Hello, dear readers! Sorry about the wait! I had some issues with this chapter (you'll see why) and am still not so sure it's up to par, but I hope you enjoy it none the less! And my apologies for the length, wish it could be longer.

At present, I have two other Soul Eater stories that are up and would love nothing more for you to check them out!

Oh! And thank you to the guest who pointed out the misspelling in chapter one! Much appreciated, I'll try to remember to fix it soon! If anyone finds anything else grammatically or otherwise, please do let me know!

Without further ado, chapter 5!

Chapter Five: Empty rooms

"So, how about that tour?" Soul asked, playfully pushing Maka on the shoulder. She was taken aback slightly at the sudden change in the atmosphere but smiled at his attempt to clear the air.

"Yes, please," she nodded shyly.

"Right this way, my lady," Soul smirked slyly as he outstretched his right arm, motioning her toward the hallway. Thanks to his upbringing, Soul found it easy to mask his emotions when needed, and right now, Maka needed him to do so to push past this uncomfortable endeavor. That and ... he didn't like it when she averted her eyes. He wanted her attention for reasons he couldn't explain nor justify.

She set down her damp towel on the counter and exited the room, a smile gracing her features at Soul's antics. He followed her out, turning off the light and closing the door behind him.

"So, that was the laundry room. This is the hallway." Maka giggled under her breath, softly whacking Soul in the chest as began to sound like a realtor. "Okay, so this next door is a walk-in linen closet, that's currently empty." He began as they started walking back towards the living room. "And then we have another full bathroom, only used by rare visitors from time to time. And then a guest bedroom, which my brother usually occupies when he visits but doesn't adorn any furniture."

"What doe he sleep on, then?" Maka asked.

"He usually uses a sleeping bag or he'll crash on the couch." Soul coughed, realizing how awkwardly empty his huge apartment was.

"What about down that way?" Maka turned and pointed back past the laundry room.

"Oh, uh, well the last door on the left is the stairwell to the next level up and the right is a ... coat closet that I store some personal stuff in. I'd appreciate it if you didn't open it." Soul answered. Maka got the feeling that it wasn't up for discussion, so instead of digging into his personal life, she replied with, "Upstairs?" A huge smile formed over her face.

"Yes," Soul nodded, keeping to the path back towards his living room. "but I think we should go down stairs and work our way back up." He pointed to the door at the very end of the hall.

Downstairs? How many floors did he say there was? She thought back for a moment. Four. Five including the roof. Maka nodded in agreement as he opened said door, which led to a loft of sorts which slowly and tastefully turned into black metal bars. A spiral staircase was located at the far end. Instead of leading to another portal to open, it opened up into a large space filled with comfortable furniture spread along walls with high tables scattered about the room. Mirrors were placed along the walls every few paces, making the room seem bigger than it was. A huge fireplace at the right end of the room with a large seating area gave it a homey feel, but the giant chandeliers added elegance. The ceiling seemed to go up pretty high.

"Why is the ceiling so high up?" Maka wondered aloud.

"It's the way I wanted it built. As a business own- ..." Maka looked up at Soul as he paused, clearing his throat. "pardon me, ...business owner's son, I'm sometimes expected to host balls, galas, etcetera." That was close. Nice save. "This is the floor I use for such occasions. I'm not really too keen on having people roam my home." Soul then pointed to the far left corner straight across from them to a pair of elevator doors. "That's the entrance, and to the left, you see that hallway?" he asked. Maka glanced over and saw said hall on the left-hand wall.

"Yeah, I see it," she nodded, enchanted by the beauty of the room.

"Well, that leads to an enormous coat closet and bathrooms. The rest is as you can see. And over here we have where the band's usually play and the dance floor." Soul turned them to the right to see a wide but short stage set with sound monitors on the right wall. The dance floor was located under his living space, making the ceiling lower than the rest of the room. All of the floors were red wood set in tasteful square designs, though the dance floor seemed to have some form of protective coat over it. All of the walls were a pleasant créme colour. It felt very 'high society.'

