"NO! You can't make me!" the young Shinigami shouted as he held tightly to the door.

Liz and Patty Thompson, sisters and weapon partners to Death the Kid, were pulling at his legs trying to force his grip away from the white painted door.

"Come on, Kid!" pleaded Liz as she pulled harder on his left leg, "We've been planning this vacation for weeks! Don't let a simple outfit get in the way of you having a good time!"

"Yeah," said Patty as she pulled on the other leg of the Reaper, "We need ya, Kid! It wouldn't be fun without ya!"

Unfortunately, Death the Kid was resilient in his efforts to hang on to that door.

Kid (as his friends called him) was a bit of a symmetry nut. By little, of course, that means he suffered from a massive case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Everything had to be symmetrical in order for him to function. For balance in this world is what he sought to protect.

Even as he was planning for this get together for more than 3 weeks, Kid had noticed that the clothing Liz and Patty had got him for the vacation were asymmetrical. The patterns on them were all off.

Kid would not take this sitting down.

"NO! I will not be caught dead wearing this horrible abomination to symmetry! I'm a disgrace if I believe I will be able to walk in public with such horrid physical structure" Kid cried as the two weapon sisters continued pulling at his legs.

"Come on Kid! Maka, Blackstar, Soul and Tsubaki will be wondering why we aren't there!" Liz said, continuing to pull with all her might. Patty only giggled at the ridiculousness of Kid.

"Pretty please, Kid?" Patty playfully pleaded, "Nobody will care about your outfit! Besides, we'll be wearing bathing suits!"

Kid had finally given up his efforts of resistants and let go of the door, falling onto his stomach. He sighed as he knew he could not help but agree with Patty's reasoning.

"I suppose I could handle this atrocity of an outfit for that long." said Kid,

"But as soon as we get there, I'm changing!"

Liz and Patty both grinned at the Shinigami-to-be.

"So," began Liz as she gestured toward Kid to follow her and her sister,

"we heading off or what?"

Kid replied only with a smile as he rose from the ground and followed them towards the beach.

Maka Albarn, a relatively young meister at the DWMA, had her bags all prepared for the trip.

ahh she thought as she let out a sigh from finally packing all her necessities. Finally finished. A nice relaxing day on the beach never hurt anyone. And I sure need the vacation.

She let out a cute grin for she knew that assessment of herself was quite on the mark. Out of all the students, she was most definitely the hardest studier. That is why she received the highest marks not only in her class, but the entire academy. She felt that today would be a nice opportunity to relax, kick back on the white sands of the beach… and read a book.

Upon grabbing the desired book she had been reading (An Edgar Allen Poe novel named "The Grotesque and the Arabesque) she had noticed that her weapon partner, Soul Evans, was not down here with her. She had begun to think that he had simply been packing his things in another room, but she had begun to realize that her partner was indeed in his room.

Upon realizing this, she let out a loud sigh. Soul was always an incredibly lazy roommate.

If anything, she thought, He's probably in his room sleeping. Maka pouted childishly.

Soul and Maka had been preparing this trip ever since summer vacation started, and if Soul was indeed sleeping, she'd drag him to the beach in his pajamas if that's what it would take to get him there.

"SOUL!" shouted the young meister as she stomped up the stairs towards Soul's room, "I swear, if you're asleep, I'm going to…"

before she finished her sentence, she had already opened the door. She was not prepared for what unbelievable sight lay before her beyond that doorway!

Soul had had all his things packed! All of his clothes in neat little assortments across his bed, all his other accessories sprawled out on the trunk that lie next to his bed, and all the snack food he enjoyed were already in a cooler! And if that wasn't enough to make Maka's jaw drop, then the fact that he was checking off all his materials on a checklist surely did.

Soul turned to see a stunned Maka by the doorway and kindly greeted her.

"Oh hey Maka," he grinned, "What's up?"

Maka could utter no words, for she still remained in disbelief. Soul chuckled at Maka's wide open maw.

"Better close your mouth Maka. A bug might fly in there, or something."

Maka realised she was acting foolish and shook the stun off of her face.

