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I do not own Soul Eater

Lost and Found

Chapter Five:

Of Rude Partners and New Jobs

"So class, today we'll be starting a new form of training." Dr. Stein began, spinning his chair around to face the students looking to him curiously.

"What kind?" Maka questioned dutifully and Stein shrugged.

"Just some sort of practice Lord Death has devised to help your, er, bonding skills. There we'll be many cases when you will be separated from your partner, and in cases such as those, you must all learn how to be able to cope with it."

Leo's ears only caught on the word 'partner', if this training session required her to be paired up, she greatly hoped to be set aside. Surely he wouldn't force her to be active in this now would he?

Her eyes narrowed a bit and she sighed. Then again, this was Death's school she was up against. The Reaper would be a troublesome opponent in her mission.

"I hope we get to be partners!" Maka whispered, leaning over from where she sat to grin at the apathetic teen. "Maybe we'll get lucky and have our wavelengths be a perfect match!"

Leo tilted her head slightly. Not exactly sharing the same amount of enthusiasm as the blonde girl.

"Partners will be based off random lots, since you don't get to choose who you get lost with." Stein continued, sounding bored of the whole thing himself. "Pick a card and find your match."

Leo blinked at the number eight in bold on her card. She honestly didn't like that number to much. It was ugly and weird looking in her opinion.

"Fate must hate me to have me paired up with you."

Her eyes moved to the corner to meet sharp gold. His aura this morning seemed to be quite content with hissing at her, the black tendrils recoiling upon her presence.

"It is most pleasant to see you again, Reaper Spawn." Leo acknowledged, tilting her head with mock respect towards the young boy.

Kid's eyes narrowed and his lip curled downwards in a scowl. "My name is Death the Kid, not Reaper Spawn."

"Your name mean's that you are Death's son." Leo murmured, her eyes cold as she gazed into his own eyes. "Reaper spawn means the same, no? Therefore I am perfectly entitled to call you what I so wish."

"Asymmetrical trash." Kid muttered under his breath, glaring at the back of the shorter girl's head as she stalked forward to their designated training ground.

"First, you'll all need to know how to cope with each other," Stein explained, "Getting along and thinking the same will benefit later on with matching wavelengths, so I want you all to make through the day without killing each other."

"That may be hard." Kilik muttered, glancing over to a bored looking Harvard.

"I must agree with Kilik." Ox nodded, shoving his glasses up his nose. "We partnered with our partners for a reason, they matched our wavelengths. So how on earth can we work together if our wavelengths don't match?"

"You'll have to cope." Stein answered flatly, turning in his chair. "Now both of you put on the bracelets."

Leo glanced down warily to the bright yellow contraption attached to her wrist. She didn't like the feel of being restricted. Perhaps she could just slip out, unnoticed.

There was a spark and a blue line appeared in between her own bracelet and Kid's. The two people looked down at their now joined wrists in surprise, the other groups going through similar changes.

"You now must work together to get through a series of challenges." Stein grinned, looking amused by the turn of events. "Have fun kids~"

Leo scowled deeply at the item. This just made things a great deal worse for the poor girl. Why of all people did she have to be stuck with such a detestable being?

"Great," Kid murmured, looking just as crossed. "I hope you know that my skills are the best, and I expect you to be able to keep up, trash."

"Whatever you wish, spawn." Leo bit back, eyes blank and uncaring as she gazed into the golden depths.

Kid scowled, showing his obvious dislike to the situation. But then again, this would be the perfect chance to catch this girl in the act of planning some horrible fate for his beloved school, and it was solely up to him not to allow such a thing to happen!

At the sound of a bell, the two turned reluctantly to the starting point of the course. Each one was specifically created to match the group's standards. What Leo did not appreciate of theirs though, was that the narrow passage meant close contact with the boy beside her.

Just her luck.

"Left."

"Right!"

"Left."

"Right!"

"Left."

"Right!"

"The turn and opening clearly states to go left," Leo scowled, gesturing to the direction she was aiming for. "You would be blind not to take the hint that right is a dead end!"

"But so far we've gone left; right, left, right, left, and now you expect me to take another left? That's absurd!" Kid exclaimed, yanking on the hand cuff like bracelets and pointing to the right. "We're going right!"

"I am not risking falling into some trap just for the sake of your own mental problems!" Leo growled, bloody eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Left!"

"Right!"