Maka began to step forward and turned to look around the dance floor, spotting another hallway further to the right. "Where does that lead?" she asked, pointing to the unlit corner.

"That leads to more bathrooms and the kitchen used by caterers."

"You had a kitchen made especially?" Maka thought this all somewhat odd. Soul was most certainly rich, judging just by the looks of his second floor, but this ... this was something she hadn't imagined, and there were more floors to explore. "Isn't that a little much?" She turned to look up at the tall, rugged man.

He was looking up at the chandeliers scattered over the high ceiling. Without looking down at her curious gaze, he answered, "'Cause where else would they store the food? People gotta eat and fancy people like to be served, not to serve themselves." He sighed with slight disgust. From what Maka could tell, he wasn't too awfully impressed with 'fancy people'. He seemed ... tired of it.

"Do you enjoy the events that you hold here?" she inquired. He took a long moment to think over her question before finally turning to catch her marvelous paradise orbs.

"No. If I'm being honest," he told her. "But you didn't hear it from me." That toothy grin of his formed on his lips as he nudged her toward the stairs. "This room is my least favorite, really. Makes me squeamish. Mind if we continue to the upper level?"

"Of course!" She spun around and almost jogged to keep up with his lanky legs. "I can't wait to see the rest of it!"

As they climbed back up the stairs, Soul hit the lights and reached up behind Maka to open the door for her. The first thought that crossed her mind was how much of a gentleman he was, but she also pondered over why he didn't just go up the stairs first if he was going to reach around her to open the door. It confused her somewhat, not used to being treated like a lady, and the slight invasion of her personal space made her a tad bit uncomfortable.

"There's an elevator that leads to this level as well," he told her, bringing her out of her thoughts as he locked the stairwell door. Maka turned to him, brows knitted together in question.

"Where? I thought I'd seen everything?" she asked as she began to move through the living room, looking around carefully.

"It's down the other hall in the dining room," he answered. Soul headed toward the kitchen to get a glass of water, seemingly alright with Maka making her way to said hallway by herself. She entered the dining room and walked down the large table until she could turn left. Seeing the light switch, she flicked it up, illuminating the hall. She followed the path to soon be met with large metal double doors at the end of the hallway to the left. There were two doors across from the elevator on the right as well. She opened the one nearest to the end of the hall to reveal a coat closet. The second wouldn't open. She briefly wondered what could lay beyond the door, but didn't dwell on it. Maka couldn't get over how big this place was. It was incredibly large for one man.

She turned from the door and made her way back to the kitchen, switching off lights along the way, to find Soul drinking a tall glass of water. He looked up from his glass as she entered.

"So, what do you think so far, half pint?" Did she like the nicknames now? They seemed less like cruel mockery and more like terms of endearment. She smiled at that. For some reason, they were growing on her, he was growing on her.

"I really like it so far. It's just so big for one person." Soul held out another glass of water for her. She accepted it and took a sip. "Doesn't it get kind of lonely up here by yourself?"

A small smile wormed its way upon his lips corner. "Sometimes, but may I remind you, I do have a few friends." Her eyes widened as she realized what she had implied. She hadn't meant to insult him. Of course, he had friends. Assuming he never saw anyone from the outside world, how rude of her. "If anyone here resembles Rapunzel, I think it would be you," he joked with a chuckle full of fondness, allowing a hand to rest upon her shoulder reassuringly at the look of distress forming over her face. "It's alright," he said. "Not like you've seen them. I do enjoy solitude, however. It gives me peace of mind." He stood from his perch on the counter and washed his glass, putting it back in the cupboard. Maka gulped down her water and soon did the same to follow quickly after him.

"Ready to go explore level three?" Without waiting for her answer, he strode into the living room and turned toward the hallway.

