The final rays of light emitted from the setting sun as it descended slowly behind the horizon set Death City in a soft glow; Illuminating the streets and buildings, just the perfect amount of light that no street lamp hand been turned on yet. The streets were calm for a Friday evening. Not nearly as busy as it would be the next day when the marketplace in the main square would be open and flooded with bustling bodies. Those who were out were traveling from their homes and between 31st and 46th street, the shopping district, where most of the cities nice restaurants sat.

But if you pick your way through the city, through the winding roads and past the dead ends you might come across 25th street, the home of a small lounge at the end of the road. A place of light chatter drinks and strangers reuniting with old friends or making new ones; this lounge was known as the Sang Noir Lounge. This night was one of those nights, a special night, with live music.

The exterior of the lounge was nothing special; it looked as any normal building in the district would, maybe a little nicer due to the doubled glass doors that lead into the lounge with red carpeted floors and walls painted a pleasant shade of black with accurately hung paintings. The crimson coloured sofas and padded armchairs sat neatly in front of the glassy black tables, each placed throughout the room in an aesthetically pleasing fashion that could only be called symmetrical. On the far wall in the back was the classy bar made out of the same material as the tables. Two barstools alongside a statue sculpted to form the familiar skull that stood as the symbol of Death City sat on each side of the bar. Liquors and alcohol placed pleasantly on the bar and shelves behind the counter. In the centre of the room sat a familiar glassy black, circular stage large enough to fit the sleek obsidian grand piano atop of it as well as enough space for the musician to sit comfortably. All of the furniture had been centered around it, obviously hinting to the main attraction of the lounge.

The lights were dim casting a nice glow replicating the one set over the city. The bustling of the bar tender and the soft chatter of all of the lounge's occupants rung in the air but easily over taken by the soft hum of the keys of the centre piano; it's melodic tune setting a relaxing and soothing atmosphere. Sitting at the helm of the piano was a young man clad in a slick black suit; slightly lighter grey stripes fell vertically down the cloth, opened to reveal the dark crimson dress shirt that fit his slender frame perfectly. Only slivers of his white hair could be seen sticking out of the black fedora he wore a top his head.

His fingers moved swiftly across the keys as he kept his eyes shut, feeling the music rather than hearing it. And that's how things stayed for hours and hours until the chime of the lounge's clock signaling midnight arrived. The pianist brought his final piece to a close before closing the lid over the keys, standing up and taking his bow for the evening. The remaining occupants gave a round of applaud then the white haired man took his step off the small circular stage and back towards the bar. The man stilled for a moment as he saw the owner of the lounge talking to an elder gentlemen, at least that's what his grey hair, hunched body and creased face indicated.

The man wore a long dark trench coat that reached to the back of his knees; he must've had it for quite some time seeing as there was noticeable stitching where the coat might have been torn in the past. Other than that the man was well dressed and before he knew it the owner was signaling him over towards them. Words that he couldn't catch were spoken and the grey haired man held out his hand in greeting. Hesitantly at first he took the man's hand and shook it.

"Hello, I'm Frank Stein." The man said pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose after releasing the white haired man's hand.

"Soul Eater." Soul replied earning a knowing smile and nod in return.

"Mr. Stein here caught your performance and would like to talk to you about your music." The owner said with a hint of irritation in her undertone.

"I'll let you two be for a moment, I'll be waiting for you at the entrance Soul Eater." Mr. Stein said before slipping away and heading over to the entrance. The owner huffed and crossed her arms over her suit clad body. Her long curly blonde hair was pulled back into a bun except for a few stray strands that came down to accompany her fringe and frame her face. She removed her glasses perched on her nose and rubbed her temples.

"Lulu, what's up with you?" Soul asked leaning against the bar.

"The last thing I need is for some ol' hotshot to barge into my place and steal away my act from right under me." She grumbled pouting as she put her glasses back on. Soul chuckled at the slightly older French woman's grumbling.

"Trust me; no one is stealing your act." Soul smirked.

"Good, now then here's your payment for the night. I expect to be seeing you on Monday?" She arched her brow looking Soul in the eyes, holding the cash just out of his reach waiting for the answer.

