Eventually, the shop owner booted us from the fitting room, and Soul paid for my dress, which I continued to wear instead of my fraying dress. From the time we left the store to the time we reached the park, no words were exchanged between us. During our quietness, worrisome thoughts ran through my mind. I wondered if, somehow, he figured out that I was his doll. If he did, what was he going to do next? Though he seemed to have become tense when we left the fitting room, Soul still walked beside me. Whatever the case, he hadn't left me.

Reaching the park, I suggested, "Shall we find a place to sit?"

"Yeah." Soul didn't look at me but began to walk towards a bench. "Would this be fine?"

When I nodded, he sat down, and I joined him. After a few more moments of silence, Soul suddenly turned to me and said, "Mary, I have something to confess."

Looking back at him, I tried to still my anxious heart. Did he really know? I managed to respond, "Yes?"

But Soul took a pause. Then he hunched over and looked at the ground, his head down and away from me. "It's no use… No matter what words I decide to put this in, it will still sound awful or even disgusting."

Concerned, I put my hand on his shoulder. "Soul, what is it? What's wrong?"

He looked up and straightened his back, turning towards me. "I had a doll when I was a child. Its name was Maka, and I absolutely adored it." He laughed a little bit with a hint of bitterness. "I even took it to one of my first recitals. It made my father mad as hell, and when the crowd didn't even clap for my performance, I felt utterly horrible and humiliated. However, when I escaped from the concert hall with my doll in my arms, a sense of comfort came to me. The only person to make me feel at peace, and that person wasn't even a person. It was a doll."

Turning away from me again, Soul looked up at the sky, which had its sky blue fading to a light orange. "The years passed, of course, and I contemplated several times to throw away the old thing. I tried to convince myself that I was too old for such a toy, and to begin with, the doll was a girl's plaything. But for some reason, I just couldn't let go of it." He closed his eyes. "The doll had enchanted me. It was an inanimate object, but to me, it was so much more." Opening his eyes, Soul looked back down at the ground. "A few days ago, I noticed that it, along with my other toys, were gone from my windowsill. When I was a child, my father told me to throw the doll in the furnace, saying that I had no need for such frivolities, so I immediately suspected him. He denied having to do anything with it, though, but I ran to the furnace…"

Soul trailed off, and as he did, his eyes began to water. However, he refused to shed tears in front of me. "She was gone. As simple as that."

Then, as if Soul remembered that I was sitting next to him, he looked at me in surprise. "Oh… I'm sorry, I… I probably told you more than you needed to know." He gave a hollow laugh. "Anyway, Mary… When I first saw you, you reminded me so much of Maka, and when you wore that red dress, you looked so much like her." Shaking his head, he said, "I know. I'm horrible. It's probably more disgusting than horrible, actually."

Throughout his whole explanation, I sat there, stunned and quiet. I didn't know how to respond or what to do. After all this time, as I had gathered dust on his windowsill, he still cared for me. My eyes began to water.

Noticing my impending tears, Soul flinched. "Mary, I'm sorry. I know, I know. But Mary, our day today was wonderful. You're an…an amazing person. It's been such a long time that I've had this much fun." He began to blush. "If you aren't too repulsed, I-I'd like to see you again. I know it's stupid, but please let me see you again. Not as Maka, but as you, Mary."

I wiped my eyes and laughed. "Yes, let's see each other again."

At first Soul sat there in surprise, but he began to smile, showing off his sharp teeth. "Thank you," he replied. Hesitantly, he moved towards me and embraced me. "You're wonderful, Mary."

But a voice soon sounded in mind. You will have to tell him soon, Maka. At hearing that, my shoulders slumped a bit.

When Soul let go of me, he was blushing a bit. "I don't know why, but I feel so comfortable with you. It's as if I…I've known you for a long time. I know that sounds odd." Clearing his throat, Soul stood up. "A-anyway! Let me walk you home. The sun's already setting."

Without thinking about it, I blurted, "Sure." I know I should have declined, what with Liz, Tsubaki, Patty, and Black Star at home.

A gentle smile spread across the boy's face as he extended his hand toward me. I smiled back and took it. I gave him directions, but since I had trouble coming to the park in the first place, we made circles and passed the same streets several times before coming upon the alleyway.

"You are really bad with directions, you know that?" Soul panted.

"It's…it's not my fault that the directions you gave me were bad to begin with!" I panted.

Then he smirked. "Okay, then, Tiny Tits. I'll just have to give you better directions next time."

In response, I impulsively chopped him in the head. "Don't call me that!"

Soul yowled and rubbed the top of his head. "Do you have some sort of violent streak or something?"

"Hmph. You shouldn't have called me Tiny Tits." I crossed my arms.

Sighing, Soul replaced his scowl with a small smile. "Well, here we are." He looked around the alley, which was littered with garbage and crawling with rats and stray cats. "Isn't this a kind of shady place to live in?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't judge a book by its cover." As I was about to open the door, I looked back at him. "Would you…like to come in?"

"Oh," Soul said as he scratched his head. "Um, sure. If it's fine with your parents, I mean."

I nodded, opening the door. I could only hope that my friends were in our room, asleep, or at least not in the workshop. When the door was open, the sight of hanging mannequins and sitting dolls became open to Soul. Thankfully, Dr. Stein was not at his desk for once. In wonderment, Soul took his first step into the workshop, taking in what he was seeing.

"M-my father is a doll maker," I explained.

"This is amazing, Mary," he murmured. His curious eyes reminded me of the actual first time that we met.

"Yes, I'm very proud of my father."

But suddenly, as Soul was reaching to touch one of the stuffed animals, we heard a voice. "Don't touch that, sir."

We turned to the voice, and I gasped. "D-Dr. Stein!"

Soul turned to me and asked, "Who?"

"Ah!" Realizing my mistake, I replied hastily, "That's my father. I call him Dr. Stein out of habit." Laughing nervously, I could only hope that the doctor would play along with my lie.

Cocking an eyebrow, Dr. Stein said slowly, "Yes, I'm…her father." Behind Soul's field of vision, I mouthed out my "name." The doctor cleared his throat and assumed his new role. "So, Mary, did you enjoy your time with Mr…?"

"Soul, father. His name is Soul." I gave him a knowing smile to let him know of my thanks.

Then, Dr. Stein smiled back, but something was hidden in his smile. It seemed to be realization or familiarity, both of the possible elements inspiring curiosity in me. "I see. So this is the Soul that I've been hearing all about." Walking over to Soul, he grabbed his hands and placed his own on them. "I'm trusting that you will take good care of my daughter."

Both Soul and I turned beet red, and we began to speak at the same time in a flustered tone:

"Father!"

"I-It's not like that, but okay!"

The doctor just smiled and released Soul's hands. "All right, Mr. Evans. Now, I'll have to ask you to leave because the rest of my…children are sound asleep."

But Soul's eyes widened a bit. "Hold on, how did you know my last name?"

"Ah," Dr. Stein said. "Mary told me." Walking away from us, Dr. Stein stopped at the doorway to the hallway that led to our bedrooms. "Good night, Mr. Evans."

The white-haired boy looked at me with surprise. "Did you know my last name?"

"I-I saw a nameplate next to the mansion's gate."

With skepticism, Soul nodded. As I led him to the door and we bid each other good night, I closed the door and leaned against it. I sighed.

"I can't believe Dr. Stein told him that I had been talking about him. I never said a single thing about Soul to him," I muttered. Then my eyes widened. "Wait, if that's the case, how did the doctor even know about his last name?"