Soul Resonance, Let's Go!

He chuckled lightly at Yume's nonverbal insult, watching for a moment as she turned abruptly and stalked off towards the cafeteria. As he turned away, headed in the opposite direction, his smile fell from his face as easily as he'd summoned it, and the fire in his eyes died almost as quickly. That girl was strange. Sometimes, it seemed like she was one of the stars of the class--but next, she was snoring with her head on her desk. Kureno shrugged his shoulders, shaking himself from his thoughts as he pulled his coat collar a bit higher around his neck. Although it was nearing the end of winter in DWMA, the air still had a sharp chill to it.

Spring would be coming soon, and so with a new semester came new graduates to the EAT class. DWMA didn't have an extravagant ceremony for it's ascending students, keeping things quieter. Those who are deemed worthy enough to move up are swiftly and silently handed a simple certificate by Sid, along with a small paper giving instructions. The students meet with Sid after class on a specified day, are given small packets explaining their graduation and a rather unceremonious, very short, hand-me-a-real-certificate-and-move-on event takes place right there in Sid's office--sometimes accompanied by Professor Stein. Afterwards, the students simply begin attending EAT classes instead of NOT, and if any students in NOT ask what happened, Sid explains however he feels or does no feel fit. At least, that's what Kureno has gathered from observing the last graduates. He had an inkling that he may be chosen this time, as he seemed to be getting a few significant glances and held eye contact with Professor Sid of recent. A small but satisfied smirk spread across his face as he entertained the thought, and soon he reached his destination. He sometimes preferred to eat lunch on his own than to sit in the cafeteria surrounded by his classmates at DWMA. This was one such occasion.

He retrieved his bento and sat outside of the school, on the wall that bordered the building, looking out over the city below. It was a much more peaceful way to eat his afternoon meal, and even though there was a crisp breeze, Kureno found himself enjoying the feel of the wind tousling his hair and the sound of the first birds who migrated back for the warm months calling as they flew through Death City.



((plain, simple post, but I hope it's alright! That's what I imagine graduation from NOT to EAT to be more like, rather than an actual grad ceremony ^^' I hope that's okay? Lemme know if you want me to change it!))

((no no you're totally fine! I def thought Blackstar was on point ;P but it's okay don't worry about it! I know it's hard, and you're doing fine so far! It's totally okay <3 ))


As Kureno packed up the remainders of his meager lunch, he tugged his scarf more snuggly around his neck. Today, a Wednesday, he didn't have any afternoon classes and so he decided he might go for a stroll through the park on his way back home.

As the boy waltzed along, gloved hands in his pockets, looking straight ahead but his thoughts taking most of his attention, he soon made it to one of the several parks in Death City. This one had a basketball court in it, and so Kureno sat on the bench nearby, under the shade of a tree, resting his dark grey and black messenger backpack at the foot of the bench. He didn't particularly feel the need to hurry home today, as he didn't have any homework that was too hard and actually didn't have any tests coming up for at least a couple of weeks as far as he could remember.

As he allowed his mind to wander, he found his thoughts drawn to that Yume girl. He had hung out with that group of friends--meaning Maka and Soul, Death the Kid and Liz and Patty, as well as Blackstar and Tsubaki and at times Crona, for a while. When he realised Yume began hanging out with them as well, he slowly distanced himself more. He didn't know why, there was just something about the girl that irked him beyond belief. And so, he naturally took every moment he could to pester her. A few times Maka or even Kid had come up to him and questioned why he hadn't been with them as much, but he just brushed it off with an excuse that he had had to work to make the rent on his apartment, as he lived alone as opposed to in the boys dorm at DWMA. After while, his friends accepted his excuse, though they didn't seem thrilled by it (a quite flattering fact that Kureno tried to ignore--especially when thinking of how disgruntled Kid had been when he'd explained he was just too busy recently, as thoughts about Lord Death's son often caused a rather annoying blush to colour Kureno's cheeks). Kureno still met up with them at times, especially preferring Maka and Soul or Crona, or of course Kid's company to most of the other students here, and he was glad for the time he spent with them. But he also had a habit of not hanging out with friends unless they asked first. He felt he would annoy them, that they would get sick of him, although he of course never said those things. Kureno had trouble trusting people, especially when they said anything positive about him, as he knew he wasn't the easiest person to get along with. After all, his own parents had pretty much run away from him. If they left him, why wouldn't anyone else?

'Enough of these depressing thoughts,' Kureno brushed a gloved hand through his hair, scowling, and tried to look around at the cool, crisp day to find something better to entertain himself than his past.

((if you want maybe, Yume and a few of the Main Gang (whoever you want) could walk by or show up to play basketball or something and that's where Kureno is? just a thought~ if not you can totally do whatever you want i don't care!! <3 i don't know if he would join in a basketball game or not, i guess it depends on how i feel when i post about it IF we decide to do it, so just do whatever YOU wanna do :3  ))

Kureno continued his eye contact with Yume, eventually delicately raising one thin eyebrow as the slightest of smirks lifted one corner of his mouth, "I know I'm enjoyable to look at, but you should probably join the game, love." Yume blinked incredulously, and at first Kureno thought she might close the distance between them and punch him on the jaw or assault him with a string of curse words, but as her face reddened in anger she decided upon showing him her middle finger and with a grunt of annoyance she promptly turned away and trounced off to the court towards their friends. Kureno chuckled to himself, and his eyes fell upon Kid for a moment to notice that the boy was smiling in amusement, watching Kureno. He felt his ears begin to burn and hoped the flush didn't show on his face as he quickly averted his gaze to his shoes. This really was becoming troublesome.

Before long, they had split into teams of three each, Kid with Soul and Tsubaki against Maka, Blackstar, and Yume. Kureno watched the goings-on, and of course when it looked like Kid's team was winning Blackstar threw a fit, saying he would be beating them all if he was on his own and didn't have to worry about keeping his friends safe. Soul promptly scored another basket with the help of Kid, but soon Yume's team started catching up.

It was turning out to be a pretty good game, but even so, Kureno's mind began wandering after a while. So much so that, if he hadn't sensed the movement of the speeding ball through the air just before a call of "Look out!", he may not have been able to catch it while his gaze was on the ground. He swiftly and easily stopped the movement of the ball with his long, pale hands, flicking his gaze up towards his friends on the court. Tsubaki's hands were hovering in front of her mouth in worry of the ball hitting his head moments before; Blackstar was yelling something about the rogue ball definitely not being his fault, while Maka was trying to keep the amazement off her face as she slowed from trying to jump after the ball. Soul was smirking, hand in pocket, and Kid sported a similar expression but twinged with a bit more annoyance at Blackstar's behaviour as he crossed his arms across his chest. Kureno thought he saw a flash of something across Yume's face, but it was quickly replaced by an expression that clearly said 'If only he wouldn't have caught it...'

Kureno stood, putting one hand in his pocket as he spun the basketball with his pointer finger of his left hand. "Sorry, I drifted a bit. What's the score?" he asked, gracefully tossing the ball in a high arc towards Soul, who jumped slightly to catch it mid-air before beginning to dribble it lazily at his feet.


((awww, you are too kind love <3 x3 I hope this was okay! If you ever have any ideas, please do say them!! <3 I will try to do the same so we can keep it fresh and interesting. But of course, just because I mention something doesn't mean you have to do it! Don't worry about offending me or anything <333))

((heeee that makes two of us ^^' *squees* i'm so exciteeeeed! And I know it's hard not to move fast, I want to so bad hahah xD But there's nothing wrong with filter posts darlin, I totally understand <3 and thanks, I have like a few that I was thinking of using for the profile pic, and I just went with this one because it shows the glasses he sometimes wears ^^' ))

The way back to Kureno's apartment was, at least in the beginning of the walk, the same direction as Maka and Soul's and so for a while they walked together and chatted about mundane things. It was nice, though--he missed his friends. Kid had gone back to DWMA to see his father, and Blackstar had led Tsubaki off who-knows-where. Yume had headed back to the girls dorms. Kureno was glad of the chance to just hang out with Soul and Maka. They were good friends.

Their parting came too soon, so when they reached the four-way-stop in the road where they had to go different ways, Kureno was a bit surprised when Maka suddenly threw her arms around him and mumbled in his ear, "It was nice to see you again, Kureno." He froze in shock at first (he realised he hardly ever had any tactile human contact, and he couldn't even remember the last hug he'd had). After a few moments of hesitation, he lightly hugged her back, hoping his face wasn't too red. In truth, the gesture touched him, but he would never say that. As they withdrew, Maka smiling cutely and Soul giving a grin as well, Kureno cleared his throat a bit and rubbed the back of his head, trying to get rid of his embarrassment. He held out a fist towards Soul, who chuckled and lightly punched his knuckles against Kureno's own. "See you around, man," Soul smirked, and Kureno returned the smile. With a few last waves over their shoulders as they walked away, the friends parted and Kureno was soon on his own.

