Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater or anything to do with it.

A/N: This is a fanfic inspired by some cute doujinshi I read some time ago. It was on fakku. net, but there was no hentai, just fluff. Lots and lots of fluff and sugary sweetness. Look them up, they're called "Strawberries and Mint" and "Upright". This is kind of a mix of both, but not really. This will be a 3 shot.

Ch. 1

The bell rang, signaling the release of hundreds of relieved students from the stuffy confines of the classroom. Maka leaned back in her seat, stretching languidly like a cat, loosening stiff muscles from sitting all day.

Someone tapped her shoulder, and she turned to face her partner and friend. "Hey, Maka, we'd better get going. It looks like it's going to rain soon." Soul, looking as bored and nonchalant as always, stood beside her, looking down at her. He was too concerned with looking cool, Maka thought. Even now, when he was actually trying to watch out for her, he didn't like to admit it.

She smiled up at him, grateful for his concern- even if she wasn't going to let him know that. "You can go ahead without me. I'm meeting with my dad today in a little while. We're going to go out somewhere to eat, so I guess you don't need to cook dinner for me either. I'll be home before 9, k?"

Soul frowned slightly, but the moment passed, and his expression returned to normal. "Whatever," he muttered. "Where are you going to wait for him?"

"At the top of Shibusen." Was her reply.

After a slight pause, Soul offered, "Do you want me to wait with you?" He didn't like the thought of her waiting out there alone for a few hours. Spirit's punctuality- or lack thereof- was a joke in the school. Despite his promise to meet her after school, it was likely she would be waiting for a long while before he appeared.

She shook her head, pigtails flopping around her bouncily. "It's all right. You get home before it starts raining." She waved goodbye to him cheerfully.

Soul nodded, knowing a lost cause when he saw one, and left the classroom alone. It was a normal occurrence for Maka to meet up with her father. It was almost always Spirit who arranged it, wanting to bond with his daughter; Maka, despite her complaints, also wanted to regain her relationship with her father, and so agreed to meet up with him every so often.

But Soul couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen that day.

He rolled his eyes as he started up his bike. Now he was just being ridiculous. He wasn't superstitious or anything. Dreams and premonitions held no meaning for him. There was no reason for him to feel uneasy.

And yet, despite his skepticism, he still worried.

The rain was coming down really hard now. Soul glanced at the clock. 8:49. Maka was never late, so she should be home soon. Unlike her father, Maka's punctuality was one of her better traits. He hoped Spirit wouldn't be so irresponsible as to make her walk outside in this kind of weather.

"Did she even bring an umbrella today?" he muttered, watching the rain splatter almost angrily against the window. And it had been so nice that morning, too. Which meant Maka probably hadn't brought an umbrella, since there had been no indication of rain. She was probably outside right now, maybe walking with her father, in that pouring rain. If she wasn't careful, she was going to catch her death of cold. Had her father thought to bring an umbrella along?

"Che. Why should I be worried? She's with her father! He wouldn't let her get sick." He spoke aloud to nobody in particular. Even to his own ears, it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.

His eyes flicked to the clock again. 8:54. If Maka didn't get home soon, he was going out after her, rain or no rain. She shouldn't have been out in that kind of weather at all. It wasn't healthy to be out when it was as cold as it was now, nor in such terrible rain. She would really get sick if she was out in that.

…And why did he care so much? It wasn't like he liked her or anything… right? She was just a flat-chested, short, skinny girl who still wore her hair in childish pigtails and kept pestering him to do homework and study. Why the heck would he, the epitome of cool, ever like her?

"Yeah. I don't like her. Of course not." He spoke the words aloud, and once again they rang false in his ears. Sighing, he glanced at the clock again. 9:01. It was time to go after her.

Shrugging on a rainjacket, he glanced at the umbrellas by the door before grabbing one. It wasn't like he could hold an umbrella while riding his bike. Making sure he had his keys on him, he flicked off the lights and headed out, locking the door behind him.

The rain pounded his shoulders heavily as he started his bike up and rode into the night.

If he hadn't been scouring the streets for Maka, Soul probably would have missed the couple walking by him, huddled close together under a large umbrella. As it was, he more or less dismissed the pair, until he realized the guy had longish red dreadlocks.

He screeched to a halt, turning back to stare. The man had just bent to drop a light kiss on the woman's face, caressing her cheek in one hand while his other drifted lower.

Soul didn't recognize the woman. But he certainly recognized the man.

A cold feeling seizing his heart, he sped towards Shibusen, no longer searching the streets. Knowing Maka, when her father hadn't shown up at the agreed time, she had continued to wait for him, hoping he would come for her eventually.

But now Soul knew with an awful certainty that he would never appear, and Maka would wait there faithfully, with eternal patience, until someone found her.

Water dripped down Maka's face. It streamed in tiny creeks and rivulets over her cheeks, falling unceremoniously to the ground, disappearing unnoticed among the thousands of other drops already there. She didn't know whether the droplets covering her face were the tears of the sky or tears of her own.

