literature

Not Just Sweets

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Valentines Day had little to no impact to young scythe meister, Maka Albarn. Love was nothing but an invalid, complex, and unsuccessful experience in her view. Her parents were living proof of that tragedy. Since then, Valentines Day had been passed as any ordinary day, but that didn't mean it would limit her to seeing it as a holiday for significant others.

Liz and Patty were the ones who had come up with this idea since they wanted some girl time bonding before the holiday. The Thompson sisters had insisted to cook at Kid's place for their kitchen had often been left neglected despite its clean, beautiful appearance. Tsubaki gave in to the idea whole heartedly and Maka smiled with approval. Now here they were, in Kid's kitchen, conversing about Maka's willingness to celebrate the least holiday she would ever consider.

"It surprises me that you actually looked forward to this, Maka," a tall, skinny female with shoulder lengthen dirty blonde hair stated.

"Well, Valentines Day isn't all about lovers you know," Maka responded. "Don't tell me you made chocolates only for guys you liked!"

"Of course we did that! That's what Valentines Day is about!" another female with short, bobbed blonde hair exclaimed, "IT'S ALL ABOUT LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!"

"Not intentionally, Patty," Tsubaki stated, "like Maka said, it's for anyone you love; it doesn't have to be just the person you have feelings for."

"Oh!" Patty exclaimed with great interest, "then I'll make one for you sis!"

Her older sister smiled warmly to her younger sibling. "Thanks, Patty."

"Alright, so let's get started," Maka began, "what should we do first, Tsubaki?"

Tsubaki took the borrowed aprons from the sisters and began to tie it behind her back. "I found a recipe for all these different chocolates some time ago and I thought that we could create chocolates that remind us of that person."

"There's more than just one?" Maka questioned.

"Yup," Liz nodded, "don't tell me you only ate one flavor!"

"Uh…" Maka flushed red.

"There's a lot of 'em, Maka!" Patty added, "There's tons of them with different flavors!"

"More or less," Tsubaki commented. "They're pretty interesting flavors! There are some that I have never heard of before!" Tsubaki pulled out the list. "Maka, what's your favorite flavor?"

"I recall only eating milk chocolate flavors."

"It says: If you like milk chocolate…. you are a kid at heart. There's innocence about you that others adore. You are very nostalgic but have tendency to live too much in the past. It sounds a lot like you, doesn't it?" Tsubaki giggled.

"Sure does!" Patty agreed, "It's Maka!"

"That's pretty accurate," Liz commented.

"That's pretty scary," Maka agreed.

"Alright, enough talking and let's get this lesson started," Tsubaki stated, "let's use this as a reference sheet for ideas."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maka, Liz, Patty, and Tsubaki sat on the kitchen floor covered in chocolate from head to toe. The girls glanced at one another followed by erupting in howls of laughter.

"Looks like we had a food fight rather than an actual lesson," Maka commented.

"We should probably head home and wash it off," Tsubaki suggested.

"Hey, why don't you shower here," Liz insisted, "Kid's got a huge bathroom as big as a sauna, so we can all shower together."

"But what about our clothes?" Maka asked.

"We'll lend you ours," Patty squealed with excitement, "Hooray for girl hang outs!"

Maka contemplated the idea for a moment. But the only thing that invaded her mind was how undeveloped she would appear in their large breasted attires. "Um, I don't think any of them will fit me…" she finally answered with embarrassment. "I'll just wear this outfit again and change when I get home."

"Are you sure?" Liz asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

"Well, aside from that, we do have some under garments we can give you," Liz recalled, "they're disposable, so you don't have to wash them."

"Okay…" Maka replied hesitantly.

"Alright! Let's start the bath!" Patty came bouncing in with four towels layered on her arm. She gathered the four girls and pushed them towards the bathroom. "Now strip! Strip!" she cackled wickedly.

"H-hey! Patty don't-!"

"Mwahaha! Hurry up and get in before the water runs cold!" Patty pushed Maka into the large bathroom first before moving on to her next victim.

Cries of protests echoed around the bathroom walls, but Maka paid no mind to it. Just as the Thompson sisters had stated, the bathroom was huge enough to serve a bath house of women!

As soon as all the girls dressed down and got in, they began to converse about gifting their presents to their partners.

"So what are you giving Soul?" Liz asked the scythe meister.

"I, uh… I'm not sure," Maka muttered. "I still haven't decided yet."

"Well, you better hurry! Tomorrow is the day you'll need to present him something!" Liz then turned her attention to the ninja tool, "Then what about you, Tsubaki?"

"I'll make Black*Star a lot of his favorite chocolates. He has a big appetite after all," Tsubaki chuckled. "What about Kid?"

"We'll get him roses and chocolates," Liz replied, "as long as he has something tangible, symmetrical memorandum of this event, he'll be happy."

"Symmetrical?" Maka questioned. She could only imagine how complex the present would be.