He found himself at the door of his apartment before long, though his mind was in such a daze that he could hardly remember walking there. He didn't understand why he was so foggy today, it was quite strange for him, and he certainly didn't enjoy it. Kureno roughly unlocked the door, jiggling the doorknob up a bit so that the door would open, albeit with a kick that he made a bit more solid than usual. As the door slammed behind him, he slipped off his coat and threw it on the back of a chair, along with his scarf and gloves. Now in a white button-up and black skinny jeans, he threw himself on the couch, resting one arm over his eyes.

Kureno's apartment was simple, but nice. The door opened into a small hall, that had a passthrough on the left to the kitchen. The hall continued for a couple of steps to the living room, which was where Kureno was now collapsed on the couch. It opened into the main entrance to the kitchen on the bottom left corner, and just past the kitchen was the main bathroom. In another small hallway on the right of the living room was his own room on the left, a spare room on the right, and a medium-sized closet at the end of the hall. In the north of the living room, sliding glass doors opened up to a small balcony, with a rather nice view of Death City, partly looking out over one of the other parks that contained a few more trees than the one he'd just visited. If he looked to the right, Kureno could see DWMA a mile or so away. He enjoyed being this distance, not to far but not too close. Enough room to think.

Kureno sighed as he let his arm fall, hanging off the edge of the couch, and turned his head lazily to peek at the clock hanging above the armchairs across from the couch. 6:28. Kureno glanced down as his stomach rumbled lightly, and with another sigh he unbuttoned the bottom of his sleeves and began rolling them up to his elbows. The young man sat up and, rubbing a hand through his hair as he went to kick off his shoes by the door and head into the kitchen to scavenge some dinner.

An hour and fourty-five minutes later, Kureno was just finishing up the last tidbits of his homework. Just as he was sliding the last of his supplies into his bag, he heard a scratching at the door. With a small smile, Kureno headed into the kitchen to retrieve a small saucer and little bowl, filling them separately with a small amount of milk and a helping of the kibble he'd bought just a few days ago. Upon opening his door, a pretty calico cat mewled up at him, her fur a bit matted and her body looking a bit too thin. He murmured a greeting to the cat, who he had found one day walking back to his apartment, and taking pity upon the stray had offered it a bit of leftover cheese and lunchmeat from his lunch that day. It had followed him home, and although he had originally tried half-heartedly to chase it off, it had taken a habit of asking for food at dinnertime. Now it lapped up it's meal happily, and Kureno could hear the rumbling purr, even feel it as he lightly stroked the cat's back once. He went inside again to retrieve a book, and sat in the doorframe while the stray ate her meal.

Not realising the cat had finished, Kureno was surprised when he suddenly felt paws on his stomach as the cat stepped up onto his lap. He blinked in surprise and then gingerly reached his hands underneath her, lifting her and setting her back down outside. With a quick smile, Kureno retrieved his saucer and bowl, and with a quiet "...See you tomorrow, then," he retreated back indoors and gently shut the door behind him.

It was around 10:17 when he finally decided to go to bed, donning a pair of comfortable pyjama pants and an overlarge t-shirt. Clicking off his light, Kureno found himself thinking that the weekend could not come sooner.

((okay so I know I mentioned in one of my posts that that day was Wednesday, and when I wrote it I was thinking maybe that Friday could be the last day of the semester, like that Friday is when the people who move to EAT are going to get handed their paper saying they get to move up and maybe on Saturday or even Friday night they get the certificates or something? I just wanted to ask you because idk if that would be too soon or not, because I could do either I don't really care :3 and plus it doesn't have to be on a Friday anyways it could be any day, so if you wanna wait but not wait a whole week we could do that too. Or we could even wait a few weeks and say like "the next couple of weeks went much the same, but before they realised it the day for the students to graduate to EAT to be chosen was upon them" or something blah blah yes. so hah what do yout hink? xD ))

((aww hee thanks so much I'm glad you liked it ^^' <3 hahah love youuu!! ;D and yes I agree with all that, let's do it! I'm sorry, this post is kind of filler-y, but here it is xP ))

Kureno woke to a death-metal screamo song playing from his phone. With a groan, he rolled over and fished his phone from under his pillow and turned off the alarm. 'Alright, maybe that wasn't the best choice of alarm song...' he admitted, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

Twenty minutes later, Kureno had showered and gathered his things for school, and with a small piece of toast in hand he headed out the door. He clicked the lock after him and adjusted his backpack strap on his shoulder, taking a small bite of toast. Today was a bit warmer than yesterday, though still fairly chilly for it being this close to spring. So, Kureno had chosen a dark blue button-up, light gray jeans, and his usual long coat but had foregone the gloves and scarf on this warmer day. Making his way through the streets, Kureno soon finished his breakfast and rummaged in his bag to read more of the book he was in the middle of, a sort of documentary/guide to Soul Resonance between Weapon and Meister. He was one of the few people in his class at this point who didn't have a Weapon or Meister partner. He wasn't looked down on or anything about it, and it wasn't like he was the only one. It was just that he wasn't really in the majority, and even though he was fully capable of fighting on his own, and he didn't know if he would ever find a Weapon who's soul could even come close to resonating with his own. However, he still couldn't help but hope, somewhere in the back of his mind, that some day it would happen.

Of course, as soon as he neared the school, Kureno calmly slipped his book back in his bag so that no one would see him reading it. He made his way to his first class, and as he walked in he saw his friends talking in a small group near the top of the class. He began making his way towards them, but then he caught sight of Yume lounging in the group, and he promptly changed his route to find a seat on the other side of the room. It wasn't that he hated her or anything, he just...didn't feel like engaging in another bantering contest this morning. If he was being honest, he just felt the need for another time like yesterday, just hanging out with his friends and for once not having someone around who hated him maybe as much as he hated himself at times.

Kureno paused, realising he'd drawn a rather dark figure on his notebook paper, and quickly rubbed it out with an eraser. 'I am acting like a child. If I'm ever going to make it into EAT, I'm going to have to step up my game,' he smirked, twirling his pen in his hand as he waited for more people to filter in the class.

((haha dude do not even worry I am exactly the same x'D I just love writing him and editing (aka reading over cuz i can) his posts like three times because I am so in love with him hahah ah jeez this is so greattttt))

The day passed like any other day, with nothing exciting, as per usual. Kureno breezed through his classes with his usual finesse, and the walk home was dull as normal. He fed the calico by his door at the same time as usual, and completed his homework easily. This Friday would be the last day he would have to cook for himself this semester, as he had enough of his allowance saved to be able to pay rent this month, plus some extra to go towards next month or maybe even to buy something for himself. This week felt long, but not really in an unpleasant way, and soon it was Friday. Kureno shared his morning class with his regular group of friends, and with Yume. As usual, he sat further away from other people, and because the class wasn't totally full, he could avoid sitting by people if he wanted. Today of course, a small group of three giggling, gossiping girls had opted to sit in the row above him, directly behind him, even though he'd sat at the end of the room to avoid such things. It was fairly often that things like this happened, so he'd begun to ignore it when he could.

As Sid passed back their tests from a few days ago, Kureno quickly noticed that a few students had small notes stapled to their tests. At first he thought it must have been a 'See me' note because of a bad grade, but the test hadn 't been all to hard (even counting in the fact that he was one of the best students) and so when he noticed how many people had notes on their tests he realised it must be for something else. He noticed most, if not all, of his friends had notes on their tests, shortly following Yume as well as a couple of other kids in their class looked like they got them as well. And when he received his test with the same note attached, he knew what it must be. Smirking to himself, he swiftly ripped off and pocketed the note, obeying the neatly-printed directions to read them after class.

As class ended, Kureno cooly began packing up his things. He intended on reading his note on his way out, because staying in the classroom would make it far too obvious. Even as he thought so, he noticed Yume sitting in the middle of the room still at her seat, peering at her note with a large smile on her face. Kureno's eyes narrowed and his lip raised just slightly in distaste, but there was nothing he could do about it. He would still be stuck in classes with her, so be it. As he swung his pack onto his shoulder and pushed in his chair, he was stopped by a girlish giggle that was close behind him. He turned slowly, looking down at the girl before him. Her friends were standing at the end of the row, giggling to one another, as the brunette before him seemed to be avoiding looking at his face as a blush coloured her cheeks.

