Be warned, this chapter is pretty bad… Hang in there for the second chapter and it'll get better?

Loud music blared through Maka's headphones as she repeatedly punched her red punching bag, sweat dripping down her face. Her muscles screamed for a break but she diligently ignored them as she continued, letting the sweat soak through her shirt, making the thin fabric mold to her body like a second skin. The room was dark like the sky outside, and barely any lights were on, a sign that she was completely and utterly alone: exactly as she liked it when she practiced. For her, boxing was an escape, a way to flee her troubles without going anywhere. Anything was better than reality for the young Maka Albarn.

The early morning was quiet and Maka knew that no one would come to the 24 hour gym for at least another couple of hours. That's why she woke up early; she needed as much time as she could get to herself, as she very obviously didn't get it at home. Her small apartment was like a mini harem as her father sent her his ex-hookups and girlfriends over to take care of her and check up on her.

Maka fumed as she unleashed a fury of short, powerful punches to the bag. Why couldn't her dad just understand that she was better off alone? She had finally been able to get rid of the new woman that her dad had sent over last week, but it had taken a lot of effort on her part. All the girls that her father had sent so far were self-centered, squealing at everything and doing nothing but buying new clothes and doing each other's hair and nails, which is why Maka was always so adamant about sending them away—they were despicable! Always freeloading off of her money and extolling her father as they criticized her for not being girly enough. Soon after they would leave, and if they didn't? Let's just say that Maka would make sure that they did.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Maka wasn't into that same sort of stuff as her father's "friends". She would rather curl up in her room in a comfortable hoodie and read one of her new books. Why couldn't anyone just figure out that she wanted to be left alone? It wasn't like she wasn't doing well in school; in fact, it was quite the opposite. Maka ranked number one in the school and was always in the top percentile for country-wide tests. She took care of herself a lot better than most other people she knew as well, so she didn't understand why her father would send people over. If he was so worried, why not check up on her himself? Oh yeah, he was too busy flirting with other women.

The annoyance Maka felt radiated off of her as she continued to take her frustrations out on the bag. The solitude in the early morning at the gym was just something that couldn't be beat, and she enjoyed every moment she was there, although the rest of her body probably didn't. The muscular arms that Maka had obtained from working out were barely visible to the naked eye, but were definitely there when she needed to knock someone out, although she rarely beat people up for no reason. Even though many of the people she knew criticized her for working out so much, she knew she needed to. She had promised her mom the day before the woman went missing, and she definitely wasn't going to give up now, seven years later! Besides, the exercise had become a regular routine for her, and even if she wanted to stop, her body probably wouldn't have let her; it was too accustomed to the workload it had been given.

After Maka felt like her muscles just couldn't give another punch, she backed away and headed to the shower rooms. Letting her clothes fall to the floor, she stepped into the shower and kept the cool water flowing. Maka sighed as her muscles relaxed, and she leaned against the shower wall for a moment, her breath slowly coming back to normal after the intense workout session. She let down the drenched ash blonde hair from the high ponytail she kept it in and closed her emerald green eyes in satisfaction. This, she decided, was one of the best ways to end a workout. Stretching out her muscles, she turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around her body as she brushed her hair out. Finally, she dressed in a baggy red hoody and some grey shorts that went down to her knees. Putting on her sneakers she jogged out of the gym and started on her way back to her apartment, her stomach already growling and ready to be fed.

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By the time she got back it was already around seven in the morning and the sun was starting to creep up into the sky. Walking into the kitchen, Maka turned on the TV and started making herself an omelet and some coffee. She absentmindedly started flipping her food around until she paused and walked to the TV, where the morning news was being broadcast. At first she just glanced at the news, not paying attention to what major crisis had happened in the city, but that all changed as a picture was shown on the screen. Maka dropped her plate, letting it shatter into a million little pieces as she stood shock still, her mind not able to comprehend anything but the picture on the screen. She didn't even glance at the broken plate by her feet, nor did she notice when some of the shards started sticking in her feet, causing blood to seep onto the wooden floor. Her attention was 100% focused on the picture, not able to fully believe what she was seeing.