Liz sighed with great fatigue, "Yeah. These are the best ideas we could come up with."

"But he's happy! That's all that matters!" Patty added positively.

As long as he's happy… Maka thought, but I do want to give Soul something meaningful to show my gratitude…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The walk from Kid's house had been surprisingly short despite taking the long route home. Maka had been preoccupied with the same thought. She was still thinking about Soul's present for Valentines Day. She wanted it to be something that would remind Soul of her, something only she could give to Soul and he would approve of it. But she was already out of time! Her paper balled to fist, and at that instant, she remembered the chocolate list Tsubaki had given her. She looked at it thoughtfully before settling with the idea. Chocolate it is.

Before she knew it, Maka was standing at her apartment door and unlocking the lock.

"I'm home!" Maka called out.

"Welcome back," Soul called back in a muffled tone. There was rustling coming from his bedroom before Soul came out. He stared at Maka in a questioning manner as he noticed the chocolate covered attire.

"So did you have a food fight or what?" Soul asked.

"More or less," Maka chuckled. "Do you mind setting the pans for me while I change?"

"Sure, but what's it for?"

"Putting my lesson to the test," Maka replied with a small skip to her room.

Soul shrugged the answer aside, nevertheless did as he was told. He knew that Maka had a tendency to practice what she's learned until she had perfected it.

Moments later, Maka emerged from her room in her sweats attire, pig tails remained in place. She held a folded paper as she took her orange apron off the hanger and shoved it down the front pocket.

"Alright, thanks," Maka smiled.

"No problem," Soul stated, but remained in the kitchen to observe Maka with curiosity.

"Want to help me out?" Maka asked.

"Depends on what you're making," Soul stated.

"Chocolate," Maka replied, "it's Valentines Day tomorrow."

"Oh yeah," Soul smacked his forehead, "well let's get this started and make sure to leave some for me to taste afterwards."

"That's fine with me," Maka replied with excitement.

Moments later, Maka wiped her forehead with her sleeve as she exhaled with relief. Before them were several bowls of chocolates labeled with flavor and filling. She had carefully tasted every chocolate and made sure that they were set to perfection. She was happy with the result, but the outcome of their fruitful labor left them to question the event. The duo had chocolate splattered all over their top half throughout the process of creating them.

"Geeze, I didn't think making chocolates would be so dirty," Soul complained.

"That's the small price I have to pay for every cooking lesson," Maka replied. "It's worth it in the end."

"You got that right," Soul smirked. His eye brow rose with inquiry as he noticed a small blotch of chocolate on Maka's cheek. "You have something…" Soul pointed to the area on her face.

"Oh!" Maka replied, as her fingers touched the spot Soul had pointed out. The action had only added more chocolate on to her soft, flawless face.

"Don't move," Soul stated as he bent forward.

Maka's heart raced as Soul's face appeared closer to her. One hand held her chin, while the other rested on her right shoulder. Then she felt something damp, soft, and warm touch her cheek. Her heart had increased pace, leaving Maka dazed and disoriented. She held still as Soul continued his ministration to her other cheek. Maka's legs wobbled underneath her, causing her to reach out and hold on to Soul for support.

Soul pulled back to meet her eyes with alarmed ruby ones. Maka's embarrassed, vulnerable face had slapped Soul back into reality. What the hell am I doing? This isn't right. "Shit," Soul muttered. His hands slid down to hold her elbows, pushing her away from him.

Maka had also appeared alarmed by the sudden reaction. She kept quiet to herself, her mind registering the events that happened moments ago. She didn't know how to handle this situation. She was trapped between choosing to ask him if he was alright or kept quiet. In the end she stuck with the latter.

Soul released his grip on Maka and backed away muttering a breathy apology before running off to the bathroom. Soul slammed the door behind him, locked it, and leaned on the frame for support. He slowly slid down to the floor in a crouched position. Damn, what was I thinking? He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and confusion. Soul was surprised by his daring actions. He knew very well that his actions were motivated by his bottled feelings towards his meister, but how did he let his emotions take control of him at a crucial time like this? He'd be damned if he slipped out his feelings to her right now. The last thing he wanted was a break in their friendship, their bond. He didn't want her to look at him with that same look of loathe whenever she talked about men. He didn't want her to see him as an enemy. If he loses Maka, then his very existence would be nothing. Damn, Soul punched the floor with frustration. I'm losing my cool because of this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was moments later when Maka heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. But even the sound of reality couldn't bring her to the fact to register those tender moments. She recalled the feeling of her heart fluttering at an upbeat pace, the warm rush of heat blanketing her frame, and the soft, peppered touches of Soul's lips against hers as he licked off the chocolate. Normally, an action like this would result with her infamous chops, but this time around… she wanted to relish in it.

No, no, no! Her conscious bombarded with disapproval. All men are manipulators!

