Since I've been in the grave for so long I decided that as an apology a small string of uploads was in order. I can't promise that they will all be this close in release date but they're coming. So for now, enjoy and thanks for coming back.

I immediately averted my eyes.

"Don't look at me like that."

Soul straightened. "Look at you like what?"

"I don't know," I said turning away from him and walking out of the store. 'Like I'm pretty?' Hell no. I wasn't having this. Maybe Soul and I weren't mortal enemies anymore but we sure as hell were never going to be more than friends. I heard his footsteps catch up and walk beside me.

"You're real weird you know that?" He said.

He had put his hands behind his head and turned around so he was walking backwards facing me. I glanced sideways at him. As if he was one to talk. I would have told him as much but a display window caught my eye.

"Wow," I sighed and pushed Soul aside to get to the storefront. The mannequin stood there in poised perfection. It was perfect. The fabric was cut in all the right angles the color was deep and dark and all the seams looked so symmetrical Kid would have approved.

"What are you drooling over?" Soul asked sounding absolutely bored. How could he not understand the beauty that was before him? Liz did say once that boys didn't always appreciate the same wonders girls did. He let out a low whistle.

"That's something you're into? It doesn't really seem like your style."

"Are you kidding, it has my name written all over it in stone," I answered not once taking my eyes away from the display. I heard him chuckle.

"Really?"

"Obviously. I wonder if that's the only color scheme."

"Well, let's go in and check," Soul decided turning and heading for the entrance. I lunged for his arm pulling him back.

"What the hell?"

"You can't go in there," I hissed not letting go of his arm. "They probably charge you to breathe their air."

"Oh Maka, always so dramatic. And can you please let go? There was a shit ton of heavy lifting the other day at work and I'm oh so delicate," he complained tugging his arm away from me.

"Sorry," I sighed and looked towards the window. If only I could feel the stitching between the leather and fabric. Still, it was too much to even think about. It probably cost more than everything Soul and I were wearing combined. "It's fine. It's not like I need a new backpack anyway."

Soul choked.

"A what?!"

I was confused. What the hell was he freaking out for? "What's the matter with you?"

"You were looking at the backpack this whole time?" he questioned starting to giggle covering his mouth with his hand. He looked like a six year old that had just tied someone's laces together. The black and white leather backpack with gold clasps had immediately stolen my attention, what else had he been looking at? I looked at the window again. The mannequin that held the backpack over her shoulder was wearing a black mesh top and matching bra with dark red denim shorts with studs along the pockets. Soul thought I was ogling this? He must be out of his mind.

"You actually thought I was looking at the outfit? As if I would ever wear anything like that in my life!" I said appalled, dramatically motioning towards the still life model.

"I don't know," Soul shrugged running his hand through his hair, "I think you'd look pretty good." He turned his head ever so slightly towards the entrance of the store again. The grin was back.

"Soul, no!"

But it was too late. He grabbed my hand and dragged me into the store. I wanted to yank Soul out by his ears like a toddler but there was no way my dignity would allow me to commit social suicide like that in a place like this. The walls were painted a solid matte black with high ceilings and polished dark wood flooring. There were gold pillars and embellishments everywhere. I felt severely underdressed and poor. I tugged on Soul's sleeve.

"Please let me out," I whispered. I would not be above begging if he so asked me to.

"Nope, you're going to look like a million bucks even if you don't spend a million bucks," was his firm resolution as he marched his way to the dressing rooms in the back dragging me along behind him. Four tall, black, glossy doors with golden handles made a small aisle leading to a large, ornate, golden mirror on the wall. Soul shoved me down onto a plush couch that made me feel like I was waiting for a meeting with the President.

"Wait here."

I will most certainly not wait here I thought as he traveled back to the front of the store. He would return to an empty couch and no ride home if I had my way. I stood up to leave when I overheard two salesgirls maybe a little older than me talking by a rack of fur sweaters with a plastic cart full of hangers. They were so pretty; long hair with curls on the ends and their makeup was minimal and natural; their manicured nails clicking against the metal racks; their matching black tops and skirts hugging curves I wish I had. I was almost jealous.

"Did you see that guy come in?" The blonde one with the stud in her nose asked her coworker.