"Another incident was reported on Hilloway Street as victims are reported to have been stabbed with an unknown weapon. Total number of deaths is equal to twenty-five and counting. No one has survived. Reported injuries seem to be like they have been stabbed vertically one single weapon, we are still looking for answers…"

It wasn't the report thatscared Maka, but who she saw. In the background stood someone she never would have expected to see… Among the covered bodies was the back of a man in the farthest corner of the screen. Bright red hair that went down to his shoulders and a silver chain necklace hung around his neck. To anyone else, this might have been another person helping with damage control, but Maka knew better than that, and although she hadn't seen him in a couple of years, she knew it was him. This was the killer… This was her father.

All of a sudden, blackness surrounded her and her legs gave way to exhaustion and shock…

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Maka groaned as she sat up with a pounding headache. She looked around only to find herself safely in her bed in the same hoody and shorts she was wearing before. Could it all have been a dream…? She wondered to herself. But she knew that wasn't the case. The figure of her father in the picture was all too real; the image burned into her mind could not have been a figment of her imagination. Blinking slowly, she realized for the first time that she was actually in her bed, although the last thing she remembered was fainting by living room. Looking down at her legs, she found all of her cuts to be completely healed as if they had never happened. Maka broke into a cold sweat and hesitantly got up from the bed and grabbed a lamp, in case the person who had put her in her bed was still here.

She opened the bedroom door and pressed her back against the wall, taking a peak towards the kitchen and living room only to find it almost exactly as she had left it. The small black couch she had looked untouched and the room looked as if it had been vacuumed and wiped down. The TV was off, and she hesitantly walked into the open and turned it on, hoping to see if what she saw in the picture was really true. But when she turned the television on, it was on a different channel completely. Instead of the news, she was now looking at a cartoon dog and cat fighting each other for a piece of bacon.

Confused, Maka walked closer to the kitchen and saw that there were no plate remnants from when she broke it. In fact, it was cleaner than it was before! She observed the rooms further only to find that the trash had been emptied and there sitting on the table, was her omelet and coffee, both still warm as though she had just made them.

"Take a deep breath, Maka…" The girl mumbled to herself as she felt her heart fearfully beating in her chest. Who could have gotten access to her house, and why was it so clean? Why was her food laying on the table as if she had just made it, and why was the TV on a different channel when she didn't even turn it off? And the most important question of all… who had put her back in her bed and healed her cuts? To say that Maka was freaked out was definitely an understatement.

She took a deep breath and tried calming herself down to no avail. Not wanting to stay in the house a minute longer, she strode out, grabbing her small bag (complete with schoolwork, books and a few miscellaneous items) and swinging in onto her shoulder. After leaving the house, she felt the oppressive fear evaporate into thin air and although she was still freaked, she was no longer wet-your-pants scared.

After a moment of thought, Maka decided she might as well head the small café in the park, where not many people would be. She needed to think, and The Cove would be the perfect place to do it. With a smile, Maka set off to the one place she thought she could be alone, unknowing of the troubles she would have to face ahead

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The Cove was a small but cute café, and was one of Maka's favorite places to be. The building had white wooden floors with different shades of blue on the walls, made to look like a big wave. The tables and chairs were white while booths were blue. On one side of the café was a huge floor to ceiling window that spanned the whole side of the store. Whenever Maka felt down in the dumps, had to figure something out or just wanted some peace, she would go here to have some hot chocolate and a small slice of cake. Sitting down in the farthest corner by the window, Maka took a book out of her bag and placed it on the table. Hopefully it could help take her mind off of all the weird happenings in her life lately. Not five minutes into the book and her order was already there, the old waiter smiling down at her.

"Well good morning, Maka. Strange to see you in here this early," the personable man said. He had been the owner of this café with his late wife for over 30 years, and had known Maka since childhood.

"Good morning, Mr. Lee!" Maka smiled up at the man. To anyone else, this would have seemed like the girl wanted to start a conversation, but to someone who knew her as long as Mr. Lee had, it was a signal that she wanted some alone time. Quietly putting her food down (after knowing her long enough, Mr. Lee had already memorized her order—the same one she had been getting since age 6) Mr. Lee left the table and started working on different tasks.

Maka sipped the hot chocolate as the familiar taste and smell relaxed and calmed her, instantly making her feel better. The sweet taste lay on her mouth and she savored it, closing her eyes and giving into the blissful smile she had been trying to hold in.