Yes, all men in love, Maka forcefully agreed. She couldn't trust anyone with her heart. As if on impulse, both of her hands gripped the fabric over her left bosom. Her heart had calmed down after his disappearance, and left her heart aching in pain. Maka recognized this aching pain through heaps of romance novels, but she could not bring herself to admit this feeling. She wanted to remain heartless, painless, emotionless when it came to love. She wants her heart to remain in one piece, perfectly stable. But over all, she wants to remain safe, even if it made her ignorant.

Maka's eyes searched about the room with idle interest as her mind continued to wander. The bowls of chocolate had finally dawned on her—Valentines Day is tomorrow! The panicked thought brought her into a spasmodic frenzy causing her to spill over chocolate on a silver tray. Maka quietly reprimanded herself for her actions as she saved the remaining chocolate and cleaned up the mess. The sight of a spontaneous design on the silver tray dismissed her chastisement and illuminated an idea.

Maka reached into her front apron and fished out the list and read each description over in a concentrated manner. She created mental notes of which chocolates reminded her of each person.

The moment her eyes read the description of brazil nuts, she chuckled. Definitely Kid... hmm I wonder which chocolate flavor would match this one. After a moment of scanning the five different flavors, she settled on bitter chocolate. Maka quickly made her way to her room in a blinding speed and searched for an old box that contained blank Valentine cards that she saved over the years. She returned to the kitchen, a pen at hand, and jotted down the definition of her selection:

Dark chocolate... you are the problem solver! Always looking ahead, a true visionary. You have a love and appreciation for worldly things but can be materialistic at times.

Brazil Nuts... you are diplomatic, cultured, and sociable, a perfectionist.


She laid the card on the table and decided to write her message later; it was best that she finished the cards while she waited on the chocolates to cool down over night. She wrote Kid's name beside her selection to remind her of the chocolate she'll use.

For his two partners, Maka chose: all chocolates: you are the social butterfly! Always hip and well liked by others, you are flexible and know how to roll with the punches. You seek to please but can loose sight of yourself from time to time in doing so. But their fillings differed from one another. For Patty, she chose cherry: you are energetic, passionate, and exciting. As for Liz, she settled with marshmallow: you are social, talkative, and optimistic. Just by looking at this list, Maka knew that this would be a long order to fill.

Now on to Black*Star, she selected bitter chocolate: the connoisseur! You are authoritative and well respected by many. You are determined and unwavering but often inflexible and stubborn and for the filling, lime: you are straightforward, goal orientated, a freedom seeker.

For Tsubaki, Maka saw her more as a white chocolate: you are the eternal peace keeper! You seek truth and fairness in the world and with others. Keeping all options open, you rarely close any doors, occasionally making you a bit passive.

The scythe meister searched for chocolate flavors and fillings for several more people until she felt satisfied with her assortment. She glanced back at the silver tray and thought of her designs. She knew exactly what she wanted to do on Valentines Day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was barely past three in the morning when Soul got out of bed to get a drink of milk. Although he was in a hazy state, Soul considered his partner's rest and crept quietly into the kitchen.

Once there, he was surprised to see colorful streamers and decorative plastics enveloping the floor. There were several dishes, knives, and spoons stacked in the sink with chocolate plastered all over them. The smell of chocolate overwhelmed the entire room, intoxicating its victims with its sweet, mouth-watering goodness. The scent had almost won him over, but all temptation vanished when he found a curled Maka asleep on the floor with scissors at hand. Soul quickly took the tool away and laid it on the table. "Stupid girl," he muttered softly, "are you trying to kill yourself?"

Maka remained undisturbed in her curled position, as if she was keeping herself warm. She slept with a peaceful expression on her face, her mouth slightly parted as an airy breath slipped out.

Soul ran his hands through her messy, untied hair with gentle care. This appearance, this security, this expression… they will never be seen by anyone else but me, he thought to himself. Even if she couldn't return his feelings, these small moments, torturous and tempting as they were, reminded him of the advantages of being just meister and weapon. Soul gently cradled the sleeping girl in his arm and began to make his way back to her bedroom. Soul thanked his lucky stars that Maka had already been dressed for bed as he gently set her on her bed. He tucked the girl in gently, hoping that he wouldn't stir her out of her sleep. Maka continued to sleep on with that peaceful look on her face.

Soul had one hand holding on to the frame of her head bed, and leaned his head close to hers. It was close enough for their lips to softly brush one another. It took every will power to retract from his action. The frame of the bed was replaced by an elbow to support Soul's weight, while his lips rested on his fist.

His conscience screamed with rebuke for what he had almost attempted. He knew now that he was reaching his limit. If he stayed any longer, his emotions would take over. It drove him insane that Maka could make him react like this, even if she slept. It was her vulnerable appearance that made him want to protect her from anyone else. If anyone had seen her like this… how will they react?

Soul gently disarmed himself from the frame and quietly made his way to the door. He stood there quietly, silently admiring Maka from afar like he always did.

