Chapter Three

Maka hesitantly made her way down the hallways. Soul had called her a few minutes ago, catching her half off guard although she was expecting it.

"Are you on your way to Shibusen yet? I'm wrapping up with my lesson." Soul sounded a bit too proud, and the shadows of a plan cackled in the background of his dark voice.

"Yeah, I'm ready, but Soul what are you planning?" she was determined to find out her partner's intensions, and knowing Soul, it most likely was not pleasant in the least. She almost heard him smirk before he responded:

"Come to me and you'll find out." And afterwards, Maka was annoyed by the evenly spaced beeping on the other line that signaled the call had ended.

She wore a hooded long sleeved white shirt and jeans slightly tattered at the bottom with brown sandals she had found at the back of her closet earlier. Her waist long hair was held back tightly in two long and low tails that loosely flashed at her sides. She sighed again, noticing the double doors ahead sending a stream of light across the hallway. She edged silently, and was lucky enough to catch Soul with his back turned to the piano where a twelve year old boy sat playing scales slowly, a tongue sticking out of one side of his mouth and fingers attempting to keep up with the constant steady beat that the young adult played out for him with finger snaps. The scales ended on the note 'D' and the child looked up at the waiting Soul, who smiled.

"You've been practicing, Daniel," he commented, placing a hand on the youth's shoulders. Daniel flashed a grin.

"I did well?"

"Excellent," Soul continued, "Just keep it up. If you love it, you'll get better at it."

"Sure!"

Daniel gathered his books and stood up from the bench, shared formal farewell expressions with his teacher and ran through the doors, catching but a glimpse of the smiling Maka.

"Good evening, Albarn- sensei!"

"Hi, Danny!" she greeted with a grin. Daniel flustered slightly at his nickname and continued down the hallway.

"You've got quite a way with kids," a dark voice said from behind her. Soul leaned on the doorway, arms crossed firmly on his chest and ankles following suit against the floor. Maka smiled, closing her eyes and placing her hands behind her. She leaned on the door.

"I could say the same about you," she responded, and continued, looking up into his eyes. They were jewel like again, and stared directly into her boring orbs. Forcing herself from those thoughts, she asked: "What did you bring me here for anyway? I could be making our dinner right about now."

"A few minutes won't hurt," Soul grinned and turned into the music room, "C'mon."

Sighing, she followed him. He sat on the black bench that seemed to be a counterpart of the glossy well kept grand piano centered dramatically in the room, highlighted from late afternoon rays. Black shadows stretched onto the opposite wall, Soul's shadow touching Maka's shoulder. His fingers briefly ran over the recently played keys, feeling the distant hum of the warm strings longing for a professional piece. Soul looked up at the patient and distant adolescent before gesturing with his head to approach the bench. He pattted the seat beside him moving over, and Maka followed.

She was silent and kept her eyes on the keys, heart and soul preparing for his usual rush of a master piece. She expected his hands to raise high above the piano and slam down into a beautifully rupturing chord. She expected a rush of keys speaking for themselves in a hush comprehended by her alone. She expected it to be loud and drumming, the song speaking its soul, speaking of Soul himself.

She expected the opposite of what he played.

His hands never moved from the keys and began softly with simple chords and a crystal lead that pulled at the emotional strings in Maka's heart. It suddenly became louder and with it the complexity followed washing over her a new type of insanity that wasn't nearly as frightening as the black blood and a heavenly side of pleasure. It's bass mellowed into the shadows but the lead remained angelic, being complimented, complimenting, in perfect unison and the perfect pitch and volume, hammering into Maka's thoughts and soul… suddenly dying into the simple song that it had evolved from and ended in an incomplete tone, in a 'G minor' chord.

His fingers cautiously moved away from the piano and approached her. She looked up, realizing that she was crying and Soul was watching her with concern. She laughed, wiping her face and she heard him breathe a sigh of relief.

"Soul," she managed, with her face covered.

"Hmm?"

"What was that?"

He didn't answer at first and Maka looked up to him. He was staring over the piano with the same ruby eyes, hesitant yet concentrated. "What do you think it was?" he asked finally, face turning to her expectantly, a small smirk with lazy eyes.

"It sounded like…" she trailed off, looking for the right words. "A desperate couple, I think, total opposites- angelic and demonic- the only ones of their kind… something like that." She laughed again, "Sorry, I'm babbling."

"Naw, don't worry about it," Soul reassured her with a smile, turning into a grin, "You were absolutely perfect."

She bit her bottom lip to prevent her from smiling wider- preventing herself from looking unreasonably goofy.

"You missed something though," he commented and her face fell.

"What?"

He suddenly leaned forward, much like her did yesterday when he asked her to be here. Maka edged to back away, but was locked in a difficult position to get up without falling down- there was nothing but space behind her. Soul's hair interlocked with her dark blonde bangs creating their foreheads to touch. Soul felt how hot and pulsing her skin was against his, and she seemed to have a similar reaction to his as well. Their breaths collided, and it could nearly be tasted. Maka's eyelids became heavy suddenly, feeling a similar sensation to being drunk but very aware she was sober.

"What did I miss?"

He seemed to enjoy the question, and a large hand traveled up her spine to support her.

"The fact that," his eyes were heavy as well and his lips barely brushed hers as he spoke, "It symbolizes us."

And though he saw emotion in her eyes flare at that one moment he couldn't care less if she understood or not, as she would in less than a moment. He leaned further forward, gently, another hand at her waist. His lips parted in a smile when hers arms wrapped around his waist and she returned the kiss.

Later, he told her that the name of his original piece was 'Soulmates'.

End

Wow, I guess it was 'light' SoulxMaka after all. Sorry about that…