A/N: *appears in a cloud of smoke, EPIC POSE NO JUTSU* Hellur! Tis Tay! 8] This is the chapter I wrote, and gosh, it was one of my favorites. I just love everything about this one. Not to brag, but when Jessie and I combine to write anything together, it always turns out so epic and stuff. Otay. Also, I just wanna point out that I loved the chance I got to address the special bond Soul and Maka have in this chapter. Honestly, they're one of the cutest couples ever because they're just best friends and everyone knows it, even if they rub each other the wrong way. They're such that typical best guy/girl friends that you always see around, whether in books or IRL. Anyway, I hope I described it as perfectly as I envision it in my mind. Soul and Maka are just the bomb. OHOHOH BTW. Jessie and I make a guest star appearance in this chapter. Keep your eyes peeled xD TAKE IT FROM HERE, JESS.

I'M A TAKIN' IT! *clears throat* Um, this is Jessie. So I totally agree with Taylor on this one. I'm such a huge Soul/Maka fan, and when Taylor and I fan girl like this, it's just magic, man. Seriously though, Taylor pulled this off perfectly, and I am so honored just to know this girl - let alone write with her! Now revel in her genius epicness, people. REVEL IN IT.

Oh, by the way! I, Jessie, roleplayed as Maka, and Taylor roleplayed Soul. Surprise!

Soul had seen the worst of me, and not just figuratively - physically. He saw me all the time on missions where I was sweaty and dirty, not to mention in gym class at school. I wasn't a typical girl in the sense that I really cared what I looked like in front of Soul - for the most part, I didn't. At home I wear my hair in two ridiculous buns before going to bed, which just goes to show Soul's opinion on whether I look good or not doesn't matter that much to me. But seeing me puke my guts out, that's a different story entirely. That's something I never wanted him to see, especially not up close and personal. But I could feel him instantly at my side, rubbing my back as I upchucked into the garbage can. That was the third time that day I felt completely mortified, which is two and a half more times than I'm used to in a single day.

After when it seemed I'd purged all my stomach's contents (including the milkshake from the diner earlier - wait, that's TMI, isn't it? Shutting up now), I shakily straightened, feeling absolutely awful. In my peripheral vision I could see Soul peering at me with crimson eyes that actually showed concern. "Feel better?" he asked me, and even though I didn't, I nodded. "You want a soda or something?"

The thought of a sugary, carbonated drink made me sick to my stomach all over again. "No... but a water would be nice," I admitted.

Soul nodded and led me to a bench. "Stay right here," he instructed as he sat me down. "I'll be right back." And just like that, he disappeared into the crowd. I leaned back and closed my eyes, trying to stave off the migrain my nausea and the intense, hot sunlight were causing.

Either I half-dozed off or Soul really did come right back, because it seemed like just a minute later when a straw touched my lips. "Drink," I heard Soul's voice, and without opening my eyes I accepted the cup and took a tentative sip of ice cold water. Amazing what the right hydration can do, because instantly everything felt better.

I finally opened my eyes to where Soul was sitting beside me. "Thanks. That hits the spot," I said gratefully.

"No problem. Do I need to take you home?" he inquired. Man, he really was concerned. I don't know why; I'd suffered several more lethal injuries in battle. This was nothing compared to any of that.

I shook my head. "No, I'm good," I insisted, surprising myself. Earlier this morning I'd told myself that if I ever found an excuse to go home and go back to school, I'd take it. But now...I didn't want to. I was having fun.

Soul seemed just as surprised for a moment, but then a smirk crossed his face. "Alright. I picked the coaster, so you can pick the next ride. If you're feeling up to it," he quickly added.

I nodded. "Just...something gentle and slow." My head spun at the thought of another intense ride.

When I'd had another few sips of my water, I was finally feeling good enough to stand and walk around. So we did, looking around for a ride that suited my present taste. Finally I caught a glimpse of some kind of boat ride and nudged Soul, pointing to it. "How about that one?"