"Actually," she caught his attention, directing his eyes her way. "I have to use the restroom first," she finished, turning and walking into his room after receiving a nod. He rose his eyebrows in surprise that she hadn't used the guest bathroom, but somehow, he felt comfortable with her using his private bathroom. He awaited her return as his thoughts turned over the events of the last two days. He had saved a life, and not just any life, but the life of a young woman who was a prized worker of his company. They had both been very lucky. He liked her. She was an introverted extrovert, optimistic with a good sense of humour, and she was mature yet could let her childish side roam unsupervised. He had only met her two days ago and he felt like they could become very close friends.

"-oul? Soouuul?" He was knocked out of his stupor when he registered a small hand waving in front of his face. When did she get here? "You okay?" she asked, concern evident on her features.

"Oh, sorry. I was daydreaming, I guess," he shrugged. "You all ready?"

Maka squinted at him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm fine, Maka, brain just needed a break is all," he joked as he began to lead the way down the hallway.

"... If you're sure," she conceded, letting him off the hook just this once. He opened the door for her and followed her up the stairs, which lead to another door. Once again, he reached up behind her and opened the door. "If you're going to keep doing that, why not walk in front?" she questioned under her breath, feeling a little hot at their close proximity. Him having a perfect view of her behind all the way up the stairs was bad enough, but reaching around her while bringing his chest close to her back was just uncalled for. Soul opened the door and lightly ushered her forward into the dark, his hand slipping to the small of her back. Maka gasped breathlessly at the small touch. Even through clothing, she could feel the warmth of his hand seeping through to her skin. It seemed to ignite something foreign to her.

"I apologize, what did you say?" he asked, unaware of the effect he was beginning to have on her.

"I-I asked you why you don't just walk in front, instead of reaching around me to open doors?" She answered, thankful for the lack of light as she felt her cheeks heat up.

Soul shifted behind her, reaching for something. Ever so softly, she felt his fingers glide across her back as his body heat got further away. What was he doing? She saw lights begin to dimly sweep across the room, slowly getting brighter. He was reaching for the lights. She looked over at him, his hand still barely touching her lower back.

"You don't like it?" he asked.

"What?"

"When I open doors for you." He elaborated, turning his exquisite red wine orbs to settle upon her form. "Does it bother you? Are you a feminist by any chance?" What? Was he messing with her? She saw his signature smirk crawl into place as he waited for her answer, moving back to his place to the right of her. She briefly pondered if he realized where his hand was. It was currently drawing circles on the left side of her lower back. She felt a shiver run up her spine, not going unnoticed by Soul, though being the source of it didn't seem to cross his mind.

"I am not a feminist, per se..." she began. "I believe in equal rights, but it's not like I yell at guys for being gentlemen. I was just curious as to why you choose to let me go first when you know how awkward it is to reach around me to open the door," she huffed, blowing her bangs out of her face.

He chuckled at her reaction. Once he had seen her quiver slightly, he stepped a bit closer and had begun rubbing her back up and down in an attempt to warm her up. "I apologize," She looked back up at him, finding sincerity in his face, though a small smile still lingered. Was he closer than before? "but it isn't awkward for me, it's simply out of habit. If it makes you uncomfortable, I can stop." They stood there for a moment, their eyes staring at each other in a silent dance. Maka swallowed somewhat loudly. His hand had stopped its movement and now rested at the small of her back again. She liked the way it felt, being near to him, having his hands on her.

"No," she finally answered, clearing her throat. "I was just wondering why you did it." She was the first to break eye contact, dropping her gaze to his feet. They were very big feet, hidden by black socks.

"Lady's first, open the door, pull out their chair ... " he trailed off. "It's how I was raised." He retracted his hand from her and began to lead the way down a much wider hallway than the downstairs. It looked something like a hotel lobby. It had darker colours than his living area as well. The carpet held a lovely design; dark green, tan, and a purplish colour danced in intricate swirls, two large tan strips on the outer sides. The wallpaper similar to the carpet only ran in a thick line down the middle of the wall. Above the streak was the tan, below the same dark green. The lights were the same as his living room, warm and inviting.

