"Just a day, just an ordinary day. Just trying to get by." - Vanessa Carlton, Ordinary Day
A cool breeze came sweeping through Death City that morning. She'd never forget it. The pure white clouds were illuminated by the smiling sun, making them look heavenly. The sky was a bright, yet soft shade of blue, and the scent of grass and lily filled the air. The day was young, the current time being 6:47 A.M. It was so bright for such an early time, but that made it all the better. The shades of people's windows were still drawn, refusing to let in the glorious sunshine, but that hardly mattered. If anything, it was a good thing. The less people she had to share this beauty with, the happier she was.
Having been awoken unusually early for a Sunday, Maka decided to get up rather than curl back up in bed. It was actually a rather subconscious decision, for before she even realized it, she had made her bed, gotten dressed, and made a quick breakfast for Soul to eat before putting on her shoes and walking right out the front door. She didn't realize how lazy she looked in her worn out jeans, loose green and pink t-shirt, and hair pulled back into a single ponytail. But, then again, she didn't really care. She was extremely comfortable, the warm sunlight tickling her face, and something inside of her just screamed that today would be a good day.
So she walked on, aimlessly down the cobblestone road, her destination unclear. Her mossy-green eyes shifted vacantly back-and-forth between the picturesque skyline and the street before her. Her mind was clouded with useless thoughts, such as how well she did on her last exam, if Soul would get her note about breakfast before he just threw something of his own creation together, how Crona was doing... She was thinking of nothing of real importance, just... random, flickering thoughts.
Smiling softly as the calmness the morning had brought, she was letting herself forget that she was a meister. Just the other day, she had been out on a mission, her and Soul working side-by-side to collect another soul. She giggled at the thought of him swallowing it whole, that silly grin he always wore afterwards to imply that it was tasty. Yes, the darkness of the night and harsh whipping of the wind, nipping and tearing at her exposed skin, was now replaced by a soft, gentle gust of air, and that darker-than-blackness was washed away with the presence of the fiery sun. She had been pushed around, punched and kicked, swung at by the monster's sharpened blade. One good swing and she could be missing an arm or a leg, possibly even worse than that.
But it was as if it never happened, the current atmosphere rejecting the very thought of such tragedy and disaster. The shade of the tiny trees and flowing fountain water had caught her attention as she gazed up at them. The wind blew just hard enough to rustle the leaves, pretending to tug at them, but causing no harm. The cold water that flowed through to the heart of the city shot up peacefully, the sunlight reflecting off of the misty droplets and creating a small rainbow. She walked over, hovering over the edge, and dipped her fingers into the water. She shivered at the contact, but relaxed and welcomed the cold tingling sensation.
Staring at her reflection, she couldn't help but feel alright. She had a scuff on her face from her previous battle, covering it up with a plain white bandage. She rested a hand over the spot, eyes flickering with sorrow at the thought. She remembered all too well the feeling of her opponent's fist connecting with her face. How she had been sent flying backwards into a brick wall. How she had laid motionless, temporarily frozen. She remembered how Soul reverted from his weapon form back to his human one and attempted to shield her. She had to quickly roll over and shove him back, taking another nasty hit. She barked at him to change back as she coughed up some blood and staggered to her feet.
But she shook her head, flushing the memory from her mind and replacing it with a new one. She let random times of joy and happiness consume her as she moved on from the fountain back onto the street. She let her feet carry her as far as they wanted, somehow avoiding running into buildings and signs, falling off the curb, or accidentally stumbling out into traffic. It wasn't long before she wound up in the park where she and others would come to play.
"Author of the moment, can you tell me: Do I end up, do I end up happy?" He Is We, Happily Ever After
Eyes drifting up and to the basketball hoop, she couldn't help but smile, letting her eyes fog over in the process. She remembered how she had lost her match to Soul and his team, her punishment being that she had to spend an afternoon with her Papa. She had gotten out of it, somehow, probably by continuously postponing their outing until he just forgot about it. Something like that. She was so caught up in her reverie that she hadn't noticed the approaching footsteps to the right of her.
Golden eyes looking lifeless and dull, an exhausted looking Death the Kid appeared next to her. Surprised to see the scythe meister so early in the morning, he just let himself stare at her. He noted the faraway look in her eyes and, for a moment, thought that it suited her well. Her golden locks were tied back, genuine smile plastered on her lips, pale skin shimmering in the dawn's early light, and hands loosely linked together as she stared out at the court.
Blinking and shaking his head, Kid straightened up and cleared his throat. He had not meant to pull her out of her thoughts, finding that his noise had diverted her attention onto him. He raised up a hand to greet her, smiling weakly in her direction. God, he was tired. He had hoped that it wasn't obvious, but the curious look swimming in her forest-green eyes said otherwise.
"Good morning, Kid." She greeted in that angelic voice of hers. My, what... awkward thoughts he was having. A dreamy faraway gaze, angelic voice... what was next? It must have something to do with his sleep deprivation. Walking up next to her, he looked out and saw that the basketball court was completely empty. He briefly imagined their band of eight (Crona, included) running hastily up and down the court, desperately trying to snatch the orange ball away from each other. Black Star and Soul with their wild shots, only landing a basket every once in awhile. They were both good players, just terribly cocky around each other. In any case...
"Something the matter?" His focus was redirected to the girl before him and he attempted another smile, but failed miserably as he replied, "No, nothing at all." She called him out, saying that he was a liar and that she could tell. He smirked, knowing full-well that he was in no shape to try and cover up his drained body and lack of energy. She started walking over the nearby bench where she would always sit and read her books, doing everything in her power to avoid being dragged into a match. He absentmindedly followed after her, and before either of them knew it, they were sitting comfortably beside one another.