"Don't show this vulnerable side of you to anyone," he whispered softly before closing the door and returning to his own bedroom, his goal long forgotten.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maka awoke with no revelation of her sudden transportation. She knew only one word that would explain this: Soul. A smile crept on her face as she stretched before getting out of bed.

She made her way to the kitchen with her mind set on breakfast, but the chaotic mess she had left the early morning had been cleaned. In a panic state, Maka dashed towards the kitchen to check on the bags of chocolates she made earlier that morning. She released a sigh of relief when she spotted all of the bags together. She was aware that her creations weren't exactly professionally perfect, but they still came out great. Maka was happy with the result nonetheless.

The young meister pulled out all of the plastic bags and placed them in a bag, ready to be handed out for all her loved ones. As soon as she finished, she made her way to Soul's room and came in to wake him up. She was surprised to find an empty, clean bed rather than its usual messy appearance with the owner sleeping in a serene state.

Maka was upset that Soul had left without her, but she couldn't blame him. Last night's event was still fresh in her mind, and she also did not know how to face him. I guess it's for the best, she thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soul woke up a little early with a surprise breakfast idea installed in his mind. He wanted breakfast to be a little more spontaneous than usual just for this special occasion. He was eager to get started on cooking, but when he opened the fridge he had found several variety decorated bags sitting on the top row. Two designs, a repetition of horizontal black and white patterns and one with tiny white stars arranged in a parallel fashion, were labeled with Kid and Black*Star's names. Both were shaped bigger in appearance, compared to the smaller bags behind them. Even through the shiny, reflective material, he saw that there was a lot of hard work put into them, painstakingly molded to perfection. Soul's heart sunk and he closed the fridge, forgetting about his Valentines Day idea.

Instead, he headed out early and ate in the school cafeteria for breakfast. All he could think of were those two chocolates. It looked like Maka really liked them more than him. He ate his food with bland interest, swallowing down his meal until his stomach was full and headed to class with ten minutes to spare.

It was funny how his eyes had found the person he was searching for the moment he had walked in. Maka's back was towards him while she handed her chocolates and cards to Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty. He could over hear them gushing with excitement and glee when they received their chocolates from Maka. Soul sat down in his usual seat; head down on the desk, and listening in to Maka's conversation intently.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It just doesn't seem right that yours have to be smaller," Maka said, "who wrote that stupid rule that chocolates have to be bigger for the opposite sex?"

"It's always been that way," Liz answered as she read the small card, "the bigger they are, the more important they are to you." A smile made its way to Liz's lips and she pulled Maka in for a quick hug to show her gratitude.

"It's good you that you made them big," Tsubaki added, "It shows more meaning to them." She also hugged Maka after finishing the card.

"I hope so," Maka sighed, "I stayed up all night making them. I'm surprised they came out better than the first time I attempted."

Maka noticed Soul's presence by the way Tsubaki's eyes glanced at the seat where they usually sat. In a soft whisper, Tsubaki asked, "Did you guys get into another fight again?"

The memory of the night before raced through her mind in that second. There was no way she would tell them about that incident.

"Something likes that…" Maka replied.

Tsubaki frowned with disapproval. Liz glanced at Soul and back at the other two girls with the message received.

"You should really make up soon," Liz stated, "it's not good to have a bad atmosphere at a time like this."

"What are you trying to say, Liz?" Maka became skeptical almost immediately.

"DATE! DATE! DA-" Patty squealed with jubilation. Maka tackled Patty and covered her mouth.

"You're too loud!" Maka hissed.

Patty's eyes widened with embarrassment then a soft, muffled giggle.

It couldn't be helped; Maka had to release her before they made an even bigger scene.

"Go on a date with him!" the over bubbly girl suggested with a soft giggle.

"No way in he-"

The familiar sound of rolling wheels echoed in the hallway before their homeroom teacher finally appeared.

Professor Stein flew across the room, spinning in a wild manner on the floor. When he had finally come to a stop, he pulled out a book in a nonchalant manner. "Alright, settle down, students. Because today is the climax of love, I decided today's dissection will be set on this infamous pair—yes you guessed it: love birds!"

The class was filled with groans, but Professor Stein paid no heed to it.

It was going to be a long morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The conversation Soul had overheard only made him grow even more depressed. He already knew that his love life with the girl of his dreams was little to nothing, but he didn't expect Maka to actually take upon Liz and Tsubaki's advices. What had driven him insane was Patty's suggestion. He questioned Maka's motives with worry. Why was she now accepting love? Did Kid and Black*Star impact her life more than he did?

The bell rang, signifying the start of lunch break. Students filed out the classroom with excitement. Soul remained at his desk, chin resting on the table as he watched Maka make her way to the front of the room and hand him a stitched decorated plastic with a medium sized chocolate. It was a little smaller compared to the other two boys she made, but nonetheless accepted her gift with gusto.

Maka ran out of the classroom with her bag of chocolates at hand.