She began to follow him, jogging to his side. He slowed as he saw her struggle to keep up as they passed several unexplained doors.

"Interesting colour choices." She said. "I like them." Soul glanced back to find her admiring a large ceiling to floor mirror with a beautiful golden frame. He smiled as she reached out and delicately ran her fingers along the gold. "This is beautiful ... " She whispered. He waited a few minutes, staring at her as she began inspecting it closer. She was so damn cute; she was so tiny, but she had that fiery spirit that lit her up. He cleared his throat after a while, more to avert his own attention than hers. "Oh! Sorry." She smiled shyly and walked up next to him as they began walking again. Maka followed quietly as Soul led her, but curiosity began to bubble in her stomach.

"Hey Soul, why are we just passing everything? Isn't this supposed to be a tour?" She took a fist full of the back of his shirt and yanked twice as she asked. It came out as a humorous inquiry, somewhat teasingly, but she really wanted to know.

Soul felt the pull of his clothes and twisted his body to look at her hand in mirth. She was looking at another mirror, not quite as big, but the gold frame was much more intricate than the last. "I wanted to start at this end of the hall and work our way back before going to eat lunch." Without looking up at him, she simply nodded in understanding. He smiled down at her, her hand still left attached to his shirt. He decided to flick her forehead to get her attention once more.

"Ow! Soul..." she pouted as her free hand rubbed the now sore spot on her head. "Whyyyy?" she asked, finally looking up at him. He laughed as he knew he hadn't flicked her that hard.

"Baby," he chuckled out as he began to walk further down the hall, decidedly allowing her hand to keep its hold on his shirt before she herself realized her forwardness and let go. They soon came to stop in front of wide double doors at the end of the hall. "Alright, step right up!" Soul began, sounding like one of those guys at a carnival booth. "Would the little missy with the long golden locks like to take a guess as to what lies behind door number one?" He held an invisible mic up to Maka. She grinned up at him as she placed her index finger to her chin in mock contemplation.

"Mmm ... what do I get as a prize if I get it right?" she asked, meeting his gaze.

"Chocolate," Soul replied quickly, giving her a confident wink. Chocolate. Always a safe bet.

"Accepted." They shook hands to seal the agreement, feeling tingles run through themselves as skin became acquainted. Maka looked back at the doors and tried to think of the most absurd thing it could be. "I will guess ... a bowling alley."

At that, Soul reached to a light switch on the outside, lighting up the room beyond the large wooden doors.

"Let's see if the little missy is correct!" He grabbed the handles and pushed through the doors to reveal a six-lane bowling alley.

Maka's mouth almost hit the ground when her eyes met the contents of the room. "It's really a bowling alley?!" she yelled. "How the heck?!" She began to stomp forward into the room, getting a better look. The carpet was a beautiful dark blue, walls mostly a light coloured wood, and the ceilings were a crème. To the right was a wall of bowling shoes and a small hall that held lockers, several benches spread out down the middle. To her left seemed to be a place for food, like a small diner. She walked forward to peer around the corner to find bathrooms for men to the right, women to the left.

Turning to Soul, she let out a huff. "Just how rich are you exactly?" she asked. "Isn't this a tad too excessive?"

He simply shrugged at her and looked around. "Very, but money can buy many things, and I felt that this would be better than going to a germ infested bowling alley where I'd have to pay to play alongside people I don't know with loud music and screaming and ... teenagers." They both shuddered at the word. Teenagers. Ugh. Such despicable creatures. To think that they had had to be apart of such an audacious and immoral group of individuals sickened them to the bone. Bleh.

"I guess that's fair," she shrugged. "So what's next?"

"What? You don't wanna play?" he asked, honestly a little surprised.

"Maybe later," she turned to smirk at him. "I think I'd rather win more chocolate."

And there it is! I hope that was enjoyable! I will try my best to update again within the next two weeks since you all have been waiting for too long!

Much Love!

K.T.