"Did you need something," he wracked his brain to try and remember a name, and with a barely a pause in his words he finished, "Miss Hanako?" At his words, the girl seemed a bit startled that he'd known her name and she began playing nervously with a strand of her slightly-wavy hair. He actually felt a bit of sympathy towards her. Most of the time, whenever girls confronted him, they would be show-offy and try to act sexy, or at the very least they would look at him and act flustered and talk far too much, but this poor girl seemed like she wanted to sink into the floor. "I-I just...my friends wanted me to ask you..." her voice was quiet, and she gave a small gesture back towards her friends, "what that note was about, the one on the test..." Kureno stiffened a bit, and she seemed to notice because she finally looked up at him and quickly continued, "You don't have to tell if you don't want to! It's just...I know you're really smart and I didn't think you'd get a note from a bad grade and just...wanted to know if...you were okay and..." she trailed off, seeming to be very interested in her shoes all of a sudden. He had thought it might be an invitation for a date, as that was what it usually was, but he knew he couldn't talk about the note no matter how bad he felt for the girl (and he didn't really feel all that bad--at this point it was becoming a bit time-consuming for him).

"I'm afraid I can't tell you," he said after a moment, his tone a bit quieter and gentler, "but let's just say, Miss Hanako..." He put a hand on her shoulder as he brushed past her, "I don't think I'll be seeing you in class anymore." Kureno walked towards her two friends, who looked stunned that he had even touched her, and as he drew close he decided it would be fun to spare them a glance and a small smile as he started down the steps to the front of the class towards the door. As he walked out into the hallway he heard a few squeals and sudden fangirling from the classroom behind him. With yet another chuckle and satisfied smirk, he retrieved the note from his coat pocket and deftly unfolded it, eyes scanning the short words written there.

Mr. Kureno Hanuraichi-
Congratulations! Through your hard work and dedication, you have been chosen to graduate from the NOT class and enter the EAT class starting next week. Please do not mention this note to anyone, not everyone has been given this opportunity. Arrive at this building, in Stein's classroom, at 8:00 p.m. tonight for the receiving of your diploma. After tonight, you may discuss your graduation with the other students who are also graduating. Again, congratulations.
-Professor Sid

Kureno refolded the note, replacing it in his pocket. He had been right, as usual. And with that, he headed back to his apartment, glad that he had brought his skateboard today. Hands in pockets, he skated through the streets, easily avoiding people if they got in his way, cutting down his travel time from about fifteen-twenty minutes to about seven. He threw the note in his trashcan once he got home, having memorized the essentials. An hour and a half later, Kureno had his second and last class of the day, and afterwards he returned home again to prepare for the ceremony. At 6:30, he fed the cat and himself, and by 7:20 he had retrieved a black tie to make his ensemble a bit more formal, but kept his dark blue button-up and dark grey jeans as well as his coat. At this time of night, it was getting a bit cooler, and so when Kureno set out towards DWMA again at 7:35 he flipped his coat collar up as he usually did, this time partly to protect from the chill. When he got there at 7:42, he strapped his skateboard to his bag and made his way into the building.

Kureno's hair was a bit windswept, but the cool air had felt good and he felt wide awake and calm as he strode through the mostly-empty school to find Professor Stein's classroom. He knew where it was, having explored an memorized the school's layout multiple times before, and so when he got there a few minutes later he was glad to see a few of his friends waiting outside the classroom door, talking in low, quiet voices. Soul and Maka, as well as Tsubaki and Kid were there. Everyone knew Kid had just started out in NOT as a formality, as he was ridiculously powerful. His first semester in NOT had led to his graduation now into EAT. He wasn't surprised that Maka and Soul had made it, as well as Crona, who was hovering nervously at Maka's side. Also seeing the long-haired, soft-spoken weapon of BlackStar's, Kureno was sure that if Tsubaki had graduated that BlackStar would soon be here too. There were two other girls who stood a bit away from Kureno's group of friends, and they too were talking excitedly to each other. Kureno walked up behind the group, hands in pockets.

"Not surprised to see you here," Soul, who was beside him now, smirked and offered his fist to Kureno. "Mutual," he smiled back, lightly punching Soul's fist with his own. Kid layed a hand on his shoulder in greeting, expressing his gratitude that Kureno looked rather symmetrical today. Kureno tried not to think about the fact that he often tried to make sure he did, and accepted the comment calmly. They fell into a comfortable chatter, excitement almost palpable in the air as they waited eagerly for 8:00.

((okay good, glad it's not just me xD okay, so I kinda had an idea for this post. While still keeping Yume and Kureno's relationship the way it is for now, I was gonna have Yume wear this really awesome dress for the ceremony and have Kureno be a little stunned at her appearance and think she looks pretty hot and vice versa. Is that okay? I hope so... 'cause that's what I'm doing ^^' and I felt bad for that girl that Kureno was talking to, I like the way he handled the situation!))

Approximately an hour and five outfits later, Yume had made her choice. A sharp black pleather dress that came to the mid-thigh then flared out a bit at the cutoff point, complete with a pair of black velvet close toe platforms. It was probably the most expensive outfit Yume owned, but she wanted to reveal her mature side to her future classmates and teacher. Once a decision was made, the student had to continue on with the day and attend her two other classes. The clock seemed to slow itself down so Yume attempted to control her anticipation of tonight's events but it didn't do the trick. After the last class of the day, Yume grabbed some sushi at the local sushi restaurant by herself at 7:00. Leaving at about 7:35 put the soon-to-be semi-graduated student at Stein's classroom right at 7:50. The first couple people she saw when entering the room was Maka and Tsubaki so Yume immediately walked over to them and congratulated them on their acceptance to the EAT class as they did the same with her. After making her arrival clear to her female friends, she began to walk around and discover who else had been fortunate enough to receive the same offer as Yume. The excitement could practically be felt in the air, despite how little emotion most people revealed. Yume's eyes found Soul and Kid, and more than likely Blackstar whenever he would arrive. Kureno was also with the weapon and meister. He and Yume accidentally made eye contact as Yume was glancing over the students. The two of them held their gaze but not quite their eye contact. Kureno did a once over of Yume and his mouth opened the slightest bit to reveal about how he felt about Yume's outfit choice. But Yume wasn't completely innocent in this moment, either. Although Kureno didn't change his outfit but simply added a tie to it, he kinda sorta looked... attractive. A faint shade of pink came upon his cheeks and she could tell hers were doing the same. Yume mentally slapped herself and made another mental note to never let that happen again. She couldn't stand Kureno Hanuraichi, how could she ever let herself ogle him? Once their little incident had come to an end, only then did Yume realize that he was here for the same reason she was, which meant she would still have to put up with him in class.

In addition to the usual suspects, there were a few other people that she recognized but never introduced herself to, and that was it. It seemed like there were more students left behind in the other class than those who were accepted. Before anyone knew it, it was 8:00 and Professor Sid & Professor Stein were right on time. The students were asked to stand in a line facing the desk in the front of the classroom. There was no mistaking Stein's desk with its needles, carving knives, a human skull, and of course some papers scattered about with scribblings only to be read by Stein himself. He stood behind his desk with all 10 fingertips pressing down on the surface and a smug look on his face while Sid passed out a certificate to each student, each personalized with their own name, and everything else written the same. It looked as if Sid and Stein had personally signed each paper rather than doing it once and making copies so that they would spend less time simply writing their name. Once everyone had the document in their hands, Sid placed himself next to Stein and the EAT professor stood up straight.

"You all should be pleased with yourselves. It takes more than notable fighting skills and a sufficient amount of knowledge to begin my class. Sid and I also take notes on you and your character, what kind of weapon or meister you claim yourselves to be. How you handle situations is critical for any student because one wrong move could be the end of a battle with high stakes. Just because you will begin attending my class starting Monday does not mean you can simply stop putting one hundred percent of yourself in your studies. I expect even more from what you've been putting forth in the NOT class. Sid has kept me well informed of each and every one of you so I already have a first impression of my newest students," Stein took a brief pause. He had glanced over the line of students at least 4 times during his mini speech and no one seemed to be frightened by him, rather his words motivated them to step up their game. "Congratulations to all of you, and I will see you Monday morning at nine o'clock on the dot."

Although this wasn't a typical graduation ceremony, a sigh of relief had escaped everyone's mouths, followed by the return of excitement that had previously lingered in the air before. Yume had gathered with her group to express her congrats to whoever she had not talked to before the ceremony. Even Kureno joined in for a few seconds but mostly kept to Soul and Kid. Everyone else had left the room before they did and after they realized they were the only ones left, they filed out with Kureno being the first to leave and saying goodbye to everyone but Yume of course. It didn't bother her at all though: she had plenty of other friends to share her happiness with. Soul offered a high five to Yume and told her congrats after Kureno left. He wasn't one to express too much emotion, but the gesture still fluttered the butterflies in her stomach.

"Thanks Soul," was all Yume could get out. After a few minutes the rest of the friends waved goodbye to each other and parted their separate ways until the next time they would meet. Soul went with Maka, Tsubaki went with Blackstar (who had only a minute to spare by the time he arrived at the classroom), Kid walked with Liz and Patty, and Yume walked alone. Her roommate was at the ceremony but they didn't speak to each other the entire time. Sometimes Yume enjoyed walking alone so that she could let her thoughts wander off to wherever they wanted to go.

