Another short chapter because I tried to write it as quickly as possible. Don't worry, though, I plan to upload the next chapter by the end of this month! I hope you all enjoy!

IMPORTANT: There will be an announcement at the end of this chapter! Please read it!

Without further ado, chapter seven!

Chapter Seven: Bathroom Mishap

"I have to use the bathroom."

Soul blinked at her a few times, not quite sure if he had heard her correctly. She had to what now?

"Come again?" he asked, his voice a bit higher than usual, an awkward smile forming over his face.

Maka huffed in mild annoyance, slightly rolling her eyes. This was already embarrassing enough for her. He had come in to find her in need of rescue, yet again, and unable to move about. What did he expect? She met Soul's worried gaze, determination setting in her features. She wished he wasn't looking at her like that, those beautiful wine pools spinning with worry and confusion. This was all his fault really, what with all those liquids he was basically force feeding her. She was surprised she was able to hold it for this long, the pressure becoming almost unbearable. She pursed her lip before repeating herself.

"I. Need. To. Use. The. Bath. Room," she stated. Soul blinked rapidly at her reply. Incredible. Not even able to get out of bed alone and yet she could still find a way to be as sassy as ever.

Soul's realization that he had, in fact, heard her right shown across his face. His facial features seemed to sink at the words. Not only did he save her life from a cold death and strip her with their first encounter, but now he had to help her go potty? They were becoming closer than he had expected.

She watched him as she could see the wheels turning in his head, attempting to find a way out, no doubt.

Soul sighed after a moment, obviously not looking forward to the battle ahead.

"Alright. I'll help you."

Maka squinted her eyes at him. Did he think she meant for him to help wipe her ass? Dumb. She wasn't completely paralyzed, she just needed him to get her out of the bundle of blankets, as cold as it may be on the other side. She was sure she could walk by herself if her body was freed from their current confinement. She coughed slightly, partially to get his attention and partially to rid herself of that itch that had decided to settle itself in her throat. Pest.

Soul didn't notice her attempt as he was busy worrying about how this was all going to pan out. Regardless of his fears, however, he swooped down and brought her up, bundle and all, fully intent on carrying her to the facilities.

"Soul," Maka whispered out, trying more desperately to grab his attention the closer they got to the bathroom. Soul softly kicked open the door and walked into the room, determination powering his strides. He halted for a mere second, gritted his teeth, and made for the porcelain throne. Maka's eyes became wider by the second as they approached the object which was usually used in solitude. She panicked as Soul came to stand in front of it, both of them looking down at it in horror. She smacked him quickly across the chest repeatedly. If he wouldn't respond to subtle hints of discomfort, she would have to use physical tactics.

What exactly was he supposed to do? Feeling the soft swatting on his chest, he looked to Maka for instructions, oblivious to the recent calling of his name.

"Just unwrap the blankets. I can take it from there," she said the words quickly in fear of losing him to whatever far off land he'd been in again. His eyebrows lifted slightly, relief spreading throughout every muscle in his body. Oh, ... okay. That made a lot more sense. He mentally bitch slapped himself for being an ignoramus and carried her to the counter. He set her down into a sitting position and began peeling back layers of comfortable warmth. She shivered a bit, but the bathroom was warmer than the rest of the house, seeing as it didn't meet an outer wall of the building.

Once he was done, he effortlessly lifted her off of the sink and carefully set her down, making sure she could stand on her own. After helping Bambi take a few steps, the feeling seemed to seep back into her legs.

"You good?" She almost laughed when she saw his hopeful face, seemingly saying, 'Please let me leave. This is extremely awkward.' She settled for a smile and nodded. He left her leaning against the counter as close to the toilet as she could be. After the door had shut, Maka quickly waddled over to the seat, as the urge to pee was overwhelming. She almost ripped off her pants to sit down, sighing as she relieved herself. She was done almost as soon as she sat, but after cleaning herself, she didn't feel like getting up. So, she settled on blankly staring at the far wall.

A knock at the door and a worried "Maka?" told her she had been in there a bit too long.

"Yeah?" she mumbled out.

"You doing okay in there?"

"Yeah."

"It's been quite a while."

"Yeah."

"..."

"..."

"Okay..."

"Yeah..."

"I'll be back to check on you in a little bit. Let me know if you need anything."

"Yeah." That was apparently the only word she could produce at the moment. Maka returned to zoning out at the wall opposite of her, finding the soft mixture of colours more and more interesting.

She shivered slightly, soon realizing that her pants were still down. Pesky boogers. She then heard another knock at the door. How long had she been sitting there? The numbness of her legs told her it had been too long.

"Maka?" Soul asked once again from the other side of the door. She had been in there for a good twenty-five minutes, just sitting there with her pants down, staring at the wall.

"Coming!" she answered, to which he apparently heard 'Come in' because the door began to open. Luckily, she had already flushed the toilet and pulled her borrowed pants back up before he could enter fully. When she came into his view, she was washing her hands, seemingly struggling with her lower appendages, as she was wobbling to stay upright.

"You okay?" he asked, coming to stand by her as she dried her hands. His left hand came up to the small of her back, rubbing in soothing circles, something Maka found to be one of his recurring habits.

"Yeah." Yup. That was now the number one word in her vocabulary. Soul chuckled as she seemed to melt into his touch.

"Feel good?" he asked. He received a content nod as she opted not to say a word until she could speak properly again.

