Howdy! This is only my second attempt at a Soul Eater story - and my first attempt at a Soul Eater multi-chapter piece. The only thing that worries me a bit is that Soul may be a little OCC, but then again, I don't think we saw Soul's true colours. I believe Soul's more caring than he makes out. Stay tuned for more chapters in the coming days/weeks. :)

Disclaimer: As if Soul Eater is mine. I'm not that cool.

Soul wasn't sure what awoke him that morning. The feeling of dread seemed to spread through his mind – and as he got out of bed he was surprised that he didn't feel tired. He glanced at his alarm clock, yet to set off its annoying tune, and inwardly groaned. 6am. That's far too early. He thought. The feeling of sadness still filled him though. Instinct told him something was wrong. Avoiding the pile of dirty clothing on his bedroom floor with the agility that even a ninja would be proud of, he opened his bedroom door and entered the hallway, pulling on an old shirt that was resting on his desk chair as he went.

His ears picked up the soft sounds of crying coming from behind the door to Maka's bedroom. He approached the door, and leant softly on the frame, his usual aloofness influencing his pose. His face, however, remained to hold its worried expression. He knocked gently in the centre of the door, and the crying within ceased.

"Maka, it's me. Are you alright?" He asked.

A long pause. No reply.

"I'm coming in, okay?" He continued.

Soul opened the door in one smooth motion and saw Maka curled up in her bed, wet streaks running down her cheeks. Soul's aloofness dissipated immediately as he crossed the room to be by her side. The bed shifted under his weight and he pulled Maka close to his chest in a hug, his chin resting on her head.

"What's wrong Maka?" He asked, his tone of voice quiet and kind.

Fresh tears ran down Maka's face to soak into Soul's shirt. She didn't answer.

"You can tell me, you know." He whispered.

A sniffle.

Feeling her pull away from his embrace slightly, he released her to look in her eyes directly. His gaze fell to something she clutched tightly in her fist. A crumpled postcard. It was this time in the morning that the day's post usually arrived.

"It's from my mother." Maka said, her voice hoarse from crying.

She gestured for him to take it, which he did, and straightened it out the best he could. It bore an image of a beautiful orange sunset, with the glistening ocean in the background. At the bottom of the image, Thinking of you had been printed in font that resembled calligraphy.

He turned the card over, and handwriting he guessed to be that of Maka's mother came into view. He scanned the writing quickly, and his face dropped as he took it in. One part seemed to stand out from the rest.

…I know I promised you I'd see you very soon, but something's come up. I'm sorry, Maka. It'll be at least six months. I love you.

"Oh Maka, I'm sorry." Soul said as he dropped the card and embraced her again, her tears beginning again.

The pair just sat, in each other's arms, for a few minutes, the only sound breaking the silence being the occasional sniffle from Maka.

Soul moved his face to allow him to smell Maka's hair. Strawberries.

"I know life at times can be hard," He whispered softly. "but life presents challenges for us."

Maka buried her head deeper into Soul's shirt.

"Some challenges are harder than others, like getting Black Star to keep quiet for more than five seconds." He continued.

Maka smiled against his chest.

"Challenges like this one," He said, picking up the postcard again. "are really difficult."

Another sniffle.

"But you have to remember that the challenges of life aren't meant to be faced alone." Soul said, smiling. He lowered his arms to allow himself to look into her green eyes again.

"I'll always be here for you," He whispered, wiping another tear from her cheek with his thumb.

Maka smiled, and pulled him close to hug him again.

Stuff being cool for once. He thought. This is more important.

...And that's chapter one! Please make my day and take a few seconds to review. It means so much to me. If you like you could even give me a few ideas before writer's block sets in. Hope you liked it.
Edit: Chapter Two is up! I'm planning each chapter (I think they'll be about seven-ish) and from here I pledge to write better. This chapter almost makes me cringe...