The girl slammed back on her heels when Kid began to move right. The stubborn boy! Her eyes narrowed as she grit her teeth and yanked backwards, determined not to let him pull them into another trap.

Kid let out a frustrated noise and glared back at her, annoyed that she was putting up such resistance. "We're going right!"

Leo's bloody eyes glimmered and Kid felt a peculiar feeling, but before he could grasp this emotion, it flittered away without being caught. He frowned, and before he realized it, they were moving left.

He instantly came to a halt and began to tug Leo the other way. The girl growled and tug to the left.

The handcuffs groaned, the blue tendril flickering slightly, and before the two could realize what was happening, a bolt of charged soul wavelengths zapped them both.

Leo grumbled under her breath as she blew a strand of hair out of her face. This truly was not her day.

"Do we really have to do this?"

"Yes. You do." Stein answered, leaning against his chair as we examined the two before him. "I can see this doesn't seem to be working out for you too."

"No. It is not." Leo agreed, glancing down to her charred clothes. "And I highly resent the punishment."

"It's supposed to get you guys to work together." Stein sighed, "But you two are just a pair of stubborn mules."

"On contrary," Kid began, his arms folded neatly across his chest, despite the smoke trailing off of it. "This brute is the stubborn one. She continuously refuses any sort of compromise, and is impossible to work with."

"Says the kid who won't go left to save his life." Leo muttered, narrowing her eyes she scoffed. "This boy should be checked into the hospital wing for a mental disorder."

"Excuse me? The only one with a mental disorder is you. Not surprising, have you seen yourself lately?"

"What do appearances have to do with mental disorders?"

"The only disorder is you! Your clothes, your hair, everything! It's...asymmetrical!"

"I do not want, nor wish, to care about what you think of how I dress. That is my business alone."

"Well, have you looked into a mirror?"

Stein shook his head. "Just move on to the next course."

The two grumbled in unison before they marched off to the brightly labeled course. That having been the only thing so far that day that they had been able to do together.

Leo examined the next piece of torture before her. The label of the course, which was done in rather tacky, bright neon colors, announced that this would be a test of trust.

"Well, we're done for." Kid sighed. "I don't trust an asymmetrical hair on your body."

"I don't trust any being at this school," Leo snorted, crossing her arms as she rocked back on her heels, examining the piece of work before her. "Though this seems rather simple."

The directions had a clear guide of different steps that would display the partners' trust. The first being the typical freefall into the other's arms. Kid's eyes looked over the board before he grudgingly turned her way, holding his arms out with a foul look on his face.

"I can't believe I have to touch you." He grumbled, "But hurry up and fall."

...

...

...

"Why aren't you falling?"

Leo gave the boy a blank stare.

Kid sighed in annoyance. "Look, I don't want to do this as much as you, but the sooner the better, no? Just fall and we can move on."

Leo continued to stare, not budging from her spot and Kid arched an eyebrow. "What? Are you afraid of falling? You can trust me, I'll catch you."

Leo frowned. She didn't want to do this. Trust itself was a delicate manner when it came to her, but she didn't come here to make bonds. And she surely didn't come to fall into the arms of a distasteful boy with no manners.

Kid's frown deepened. "I'm not so childish as to purposely drop you. I promise."

Leo turned her gaze the other way, refusing to allow the boy any sign of her growing anxiety. A few reassuring words had no meaning to her.

But he promised. A small part of Leo reasoned, and the girl hesitated. People don't go back on their promises. Isn't that what he taught you? The sooner you fall the faster you can leave.

But with the thought in mind that this would be over quickly, she turned so her back faced him and tensed, before forcing herself backwards.

The air rushed by for a second until a pair of strong arms wrapped around her frame. She resisted the urge to shudder as they enveloped her, holding her in mid air for a moment.

And a moment to long.

Her head tilted upwards and she was met with golden eyes. The two stared, for but a second of a moment, and that was all the time needed for those beautiful blue eyes to flash through Leo's head.

The girl's eyes widened slightly and she tensed. Leo then pushed herself off and brushed off any remains of contact. "What's next?"

"Tell your partner something you can trust them with." Kid read aloud, arching a brow he turned to Leo and looked her up and down. "You don't look like the gossip type... very well then."

He cleared his throat and looked to her. "Liz snores rather loudly when she sleeps."

Leo raised an eyebrow.

"Now your turn." Kid continued, gesturing for the girl to continue. "Tell me any sort of secret you like, you can trust me."