He followed my gaze, and the strangest look crossed his face, followed by one of the biggest smirks I'd ever seen on him - and that was saying a lot. I started to feel a little nervous, but before I could question him about it, he answered, "Sure, why not?"

So we headed that way, and as we came closer the the sign and such came into view, and I realized with horror that this wasn't just any other boat ride. It was gaudy and mushy and lovey-dovey... the sign read TUNNEL OF LOVE in obnoxiously cursive letters with big hearts. I stopped in my tracks. "On second thought..!" I stammered, but Soul grabbed my arm and started dragging me.

"Ah-ah, you already picked. C'mon." I loathed the amusement in his tone.

"Soul!" I hissed whiningly, struggling against his grip, but it was in vain. "Stop! I don't wanna!" At this point I knew I was starting to sound like an indignant three-year-old throwing a tantrum, but I couldn't care less. I couldn't go on a ride like that with Soul! It was... absurd!

"Oh look, we're next," Soul said brightly and somehow I found myself in the boat, squished waaayy too close to Soul for my liking. Now, motorcycle rides I could handle, but I was practically in his lap. If I moved my hand just the teensiest bit, it would easily land on his thigh and oh my god I can't think about that right now.

Soul apparently saw through me and glimpsed my internal panic attack, so he gave his crimson orbs an eyeroll. "Stop reading so much into this. It'll be fun. We can make fun of this stupid kissy ride." I relaxed a bit at this, relieved to know he wasn't gonna try to pull a move on me and embarrass me on this stupid ride. But also...I was just the teensiest bit disappointed, too.

It only took less than a minute into the ride for us to start laughing at the ridiculous Cupids strewn about the tunnel and mirrors and other equally mushy decorations. "Why are there mirrors?" I asked, trying to block out the sound of other couples in boats ahead of and behind us noisily making out.

Soul leaned back, an arm on the back of the boat (and somewhat around me), and even though the place was dimly lighted, I could still see the flash of his smirk. "Some people like to see themselves in action," was all he provided, and I felt my jaw drop.

"What?! But.. aren't your eyes supposed to be closed? In a kiss, I mean.." I was such a lip virgin and it was showing so badly.

Soul chuckled, a deep throaty one that was pretty sexy if I do say so my- SHUT UP MAKA STOP TALKING YOU DIDN'T JUST THINK THAT. "They don't have to be."

Suddenly I was hit with just one of those grateful, happy notions - this was why Soul was my best friend. Sure, we bickered like siblings, but I could be myself with him and I know he wouldn't judge me for it even if he did tease me about it. I just loved how well we got along when we really wanted to. I was really lucky to have him... and I realized that was the reason why I feared ruining our bond if I ever wanted to confess my feelings for him..

And then suddenly words I was hardly aware of even saying slipped out: "Soul, earlier at the diner.. when you were talking about us being partners...I'd never want another partner, you know.." Soul was apparently, for once, stunned into silence at this abrupt revelation. I pressed on. "What do you think makes us good partners, Soul? Why do you think we're a good match?"

Soul was quiet for a long time, and for a moment I thought he wouldn't answer. My heart lurched at the thought that it was taking him this long to think of a reason. But when he answered, it became clear to me that he was just thinking of how to word it all, "You were the first person to see who I truly was and accept me as I am, Maka." I vividly remembered coming across him playing his piano one day, hearing the beautiful and haunting tune, and accepting him as my partner. "And you still do. No matter how many fights we have...our bond never fades." Now it was my turn to be silenced as I took all this in, my heart warming with every word. Then, very quietly, he added, "I'm gonna return the question. What do you think makes us good partners, Maka?"

I didn't have to think about it. I answered instantaneously. "...Well, I trust you. With my life, my soul, and...my heart. And I think you trust me, too. I know you would never hurt me on purpose.. humiliate me maybe, but you wouldn't do anything to harm me." My eyes fell on his shirt, where I knew his scar laid beneath. "...You protect me," I added softly, feeling the old familiar guilt gnaw at me.

