A month had passed since I stayed in the infirmary, getting loads of legal paperwork for my transferral into the DWMA, signing up for a boardroom, personal information, the whole nine yards. It was dreadfully dull... The only problem was, I couldn't use my real birth name since that would be completely out of the ordinary here! I needed to blend in as much as possible...
Like a super sweet ninja...
Unfortunately, I couldn't think of anything! I couldn't attend the Academy until this paperwork was done, but I had to think of something! I tapped the pen against my chin, lightly kicking my feet in frustration as I lay upside-down on the couch. Maka and Soul were kind enough to let me stay at their place until I was ready to move into mine! While they weren't at the Academy, they taught me basic human functions since I..."forgot"... all of them in the fall. (Hey, I had to come up with something, cut me some slack!) Which, of course, included writing. My handwriting wasn't too legible, but it was a little similar to my original cursive type that I used back in Equestria, which isn't too shabby. I dropped the pen suddenly, bringing me back to the present. I groaned loudly and turned back around, laying on my stomach.
"I don't wanna get uuuuuuuuupppp..."
Suddenly, I heard a knock at the door before it slowly began to open. They were home! Finally! Not even Blaire stayed home with me today. Said she had some "business" to take care of at the bar. Only Maka's dad goes there anymore. I huffed. What was so important that even she had to leave?...
"Milly, we're home!"
Maka's cheery voice rang through the apartment as it brought my spirits back up. I got up from the couch, picking up the pen and putting it on the coffee table. They were always the highlight of my day. I hugged Maka first. Our friendship grew nicely, often going shopping while dinner was being prepared, trying to learn how to cook together, (keyword: trying...) anything friends could do together, we've done it in just this one short month! We broke the hug and I ran to the other figure, hugging him and burying my face in his chest. Seeing them was always the highlight of my day! Especially...
"Hey, cutie. Miss me?"
Him...
I found myself choking on my words. How was this man allowed to be this handsome? Not to mention he called me cutie... I took a step back, looking at Maka, finding her with an expression I couldn't place... She quickly shook it off and smiled before retreating quickly to the kitchen. I looked back at Soul, grinning and blushing heavily.
"Of course I did! I don't like being here by myself... I want to go with you, but-!"
He cut me off.
"Still can't think of a name?"
I shook my head, sighing and looking at the documents and the pen. Thinking of a name coming from a place that is completely different from my own? Easier said than done. I've gone through five different pages, front to back, writing down potential names, but none of them sounded human! It was downright aggravating, so eventually, at some point I gave up and just layed upside-down, letting the blood rush to my brain, hoping it would do something to make me think. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
"Hmm... Well, let me set these groceries down and I'll come sit down and help you think of a cool name, okay?" He grinned at me and my heart lost it. It bounced off the walls and there was nothing I could do to save myself from this man! I nodded and sat back down on the couch.
"Okay!"
I tried taking deep breaths to stop my heart from fluttering, but nothing could stop its high. If only we were together... All the things we could do together! Picnics, ice skating, movies, everything that I've never done with a boyfriend before! Including stargazing, of course... I found myself smiling like a complete idiot as I thought of these things, placing my hands on my chest. Suddenly, my ears picked up Soul and Maka's voices in the kitchen.
"Soul, you know how being that way with anyone would affect your work at the Academy..."
What?... What way?... With who?... I kept listening, my brow furrowing in curiosity and concern.
"I know that, Maka. But... No, never mind. Just don't worry. I'm too cool to let anything ruin my chances of becoming a Death Scythe."
I felt my heart crack... Is this boy married to this school?... Is he just trying to please me by complimenting me all the time? Does he have any intention of actually dating me? Is he... Playing me?... I got up and ran up to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me. I was probably overreacting to this whole situation. But I couldn't help but curl up in the corner and sob... He... really is just playing me, isn't he?... I wouldn't know... I've never had a boyfriend, and I never got to hear about anyone's relationship drama in Ponyville because of my star studies... I guess I had to be careful. I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror. A face I used to think was pretty now turned... Undesirable in my eyes. My hands found their way up to my face and covered my eyes as my knees gave out, bringing me back to the floor. My fingertips dragged downwards and pulled my skin as they went, leaving a red trail of irritated skin. Looking back in the mirror, I sobbed silently as I placed a damp, cold washcloth over the redness of my face, hoping to get rid of it before meeting back up with Soul. I wouldn't want him to know I was weak. I'd rather just let him believe that my depression is something he doesn't have to know about. Yeah... That sounded like a game plan to me. I took deep breaths, calming myself down and waited for my eyes to reduce their puffiness.