Somehow she doubted that, but Leo rolled her eyes and thought to the back of her head for something that no one knew... Then again, there were a lot.

"I like mochi." Leo stated finally, all too serious as she said this.

Kid blinked, somewhat surprised by this statement. "Mochi?"

"Mochi."

"...Alright then," Kid murmured, faintly startled that something so normal sounding came from someone so...not normal. "You like...mochi."

Leo nodded her head almost solemnly. "I have to admit that it's good."

Kid had to resist the urge to laugh at her. The way this girl acted almost begged him to question whether or not she was suspicious. The way she acted seemed more socially awkward then...bad.

"Onto the next one then," Kid murmured, clearing his throat as he glanced down at his list. "Ask three personal questions of your choosing."

Leo blinked in confusion. "How would that show trust?"

"It's to see if you trust the person well enough to tell them something personal," Kid answered, questions beginning to swirl in his head. "Why don't you go first?"

"There's not much I want to know about you," Leo murmured, scratching the side of her head. "Um...What's your favorite...food?"

Kid blinked blandly at her. "I'm sure you're at least capable of a more intelligent question. Despite your...asymmetrical flaws."

Leo's eyes flashed and she let out a sigh. "I don't know. Why do you like symmetry?"

"Because symmetry is the equivalent of perfection!" Kid's face brightened considerably and his eyes shone. "The entire world is based off its golden laws! Right, left, balance! The world cannot exist without it!"

Leo blinked, having scooted a few feet away due to the brightness of his passion. "That's...nice. Why don't you ask a question? I pass on the other two."

Kid blinked, one glance at the asymmetrical girl in front of him destroying his moment of pride in his beautiful symmetry. "Right. How about...You mentioned something before about a mission, what is it?"

Leo paused, not sure how to answer for a moment. She noted Kid's curious stare, his eyes seeming to search for the answer he wanted to hear. It was almost like a test she realized. A test for herself.

"I'm trying to find someone." Leo answered simply, willing herself to be able to at least give that up.

"Who?"

"A student here."

Kid felt his lips pull into a scowl. Well that basically got him near nowhere, but at least he knew something of her. He'd expected her to say that she wanted to train to be a Death weapon, but this was different. At least she didn't deny she had a different agenda.

"Which—"

"Are you sure you'd like to waste your last question on that?" Leo questioned offhandedly and Kid blinked, tapping his chin in thought.

"I suppose not. Then..." Kid glanced to the girl in front of him, a question popped up in the back of his head and he crossed his arms together, watching her carefully. "What exactly happened to your last meister?"

Leo stiffened, and Kid suddenly felt a trickle of regret. Perhaps that was a little too bold of him to ask. Even if he didn't like the girl, it didn't stop him from feeling bad for most likely losing someone very close to her.

The red eyed girl sucked in a deep breath, forcing back the memory of blues eyes and a bright grin away.

"He was killed." Leo answered finally, and Kid's eyes widened, turning to the girl sharply. "He went out and wasn't prepared."

Kid opened his mouth, but Leo shot him a sharp look, eyes blazing. Her very stature seemed to scream for him not to utter single word of condolence to her.

"I'm sorry." Kid said finally, the image of what it'd be like to no longer have Liz and Patty by his side made him cringe, a hollow feeling carving into the pit of his stomach. "I'm sure he was a good person."

"Nothing to be sorry for." Leo turned her head, gazing upwards and finding nothing but ceiling, and she found herself feeling small. "You didn't know him, it shouldn't matter."

Kid stared for a moment, watching Leo's expression unknowingly shift into one of melancholy, an almost sad look flickering through bloody eyes, and he felt something within him shift.

"Give her a chance."

Despite her great flaws, Kid felt some small part of him soften. He didn't fully trust this girl, but he could see now that she wasn't necessarily a bad person—simply a lost one. A weapon without someone to hold her.

She was simply lost.

"I feel," Kid coughed into his hand, adjusting his collar. "That we may have gotten off on the wrong foot."

Leo turned her gaze to him curiously, watching warily as he stretched out a free hand, an expectant look on his face. "I'm Death the Kid, you are?"

Leo blinked once, twice, and then the corner of her lip twitched upwards the faintest bit. Kid twitched, realizing that only one corner of her mouth went up, and blinked in curiosity as Leo leaned forward.

Gold met red in a startling clash, and a smirk curled Leo's lips upwards. Kid blinked, Leo's face so close that their noses were an inch away from touching.