In the little light we had, I saw Soul's expression soften. "...Your heart?" he repeated quietly, leaning in closer to me, if that was even possible. We were squished together in that tinier-than-necessary love boat.

I felt my heart skip a beat oh my god he was actually was he going to..?! adfneiadfdkafndlaekrfnkadnfk aldkgherjknamvb! That's what my brain was a jumble of as he leaned forward towards my face, and I found myself leaning even closer to him as well.

...And just as my eyes closed, sunlight hit my eyelids.

Soul and I didn't mention a word to each other about our almost-kiss, but as we got off the ride I could see how sour he was. Even though I was frustrated and disappointed as well, I felt kinda amused and special at his reaction. And maybe...a bit relieved that it hadn't happened. It was the fact that once we connected, everything would change. Change I wasn't ready for, change I was afraid of.

We found ourselves in the booth/games section of the amusement park. I glanced around as kids were running around laughing, crying as they didn't get the prize they wanted, bragging to their friends about how they would win... "Want to play some of these?" I asked. At Soul's wordless nod, I continued, "I picked the last ride. It's your turn."

Soul gazed about, then at the touch of a smirk on his lips I knew I was in trouble. He pointed at a basketball booth. A BASKETBALL BOOTH. Seriously?! It was common knowledge that I was horrible at basketball. I shot him a glare. "That's not fair."

Soul placed a hand at the small of my back, where my skin tingled at the contact, and he steered me towards the game.

I'll just skip the painfully humiliating details. The basketball I threw somehow ended up bouncing off the rim and straight into someone's face, and when I tried to profusely apologize, he spit a bloody tooth at me. Make that the fourth time I was completely mortified that day. And of course Soul scored perfectly, nothing but net. The guy behind the booth told him to pick from the top shelf, and Soul turned toward me. "I'll just end up giving the prize to you, so pick out what you want," he remarked. I think he was trying to make me feel better for the whole tooth incident.

I scanned the shelf full of stuffed animals (oh, maybe that was why he was giving the prize to me - not because he felt sorry for me, but because he wouldn't know what to do with a toy. He was a boy, after all), and pointed to a stuffed white rabbit with red eyes. As the guy handed it to me, Soul observed with a smirk, "I knew you would pick that."

"Huh?" I blinked, accepting the soft, fluffy toy. "How?"

Soul, with very sarcastic 'duh' movements, indicated its white fur and red eyes. "It looks like me."

I realized he was right.. he resembled the toy's albino qualities. I huffed. "Don't flatter yourself."

And then, Soul casually remarked as if it was completely relevant to the topic, "You've always reminded me of a rabbit."

I was dumbfounded. Did he really just say that? "...What?"

Soul nodded and reached out to give one of my pigtails a tug, smirking. "The way you wear your hair looks like a bunny's droopy ears." I opened my mouth to indignantly protest, knowing now he was just making fun of me, he added, "And your eyes.. they're big and cute like a rabbit's."

I'm going to unashamedly inform you that as he added that last part, my pulse quickened and my heart skipped several beats, and it suddenly felt like warm butterflies were fluttering in my stomach. Did he just...did he just say my eyes were cute? Before I could even formulate a response, Soul chuckled as he informed me, "Your turn to pick a game."

I swallowed, my throat feeling like it was filled with cotton, and decided to go along with this subject change. It was definitely easier than deciding how to deal with a compliment. Heheh, I was starting to sound like Crona. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS!

After a minute of searching, I pointed to the - and I know I'm going to sound ignorant here, but I'm giving this my best shot - game where you swing the mallet and try to hit the bell at the top. You know, that strength-measuring game? Soul nodded in approval. "Ladies first."

So I made my way there, and the beefy men crowded around it started guffawing. "What's a scrawny toothpick like you doing here, little girl?" one of them jeered. Soul gave them all one of his cold glares. I wasn't offended, I just smirked. I had an advantage none of them did: I swung a heavy weapon on a daily basis for hours at a time.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Soul lean back against a pole with his arms crossed and a confident smirk on his face. He knew I could do it. "Prepare to be amazed, motherfuckers," he informed the men, who just laughed off this comment.