Soul finally made his move and decided to follow her out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In this endeavor, he spotted Maka handing chocolates to other school staffs. Sid and Nygus were about the same size and wrapped by decorations of hearts, but they were happy as well. Then he followed her to Lord Death's room and waited outside. He can only imagine the reaction of her father and Lord Death as she presented her gift to the shinigami.

Five minutes passed and Maka hurriedly emerged from the room with her father chasing after her, a heart covered plastic in his hand. He had tears in his eyes as he cradled the chocolate to his chest.

"MAAAKKKAAAAA! MAAAAKKKKKKAAAAA!" he wailed after her as he collapsed to the floor and watched her walk away.

A smile of amusement made its way to Soul's lips. He didn't expect Maka to actually make one for her father as well.

Soul made sure that he left a large gap between them, in order to hide himself from her soul perception along with the crowd of other students.

The next gift was given to Crona, who had cautiously accepted the chocolate with revelation and happiness. Maka had pulled him to a hug and exchanged a few words. Moments later, Ragnarok appeared and smiled mockingly at the scythe meister. Maka dug into her bag and pulled out several plastic bags decorated with rose petals. She held it out for Ragnarok and he took it with ecstatic pleasure. Ragnarok and Crona waved goodbye as Maka turned in his direction.

Soul walked quickly away, increasing the gap of his pursuit. He returned to class in time with a cool façade plastered on his face. He saw a flooding amount of chocolates and notes on his desk, and Soul couldn't help but grow annoyed of it all. He didn't want any of these presents when none of them came from the girl he loved.

Before Soul could throw away the chocolates, Black*Star and Kid walked in with a nonchalant appearance as they acknowledged his pile of sweets.

"Popular as ever, huh?" Kid commented.

"Eh," Soul replied.

"Where's my stash of chocolate?" Black*Star complained, "of course your superior god should also receive piles and piles of chocolate from thousands of admirers."

Soul couldn't help but feel a little irritated about the way his best friend had stated that sentence. He was getting something from Maka, while he got this pile of worthless presents. For once, Soul actually envied Black*Star.

"Take them," Soul stated. "I was going to throw them out anyways."

"Seriously?" Black*Star glowed with happiness.

"That's inconsiderate, Soul, do you know how much work they committed to create this for you?" Kid chastised.

Soul shrugged it off with no interest, "Just take them, before I actually do decide to throw them out."

"Sweet! Thanks, Soul!" Black*Star screamed with enthusiasm as he took the pile and set them on his table. "Now I'm the most popular guy for Valentines Day!"

"He's never gonna live this down," Kid pinched the bridge of his nose while shaking his head disapprovingly. "You've done it now, Soul."

"Weren't you the one who said that I shouldn't waste these in the first place?" Soul replied.

"So, mister popular, what happened to your stash of chocolate you get every year?" Maka asked.

Soul was surprised that Maka had returned a bit later than he had, but he hid the astonishment while Maka and Kid exchanged a quick wave as he excused himself. Soul met her gaze with a dull, uninterested look as he answered, "I gave them away to Black*Star."

"You know he'll never live this down," Maka commented, as she took her seat beside him.

"I don't care," he muttered. Soul laid his head down on the desk like he usually did. With this action, he was able to peek into her bag and find only two more chocolates were left: Kid and Black*Star.

Soul saw Maka's hand reach into the bag and pull out Black*Star's gift and made her way to the the self absorbed narcissist.

"That's for me?" the obnoxious ninja asked.

"Of course," Maka answered, "who else would be named Black*Star here?"

Black*Star cackled as he threw his head back, "Of course not! No one can have a kick ass name like mine! I'm the only one bestowed with this high title!" He took the big chocolate from Maka's grasp. "Whoa," he commented, "did you stuff rocks in this thing or what?"

Maka's patience grew thin, due to the hurtful comment of her creation. "Maybe. It's all up to you if you want to eat it." Maka made her way back to her seat with dignity.

Black*Star stared after her with a big grin on his lips, "I see how it is. You think your almighty god can't consume chocolate covered rocks? I'll prove you wrong!"

Maka slammed her head on her desk and groaned with annoyance, instantly regretting her decision.

"You just added more fuel to that fire," Soul chuckled.

Maka groaned once again, but quickly stood up as she recalled her last present. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for a certain shinigami. Finally she found him conversing with Patty and Liz at the door, but before she could call out his name, the bell rang and once again, class was back in session. The trio left the classroom, having the consent of Professor Stein.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey Soul, go on home without me. I need to do something before I head home," Maka said.

"I can wait, ya know," Soul replied.

"It's okay, really. I'll see you at home." With that, Maka dashed out of the room with high energy.