The haunting memory of what had happened with Kureno minutes before the ceremony returned to Yume's thoughts and she silently cursed herself for letting her mind slip away to someone that didn't even matter in the slightest.

((yeah bud, that's fine, I like it!!! heehee yessss. I feel like that could be part of when Kureno realises that she's actually pretty nice looking, even though he'd never really paid attention to it hehehe ;3 yaaaas perf.))

The ceremony was short and to the point, but Kureno was glad for the briefness of it all. Once it was over and everyone went their separate ways, Kureno had a hard time keeping his mind off the event that took place before the ceremony began. It was just a moment, a few seconds, that was all. It wasn't even that meaningful, really. Kureno had been able to appreciate beauty in girls, and handsomeness in boys, for a good while. He'd never really considered Yume to be exactly unpretty before, but he'd never really thought her particularly beautiful either. He just hadn't really thought about it. Now, however...now was a different story. It was stupid, he hated how his cheeks must have gotten red, and he'd left his mouth agape like an idiot. 'What a fool,' he scowled, lowering his head and not bothering to raise his coat collar against the heavy winds that had picked up.

Once he got home, Kureno threw his coat angrily against the back of his armchair, roughly unbuttoning his shirt and loosening his tie. He ran his hand through his hair a few times, standing in his living room, and realised he'd forgotten to take off his shoes again. His mind was all over the place--just the excitement from the graduation, he assured himself. He kicked his shoes off near the door, then made his way into the bathroom to strip off his socks, tie, shirt, and pants in favour for a comfortable pair of old grey athletic shorts and a black tank top. He felt a bit irritable, but he couldn't quite place why. He thought it may be because of these foolish thoughts of that girl in his mind. Oh well, he was sure he could banish them with a good night's sleep. Even as he got ready for bed, he found his mind wandering to other things, all of which were more important to him than that Yume girl would ever be.

Kureno was quite glad it was the weekend, and perhaps thought he might see if he could call Maka and Soul or maybe Kid as well and perhaps try to hang out tomorrow--if they didn't call him first. It would be a good opportunity to get out together and celebrate their graduation. With pleasant thoughts of what would await himself and his friends in these new challenging EAT classes, Kureno fell into a gentle sleep.

~ y u m e ~

((I'm glad you liked it! I'm just saying, I didn't realize how much I missed RPing with you until we started this RP ))

Falling asleep was a challenge on that Friday night and Yume knew exactly why but she was too frustrated with the whole matter to even say it out loud. It's not even that big of a deal. He doesn't even matter. So why was I staring back at him? I'm such an idiot. I'm not supposed to like him I don't even think he's that attractive. After an extended battle in the girl's head finally came to an end Yume finally closed her eyes and drifted off. Despite the sleep she lost due to her restlessness the night before, she still managed to wake up at an ugly hour on a Saturday morning. Yume's phone read 7:08 and rather than attempting to go back to sleep, she decided to take a shower and head to the library for more music practice. The DWMA had provided a small building attached to the library for any student who wanted to practice a musical instrument. Since music didn't concern most of the students in the school, it wasn't much of a building but it was enough for people like Yume to have a place to escape to. Usually she only went there when she wanted to practice the piano since there was no fitting a piano in the dorm room. At about 7:45 Yume arrived at the library and tiptoed into the music building. It was just 1 room with a rack of chairs on the opposite side of the room where the entrance was, a piano to the right of the door facing the wall, and a couple guitars leaned against the piano. The ceiling had a few cracks in it, not quite enough to have them fixed, and a large square window, 8 feet per side, that remained on the opposite side of the piano to reveal the pathway in front of the library where many students walked to their next destination. Once inside Yume removed her black hoodie with the DWMA skull logo on the front to reveal her black V-neck T-shirt matched with a pair of jeggings and the usual black converse, and placed it on top of the piano. It wasn't really a practice sessions so much as simply letting out her unexpressed emotions so there was no need for sheet music today. After a few seconds of testing it to see if it was tuned, the musician's fingers began to grace the keys. She played one of her favorite songs, Lover Dearest, by a Canadian band Mariana's Trench. She started singing along to her own music, but keeping fairly quiet for 2 reasons. 1. Because she was technically in a library, even though she doubted anyone would be here this early in the morning, and 2. Because she doubted her singing skills even more than her music skills. The song seemed to be striking her emotions even more today because what started out to be a simple song turned into a performance, with Yume striking the keys as hard as she could as the song became louder and more intense. This continued on for at least 2 hours and finally she had to give her hands a break. Yume retrieved her phone from her hoodie pocket and decided to text Soul and see if he and the rest of the group wanted to play some basketball today.

Hey, wanna play some b-ball today with everyone?

A couple minutes later Soul replied:

Sorry, Kureno asked to hang out today. You can tag along if you want?

As much as Yume wanted to see her friends, there was no way she would be hanging around Kureno more than she had to, especially after last night. It's not that she didn't mind him hanging out with the same friends, it was simply because... she wasn't quite sure what will happen the next time they see each other. Surely he was having the same reaction as she was about the incident between them? Then there shouldn't be any problems between them, or at least nothing more than the usual trouble.

Nah, that's okay. You guys have fun!

Yume didn't want Soul sensing her disappointment/confusion, so she casually played it off and decided that today was simply just a Yume day. She decided to buy herself a cup of English breakfast tea from the little cafe the library offered and returned to the separate room and continued to practice.

((I feel the same!!! it's funny because I literally checked this like periodically all day yesterday because I was so excited to see if you'd rp'd, and like now on my Grandma's computer I just have to type in "ti" and it goes to the first page of the roleplay but I haven't been checking my phone as much and I didn't even realise that we would have gone on to a second page yet hahah ^^' I would have been able to respond last night if I hadn't had a derp lol xP speaking of, I was in the middle of your last longer text when my phone turned off AGAIN [it's actually been worse, it lasts maybe 30 seconds without the charger but it's been turning off while ON the charger too and idk if it's gonna wake back up this time] so I was just wondering if you could tell me what the rest of the text was? I only got as far as when you were asking if it was still okay if you could stay over, and as well as wanting to know what the rest of the message was I was wondering if you could remind me which days it was so I could let my mom know. I'm sure it'll be fine though, my lovely, you are always welcome Anyways, if you wanna email about it instead I could do that--like I could gmail chat, if that's easier. Just lemme know. I could also give you my Grandma's home number so we could talk if that's easier. Whatever you want :3 ANYWAYS now that this long thing is over, TO THE ROLEPLAY!))

Kureno woke up early, even though he hadn't set an alarm. He never really slept very much, especially compared to other kids his age, but he was hardly ever tired. As he rolled over lazily and peeked at his bedside table, he saw grabbed his phone and checked the time--6:28. He dropped the phone on the bed beside him and sat up, kicking his covers away. As he stood, he stretched high and ran his hands through his bed-head as he strode slowly towards his dresser to gather some clothes for the day. Kureno deftly checked the weather, and seeing that it was going to be a fairly chilly day, he decided on a dark, blood-red button-up and black skinny jeans. Before heading into the bathroom for a shower, he sent a quick text to Soul:

Got anything planned today? Just wondering if we could hang out.

About fifteen minutes later, he came out of the bathroom feeling and looking much fresher than he had moments ago. His hair was still fairly wet and stuck out in all directions, and as he roughly rubbed a dark grey towel against his hair, that probably didn't help. He let the towel lay draped on his head as he retrieved his phone from his bed, seeing that Soul had not texted back yet. Well, it was still pretty early, especially for Soul. Kureno turned his phone from vibrate back to normal and slipped it into his pocket, treading into the kitchen to find something for breakfast.

Two hours, and one small bowl of cereal later, Kureno sat quietly on his couch reading his book, the towel now nearly forgotten as it draped on his shoulders. The boy was pulled away from his book as he heard a tone go off, and swiftly grabbed his phone off of the coffee table to check it. It was now almost 8:50, and Maka had texted him. She'd probably noticed that Soul had gotten a text long before Soul had even thought to check his phone.

Sure, we're up for it! Meet at Deathbucks around 10?

Kureno typed an affirmative, and lounged about for half an hour or so before getting ready to leave for Deathbucks Cafe. It was a small, but nice cafe very near DWMA. A lot of the time, students who needed some extra wages to either shop or catch up on lost allowance worked there. The barista was quiet in a stoic sort of way, but was highly respected and liked--and not just for his amazing coffee. Kureno arrived just before 10, but as he got close he saw Maka waving excitedly to him, where she and Soul were waiting just outside the cafe. The friends greeted each other--Maka with another hug (she seemed awfully happy today, and Kureno actually found her optimism to be a bit infectious), and Soul with a genuine smile and their usual fist-bump. They made their way inside for a light brunch and a good drink, all of them opting for something hot to oppose the chill in the air. They chatted happily, mostly about EAT at first but then about other things, friends and that basketball game the other day, and eventually Maka was struck by an idea.