Asymmetry isn't contagious. Asymmetry isn't contagious. Asymmetry isn't contagious... He began to chant as Leo's eyes narrowed, a cold, almost cruel look in the depths of the blood red.

"I think we've started off fine, Reaper Spawn." Leo quipped, and she smirked, pulling back and shoving her hands into her pocket and walking as far as the cuffs would allow her. "On to the next course, shall we?"

Kid stared at his empty hand for a moment and then jerked, eyes pulling over in rage and disbelief as he eyed the girl before him, annoyance and irritation flaring up.

Arrogant, insignificant piece of asymmetrical trash! Kid fumed, flames burning within the depths of his soul as he imagined the worst possible fates for the girl. Never again am I ever helping any asymmetrical thing again!

Leo kept her eyes trained forward, aware of the Reaper's glare burning holes into her back. The smirk was gone from her lips, and instead, replaced with a vacant look.

I'm not here to make friends. Leo cast her gaze to the side, rubbing the tattoo under her eye.

That was too dangerous.

"This..." Leo tilted her head curiously, staring at the paper in her hands and then back to the store before her. "Is the place?"

Deathbucks Café was the shop listed on the paper Lord Death had suggested. Leo stared blankly at the homey looking café, with a simple and warm air floating about it as one or two people sat inside, meaning it was a slow day.

Brick walls were the outer décor, and it radiated a calming presence. Leo blinked once before shrugging, slipping the paper into her pocket and slipping into the store. "Might as well..."

A bell jingled as she set foot, and her eyes roamed around the store, taking in the calming atmosphere, and the casual yet elegant design. The room smelled distinctively of coffee, and she found the scent rather pleasing. Bloody eyes strayed to the counter, were a gruff looking man stood, wiping down a glass with a nonchalant look on his face.

"Excuse me," His stern eyes flickered up to meet hers, and he paused in his wiping. "Are you...Master?"

"Yeah," Master set down the glass, his face impassive as he stared back at her. "What can I do for you?"

"Death said that this is the place to go to find a job," Leo explained, and she rubbed the back of her head, glancing down before glancing up. "Do you have anything available?"

He paused, looking at her. "Are you Leo Maloux?"

Her eyes flickered, and Leo inclined her head. "Yes."

Master stared at her for a moment, and Leo got the distinct feeling she was being sized up. The taller and intimidating man blinked calmly before reaching his hand under the desk, sliding a paper towards her. "When can you start?"

Leo blinked in faint surprise, and the corner of Master's lip twitched upwards ever so faintly. "I can start today...?"

"Then I'll have someone help work you through," Master replied simply, and handing her a pen he added. "Fill this out, and we can work out what times you can come in and work."

"...thank you." Leo took the paper and inclined her head once more, simple gratitude in her gaze. "I'll do my best..."

"See to it." Master resumed cleaning the glass and turned his head. "Hey! Tsugumi-chan, can you do me a favor?"

"Yes, sir!" Leo's eyes snapped to the new figure bounding towards them, a bright smile on the younger girl's face. "How can I help?"

She looked a bit younger than Leo, with an average complexion. Her eyes were a dark shade of blue-gray and black hair framed her face, tied back into two pigtails resting evenly on both sides of her head. A small smile was on her lips as she gazed at Leo curiously.

"This is the new girl," Master jutted his head towards Leo, and she glanced to him for a moment. "A DWMA student like you, show her around will you? She starts today."

"M-Me?" Tsugumi looked shocked and startled, and Leo wondered if she was imposing. "A-Are you sure you want me to do it? Not Akane or Meme—"

"You'll be good enough." Master cut off the younger girl's rambles. "Off you go now."

"R-Right!" Tsugumi turned in a flurry of black pigtails and gazed at Leo, bowing her head and smiling brightly. "My name is Tsugumi Harudori, it's nice to meet you!"

She seems like a good person. Leo blinked at her curiously before inkling her head as well. "Leo Maloux, thanks for helping me."

Tsugumi stared at her with wide eyes, a look of awe flickering across her features for a moment. "You go to DWMA too?"

"Yeah," Leo's face contorted into one of displeasure for a moment. "I'm part of the... EAT class?"

"R-Really?" Tsugumi's eyes widened like saucers, and Leo's brows furrowed slightly. Was this normally how jobs started? It seemed they involved a lot of talking...

"Then that makes you my senpai!" Tsugumi smiled, fiddling with her apron for a moment before she added. "Are you a weapon or a meister?"