"White haired guy? Yeah, I saw him. Crazy hot right?" gushed the brunette with the flawless dark brown skin as she put a sweater back on the rack. They both paused their work to stare as Soul wherever he was. I rolled my eyes. It was just like it was in high school.

"Did you see the girl he came in with?" the brunette questioned. I immediately sank back down on the couch and picked at invisible dust on the cushions. I could feel their eyes on me even though I had no proof.

"Yeah, probably his sister or something?"

"Why do you say that?"

There was a pause where I could only hear the metal of the hangers clinking onto the rack and my own breathing.

"Well, not to sound like a bitch or anything but look at her. She's cute and everything but there's no way someone like him would be with someone like her you know?"

"Yeah, I guess."

I listened to the plastic wheels of their cart roll along the floor away to a new rack where they could revel in their genetic superiority. I sat up straighter and leaned against the back of my seat. They weren't wrong. I was decent. I considered myself a potato in comparison to my gorgeous friends but I knew in the grand scheme of things I had fared pretty well. Still, I couldn't help this uncomfortable feeling in my chest and stomach, this almost shame that was bubbling and oozing its way up my spine and into my head. When a pile of fabric tumbled down next to me I jumped.

"I've no idea what size you are in anything so I grabbed everything," Soul said motioning to his plunder.

I spotted an XL tag. He was such an idiot. He plopped on the other side of the heap and motioned for me to pick a room. I wanted to throttle him. I wanted to see what I would look like. I wanted to prove those girls wrong. Sifting through the mess I snatched the correct sizes and scurried into one of the rooms almost slamming the heavy wooden door behind me.

Now that I was actually in here I dropped the clothes as if they were acidic and wanted to hide away forever. No, I decided. Even if it proved nothing to the pretty girls it would prove something to me. I thought I had gotten over my insecurities about my appearance a long time ago. I pulled the mesh fabric over my head. Maybe I was just overreacting. I shimmied into the shorts and looked at myself in the mirror. Woah.

I didn't look half bad. My friends had been right, shorts did make my legs look much longer than I thought they were; even if they only reached the tops of my thighs and made me feel way too exposed. Although, that exposure was nothing compared to the airtime my top was offering. However, on closer inspection the mesh made me look like I had a slight hint of curve that warranted exposing. I actually smiled at myself in the mirror. I didn't need to prove to myself anything I hadn't already known.

I heard Soul's voice and then female giggling on the other side of the door and mischievously grinned at my reflection who was very enthused at what I was planning. I casually opened the door and stepped out standing in front of the large mirror against the wall ignoring the gaping faces behind me. I did a little twisting, inspecting the outfit at different angles in different poses as if I looked good in everything I touched and was making sure the clothes lived up to my expectations.

"Oh my gawd, she has the longest legs I've ever seen."

"She has the slimmest figure I'm so jealous."

I could have purred in satisfaction. His little sister my foot. I heard the clicking of their heels on the wood as they went back to work and I could stop my show. I had to admit, I did look really good. I turned around to head back to the room when Soul's staring made me stop short.

He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his eyes dark, intense, and locked on me. I self-consciously crossed my arms across my chest and my toes started fidgeting inside their shoes. But I shouldn't have worried, Soul's eyes never left my face. His expression was one I had never seen before. His mouth had the slightest curl on one side and there was a glint in his eyes like he had just witnessed a miracle. I hated when he did this.

"What?" I asked exasperated rubbing at my arms and staring at the floor. He clapped his hands together once, the sound making me jerk my head up to look at him as he stood.

"I was right," he commented as he lazily meandered my way until he was directly in front of me, "You look really good." His hands kept going in and out of his pockets as if he couldn't decide whether or not to touch me. I knew which one I wanted but would rather die than voice it. He smiled displaying the pointed edges of his teeth which made my heart start pounding away at my chest like it owed them money. "I told you red was my favorite color."

I swallowed hard. I was back on that bannister at the party. He was saying that exact line as he hovered over me, tendrils of smoke curling and tightening around my wrists, my throat, my heart. He had seen a vulnerability, a willingness to be led and he directed me as skillfully as a conductor and I was his song. But that had been then. This was now, and as much as I wanted to give in all over again to his charms I was privy to his techniques.