"Kureno! I was wondering if you would be up for this idea I had...I mentioned it to Soul," she stressed her partner's name, puffing out her cheeks a bit and mock-glaring at him, "but he didn't seem excited."

Kureno glanced between them as Soul immediately began a half-hearted argument, a smile playing on Kureno's lips at the casual banter between them.

"Anyways," she finally broke out of the argument, as Soul snorted in a sort of half-annoyed way, "I was thinking we could have a party tonight, at Soul's and my apartment, just our friends so we could celebrate all of us getting into EAT," she tilted her head to the side and smiled sweetly.

Kureno raised his eyebrows a bit, unsure what to say. He was never one for get-togethers, even when it was just his friends, and Maka seemed to know because she quickly said, "Come on, pleeaase, Kureno? It'll only be a short one, and it's just us anyways! And Blackstar, Tsubaki of course, Yume, Kid and Liz and Patty, and I'm going to see if I can get Crona to come too--I think it would be good for him," she already seemed to have decided that she would make everyone come anyways, and so Kureno eventually relented and agreed to go, trying to completely ignore the fact that that girl's name had been included in Maka's list. Maka was quite glad he'd agreed, and promptly sent out messages to each of their friends informing them of the event.

After Kureno, Maka, and Soul left the cafe, they walked about the city for a bit, sitting under trees in the park and chatting, even watching the clouds, and threw a frisbee around for a while. They browsed some of the local shops but decided it would be best to save their money, and simply enjoyed one another's company.Throughout the time, Maka received responses about the party from BlackStar and Tsubaki, as well as Kid and Liz and Patty saying that they would all be there. Crona didn't have a phone, so Maka intended on visiting him and persuading attendance to the party however she could. At around 3:17, the friends parted, as Maka and Soul had to go prepare things for the event and Kureno wanted to have some time by himself before Maka's little mandatory party tonight. As they went their separate ways, Maka called after him: "And remember--5:00, Kureno! See you there!" He waved back, showing he got it, as he saw Soul lightly punch Maka's side. A lot of the time he only pretended he was annoyed with her. Their light banter was just part of who they were, who they were as partners and as people. Kureno found one of his recurring thoughts slipping through his mind: 'I wonder if I'll ever find a weapon partner...' Even if he did, he doubted they could get along as well as Maka and Soul did. They were truly an epitome of resonating souls for Weapon and Meister. It was a privledge to have them as his friends. Of course, he would never ever say anything like this out loud, but inside his mind he was safe. For the most part.

Kureno flopped himself on his couch, sighing deeply. He was surprisingly not hungry even though the last thing he had eaten was their light brunch at Deathbucks. He was sure that Maka and Soul would have at least snacks at the party, so he decided to wait until then to eat anything. He checked his phone a few times, and eventually he got a text from Maka saying that Crona was indeed going to be there as well--with much gentle persuading from Maka, he assumed. No doubt Crona would not have known how to deal with this many people, but Maka was one of the only people that Crona would listen to and trust. Kureno didn't know Crona too well, but he had met him before, and Kureno actually did feel something close to pity for him, as something about Crona made Kureno want to try to be uncharacteristically kind to him. Kureno still hadn't heard from them if Yume was going to show, but he wasn't sure if Maka and Soul knew of his dislike of Yume or not, as maybe that would be why they hadn't mentioned her yet. Either way, Kureno decided it would be best to try and distract himself with finishing up his weekend homework and then reading a bit before he set out the food for the cat a bit early, as he would be gone at the party at her usual feeding time. He planned on setting out around 4:40, so he would be at least ten minutes early. More, if he decided upon bringing his skateboard. At this point, he was honestly unsure if he wanted to go or not, but there was no way he would risk the wrath of Maka by skipping the event.

((I really really hope I didn't make them seem too out-of-character [Maka and Soul I mean]....if you have any suggestions on something that they could say instead please let me know, for this post and any I make with actual other characters in it ^^' and I just went with male pronouns for Crona, since that's what they do in the anime hah n.n' and I hope this party idea is okay with you--I can always change it if you don't want to do it. But I also left it open so if Yume really really doesn't want to go she doesn't have to. <3 ))

~ y u m e ~

((aw well I'm sorry I kept you waiting! ^^' I honestly haven't checked it all day because I kept waiting for a text but I was being dumb and forgot about your phone situation [which I really really really hope you get resolved soon! I really hate that for you could you possibly get a new iPhone?] but yes, I'll just type you my entire text "Also, I just wanted to make sure it was okay that I stay with you before I leave? I know we talked about it but I wanted to make sure your parents were okay with it. Also Maile is talking about how she ships Haruhi and Hikaru and ships Stein and Medusa and ahhhh I love her but THAT IS NOT OKAY" we were at a party and we started talking about anime, that's when I texted you. I really appreciate you letting me stay with you. I would be staying with you the 5 and 6 of August. And I definitely love the party idea! It'll be interesting for Yume and Kureno! I think you're doing a fabulous job with keeping the people in character. Top notch RP'ing ANYWAYS YES to the RP!))

Yume could only play so much piano in a day and her limit had finally been reached around 11:00. She packed up the piano to exactly how she found it and put on her sweatshirt to head to the sushi restaurant for lunch. Her phone buzzed in her pocket before she could even reach for the doorknob. There was a text from Maka.

Hey! Soul and I are hosting a party tonight at our apt to celebrate our graduation into EAT, care to join us? It'll be the usual group, of course.

Although it would be a great opportunity to make up for her missed chance to hang out with them earlier today, Yume just wasn't sure if she was up to a party. Her head still felt clouded with unwanted emotions and thoughts even after her therapeutic session with the piano. But at the same time, she would feel too guilty to handle it if she just skipped out on a party she was kindly invited to. Perhaps after fulfilling her empty stomach she would decide. The sushi place was a little bit of a walk from the library, but Yume was desperately craving her favorite dish and how often is one able to ignore a craving if retrieving what they want is an easy task? I really wish I had a skateboard or a bike or something... Walking didn't bother the girl any, but sometimes having a faster form of transportation would conserve more of her energy. Finally after 12 minutes of walking the restaurant was in sight. The cashier welcomed Yume mainly because she was a regular. Today she felt daring and decided to order vegetarian sushi instead of her usual sushi with salmon. Once the food was ready she picked a table for herself and did the usual pondering of life that someone does when they eat alone. The vegetarian sushi was quite satisfying, Yume said goodbye to the cashier and began to head back to her dorm. She stopped in her tracks and remembered what she was supposed to think about while she was eating. Deciding it was in her best interest to be around friends, especially on a day like today, she scrolled through her conversations and found the one between her and Maka and typed slowly:

Yeah of course I'll be there!

Not even a minute later a reply came back.

Great! It starts at 5, see you then!

There was about 4 and a half hours before Yume would have to leave to arrive a little bit before the event began, so she figured now would be as good a time as ever to complete the weekend homework. She walked back to her dorm with her hands in her pockets and her hood up because the wind had decided to pick up a bit. Once inside the building the heat made it a bit too warm for a sweatshirt. There was no one in the room again, so Yume had nothing but peace and quiet to complete her homework. Before she knew it 4:30 came rolling around so she cleaned up her desk (the homework was finished a couple hours ago but Yume was in the middle of a fabulous book and she lost track of the time) and decided to change from her black V-neck into a cocoa brown tank top and put back on the sweatshirt from earlier. She also changed her industrial bar from the black one that was currently in to an electric blue bar, feeling a little festive for nothing in particular.

Leaving a few minutes behind schedule at 4:46, Yume went out the door and made her way to Soul and Maka's apartment which was about 10 minutes from the girls' dorm, The wind had died down but old man winter still remained in the air somewhat. At precisely 4:57 Yume arrived at the door of Soul and Maka's place and knocked 5 times and waited a few seconds before the door was opened by Maka.

"Yume you made it!" Maka opened her arms wide inviting Yume in for a hug.

"Thanks for inviting me Maka, I really needed this," Yume smiled.

"Of course, don't even mention it," She waved her hand as if to say "no problem" and welcomed her into the apartment. It was a fairly clean and colorful place, looking mostly like Maka was the one who kept it the way it looked and Soul simply went along with it. But Yume knew there had to be a couple minor messes made by him somewhere around here and Maka just hadn't found them yet. There was only two couches that could maybe fit 6 people all together in the living room but most of them didn't mind sitting on the floor. Seating was a first come first serve, of course. There were 3 bowls of chips placed on the counter that divided the kitchen and living room and there was a hall to the left of the front door that lead to the bedrooms and bathroom. The atmosphere felt comforting tonight, as it always did.

But Yume's night felt immediately ruined when she looked straight ahead to one of the couches across from the room and saw the one man whom she neither expected to be here nor wanted here. Kureno Hanuraichi, of all people, was here tonight.

You.