"Weapon." Leo replied simply, and for probably the fourth time, Tsugumi's eyes widened further, and Leo wondered if meeting people was rare for the girl or she simply didn't get out much.

"You're just like me!" Tsugumi exclaimed, and then she blushed, looking embarrassed. "Probably way better than me though, I can barely transform into my halberd... What are you, Leo-senpai?"

Senpai? "...Senpai?"

"Ah," Tsugumi's face flushed. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you or anything—"

"Who's causing Tsugumi-chan trouble?" Leo's eyes snapped to another girl, one who looked to be the same age as Tsugumi. "Who's bugging you? Let me take care of my commoners!"

This girl had silky blonde hair, with gem-like blue eyes, and a somewhat haughty air. She stood beside Tsugumi, sizing Leo up, and the older girl blinked at her calmly. "Who're you?"

"A-Anya, that's rude!" Tsugumi whispered to her friend, though Leo simply blinked. "She's our senpai! A-Ah, I'm sorry, Leo-senpai—"

"We have a new worker?" Leo wondered if she'd walked into the wrong place to work if there were this many people here—students of the school she happened to despise nonetheless. "How great~"

The new girl had hazel eyes and short brown hair, falling softly to her chin. There was a small bit tied up at the side of her head, and she had a somewhat ditzy look on her face as she smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you!"

"Meme!" Tsugumi's eyes darted from her apparent friends to Leo in worry, and something flickered in her eyes as she seemed to sense the other girl's growing discomfort. "T-This is Leo-senpai! She's a student at DWMA—Leo-senpai these are my friends, Anya and Meme."

The two new girls looked at Leo curiously. Meme with a smile and Anya with a small glare. Leo regarded them calmly, contemplating backing out on this job and looking for a new one.

But it's close... She rubbed her arm, a sigh leaving her lips. And it pays good...

"A new employee, hmm?" Leo held back another sigh and sluggishly turned, finding two boys—looking younger than her, but beating her height by several inches. "It's nice to meet you."

The one that had addressed her was a slim looking boy with dark hair and eyes, though his hair slanted downwards in a manner that concealed his left eye. The other boy had light colored hair and eyes, a grin on his lips. "The more the merrier, right?"

I guess I have made the wrong choice. Leo's shoulders slumped, but upon the curious gaze the black haired male was giving her, Leo's body pulled back tersely, and a lazy look crawled over her face.

"A-A-Ah—this is Akane and Clay!" Tsugumi gestured to both of them, a smile on her face despite her haggled appearance. "They work here too, and they go to DWMA too!"

That bastard. Leo's face morphed into one of displeasure at the thought that Lord Death had this all planned out. I bet he knew.

"I hope we can work well together..." Akane started, bowing towards the girl with a polite smile on his face.

"Leo." Leo answered simply, eyeing him thoughtfully, and Akane did the same, and Leo decided that she didn't quite like this boy. "...same."

"Leo-senpai, have you been around here long?" Tsugumi questioned curiously, and Leo turned her gaze back to the shorter girl. "I don't see you at the dorms."

"I live in an apartment nearby," Leo answered quietly. Death had mentioned them, and she'd quickly declined, since she didn't want to interact with more people than necessary.

"Eh? Really?"

"How old are you?"

"Where'd you get that tattoo?"

"You don't seem bad for a commoner..."

Leo's eye twitched, and despite how nice the teens seemed, Leo found herself overwhelmed by the questions pouring from their lips. Her eyes went to the ceiling and she mentally cursed Lord Death, hoping he could hear her right now.

This school would be the end of her.

Thanks to; IrishxCoffee, Weirdisnormale, Zecrea, ThoughtlessRage, Just a reader, Roji, ChinaDang, Molly Grace 16, fan-rei, Lady Shadow 77, X-Craze, Mozu The Cookie Spirit, PooperScooper000, WhiteTiger BlackWolf, stalkingu, SK-Scatenato, nadzuke eno mono, Spot'sGalFrom1899, Yami Mizuna, Counting Sinful Stars, The Lollipop Assassin, and GoddessOfZombies for reviewing!

You guys are all the best, and I'm sorry for being gone so long! Though a bit slow, hopefully the updates for this story will come a bit more frequent, haha. Thanks for all the kind reviews and praise! You guys are way too nice, thank you so much. :)

And who else knows where Tsugumi's from?

Marshmellow-

-OUT!