Soul couldn't help but feel more and more depressed. So it was Kid this whole time, he thought. He knew that Maka had only one chocolate bag left after and it was the one person she hadn't given the present to. Soul couldn't go home thinking about how Kid and Maka will be spending the afternoon. Instead of heading home, Soul ran after Maka.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Just Kid left," Maka murmured to herself. Valentines Day had become a most memorable event for her with all the smiles she received from her friends. She could only imagine Kid's reaction when he'll receive his gift. Other than Soul, she's been looking forward to see Kid's reaction to what she had created all night. It couldn't be helped that she made his with so much effort that it was perfectly symmetrical for his taste. She only hoped that the chocolate had not melted and destroyed her hard work.

Maka searched high and low with her soul perception to find the boy. She was surprised to sense his soul walking about in the forest outside of the academy. She pushed herself to run faster, to catch up to him.

Finally, she found him quietly observing the trees with idling interest.

"Kid!" Maka exclaimed.

The boy turned towards her with a small smile on his face to greet his friend. "Hey Maka."

"I've been looking all over for you. Why are you here all by yourself?" the exhausted girl gasped out.

"Well, I received a note from a secret admirer and they told me to meet them out here alone," Kid replied.

"Oh, I see. She didn't show up yet?" Maka asked.

"I just got here," Kid replied. He paused then look at Maka curiously, "you don't happen to be-"

"No, no, no, no!" Maka interrupted, "I didn't give you that note."

"Then what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well like I said earlier, I just came here to give you your Valentines Day present." Maka dug into her bag and pulled out a black and white pattern plastic bag with Kid's name written on it.

"Oh, Maka…"

"It was not-"

"Why did you have to write my name on the bag?" Kid interrupted, "The symmetry has been disrupted!"

"I'm sure the content will please you more, Kid," Maka sighed with fatigue.

Kid began to open the bag and pulled out a card. He flipped the card open and quickly read the message inscribed in it. A chuckle escaped his lips as he returned his gaze to meet Maka's. "Bitter chocolate and Brazil nuts? Where did this idea come from?"

"It was Tsubaki's lesson. I got the idea off of it," Maka answered. "Perhaps the chocolate I made you will make up for the disrupted symmetry."

Kid tucked the card under his arm before digging into the bag and pulled out a carefully, wrapped chocolate. He unraveled the chocolate and gawked at it.

"Maka… it's simply—I don't—It's perfectly symmetrical!" he raised the solid, 3D chocolate of an elliptical shaped figure eight in the air, his eyes glowed with gusto. "I don't know what to say…"

"I hope that our friendship would last for eternity, that's why I used that symbol," Maka chuckled. "I was hoping you like it. I know how you love symmetrical things, and I'm not the best chocolate molder in the world."

"Are you kidding? This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! You're a natural!" he complimented. "Oh! Which reminds me…" Kid returned the chocolate creation in its wrappings followed by placing it back into the bag. Then he pulled out a small velvet box from his back pocket. "It reminded me of you when I found it."

Maka's eyes widened as she gazed at the unopened present. "This must be expensive," she commented. "I can't possibly accept this, Kid."

"It's nothing big," Kid waved off. "We're friends after all."

Maka lifted the cover with great care and gawked at the content. "A bracelet?"

"I know you don't wear jewelry a lot, so I thought it would be a great idea to just start off with a simple bracelet."

"You call this simple?" It was a silver bracelet with five dangling laminated charms. The first one was a silver gun with a small writing of 'death' entitled on it. Second was an image of skulls that Kid used for his rings. Next was an image of a mouth and sharp teeth set in the middle with the words 'Eat' at the very top. The middle charm was a bright blue soul that sparkled in the light every time the light bounced off it. Then it was a chained sickle in the shape of an 'L'. After that was an ordinary star but shaded in black. At the very end was the same gun as the first charm. "This is absolutely, beautiful," Maka commented with awe. "But how did you-"

"Don't worry about it," Kid waved off, "Just think of it as having a little piece of us with you."

Maka pulled Kid into an abrupt hug. Kid was taken aback by her action, but returned by wrapping his arms around her.

"Thank you," Maka smiled, "I'll always treasure it."

Kid smiled softly, "I know you will. By the way, Happy Valentines Day, Maka."

Maka's face glowed with pure happiness, "Happy Valentines Day to you as well, Kid." With that, Maka walked away, her hands held behind her back, holding on to the present she just received.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soul had rushed home the moment, Kid had wrapped his arms around Maka. He couldn't bear to watch it any longer and headed home. The way Maka had reacted to Kid's present told him that he had lost.

So here he was, on his bed with Maka's present resting on his chest. It was another box similar to what Kid had given her, but his was longer because of its content: a gold, diamond heart necklace. It was simple, but he knew it would look elegant on Maka.

He sighed with depression as he flipped the box over and over in his hand. He couldn't give her this present. He had to think of something better to top off Kid.

"I'm home!"

"Welcome home," Soul called out, but he made no effort to come out of his room. He continued to play around with the box idly.