((I kinda left the ending wide open so you can pretty much do whatever you want with it. Not that you can't do that in any other post of course! Also, whenever I post now, should I try to text you about it or should I send you an email? Like I know you get emails notifying when I posted [I'm assuming] but I can do whatever. WEEEEE5EEEEE I love dis roleplay :3))

((no no don't feel bad about responding late, it's not your fault ^^' our communication is just a bit tougher now. And yeah, I usually do get email notifications I think, but with my phone dead...I just kind of check the site periodically heheh ^^' email would work if you want, or I can just try and check it every few hours or so since my grandmother and I are mostly just hanging around the house ;P and AUGh I know Maile is awesome but her ships are NOT okay sometimes! Like you can ship what you ship, but when your ship is like to notp of your friend [who is very there when you're talking about it] you probs shouldn't talk about it all the time xP or at least I would apologise when I do, but maybe that's just me >.<' BUT still. Urgh I really really really wish I could text youuuu backk x/ but yes, at this point we know no one can really fix my phone, we are just hoping the warranty will let us get a replacement. And yes I shall ask my mom about the 5th and 6th when she gets back to Grandmother's today. ;D Also, thank you so much darling for the rp compliments *blushes* heeee you are too kind! And the same compliments are heartily returned to you, I hope you know ;D And ERMAHGERD THOUGH the END OF YOUR LAST POST AUGH i cannot i'm still smiling hugely and ohfoawjfawhf so gooooooooddddd EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE5EEEEEE I LOVE THIS ROLEPLAY TOOOOAIHTGOEOO THANK YOU FOR THAT BLESSING THAT IS A GREAT JUMPSTART FOR A POST THANK YOU!!!! <333 ;3 ))

Kureno arrived at Soul and Maka's doorstep around thirteen minutes before five, having ridden his skateboard to get there. He was greeted by Soul at the door, and they smirked at one another, doing their usual fistbump before Soul good-naturedly clapped a hand on Kureno's shoulder and the two continued into Soul and Maka's apartment. There were snacks on the coffee table, and Maka was just doing some last-minute cleaning up in the kitchen, calling a greeting to Kureno and saying that they had ordered pizza which should get here pretty soon. Kureno thanked them both for inviting him, and he and Soul went to lounge on one of the couches while they waited for more people to show. After a couple of minutes, Maka joined them and the three chatted rather animatedly about nothing in particular. Maka mentioned the Crona was the only other one here so far, but was hiding in Maka's bedroom at the moment--she intended on coaxing him out in a bit, but would try and let him decompress a bit for now.

Soul suggested they get some video games going, and the two boys began setting it up as Maka went to answer the door, as someone had just knocked. After a few seconds, Maka came back in the room, Yume trailing behind her.

Kureno had sat back on the couch while Soul plugged the cords into the back of the tv, and Kureno only looked up when he felt eyes on him. He met her eyes for a moment, and for a few milliseconds they just stared but then her eyes narrowed, shooting daggers at him, and her cheeks flushed just very slightly. Kureno blinked and a wide smirk spread over his face, and he decided to have a bit of fun. He stood slowly, walking over to her but careful to keep some distance between them, as he wasn't sure whether she would throw some punches or storm away by the look on her face. He bowed dramatically, his voice humble, "Ah, Miss Yume! What a surprise, and what an honour, it is to see you here tonight," he straightened, his hands clasped behind his back now.

As he quickly took in her appearance--black sweatshirt, paired with an honestly obnoxiously-blue industrial--and realised then that he himself still had on his coat as well, though he had unbuttoned it. If anything, he was glad for it--if she decided to punch him, then perhaps his coat would add an extra layer of padding. He turned this over in his mind, glancing once at her hands--balled into tight fists at her sides in some emotion, though he couldn't tell what: maybe anger? Frustration? Confusion? Either way, he went on, "Now, I don't know if you are debating on punching me or perhaps verbal assault--of which I would personally prefer the latter--but if you do intend on punching me, I would appreciate it if you would avoid the face," he knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but he had always enjoyed messing with Yume. Even though they had had that moment the other night, he realised he did not think his feelings towards her had changed at all. If anything, he was enjoying this even more than he usually did--it seemed obvious from her more-intense-than-usual-reaction to seeing him that she had been fighting with similar confusion that he had had the night before, so she probably hadn't wanted to see him anytime soon. But that didn't mean he was going to leave her be, oh no. He couldn't pass up an opportunity like this, to mess with the great Miss Yume.

((*snickers* ohmygod Yume I'm so sorry he is such a butt x'D ah I'm dying. That was fun to write. And honestly, I don't care what you do next. You can have her punch him if you want--I can certainly see that happening. I could also see her asking if they could talk outside for a second or something, or even just storming away to collect herself or something, or just completely ignoring him. Any way you want to do it, [and you don't have to do any of those either, I was just giving some ideas if you were on the fence about what to do] I'm good hah. I hope that post was alright. I think I'm going to start bolding the dialogue, so it stands out from the text a bit better, if that's okay. You don't have to if you don't want, and if you don't like how it looks just lemme know and I can unbold mine. And about the 'he didn't think his feelings towards her had changed' well idk if they actually have or not yet, but IF they have he doesn't realise it himself. probably won't for a while anyways, far after they become partners most likely. idk. it depends on how i feel xD and where we go. but AUGH IM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS RP AOW;NIJEUGAIHUGWAIG SO FUN *dies of happiness*))

((okay I trust that you check the website enough but exactly! Like I don't want to be the person that insults anyone by bashing their OTP, but you should really talk about them when you're not around someone who definitely doesn't ship the same people. [random side note: was on Tumblr yesterday and someone was talking about how their #1 ship in Soul Eater was KidxMaka and I was like "....no thank you"] and I am desperately hoping you can get a new phone! It's not even a year old, you should be able to. And yay! I'm so so glad I jumpstarted your post <3 like I can't even explain how happy that makes me ^^))

~ y u m e ~

Was Kureno looking to get hurt? Being here was already a step too far but as soon as the smart-ass comments started, it was on. Yume wasn't even aware of the fists she was making, there was too much concentration on what her next move was. Part of her didn't want to make a scene and reveal her hate towards the guy, but he had already slightly revealed it. She could feel 2 pairs of eyes staring intently at her, feeling a bit embarrassed by the whole situation. If it wasn't for this dick, there wouldn't BE any issues and tonight would just be a fun little gathering. Deciding that Kureno simply couldn't just get away with his little game, Yume quickly grabbed both his shoulders, bent his torso down a bit, and thrust her knee right into his gut, making him cough and slowly bring his knees to the floor.

"Now are you glad to see me?" Yume leaned down and came face to face with him and had a sly grin on her face. She felt a little victorious with her attack, how it was able to bring Kureno to the floor like that. Of course, it was only 1 hit, so it wasn't as if he was down for the count.

"Of course. What kind of party would it be without prissy Miss Yume who thinks she's perfect at everything?" Kureno's evil grin instantly returned as he looked into her eyes but it seemed like there was a hint of real scorn in his comment rather than just sarcasm. Ignoring rude comments was usually pretty easy (not that Yume received them a lot), but this time it really stung. She grabbed his shirt collar and was going to continue the fight, but she wasn't quite sure of her next move so she threw him down and stormed off to Maka's room and slammed the door. She had hoped no one would be coming after her right now, there was no way talking to anyone right now would do any good. She walked out to Maka's balcony and leaned against the railing to look upon Death City from a decent height. Why was this asshole out to get her? What had she ever done to him to create such an awful grudge that he held? Other than tonight, there was never a time that she returned the insult: the usual routine was he insults her, she scowls at him (with the occasional middle finger), and she takes it and walks away. For some reason tonight was the final straw. Not because Yume had really had enough of him, but his attitude just pushed her over her limit and before she knew it she was kneeing in the stomach. Soul and Maka must be greatly annoyed by her right now. Starting a fight with someone in their apartment during a party. Thankfully no one else had shown up yet, to Yume's knowledge, to see everything. A few tears escaped her eyes mostly out of frustration, but with a little sadness mixed in. Before the tears had enough time to dry up on her face, there was a knock on the door, as Yume predicted but hoped wouldn't happen.

"F*ck off," Yume was in no mood to speak to anyone, even if it was Soul. She didn't even turn around to see who it was completely ignoring her request when she heard the door open slowly.