I picked up the mallet with ease and swung it back, then sent it crashing down as hard as I could. The echo of the bell being hit reverberated loudly throughout the booth section. I've never seen a group of grown, beer-bellied men look more shocked and humiliated and embarrassed as I did then. I just smiled sweetly at them and accepted my prize - two free coupons for a slushie. Soul went after me, but only went a little over halfway - an impressive feat for just a teenager. But I couldn't resist a little teasing.

"What's this? I've outdone the Soul Eater?"

Soul rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm not the one that has to carry around a scythe all the time. Don't let it go to your head."

But I already had.

As we searched for the slushie booth, we both kept laughing as we talked about the looks on the men's face as I hit the bell. School was far from my mind as I just kept laughing and chatting with Soul, and just in general having fun.

"'Prepare to be amazed, motherfuckers,'" I quoted him, then burst into an entirely new round of laughter. "That was great. You said it so casually and so seriously." Soul didn't laugh, though, he just stared at me with this weird grin on his face. I instantly felt self-conscious and my laughter died. "...What?"

"Nothing. It's just, you don't really cuss much," he responded. "It was pretty funny hearing that come out of your mouth."

I don't know why, but I felt offended, like a little ten-year-old being chided for saying a bad word. I felt like some goody goody who wasn't allowed to do that kind of thing, and that irritated me. "I curse."

"Yeah, in battle, when you're frustrated. But even then it's just low-key, like damn and what the hell," he countered. "Feeling a little badass after skipping a day of school, eh, Maka?"

I wanted to let loose a string of curses, but that wouldn't help my case much. Instead I glowered at him, turned on my heel, and skulked into the crowd. My battle instincts came in handy here where I could easily make myself unseen or lose myself from whoever I wanted to. It wasn't long until I'd totally ditched Soul and managed to find the slush booth all by myself. I used the two free coupons to get myself a green apple slushie, and a coconut for Soul. (Technically pina colada, but I prefer saying coconut.) Also, my battle instincts came in handy where I could easily track down someone. So it wasn't long before I located Soul in the crowd and came up behind him. "I got you coconut," I informed him, and as he about-faced I handed it to him. I was feeling very satisfied at this point, enough so to not be mad at him anymore.

He snatched it. "Dammit, Maka, I thought you'd gotten lost," he scowled at me as he took a sip. I just smirked. "God knows how long it would've taken to find you."

"You stand out in a crowd. I could've found you anywhere," I responded innocently and brightly offered my green apple slush to him for a drink, at the same exact time he held his out to me. We took a sip of each other's at the exact same time. We held each other's gazes.

I didn't think much of it until I heard two giggling girls pass and one exclaim to the other, "Awww! I wish I had a boyfriend to drink like that with!" The other girl agreed, squealing about how we were "so cute!"

I jerked back, taking my slush with me, feeling heat creep into my cheeks. Soul just smirked and cleared the distance between us by taking a step forward. "What's wrong, Maka?"

I looked away from his amused red eyes, taking another step back. He took another step forward. Finally I cut a glare in his direction. "Stop!"

"Why?"

My mind went blank. I felt my face flushing as I stuttered, "W-well... that... she... those girls thought we were a couple!"

"Is that really such a bad thing?"

I was struck dumb, staring at him in slack-jawed shock. "Well...uh...no, I guess..not... but we're not," I said weakly.

Soul leaned in, totally serious. "That could change."

My heart was going eighty miles an hour at this revelation. I was sure my pupils were showing. "W-what?! But.. you've never...showed any interest.." I swallowed hard, feeling overwhelmed.

"That doesn't mean I've never had any," he said softly, looking deep into my eyes, with a gaze that felt like he was peering into my soul.

And suddenly... maybe it was just being so overwhelmed with this piece of information, or the fact that I still wasn't feeling well from the rollercoaster, and all that combined with the sugary slush I was gulping down... it was all too much.

Then, I was completely, utterly mortified for the fifth time that day.

I puked. Again. On the spot.

All over Soul.