I reached up and twisted my fingers into the hem of the neck of his shirt and pulled his face as close to mine as I dared. His eyes widened ever so slightly; he was used to playing the game, not the other way around. I slowly licked my lips and watched as his hooded eyes followed the movement. He pressed a hand to the wall beside my head for balance. He was surrounding me again and I had to remind myself not to get lost in the maze of his eyes or the breeze of his breathing.

"Oh Soul," I whispered making sure to sound as seductive as he had been back then. I recalled, deep and husky against my ear, his hot breath making my already flushed skin warmer. I couldn't help the satisfaction that crept into my smile as I watched him gulp at the sound of my voice. No wonder he had enjoyed messing with me this way. It was a power trip and I was sure I could get drunk on it if I let myself go for too long. I could see out of the corner of my eye I had a brunette and blonde audience so I knew I had to end this round. "You're one of those easy to read virgin types," I whispered slowly releasing a smile of my own. He blinked. "I can give you a little attention, touch you in just the right way." I let go of his shirt and softly shoved him back towards the couch. "And you're putty in my hand." And with that I sashayed as best as I could back into the dressing room.

The second I clicked the lock into place the reality of what had just happened settled in. I buried my face in my hands feeling it heat up in my palms. Oh my god! I can't believe I just did that! What is the matter with me? Did I think it was some sort of justice for using those exact words on me a month before? Or maybe I was just feeling emboldened by what I was wearing, as if I had changed personalities along with my shirt? Either way I was never going to speak about it again and if Soul tried to bring it up I'd pitch him out the nearest window.

I quickly changed back into my clothes and put the offending outfit back on their respective hangers. I took a deep breath, held my head high and opened the door. The sofa was empty of both Soul and the unused clothing sizes. Instead nestled delicately in the center between the cushions was a black and white leather backpack. I tossed the clothes on my arm to the side and knelt in front of the bag like it was an altar. I was almost afraid to touch it, to leave the oils from my fingers on its pristine surface. I gently picked it up.

It was so smooth and soft and smelled ten times better than the interior of a brand new sports car. I turned it over and over in my hands inspecting the buckles and stitching. I paused. Soul must have left it here for me. I hugged it to my chest. He was an infuriating person most times but every now and then he could prove to be sweet.

"Hey Maka, what do you think? I feel like I should be an international spy. You know, Bond level."

I looked away from the pack at Soul wearing a deep red leather jacket that reached his knees. He had left the silver clasps undone so it showed off the black silk inner lining. The salesgirls were positively dying, not even attempting to hide their swooning. I swallowed. I wanted to do the same.

"More like the Matrix," I commented slowly standing. He looked good. Really good, which was weird since this was nowhere near my aesthetic at all nor my type of preferred look on a guy. But it suited his personality; well, his 'silent heartthrob' one anyway.

"I've always wanted an emo hacker look," he grinned admiring the sleeves and fiddling with the silver buttons on the cuff. He glanced up at me through his bangs raising an eyebrow and I was dangerously close to leaning on the wall as the girls were doing. "What? You like what you see?"

"Nope."

I grabbed the backpack from the seat, a warm tingle starting in my stomach and working its way up to my cheeks. I tried to rush past him to find the shelf that held the other bags and almost made it scot-free before he reached out, latched onto my arm and without looking at me said, "Serves you right."

I wanted nothing more than to throw the backpack across the store at the girls and make a mad dash for the parking lot. Soul let me go and I couldn't remember what I had been doing before he touched me. The next thing I knew we were walking out of the store leaving our friendly sales representatives holding the abandoned fashion products. I didn't want to talk about anything that had transpired and it seemed for once Soul and I were on the same page. Silence followed our footsteps along the tiled floor of the mall and out onto the asphalt of the parking lot. We got into the car and it sat between us like a wet blanket; heavy and uncomfortable.

"Are we going to ignore it?"

I looked at Soul for a brief second contemplating my answer before turning the key in the ignition. Did I want to ignore what I had done? Did I want to ignore how he had reacted? Did I want to ignore the gross warm feeling taking root deep in my chest?

"Yes."

"Thank God," he sighed running a hand through his hair. He rolled his window all the way down and hung his arm out it and ignored me the rest of the drive home.