At that point, she didn't even care. Her father had never appeared. She felt so lonely. She had waited for her father for so long. Why wasn't he here? Why wasn't anyone there? The cold rain drenched her, mercilessly pounding her body. She could almost imagine the icy shards piercing her skin, drawing blood to mingle with the other drops already streaming towards the ground. It was making her shiver, a deep ache spreading into her bones.

Abruptly, the steady downpour of rain stopped. She could still see the raindrops pattering against the ground, could still hear the sound of a million watery bullets waging war against the dark surface of the world, but none of them were hitting her any more.

Looking upwards, she saw the familiar dark canopy of an umbrella, shielding her from the harsh attack of the heavens. It was held by a hand, which was attached to a heart achingly familiar face.

If Maka hadn't been crying before, she certainly was now. Not that Soul could tell, due to the rainwater still dripping from her hair.

He extended a hand to her, and she numbly took it. Softly, he said, "Let's go home, Maka."

With gentle force, he tugged her into the shelter of the school, keeping the umbrella above her head at all times. Absently, she realized this left his own head unprotected from the elements, and his carefully styled hair was now plastered flat against his head. He had always been so worried about his appearance. And now he looked for all the world like a half-drowned rat. Had it been any other time, she probably would have laughed.

Instead, she followed him quietly into the school. The sound of their wet shoes squeaking against the smooth tiles was the only sound they made as they traveled back to where Soul's bike was parked.

Despite being inside the school, water still dripped unceasingly from Maka's face. No longer rainwater, the droplets left a small trail of sorrow behind them, eclipsed by the larger puddles of their footsteps.

Climbing onto his motorbike, Soul motioned for Maka to sit down behind him, the way she always had. He passed her the umbrella, silently giving her the task of keeping them both from getting soaked even more than they already were. The engine caught immediately, as though the bike was just as eager to get home as they were, and Soul expertly guided the machine onto the familiar path home.

As they wove through the confusing streets of Death City, they passed a couple holding a tryst under a large, black umbrella. Soul felt Maka freeze behind him, stiffening against his back until it felt like a statue was sitting in her spot. Twisting, Soul cursed silently at his stupidity. He should have taken a different route home. He should never have come back this way. He should have remembered what would be awaiting them on this street.

Really, though, it was quite incredible that Spirit and his woman were still there in the same spot, still kissing, after half an hour. It was even more incredible that neither of them had noticed Soul or Maka zooming past, especially when one considered that Maka was Spirit's daughter. Soul ground his teeth, knowing that Maka was stunned by the knowledge her father had blown her off for some nameless girl he'd probably just met.

Quickly, he turned a corner, taking them away from the scene of Spirit kissing that woman. Soul could still feel Maka trembling against his back, shivering not from cold but shock. He wished he knew how to comfort her.

But he didn't, so he stayed silent and just continued to direct the bike towards the home that they shared.

The small detour cost them an extra 15 minutes to get home. By the time they entered the house, it was almost 11. Immediately after entering the house, Soul ordered Maka to go and take a hot shower, bracing himself for the complaints that would inevitably come. Maka hated it when Soul ordered her around. However, to his surprise, she meekly complied, shuffling obediently into the bathroom.

Worried, Soul stared after her, then shook his head and grabbed a towel to sit on. Sighing, he stared blankly into space as his thoughts raced around in his head.

Maka wasn't acting like herself. She hadn't said a thing since he'd found her, just following him silently all over the place. When he told her to do something, she almost always complained, or told him he had no right to order her around. But today, she had just silently followed his orders. It was really worrying. This wasn't the girl he knew. This wasn't the girl he had come to trust. This wasn't the girl he had partnered with for so long.

This wasn't the girl he had started to like.

Absorbed by his own thoughts, he jumped when the bathroom door opened. Maka stood there, damp hair unbound and loose around her shoulders, eyes still blank with shock, dressed in her usual pajamas. She was so pale, eyes stark in her white complexion, movements so stiff and jerky from shock, that Soul could almost have mistaken her for a wraith or a zombie. Soul took a second to calm his racing heart, then firmly told her to get to bed immediately. Once again, she obeyed, slowly making her way to her room.

Soul watched her go, a feeling of deep guilt racking his heart. If he hadn't let her wait alone, maybe she wouldn't be so hurt now. If he hadn't waited so long to go after her, maybe she wouldn't have felt abandoned. If he hadn't taken that exact route home, maybe she wouldn't have seen that scene which had so broken her spirit.

His eyes followed her progress, ears straining to hear the rustling of her covers as she got into bed, then hearing the click as she turned off the lights. Sighing, he stood and went into the bathroom himself. He needed a hot shower too.

But even the warm water wasn't enough to relax Soul. He lay awake the entire night, unable to sleep as worry filled his brain, pervading every thought and robbing him of rest.

Would Maka recover from tonight?

A/N: Sorry for making Spirit so cruel! And I apologize if I misnamed the school and city, I've kind of forgot… haven't watched/read it in a while o.O Please correct any mistakes you may have found!
EDIT: I've put in the scene breaks and made a few small changes, nothing much. Hope you enjoy reading this~