He listened to Maka's feet shuffle around the kitchen followed by her footsteps echoing in the narrow hallway that led to his room. He heard her softly rap on his door and he knew that facing her would be inevitable. He sighed as he got up and opened the door.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey."

"Can I come in?"

Soul shrugged and turned back to his bed and lied back down. He made sure that his body covered the velvet box from view.

"Mind explaining what was going on with you today?" Maka asked.

"Nothing."

Maka frowned, not accepting his answer. "I know you better than that, Soul. Come on and just tell me."

"I told you, it's nothing, Maka."

"You were following me this entire day. Don't tell me that's nothing."

Soul sat up on his bed and hopped off so he could stand in front of Maka. "I'm telling you, it's nothing, Maka. Quit being so nosy! Besides it's not like I'm asking you about your little confrontation with Kid."

"Oh, so you were watching us? Didn't I tell you to go home? Besides that doesn't concern you, Soul," Maka barked.

"So I can't worry about my meister when she disappears every once in a while?" Soul raised his voice.

"Exactly! I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

"That's total bull shit, Maka. You can't take care of yourself when you're alone. You always end up needing someone to pick you up off the ground."

Maka didn't speak after that. She looked at Soul with a sad look in her eyes as she muttered, "You're right… I can't do things by myself." Maka approached him and handed the brown box in his hands. "I just came in to give this to you. I'm sorry to be such a burden…Happy Valentines Day." Maka walked out of the room and quietly closed it behind her.

She walked to her room and lied down on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest as she leaned against the wall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soul stared at the large package in his hand and flipped it to the other side gently. There stuck a letter addressed to him. It said:

Soul,

Happy Valentines Day. I'm sorry I had to give you yours on such a late note. This present was the last one I made before passing out for the night. I left it in the fridge to cool down faster before handing it to you. I hope you enjoy it. I worked really hard just to show you my gratitude. Thank you for everything up to now. I hope you'll stay by my side for a long time.

-Maka


"Dammit," he cursed. It was his fault that this fight started tonight; it wasn't supposed to end this way, and he sure as hell wasn't going to leave it like this.

Soul hurriedly took the velvet box off his bed and made his way to Maka's room without a second thought. He barged into her room, just in time to see her cover her face within her pillow.

"I'm sorry, Maka. That was out of the line and I shouldn't have said that," he apologized. Soul made his way to the bed. "Maka, look at me."

"Go away!" she screamed into her pillow.

Soul wouldn't have her answer and forcefully took the pillow from her. "Listen to me, Maka. I'm serious. Look at me when I'm talking to you." Slowly, Maka looked up to meet Soul's eyes with trails of tears coming down her cheeks. Soul gently wiped the tears away as he spoke, "You were right. There was something wrong with me today and I shouldn't have acted the way I did just now. You deserve something better." Soul took out the velvet box and opened it. He took out the necklace and placed it around her neck.

Maka touched the gold, diamond studded heart shaped pendant with confusion. "I was right," Soul said softly. "It looks good on you."

A wave of warmth washed over Maka, painting her entire face red as she stared at Soul speechlessly.

Soul took notice of her reaction and couldn't help but think that she was adorable. His hands made their way to hers and gently grasped it in a tender manner. "I know right now isn't the perfect time to tell you this," he voiced out in a struggled tone, "so I will hold on to these words for a little while longer." His eyes bore into Maka's with so much intensity that she had to remember to breathe calmly. "I want you to stay by my side forev-for a little while longer. When you're with me, don't look at anyone else, Maka. Especially today, when it's Valentines Day. I didn't want you going around handing all these chocolates to men who didn't deserve all your effort when they weren't someone you considered as your lo-Valentine."

"Soul..." Maka voiced out, but Soul turned away, a blush making its way to his face.

"W-will you be my Valentine?"

Maka remained speechless, unsure of what to say to this confession, but she did know one thing. For tonight, she'll grant him that wish.

"You know, you should really look at the person's eyes when you say that," Maka murmured timidly.

Soul looked back into her eyes and saw an unusual amount of tenderness in them. The look gave him a sense of hope and confidence.

"It's uncool to make a guy repeat what he just said," Soul smirked.

Maka giggled softly, "Well, how will they know if the person is being serious?"

"Fine," he submitted. "Maka Albarn."

Maka perked to the sound of her name with amusement.

"Will you be my Valentine?"

"Okay…" she answered softly.

"Really?" Soul asked, a glimmer of astonishment sparkled from his eyes.

Maka nodded and Soul pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank goodness…" he sighed in relief. "I thought Kid was going to be your Valentine."

Maka shook her head as she raised her bracelet. "Kid got me a bracelet with all of you guys in it. It's more of a friendship bracelet."

Soul smiled when he saw his charm. So it's like that…

"By the way, did you ever get to read the card?" Maka asked.

"Yeah," Soul replied.

She smiled approvingly. "Then do you know why yours took the longest time?"

"Is it because it was the last one?" he asked.

