he could muster, he slowly walked inside it and fished out a few coins from his pockets.

He wanted his questions answered and the quickest way to get the wanted answer is to speak to the perpetrator directly.

Dialling the numbers slowly as he tried to remember, he prepared himself for the conversation that he needed to confront. Listening to the number of resounding rings, he breathed carefully to calm himself. Finally, someone answered from the other side and Soul's breath hitched.

"Evans residence."

He recognized the voice, even after the three years away from home. It was him, Mr. Oni, his meister's visitor from last night.

A smirk formed in his visage as he imagined the surprise he would likely inflict upon his family with this single phone call.

"Oni, this is Soul. I want to talk to my mother."

A/N: homg!? whats this? i apologise for the short chapter QwQ
The speed of the storys too slow... graaah! I tend to make the characters think too much T^T

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