"Soul," she began, "I can't believe you did all of this!"

Soul slightly tilted his head puzzlingly.

"What do you mean, Maka? I've packed, just like you said?"

"I know! That's my point!" She proclaimed as she waved her hands, pointing at all assorted material.

"You never do as I say, let alone do it without complaining about it!"

Soul again laughed at Maka's remarks.

"Maka, we've been planning this trip for weeks now. It would be un-cool of me to bail on my responsibilities."

Maka calmed herself and grinned at her weapon partner.

"Trust me," Maka said giggling, "There is nothing you do that isn't cool, Soul"

Tsubaki and Blackstar ran out of a market store with their hands and arms covering their heads, a barrage of rotten tomatoes shortly gaining on them as the store clerk hurled them at the duo.

"And don't even think on coming back, you rotten kids!" he yelled as he abruptly slammed his door behind him.

Tsubaki and Blackstar, dressed in their summer attire, were now breathing heavily next to each other on the sidewalk, their hands placed on their knees.

Blackstar was the first to rise as he puffed out a cloud of steam from his nostrils.

"What was that guy's problem, huh?" he snorted.

"You called him an idiot," replied Tsubaki, still breathing heavily, "I would have kicked you out to!"

Blackstar let out a large guffaw as he said, "Well, it's his loss! The greatness that is the Mighty Blackstar would surely have brought him a lot more business if I were to have bought anything there!"

Tsubaki caught her breath and stood straight. She merely smiled at Blackstars childish arrogance, for that is what she has grown to expect from him over these years. Even in the face of the Kishin, he showed no fear. He wasn't going to show it to some store clerk!

"Well," began Tsubaki, "It's still a shame we can't bring any food for trip! The others are going to be disappointed"

"Nonsense, Tsubaki! If I'm going to be there, then they have nothing to be sad over!" He shouted proudly as he pointed at himself with his thumb.

Tsubaki laughed sheepishly because, in his own little way, Blackstar was right. The others wouldn't be disappointed all because they could not get any food. Tsubaki knew, because of their strong friendship, they will be happy together no matter what.

Tsubaki and Blackstar began down the street, when they saw Death the Kid and the Thompson sisters cross their path from the intersecting street. Tsubaki's face beamed with joy as she waved to her friends, who gave it right back. Blackstar, on the other hand, was a little less subtle.

Blackstar ran screaming towards Kid.

"KID!" shouted Blackstar as he came barrelling in towards the young Reaper, "How have you been bud?! I haven't seen you in days!"

Blackstar stopped abruptly in front of Kid as he smiled,

"Oh, I've been doing just splendid. I've been trying to contact father, but he seems to be busy as of late."

"Busy with what?" questioned Tsubaki as she came from behind Blackstar. Blackstar to, was puzzled.

"I've no idea", Kid shrugged, "He's been really busy with something ever since the Death Scythes returned to their Divisions"

Then, before Tsubaki could ask another question about Lord Death, Kid's father, Maka and Soul were seen by the group approaching them from the opposite street.

They were each carrying a large bag that was adorned with wheels, as to make the treck a little easier.

Everyone was enlightened to see the rest of their party had arrived. They all let out a simultaneous "Hello", as Maka and Soul approached them.

"Hey guys," said Maka as she approached her friends with a newly found skip in her step,

"I see you're all ready!"

Soul followed his partner, as he always did, and acknowledged the party with a slight nod and a slightly toothy grin.

"Indeed we are." said Kid, almost completely forgetting about the horrid asymmetry of his outfit.

"Yeah," chirped Patty, "We've just been waiting for you slowpokes!"

Patty let out a large laugh, the others joining her in this time of good feelings.

"So," said Soul said, "We ready to shove off or what?"

A slight murmur of agreement flustered the group as they all began to walk towards the beach, some still laughing at the sheer excitement of this group vacation, others simply catching up with good friends and enjoying the company of each other.

Summer vacation was nearly over, and this would be the last time they would have a chance to have a get together like this.

Little did they know of the horrors yet to come