"Not just that…" Maka trailed on.

"Uh…?"

"You didn't finish reading the bottom did you?"

"I didn't even see what was inside!" Soul exclaimed. "Give me a second." Soul ran off to his room to retrieve the present Maka had given him as well as the card. "P.S. did you know chocolates have personalities?" he read aloud, "They do?"

"Just keep reading, idiot," Maka encouraged.

"You act so childish sometimes, but there are moments where you can be mature. To me, there was always some sort of innocence in you that I can't be helped but be interested in. There's something mysterious about you when it comes to your past, like me. We have a lot of things in common. You remind me of my favorite chocolate, so I hope you'll enjoy this flavor!" he read in an emotionless manner.

"Way to show great enthusiasm while reading my letter," Maka huffed.

Soul chuckled as he gently pulled out the content within the brown box. He was surprised to hold up a heavy, chocolate in the form of an eighth note, it was twice the size of Kid's and Black*Star's combined. "I can see why you had to leave it in the fridge all day, it's so freakin' heavy." Maka frowned. "But still, I appreciate it a lot, Maka." Soul smiled. "You really put a lot of effort in this. Not bad for your first time making chocolate." He took a piece of the chocolate and savored the taste. Soul couldn't help but chuckle as he swallowed the piece.

"What?" Maka asked.

"Who would have guessed it would be the same flavor I tasted yesterday?"

"Huh, and out of ten different combinations... what a coincidence," Maka stated.

Soul pulled another piece of chocolate and fed it to Maka. She savored the taste the same way Soul had, smiling at the memory that came from them.

They weren't just sweets, but memories of a hidden, forming love.
A little bit rushed here, give me a moment to fix it!
Edit: Alright, just finished the story but still gotta fix the bold and italics!
Edit 2: Alright I finally went over this thing and finished every edits I needed to do! I hope you'll enjoy this story!

Edit 3: ERR MEHH GERD I FINALLY FINISHED EDITING! :iconblacksnaaaplz:
I couldn't take how horrifyingly disgraceful I wrote it out the first time, so I had to go back and throw in more details. The most important piece of this story was missing so I just finally found the time to do it. The entire story is the same for the most, but I just filled in more fluff and details if you want to re-read it

I'm never gonna write super fast ever again :iconcannotevenplz:

~~~~~~~

Oh how do I begin with this random bubble of idea... well I can say is that it was meant to be dedicated for the :iconsoulxmakaclub: Valentines Day contest, but because of my limited time, I wasn't able to finish it throughout the week! So for the last 6 hours, I've been typing up this story since the 14th and kind of rushed it just to meet the deadline, but luckily I was able to revise it and make the story come to a full closure.

I cannot express how happy I am that I finally finished this one shot! For the past 3 days I've stayed up to finish my homework followed by writing the next chapter of "Until Now" for chapter 4 in hopes of finishing that before this one shot, but alas, that's impossible. So the past couple nights I've stayed up until 2am just to get as far as I can in the story! I can't begin to tell you how EXHAUSTED I am right now. It's like 1:15am and I should be passed out on my bed sleeping, but I still have to do some last minute finishing touches and I'll be free! Then I can sleep until it's time for me to get ready for my choir competition by 12pm! Anyways, later! :D

This is a super long one-shot with 14 pages long! But I hope the story will perk your interest! :)

Happy Valentines Day guys! :D

~~~~~~~

Cover & Summary:

The Hidden Meaning of Chocolate (the list Maka used as reference): [link]

:iconsoulxmakaclub: 2nd place prize: Bracelet scene by :iconguardian-angel15:



~~~~~~~

(c) Soul Eater belongs to Atsushi Ōkubo
(c) Not Just Sweets belongs to me
(c) Picture belongs to KISS (Miya Katsura/Niwa-tori)
(c) Editted on pixlr-o-matic and ipiccy
Comments100
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AlleycatIrony's avatar
:star::star::star::star::star: Overall
:star::star::star::star::star: Vision
:star::star::star::star::star: Originality
:star::star::star::star::star: Technique
:star::star::star::star::star: Impact

This... I can't even.... *Falls over from fangirling* ...Amazing... erk Soul, you are so so adorable (/o.o)/
I loved the way you wrote this!

I know you probably think 5 stars for everything is just a helpful critique, but I honestly couldn't give you any less!! It was just perfect! <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/b/b…" width="15" height="15" alt=":D" data-embed-type="emoticon" data-embed-id="366" title=":D (Big Grin)"/>

You should write more because you portray the characters so well...
And who cares who soul eater belongs to! You should own it!! Seriously, I bet you could make the anime/manga shine so bright!

And if this were in an actual episode id be all like: OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG while running around slapping people id be fangirling that much! I'm sure that i'm not the only one <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/w/w…" width="15" height="15" alt=";)" data-embed-type="emoticon" data-embed-id="387" title=";) (Wink)"/>