((ah yes this was also really fun to write! But oh my god Kureno though... xD I hope what I chose for Yume to do was okay. If you want Kureno to be the one knocking at the door that's totally fine but if you don't want it to be him I'll have it be Soul at the door. Whatever you feel like Kureno would do! Also, I hope I didn't make him seem too much out of character? Like he's definitely strong and we both know that, so I didn't want to make him seem weak when Yume's attack brought him to the ground. And it's not even in a way that it was really painful, it's just what happened. And yeah, I'm not sure when I want Yume to realize her feelings for Kureno, it'll also depend on how I feel I will also bold the quotes, I think it definitely helps. THIS RP IS THE BEST THING EVER I LITERALLY ONLY FEEL HAPPY WHEN I'M WRITING A POST/READING A POST <3333))

((heeee thanks ^^ and I KNOW like I don't wanna be that person who bashes anyone who bashes THEIR ships like they think they're the best or whatever, but still, if you know someone, especially a close friend of yours, doesn't ship something I don't talk about it in front of them or if I do I feel bad and I apologise and I want them to be able to rant about their ship too, even if I don't ship it. And like even if I'm not even sure if my friend ships what I ship, I always am hesitant to bring it up because I don't want to offend anyoneeee. But okay ships like that [KidxMaka] like sometimes I just don't understand them like Kid and Maka barely even interact! Like at least some of the ones I don't ship, I can see how people would ship that [like I understand SteinxMedusa and stuff because they at least interact and I can see where those people are coming from, even though I don't neccessarily agree with it] but then there are those ships that like those two characters barely say five words to each other I just don't understand it! xP and thanks yes, I think we are gonna try and go to the Apple Store today. Also, my mom said you can totally stay with us the 5th and 6th by the way~ ;D and yes hahah that post was great xD I thiiiink I know what I'm gonna do with the door situation, but I had to debate about it for a while and no don't worry the attack thing was fine <3 and I KNOW I LOVE THIS RP SO MUCH I CANNOT LIKE I'M SMILING THE WHOLE TIME FROM WHEN I START READING YOUR POST TO THE MOMENT I'M PRESSING SEND ON MINE IT'S ALL JUST SO AWESOME))

Kureno had just stumbled back a bit when Yume had thrown him away, and the only noise was Yume's loud, angered footsteps as she stormed away and Maka's worried calling, flustered at this sudden turn of events.

Kureno pulled himself together, attempting to regain some of the dignity he'd lost as he began getting up off the floor. As he rose, he felt a hand under his arm, supporting him up, but he gently pushed it away, murmuring, "No, it's alright, I'm fine," as he straightened himself, shrugging his shoulders to readjust his coat. "Man, that was messed up. What happened?" Soul was watching him, a sort of worried look in his eyes. Maka was right by him in a moment, her gaze a mixture of worry, despair, and a bit of sadness, "Kureno, are you hurt?" she insisted, reaching towards him to check him. "No, Maka," he moved his head slightly to the side, trying to sound sincere, "I'm perfectly fine. It didn't even hurt, to be honest," he assured her with the ghost of a smirk. She put her hands on her hips, a hint of annoyance now leaking through, "We always knew you guys didn't exactly get along, but you should've told us if it was this much of a problem! Is this why you haven't been hanging out with us as much?" Kureno opened his mouth, but closed it again after a moment, unsure how to answer. He clenched his jaw a bit, his brow furrowing, before he looked down as he answered, "You have my deepest apologies, Maka, and Soul," he glanced at them at their names, Maka looking a bit confused yet expectant, while Soul lightly waved a hand to say 'it doesn't matter it's fine'. "If you want," he continued, "I could leave before any others show up. I don't want to make this evening any more unpleasant than it's already become for you," he finished, his voice trailing off a bit. In truth, the confrontation had jarred him a bit more than he'd expected it would, especially now that it was over. Although part of this was just an act now. Even as he finished his sentence, he began turning towards the door, but stopped with a hand clasped his shoulder.

"No," Soul turned Kureno around, "Maka wanted this party to celebrate all of us graduating into EAT, and if this is something we are going to have to deal with..." Maka stepped forward, looking at Kureno with happy-yet-sad eyes and a small smile, and finished where her partner left off: "Then we should deal with it together." Kureno nodded, then quickly said, "Thank you, my friends. But," he raised his hands as if in surrender, "this doesn't usually happen--it's never come quite to blows before. It probably won't happen again this way, so please don't worry about it too much. I don't want anything to be treated differently--this is just how it is, alright?" In all honesty, Kureno had no idea if their arguments would escalate to a fight again, but he was trying to do some damage control. At his words, Maka seemed hesitant, but she eventually nodded. Kureno smiled lightly back at her, muttering a thank you, before his gaze drifted towards the hall where Yume had stormed off to. "Then...someone had best go check on her..." part of him wanted to go, but instead Soul nodded slowly after a bit and turned to go after the girl.

As he watched his friend make his way to Maka's bedroom, there was a knock on the door and Maka realised that it must be the pizza. Kureno went to help her carry the boxes in, and as they set them down on the table, Kureno glanced back towards Maka's room, finding himself wondering how Soul was getting on trying to mend what Kureno had done in part. With a bittersweet smile, he pondered how interesting this night had gotten, and how things may escalate as the lives of himself and his friends moved forward.

((bottom line, just be smart about where, when, and who you talk about ships to ;P but yeah for real, KidxMaka? Sure they're both main characters but they don't talk that often except for like if they're working together or something. But awesome yay! I will be there the 5th and 6th then gah I'm like actually mad at Yume now. Like I like how I wrote the post but still it was kinda uncalled for. Perfect for this RP, in my opinion. I'VE NEVER HAD A RP MAKE ME SO HAPPY. Also I love how we have little conversations before we start our posts but we never reference the conversations when we're texting xD it's like these side conversations are not to be spoken of lol))

~ y u m e ~

Unfortunately whoever was entering the room didn't quite understand that her last comment really meant to go away. The figure appeared next to her on the balcony and a flash of white hair was detected by the corner of Yume's eye. She had hoped her tears had dried away before he could tell that they were there in the first place. "You wanna tell me what that was about?" Soul asked while still not looking at her but continued gazing at Death City. Yume inhaled deeply then held her breath for a few seconds before releasing the built up air out through her mouth, as if to prepare for a long rant.

"I know you guys knew we weren't on good terms. And I had never let it escalate to this. That wasn't me out there: it was pure anger that hurt Kureno. I let the emotions get the best of me and I swear it will never happen again..." Yume replied in a low tone.

"I believe you. We all knew you guys weren't the best of friends, but you should have mentioned how serious it was. Did it really have to come to this?" Soul seemed to be defending him a bit, which Yume did not appreciate at all.

"Are you serious? Do you realize how cruel he is towards me? I have done absolutely nothing to him and in return I get rude comments that sometimes hit a little too close to home. There is absolutely no valid excuse for his behavior towards me," Now Yume was turned toward Soul and making direct eye contact with him. His slight insensitivity wasn't helping the situation at all.

"Alright alright, calm down. Here's a little back story for you," Yume began to interrupt Soul but he stopped her before she could get another word in and he continued. "Okay, Kureno was technically our friend before you came along. Sure he still didn't always hang out with us but that was only because that's the way he is. He completely disappeared on us when you came along. Barely even glanced at us in class. But of course there's nothing you could have done about it because you didn't know. Losing his friends probably made him a little jealous and he let it get the best of him and took it out on you. We all love having the both of you in our lives and we don't want to see either of you get pushed away over a repetitive petty fight. I think if you go out there and apologize, he'll return the apology and you guys can find some middle ground," Soul smiled a bit at his last remark to communicate that there were no hard feelings. Yume held back the last few tears of frustration and straightened herself up. "I'm so sorry Soul," he playfully punched her in the arm in response. "I don't think I'm the one you should be apologizing to," He replied as he nodded his head toward the door and began to head back to the living room. Yume followed close behind and made her way straight to where Kureno was sitting on the couch with Maka. He stood up at their entrance and tweaked his jacket sleeves with Maka walking over to where Soul had decided to stand.

"What, back for round two?" Kureno crossed his arms and smiled as he always did when they interacted. Yume kept a blank face and simply offered her hand to him for a handshake. He gave her his hand hesitantly but shook hands firmly. "I'm sorry," Yume gave her apology to Kureno. There was so much more she had to add with the apology, but it would have to wait for a time when they were alone. Once he saw the seriousness and sincerity in her apology, he nodded and replied with a faint "I'm sorry" while looking slightly to the side as if he was almost embarrassed. Yume then turned around to Maka and Soul and gave them the same serious look she did with Kureno and apologized to them too. They both gave a little smile. "Well now that that's over, I see there's plenty of pizza to go around!"