Once that happened, I gathered my courage and emotions and headed back down to the living room, still taking deep breaths. I saw Soul sitting on the couch before he turned his head to look at me. Our eyes locked and my heart melted, but also cracking just a little bit more. His deep, soothing voice brought me back to reality.
"There you are. Are you okay? I've been waiting for the past five minutes. Your face is a little flushed... Do you have a fever?"
I stuttered, choking on my words again.
"Oh, this?... N-No, I feel fine!... Just a little hot today, so I went to cool myself off!..." I laughed nervously, hoping he couldn't see the sadness in my eyes. He raised an eyebrow and a small smile before looking down at the documents.
"If you really say so. Anyway, I think we came up with the perfect name for you when we first started calling you by nicknames. It's the closest to your original name without sounding... odd. Are you ready?"
I nodded excitedly and sat down next to him, patting my legs in a drumroll to create false enthusiasm. I forced a smile and showed my face. He wrote something down on the papers and faced them away from me, turning his body toward mine. He grinned and slowly turned the papers around.
"Milly Whey!"
I felt my eyes widen as my drumroll stopped. He wasn't kidding! That really is the perfect name! I started bouncing in my seat, smiling like a complete idiot again, forgetting my previous emotions. My gradient eyes met his deep red orbs. His shone with confidence and calm, something I've lacked ever since I was young. I was jealous of him and the rest of his friends. It didn't take me long to spring from my seat and embrace him, despite knowing the possibility that he might not even be interested in me.
"It really is perfect! Thank you!"
I was expecting him to delay his hugs like he normally does with his "I'm too cool for that" nature, but to my surprise, his arms caught me and embraced me tighter than he ever has before. My stomach fluttered with butterflies and my face instinctively buried itself in his warm chest in affection. My heart soon completely stopped when I felt him rub his nose on the top of my head. I gripped his shirt in the embrace, trying to prevent myself from screaming in pure delight.
In this one moment, it felt like time had stopped... Just for us... Minutes felt like years as we just stayed in this embrace, enjoying each other's company. I felt his husky voice whisper to me.
"I'm glad I could help, cutie..." He then spoke in a normal volume. "Now that we have your name figured out, what say I take you to some of the coolest parts of the city? I know you like to take walks and you haven't gotten many ever since you were discharged. What do you say?" His eyes showed a softness that I've never seen until this point. They only made me fall even deeper in love...
"I'd... I'd love that! Thank you!"
"It's settled then. Maka, Milly and I are heading out while you're making dinner. Blaire should be home soon, anyway."
Maka's voice called back from the kitchen. Something about her tone sounded different.
"... Okay! Be careful, and don't stay out for too long, okay?"
"Yeah yeah, I got it. See ya later."
He grabbed his black jacket from a coat rack near the door and I grabbed a navy blue coat I bought not too long ago. With that, Soul opened the door and strode out, me following suit. The autumn air was warm that day. I spread out my arms and closed my eyes, taking in all the scents of fall. It was my favorite season and smelling all the baked goods people make always made coming into Ponyville from my home a bit more cheery. I noticed Soul was down the stairs already and walked quickly down them to catch up.
We walked in blissful silence and traced the city with our footsteps. He took me to a cafe where we met a few of the other Academy students, their names being Kilik, Kim, Jackie, and Ox. They seemed nice enough, but I could not find words with new people for the life of me! We then bought some pieces of apple pie someone was selling on the street and found a place to sit and talk. A nice little park where people were giving their dogs a nice walk before it got dark. We sat on a bench and sat in silence, eating the pie. This silence was a bit tenser. I didn't like it... My mind began to flood with possible things I could say, but nothing was happy conversation... I desperately wanted to ask what he really thinks about me... If he's... Using me... He had to have sensed my tension and turned his body to face mine. My body tightened as he put his hand on my shoulder, his expression soft and his eyes wistful.
"Hey... Look at me."
Hearing his voice shocked me slightly as I jumped and my eyes widened, looking at him. His eyes shifted to see every part of mine. I gulped in anticipation.
"I... Heard what you were doing in the bathroom. I didn't want to bring it up in front of Maka because she's all work and no play..." He laughed a little at his own statement before looking back at me.
"But I don't care what she says. And I know what I said hurt you. But I didn't mean it. Yes, I want to become a Death Scythe, but I'm not a firm believer in just working... I also need to relax sometimes. And... Ever since I met you, I've been able to do that a lot more. Such a cool girl like you allows me to just chill and talk with people easily. I had a hard time expressing myself before, but... Let me try it again now..."
He moved closer to me and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ears... Placed his hand on the back of my head and began to lean in... My heart raced in anticipation...
What was he doing?...