"Of course Lulu, do you need it in writing?" Soul asked amused. He reached out his hand in order to grab the cash from her delicate fingers. Placing the notes in his hand gingerly she smirked.

"Non, I think I'm good. I trust you." Her smirk turned to a small smile as she patted the smaller males head and walked off, putting her key into the lock and disappearing behind the heavy black oak door that only she was allowed to pass through.

Shaking his head as if it would set his hair back to before she had ruffled it Soul turned around and leisurely made his way towards the two front doors where Mr. Stein was probably waiting for him outside. He gave a slight nod to the man clad in a black suit tending to the door and bid him a goodnight.

As soon as he stepped out into the brisk night air Soul felt the small draft that always appeared in the closed ended streets. The cold air nipped at his tan skin forcing him to shove his hands as deep into his pants pockets as he could. His cheeks took a light pink tint; he hadn't been expecting it to be this cold, even at this late of an hour. Taking out his right hand he adjusted his sleek hat to come down over his eyes, to mask his face but not enough to haze his vision, and as soon as the hand was out it retreated back into the pant pocket in which it came.

"Mr. Eater." Mr. Stein's baritone voice lulled from beside him. Turning he head he caught sight of the older man, a burning cigarette between his slightly parted lips, his hands also retreated to the warmth of his trench coats pockets. As soon as their eyes made contact the grey haired man pushed himself off the wall of the lounge and started walking, Soul quickly falling in step beside him. Taking a drag of his cigarette, Mr. Stein puffed out a cloud of smoke into the street lamp lit air. "You're rather talented Mr. Eater." He complimented as he stretched out his arm to tap the end of his cigarette lightly to shake the burnt ashes from the lit end of the stick. "Extremely talented. I think you'd be able to apply for a scholarship."

Soul rolled his eyes. This wasn't at all new. People had approached him about his talent before, offering scholarships and gigs trying to get the talented musician for themselves. "I'm quite aware that I would qualify for a scholarship at nearly any performing arts school in the city. But, I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

"And why would that be?" Mr. Stein inquired, arching his brows. He hadn't expected such a forward rejection, especially just after he had offered a scholarship.

"I have no interest in going to school." Soul replied dully, kicking his feet at the ground. He was already bored of the conversation.

"May I ask why?"

"You may, but I have no reason to explain myself to you. Let's just say I have my own views and perspective as an individual and going to school doesn't sound all that appealing, and we'll leave it at that." He gazed at the other, looking into the others eyes to let him know that he wasn't playing any games with him. That he was being serious.

Soul stopped as Mr. Stein stepped from beside him to move in front of him, blocking his path. Pulling his hand out of his pocket he held out a small piece of paper to the latter. "Death City's School for the Exceptionally Gifted would love to have you, give me a call if you ever change your mind." Mr. Stein smirked as Soul reached out his hand and clasped it between his fingers. "I highly doubt it." He spoke although he pulled the card into his hand and slid it into his jacket pocket. "Goodnight Mr. Stein."

"Goodnight Mr. Eater, and please, call me Stein."

Soul nodded before stepping around the grey haired man. As he walked down the empty streets alone with his thoughts Soul could feel the briskness of the cold night more than ever before. It left him a cold feeling, a feeling that was almost...empty.

Soul moved a hand up to rub the back of his neck roughly. He was growing frustrated. Why did this feeling always appear after he stopped playing? It felt as if there was a hole in his chest, it didn't make his chest feel heavy nor did it make him feel constricted. It just felt bare. It felt almost as if...

Shaking his head Soul pulled himself away from his thoughts. Looking up he spotted the grand white building, magnificent garden, the sparkling lights and the big gothic styled Iron Gate. 'Home, sweet home.' he thought with a lingering sense of bitterness.

Turning and following along the marble wall along the perimeter of the property Soul made his way to that all too familiar tree. Climbing up the tree he hauled himself over the wall and landed gracefully in the back garden. Quietly he made his trek to the wall with the Iron Gate that vines from the garden had collected on over time. Getting a good grip he scaled up the high rising gate that ended next to a second story balcony.