Maka's eyelids became heavy as she turned and leaned her forehead against Soul's chest, accepting his fingers gently kneading her back. She sighed into his warmth and took pleasure in the soothing rise and fall of his breathing. Maka began to feel herself slowly slip into unconsciousness at the relaxing stance, but soon found flaw in it when she had to sturdy her legs to stay in said position.

Soul swiftly wrapped his arms around her petite form, swooping her up into his embrace, and carried her to his bed. After laying her down and attempting to retract himself to retrieve the many blankets from the bathroom, he found her small, delicate hand clenching the fabric of his shirt. She apparently didn't want him to go too far.

"I'll be right back," Soul whispered as he gently pried her hand from the grey material.

"Mmmm." He stepped away from the bed, keeping his eyes on her. He slowed his movement, just admiring her silhouette from his stand near the doorway until a violent quiver shook her body. He swiftly turned to the bathroom and disappeared through the door, entering again with the pile of blankets. He went about layering them over her one at a time, tucking each in under her, until the shivering decreased. He found himself zoning out at her blushed face as beads of sweat began to form. She tossed and turned and mumbled in her sleep, Soul beside her all the while, wishing he could do more. He watched her fight in her dreams, her face contorting this way and that, hair a tousled mess.

Always the gentleman, Soul forced himself from his tired daze to watch over Maka as properly as he could in his exhaustion. Checking the time on his nightstand, he found he had been watching her for hours since she had used the bathroom. It was now almost midnight and he could feel his hard work slowly creep into every nook and cranny, overtaking his form. He begrudgingly pushed himself from his perch on the side of the bed and entered the bathroom once again. Turning on the lights, he was blinded by his ghostly mirror reflection.

'Well, shit,' he thought, bringing his right hand to run up his face and through his hair. His headband had somehow managed to fall out, leaving his hair in disarray. His face was pale compared to his usual tone, and the red in his eyes was now almost scrutinizing, as the dark bags contrasted. He could put Bloody Mary to shame. He inspected himself for a moment before turning to use the toilet. He took this time to briefly linger on the small woman in his bed. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but he had become almost protective of her; possessive even. He had begun to feel the need to ... serve her. Sure, he was a gentleman, but to this degree? Never. He felt drawn to her, like something inside of him was pulling him to Maka. Kind of like gravity, except not nearly as obnoxious. He found it to be kind of … fulfilling in a way.

He soon was washing his hands and splashing water over his face, feeling his abdomen rumble from the lack of food. He thought back over the day. He hadn't eaten anything. Coffee and water had been the extent of his daily intake. Looking himself in the mirror, he grimaced slightly, shaking his head in self-disappointment. Tsk, tsk. Bad Soul. We've been through this before. There will be none of that.

He pushed himself from the counter and walked quietly to the kitchen, intent on finding a quick fix for the sounds and uncomfortable twists of his stomach. Opening the fridge, he was met with numerous possibilities. He decided to make himself an easy ham sandwich and a banana with a glass of water and be done with it. He ate the food effortlessly, as his midsection rumbled in satisfaction. After his snack, he began to move towards the bedroom, but a thought occurred that maybe he should prepare something healthy and easy for Maka to eat. She'll more than likely be hungry when she finally awakes. Debating a moment, he nodded and turned back around to cook something for his guest. Settling on vegetable soup for the win, he began to peel, slice, and dice as he yawned over and over. He cooked the mouth watering mixture, stirring it to make sure it didn't burn.

After he had finished, he cleaned the mess he had made and let the soup sit to cool a bit before pouring it into a container and placing it in the fridge. Before leaving the marvel that was his kitchen, he got two glasses of water and headed back to his room. Maka lay there, right where he'd left her, sweating and mumbling incoherently. Sighing, he sat the glasses down on coasters and turned off all of the lights. Finally, he was rewarded for his good deeds as he lay down next to the burning bundle. He could finally get some shut eye. Soul rolled to his right, facing Maka, and wrapped his long arms around her toasty form. As he snuggled up to her, he noted she wasn't as hot as she had been earlier. Good sign. He reached down and pulled the thin material of his sheet over himself, not in need of much more, as he knew she would keep him plenty warm. Soul relaxed against his mattress. He was currently very glad about his extravagant bed choice. Cuddling up to Maka's back, he felt as though he was becoming goo against the young lady. Soon after his head hit the pillow, his heavy lids shut, sweeping him off into a land of bliss.

And there you have it! Look forward to the next installment!

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! I love to read your feedback, even if it's just a word or two. As WitchyGirl99 says, "Feedback is Love."

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Firstly, I am currently working on some Halloween stories for both Soul Eater and Inuyasha! I hope you'll all check them out come Halloween week!

And secondly, I have decided to have something of a contest for you guys! I will have three or so new stories tagged with a "Review Contest" come this next month. It will last until all of the tagged stories are completed. The prizes are for first, second, and third place and the winners get to request a story of me for ANY fandom they so choose. This also includes your choice of storyline, characters, genre, you name it. It will be all up to you if you win!

My reason for doing this is because I want to challenge my ability to write for not only my interests but yours. I am a huge Soul Eater fan and find it extremely easy to write for them, Inuyasha as well has been on my favourites list for a long time. But I would like to expand into other fandoms. I will be putting all of the info on my fanfiction page so that you all know the rules and whatnot. I hope you all will participate!

Much Love!~3

K.T.