((Okay I'm a lot more pleased with this version of the post. I still think what I had earlier in the first editing process was way better than this, but I'm so done with this post now. xD and again, I hope I didn't make Kureno seem too out of character with how Yume just "pushed" him out of the group))

((exactly, I TOTALLY agree!!! And YES I'm so excited for the 5th and 6th nowwww!!! I don't know for sure if we'll be at my moms or my dads yet [I'm usually at my moms on Tuesdays and Wednesdays yes, but I had to make a deal with my dad so that Sarah could come over a couple of weeks ago so I'm not sure yet...] but I will let you know tomorrow or Monday for SURE. But AUGH YES dude I love it <3 so goooooood. Hah I'm not really mad at Yume, I kind of feel bad for her because Kureno can be a butt sometimes ^^' most of the time. And I agree, I mean I think it wasn't ooc for Soul or anything but perhaps he might say things in a slightly less hostile way? Just like since he's both of their friends I feel like he would try and support them both but be a bit more nonchalant about it because it's Soul. BUT I still think the way you wrote it is fine! And yes that did kind of happen and yes, though he's a bit more sarcastic and eloquent than blatantly antagonizing ;3 not to say you need to change anything of course it's fine!!! <3333 and HAH I KNOW they are not spoken of xD it's kind of great because we have so many different conversations going but I don't feel confused either. Like we have texts, and sometimes emails, sometimes snapchats, and we have the roleplay itself and we also have this little chat IN the roleplay and ah this is fab i love us<3))

Kureno understood as soon as he saw the look in Yume's eyes, if not sooner, that she would want to talk to him privately at some point. Perhaps not tonight, perhaps not even this week, but he knew it would happen. Well, at least at the time being everything had turned out okay. Just as Maka was grabbing some plates in the kitchen, there was a polite knock at very center of the door, followed by a loud, though muffled, comment, and then the door burst open as BlackStar pushed his way into the apartment. He loudly announced his arrival as he stormed into the living room, followed gently by Tsubaki and then by a slightly-annoyed looking Death the Kid and a pleasantly happy Patty and Liz. Everyone greeted and the party quickly took on a joyous, humorous, nice fun air. Within minutes everyone had pizza on their plates and they had flipped through the television channels to find old reruns of childhood cartoons to watch as they chatted happily and ate their fill. There was hardly a quiet moment even as they ate, and after they finished BlackStar, Soul, Patty, and Liz opted to play some Super Smash Bros. which made they gathering even louder than before, but no less enjoyable.

Kureno actually found himself laughing, truly laughing, for the first time in as long as he could remember that night. His cheeks actually physically hurt from the amount of smiling he was doing. It was strange, very surprising--he could never remember a time like this. He tried not to dwell on it too much, deciding to live now to enjoy the party and perhaps think of it later, maybe when he needed some good memories to calm his thoughts. As the four played video games, the others watched on and shouted encouragements, and Kureno actually found himself joining in more than he thought he would. At one point, Maka stood up from sitting next to him, making the quick excuse that she had to go to the bathroom. A few seconds after she left, the game got more exciting, and as everyone yelled at a great comeback move, Kureno felt someone accidentally lightly hit his arm in eveyone's excitement. There was an obligatory, "Oh, sorry," and just as Kureno was about to answer he looked over, not knowing Maka had come back--but it wasn't Maka, it was Yume. Their eyes met for a moment as Kureno followed up before thinking about it, "Not a problem," and for a moment the smile fell from his face and he just looked at her, unsure. Then, a small smile lit her face, and he smiled back before turning to watch the screen again before he could make a fool of himself, which he did more often than not.

((okay, so a bit of a filler post, but I was unsure what to do yet. I had the idea that maybe he could leave to just stand out on the balcony for a bit, wanting some fresh air and a few minutes to recharge alone [cuz he's an introvert and all that and even though he's in a group of friends, it's still a sizeable group of people] and she could follow him out and talk OR we could always wait and have it later, even wait until they get a bit into EAT classes, maybe wait until they have to choose partners and they end up choosing each other. I dun care :3 but I feel like after this [just the party even if they don't have a conversation about it yet] they maaaay get a little closer. I don't want them to lose their bickering of course and they still get fed up with each other like they're not exactly friends yet, but I feel like at least he won't quite dislike her as much as he used to. If any of that makes sense ^^'))

((whooooo's excited for Tuesday and Wednesday? MEEEEEE5EEEE! As we discussed in our FaceTime conversation :3 adding to our pile of conversations that happen in different places but are never spoken of anywhere except in whatever place it's in. Kinda one of the best things about our friendship <3 I'm kinda thinking that I want the conversation between them to happen later in time. Because I figured the 2 of them wouldn't want to have a conversation like that right after they had their biggest fight yet. It'll be saved for a post later if that's okay with you of course! Kureno can still go out on the balcony, of course. That's just in character for him. And I completely agree, I think this is the moment when they start realizing they could possibly start talking to each other, but of course they'll still be classic Yume and Kureno!))

~ y u m e ~

Once the rest of the guests had shown up, the night played out as any party involving this group of friends would. There were tons of laughter and very little quiet. But in a good way. Tonight's earlier event kept playing over and over again in Yume's head and wondered if the same was happening in Kureno's. She didn't dare bring it up with everyone around them but still wondered what his take on it was, even with his returned apology. She was afraid that things were still tense when she accidentally bumped into his arm in the rowdiness of Super Smash Bros and his smile left his face, so she gave him a little friendly smirk as if to say "we're okay" and was returned the gesture. But part of Yume sensed it was more than a mere return of a favor: it felt more like a genuine smile, like she actually brought joy to his face. Maka had returned while Yume was deep in thought about the dark-haired man and snapped her back to reality. The game was still going on and Patty actually seemed to be winning with her "randomly pushing every button until something happened" method, which was driving everyone else crazy. Kureno had stepped out a few minutes later to the balcony to probably get some fresh air. Even though they didn't know much about each other, Yume felt like that is something he would do and has actually seen him do before. Part of her wanted to go out and attempt to start a conversation with him, but she figured their "friendship" hadn't quite reached that level yet. Hell, it was barely above the meeting-for-the-first-time level. Another day would probably be best for discussing their relationship, or even a mere "Hi, how are ya?" Putting away her continuing thoughts about Kureno, she turned her attention back to the game, which was surprisingly entertaining even for people who weren't playing.

((so I was thinking that we've posted enough about the party xD If you don't like Kureno going onto the balcony, I can of course change it and make him do something else or even nothing else. Maybe after your next post I can fast forward to Monday morning on their first day of EAT classes? Or else the RP might drag a little bit before then lol))

((YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE5EEEEEEES!!! Hahah I know it's so fab xD hah I adore us <3 And yes, I agree :3 I literally CANNOT WAIT for this to go on man I'm so exciteddddtdcyjgvkubh!!!! And yeah man fast-forwarding sounds good to me! <3))

After a while, Kureno felt the need to step out for a bit and get some air. He quietly slipped away and went to stand out on the balcony a bit, enjoying the cool air. He didn't know how long he was out there, and he almost thought someone might come to check on him, but no one did. He didn't know if he felt sorry about that, or glad.

Once he felt renewed, he made his way back inside and the party continued as normal. Around 11 pm, people began to leave. They didn't leave Maka and Soul's apartment in too much of a disarray, and they even tried to clean up a little before they left. At least, everyone except BlackStar. Eventually, it was Kureno's turn to say goodbye, and he stepped forward to high-five and fist-bump Soul, both smiling. "Glad you came, man," Soul nodded, and Kureno smirked, "As am I." At that, he then turned to Maka, who of course (with the hint of a mischievous smirk) quickly stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist before he could retreat. She'd never really hugged him with this many people around, and this thought was burning in his mind as well as burning his cheeks. He swiftly, gingerly rested his arms on her back to return the hug before pulling away as quick as he could. The others were still talking amongst themselves a bit, but he could feel a couple of amused stares at his back. He flicked up his coat collar around his neck, rubbing a hand against the back of his head as he cleared his throat, "Yes well...nice to see you, my friends. Thank you for the, er, invitation," and with that he retreated back, slipping through the group, and made his way to the door. On the way he muttered quick goodbyes in reply when they were called to him, but he fled out the door and down into the street before most others had crossed the threshold of Maka and Soul's apartment.

Kureno began walking, the cool air nipping at any exposed skin but not in an entirely unpleasant way. As he reached a four-way-stop, he cast his gaze upwards to a dark sky littered with brightly shining stars. A new moon. As the ghost of a smile graced his lips, he thought to himself how symbolic that was, and inhaling deeply continued on his way with just a bit more vigor in his steps.


((ugh okay #littlerant but ugh my dad is so annoying me this morning x/ we've barely been up for an hour and already he's being relentless. He ALWAYS wants to maneuver and yeah I want my license but I'm gonna practise when I WANT to practise like I'm not going to want to do it if you always tell me when I have to do it I'm tired of itttt like I want to maneuver but I never want to when he wants to and it's ridiculous cuz like when we do he's really annoying and such a backseat (passenger seat whatever) driver like more so for maneuvering than anything else and it's RIDICULOUSLY annoying. And also I was like on this site and he walks up behind me and is looking at it and he's like "Pink background? What's that?" and I start clicking out of it like minimising and I say "Roleplay site." and I get up to go to the bathroom and he follows me and is like "What?" "Roleplay site." "What??" "ROLEPLAY SITE." like jesus I know you heard me like he's following me and practically sticking his face over my shoulder while I'm walking like I think he does it just to piss me off sometimes I fucking hate it. Sorry. #rantover ))