Climbing over Soul moved onto the balcony opening the glass doors quietly and slipping through into the dark room. Closing the doors he locked them behind him and made his way over to the bathroom connected to his room. Flicking on the light it revealed a spacious and luxurious bathroom, though Soul couldn't care less. The floor was made of a white marble tile, the same marble as the outlining of the grand bathtub, while the inside was a grey, which took up the right hand corner of the room closest to the door. A gold rack in which the towels laid upon near the bathtub. The walls were covered in smaller red tiles trimmed with gold towards the top and bottom. A porcelain throne on the opposite corner of the tub. In the center of the back wall was an extended counter made of dark oak and tops the same shade of marble as the interior of the bath. The outer edges each had a cabinet. In the center sat a sink, perched above was an oval shaped mirror, a dark oak cabinet on either side.

Strewn across the counter top was the miscellaneous objects used for grooming as well as soaps and a neatly folded hand towel. Approaching the counter Soul lifted his hat slightly, staring at himself in the mirror, eyes boring into the reflection of the artificial azure irises staring back at him.

Letting out a dejected sigh Soul opened the top cabinet to his left and retrieved the small containers attached by a piece of plastic. Taking off the lids Soul turned his gaze back to the mirror once again and leant forward, hands moving up to his eyes. One keeping the eyelids open as the other removed the lens. Placing the blue lens into one of the containers with the solution in it Soul moved onto the other eye. Once both lenses were out and in their containers Soul returned them to the cabinet.

Now instead of a deep blue a crimson red reflection stared back at him. Soul stood there, staring. And that's all he did for a long moment before tearing his gaze away and switching off the light, leaving the bathroom and entering his large bedroom.

The floors were now a soft beige carpet. His walls covered in the signature gold and black wallpaper. The glass doors that lead to the room's balcony were only a few feet from the bathroom door on the left wall. A dark oak desk and chair sat against the same wall as the bathroom door only a little father center of the rectangular room. On the farthest wall was his bed, queen size with two feather pillows and a black silk sheet beneath the red duvet. The headboard was tall as well as the four pillars on each corner of the bed holding a silk canopy. On the right wall held the door to the corridor just outside that lead to the rest of the house. Beside that sat an oak wardrobe in which he kept all of his clothes in. The rest of the room was filled with shelves and cases of knick knacks and possessions of his, a bean bag strewn here and there.

Soul started to unbutton his jacket, sliding it off his shoulders as he made his way to the wardrobe. Holding the fabric in his hands he opened the wardrobe, pushing the clothing out of the way until the back of the wardrobe was revealed. Using his free hand his slipped his finger into the small dent and opened the small compartment unknown to anyone but himself. Folding his jacket neatly he placed the folded fabric in the compartment, then his dress shirt, and then his pants until he was left in his boxers. Removing his fedora last he placed it on top of the pile of clothing.

Closing the compartment he moved the clothes back evenly hanging in the wardrobe. Closing the wardrobe Soul made his way over to his large bed, collapsing on top of the covers. He stared at the bottom of the canopy in silence. Letting his eyes slide shut, he welcomed the darkness to take him under, into a deep sleep.

Even in the dark embrace of unconsciousness he could still feel it, that bareness.

That emptiness inside of him.

Ello. I got back from a trip to Greece the other day and before that completed a hectic week of school trying to get everything done and turned in...sorry for not updating my other stories but I've been busy! Imma try and update later this week with chapter 1 of this and the next chappie in my other stories! Hope you enjoyed!

Kid: Wait, wait wait! Another hurt/comfort fic?!

Soul: ... *stares blankly*

*bats eyelashes*

Kid: Is it just me or are you actually writing a serious fanfiction about us!?

Hey I've written serious fanfiction before! Light My Heart and Together were both serious fics about you two! *stomps foot on ground*

Soul: *mumbles* serious...Te-sama...huh...

Kid: Well yeah but, I've been going through your layouts-

NO SPOILERS! *tackles kid* I'm gonna-! Hey whats up with soul?

Kid: I think you're seriousness has killed him...

Soul? Soouuuullll? Hey look Kid's naked!

Soul: *snaps out of it* WHERE?!

Lol!

Kid: I hate you...*facepalms and leaves*

Soul: Wait I'm confused? Where's Kid? Is he really naked- wait what the fuck are you wearing?