Maka pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them, curling up like a child with that amiable smile gracing her features. The drowsiness must have been playing games with his head, because thoughts such as, 'She has the most adorable smile, her eyes look warm and distant, she is absolutely stunning in her holey jeans and simple t-shirt,' were plaguing his consciousness. He tried to push them away, but it didn't appear to be working. When she peeked over at him, he felt his eyes haze over as he fixated on her pretty face.
"Gonna make every minute last longer. Gonna learn to forgive and forget, 'cause we don't have long, gonna make the most of it." Skillet, One Day Too Late
"You know, if something's bothering you, you can tell me." She said out of the blue. His vision sharpened and he blinked several times to make sure that he didn't linger on her anymore. Sighing, he looked away and tossed his head back, letting it rest over the edge of the bench. Maka watched, ever so curious about his strange behavior. Kid was not one to be so carefree or... relaxed? She supposed that was the word she was looking for. He drew in a breath of air before saying, "I'm just tired is all. There's nothing to worry about."
"Did something happen on your mission last night?" She was a persistent one, wasn't she? He gave her a brief summary of the events, stating that he arrived in South America at about four o'clock in the morning. Along with Patty and Liz, they traveled down the Magdalena River in search of the Bonewerks Mine. They were to infiltrate, collect the evil souls dwelling from within, and destroy the place. Unfortunately, the three souls inside were holding over two hundred human souls hostage, bringing about quite a long and dragged out fight. He arrived back at Death City at approximately 5:08 this morning, tired as all Hell.
"Well why aren't you at home sleeping? That sounds awful!" The concern for his well being that was laced in her voice comforted him, but he pathetically waved his hand in the air to calm her. "It's too early in the morning to be sleeping. I'll retire myself early tonight, but for now, I need to be awake and part of society." Staring at him with wonder, Maka couldn't help but think of how stubborn he was. She took advantage of his sprawled out form, taking the time to take in his features.
His raven hair was tossed about (asymmetrically, she noted) along with his lines of Sanzu. His eyes were closed, but she knew he was still awake. His lanky form was limply spread out across the bench, one arm in his lap, while the other hung lazily off the edge of the bench. His legs were spread apart, knees slightly bent, and his dress pants were wrinkled and a bit dirty. His jacket was half unbuttoned and she watched as his chest rose and fell with his consistent breathing. The sunlight reflected off of his light skin, causing it to glimmer slightly. For being a Grim Reaper, he sure did look like he belonged to Heaven. His kindness, tender heart, loyalty, bravery, and chivalrousness did not seem to be the traits of a god of death.
But now it was her turn to shake such embarrassing thoughts from her head. Resting her head atop her knees, she peeked over at him still. A blush crept its way on to her face and she wanted to hide it, lest he open his eyes and catch her staring. She suddenly found herself giggling at his completely asymmetrical form, but dared not to say anything. The last thing she wanted was their peaceful moment ruined by his OCD.
She stared back out at the basketball court as she wondered about her previous thoughts. Kid was not someone she thought about often. She regarded him as a good friend, respectable meister, and a future Grim Reaper. Her thoughts have never really escalated beyond that. She wouldn't deny that he was handsome, but she wondered about everything else. She thought that his eyes were the most captivating shade of gold that she'd ever seen. His smile could light up a room if he ever decided to show off his teeth with a toothy grin. The white stripes in his hair were unique and eye-catching to say the least, but she thought they suited him well (maybe it was just because he hated them so much). His slender form, she knew, was actually quite muscular, though not to the extent of Black Star's. He didn't need to have such obvious definition to be lean and strong.
And then there were his other features. His reckless sense of duty that caused him to wildly put himself in danger to protect someone or do what he thought he had to. His undeniable courage that stood out when everyone else wanted to back down. His kind heart that melted at the chance to help others. He was truly compassionate and tender, warm and cool, and loyal and bold. He was a complicated mixture of traits that made him the Kid that she had grown to care so much for. The thought of losing him to the Kishin scared her to death and she actually trembled at the thought. However, she had no more time to think about him and his perfections. He had his imperfect qualities that made him so relatable and his reliability and warmth is what caused her to believe she might actually have some sort of attraction to him. He was quiet and at peace, OCD and out of control sometimes, but completely wonderful otherwise.
He had snapped his head up, stretching out and sitting up, rubbing his eyes with his hands. She stared at him questionably as he stood up and stretched again. He turned to face her, eyes half-lidded and gleaming. He offered her his hand as he said, "C'mon, it's almost seven thirty. If we leave now, we can be to that new restaurant on the other side of town by eight for breakfast. I could use some energy right now."
Not realizing how tomato-red her cheeks were, she slowly took his hand and stood up, standing almost level with him. Her eyes softened when they met his and they both smiled subconsciously as they began walking down the street, unknowingly still hand-in-hand, for their day's adventure.
Yes, today was going to be a magnificent day.
"And I'm doing just fine, I'm always landing on my feet, in the nick of time and by the skin of my teeth. I ain't gonna stress, 'cause the worst ain't happened yet. Something's watching over me like sweet serendipity." - Lee DeWyze, Sweet Serendipity
"A/N: Well, here it is! I've been dying to write a Kid and Maka fic for forever now. I finished the anime a little while ago, and although I loved her and Soul, I loved her and Kid even more. This turned out to be a bit of a subtle or, at least, a non-confessional fic, but the romance is still there. To avoid a long note, I will end it with this: Please. Review. Thank you!"