When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see someone entering the café. His shock white hair looked unbrushed as it stuck out in different angles all around his head. Maka watched him curiously, as he gave his order to Mr. Lee and started walking over to the tables. Looking out the window, Maka rested a chin on her hand and observed the beautiful summer scenery around her. The small creek by the store gurgled happily and a steady wind seemed to be blowing the trees around, making Maka think about how nice it would be to read outside all day.

It wasn't until he cleared his throat that Maka realized the white haired man was sitting right across from him. She watched him warily and glared at him, annoyed that he was sitting across from her when there were so many other places to sit at. Her glare stopped short however, when she saw the color of his eyes. Blood red, the eyes gave her an uneasy feeling, and she subconsciously moved farther away from the man. He cleared his throat again and gave an uneasy smile to the girl sitting cross from him.

Just looking at him gave Maka a huge headache, although she couldn't fathom why. She knew him from somewhere, she must have! He seemed so familiar, but Maka couldn't put her finger on it. One part of her mind told her that he was dangerous, that she shouldn't trust him; the other part felt completely and utterly relaxed in his presence. She couldn't understand which part of her to listen to as her senses overwhelmed her. In the end, she decided she might as well find out why he was sitting here.

"Who are you?" Maka asked, surprised at how blunt it sounded now that it had come out of her mouth. Nevertheless, she wouldn't take the words back, she felt strange, in a way she never had before. It was hard to tell whether it was a nice feeling or a bad one, but Maka wasn't quite sure she wanted to find out yet. The man looked pained for a second, but the flash was gone as soon as it had arrived.

"My name… Is SoulEater," he told her, wondering how she would react to the strange name. After all, they had grown up in virtually two different worlds. Maka bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to laugh, but ended up looking like she was half smiling half baring her teeth. The man raised his eyebrows at her curiously and chuckled lightly, with Maka finally succumbing to light giggles.

"Y-your name is really SoulEater?" She asked while laughing, "That's so weird!" In all honesty, although it was a little weird, she liked that his name was so original, and she could already tell that she would never forget the name. SoulEater blushed a light shade of pink, having never had someone laugh at his name so openly before. "Can I just call you Soul?" Maka asked once her laughing fit had died down. Soul grinned slightly at the nickname she had given him.

"I guess that's a cool name," He told her as Mr. Lee came over with a cup of orange juice and a scone. He muttered a thank you to the old man before looking back to Maka.

"And your name is?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Me? I'm Maka," She smiled at him, surprised that she actually let her guard down this much, despite the fact that he was of the opposite gender. Soul grinned at her, showing razor sharp teeth, not unlike shark teeth, but Maka barely glanced at them before continuing to talk.

"So is this your first time in the Café?" She asked him, "I normally know the people who come here." Soul gave a reminiscent smile and swirled his spoon around her coffee.

"You could say that…" He said, going into as little detail as he could. Maka tilted her head curiously but shrugged it off.
"Yeah, I figured…" She responded awkwardly, giving a slight scratch to the hair near her temple. A silence soon followed as the odd pair ate their food. As much as they wanted to talk to each other, there was nothing to say—Maka did not know one thing about him while Soul seemed to know too much. After what felt like a lifetime of silence, the boy stood up and left, muttering only a small goodbye to her. Maka didn't mind that he had left, although loneliness soon kicked in, which was an odd feeling for the girl. Normally, she would always want this quiet alone time, but after sitting with Soul, she felt a little too secluded.

Realizing that she would get nothing done, Maka sighed and stood up, placing some cash on the table for Mr. Lee. But her money wasn't the only one on the table.

"Soul must have forgotten his wallet…" Maka mumbled to herself, picking up the worn black wallet. She took a quick peek inside to see if it had some kind of phone number or address she could return it to, but the only thing she saw was a school ID.

Soul Eater Evans

Death Weapon Meister Academy

Arizona, Fourth Portal

Maka read the card repeatedly, hoping for some kind of hint on where he could be, but only got another aching headache. Realizing that the only way to give him back the wallet was either to follow him, Slight chance I'll know which direction he went Maka noted, or to visit the school. Setting a determined look on her face, Maka stuffed the wallet into her pocket and headed out, ready for what she would later call her adventure of a lifetime…

Um.. My first fanfic since forever so don't hate too much on it? Review please!