( Setting: A little after Kidd, Liz, and Patty first join DWMA. This is a KiddxOC fanfic, although there may be other relationships going on the the midst of it all, too. Hopefully this turns out as epically as I planned it to! )
Sand crunched under their feet as they limped along, the pair looking quite odd in a desert at a time like this, smack in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing for as far as the eye could see—of course, the eye couldn't see very far in a sandstorm, anyway, so it wasn't that much of a surprise. Stumbling along, mostly blind, a boy and a girl wandered, both having an awkward gait; with closer inspection one would notice the boy was barely conscious, not even mustering enough strength for his eyes to open. A little less exerted, the girl was partially dragging him along, her slight shoulders straining, muscles twitching from exhaustion.
But she would not stop. She couldn't.
Minutes passed of temporary blindness. Then, almost as soon as the storm had come, it was gone. A pair of unnaturally bright blue eyes blinked, the dull browns and reds of the desert suddenly clear to her again, and allowed a sigh of relief to escape her. Shoulders sagging, she felt the tension ease out of her body, relaxing for a brief moment. "Thank goodness..." She murmured, her vocals lilting in a singsong manner. At her voice, the boy's ebony eyes opened, deep and void of expression, before they fluttered shut again.
Now that the desert storm had ended, one could see what the dynamic duo looked like. The girl was small, only about 5'4" and on the smaller side for her teenaged years. She had a youthful look about her, along with delicate facial features that made her look almost breakable. Her blue eyes were luminous and doe-like, without doubt the most interesting part of her petite body. Vibrant red hair that would probably be to her hips when not kept out of her face had been intricately braided, falling to the center of her back, tied loosely. An ivory complexion contrasted well with all her striking characteristics, making her look more like a human being and less like a carefree goddess. She was dressed casually with a rich green tank top that flattered her ample figure and navy sweatpants, complete with a pair of white, dusty sneakers. Obviously this redhead wasn't the type of girl to care much about appearances.
However, the boy was another story. He was tall, probably just under 6", with sun-browned skin that wasn't as flawless as the woman's, but rougher and more muscled. He had deep brown eyes, so brown they appeared to be black like the night, and tawny hair that was cropped short so it wouldn't get in his eyes, though it was unruly and everywhere. The male wore a dark jacket over a plain white t-shirt along with dark pants and black boots that stopped about mid-calve. Even by looking closely at him, he was a looker, the type of guy people gravitated toward, the heart throb men and woman all around had crushes upon. Despite his handsome, chiseled features, there were no creases on his face to signify easy smiles, evidently being the more reserved type.
She glanced around with squinted eyes, trying to locate a cave or tree so they could obtain some sort of rest. There had to be something out here in this forsaken desert! Suddenly she spotted something, and a sort of weary joy spread across her face, lighting it up. "Oh, look! Look! Rei, open your eyes and look!" Excitedly she pointed to her left at the gates to a building that seemed to stretch for miles. How hadn't they noticed it before? Oh, right, the sandstorm. Filled with adrenaline, she helped her partner walk faster, determination rushing through her veins, imagining the people, the food, the water, the beds...!
It didn't take long for them to reach the doors. Breathless, she lifted a small hand and rapped smartly on the entrance. After a second of impatiently awaiting them to welcome the two in, she knocked on the door, hard. There was a creak, and the door toppled inward with a loud bang, dust puffing up into the air. Coughing and spluttering, the red haired woman waved a hand in front of her face before staring into the abandoned building. There was plant life and mold growing all around, the paint on the walls was chipped and peeling, the fountain in the center had gone dry, and there was an eerie silence about the place. Looking around quietly, the youth shivered, eyes huge for a moment. But then a stubborn expression entered those innocent features; she rearranged Rei's position, pushing him upright and shifting his arm further across her shoulders. Persistence is key, and she had more than enough willpower for the both of them. Confidently she walked straight across the building, staring right ahead, not allowing her thoughts to delve into the deep, dark secrets of this place, such as why it was abandoned. She didn't want to know. It was the absolute only building in kilometers from here, and no way in hell would she turn down the help she knew Rei needed. And herself, too, for that matter. Just like Rei, she hadn't eaten anything in days, or rested herself...nothing remotely healthy whatsoever. It wasn't like she'd had a choice in the matter, either. Circumstances had deemed this 'run away' action of theirs necessary.
There was another set of doors ahead, and this time she just pushed through them without knocking. She knew this place would be vacant of life. Opening the doors, she was greeted by a cool breeze as the city that had been hidden by wall and building was now visible. It truly was a pity—the ruins of such a blatantly beautiful city, once full of color and life, now silent as the dead. Taking a shaky breath, she once again forced herself not to look around, simply walking forward. There was some shade by what might have been a restaurant nearby, and they hobbled to it, aiming for a colder area with fresh air as opposed to those stifling, stuffy houses of the ghost town. With a groan, she lowered Rei to the ground gently before sinking down after him, exhausted. Stiff and aching, she brushed a strand of rebellious hair behind an ear and away from her sweaty face. Her face was red and hot from what could only be sunburn. The thought triggered an irritated sigh. How she hated sunburn.
Crack. The teenager straightened up, blue oculars alert, body stiffening. Everything went still for a moment. There was a soul nearby! She could sense it, even though detecting souls wasn't really her strong point. It wasn't her job to do so, and as a result, she hadn't thought to put much effort into learning the art. But she knew enough to notice this one. It was...pretty noticeable, as souls went.
For a brief second fear coursed through her; she was malnourished, parched, tired, and beaten down by days of walking and dangerous events. She just didn't have the strength to fend anything off. Defeated before the battle had even begun, she fell back, downcast. There was a moment in which she battled tears of helplessness. She conquered her fears and lifted her head, determined. This done, she pushed herself over to Rei, draping herself across the boy protectively. No matter what happened, no harm would come to him as long as she was alive. She would make sure of that!
It was in that moment that a giant dark form shot out at them from behind a pile of rubble; she hadn't realized he was so close! She raised an arm defensively to ward off an attack, ashamed by her pitiful performance. All hell came loose in that moment of defiance.
Confusion eased its way onto her face, utterly baffled by the sight before her. Maka gawked at Kidd, whom had just entered the lunchroom with his dual gun weapons, the Thompson Sisters, her jade green eyes widening at the trio. Never in all her time of knowing the young Shinigami had she ever seen such an expression on his somewhat childlike face. His golden eyes were staring at the ground, his face thoughtful and filled with wonder. She noted that one of his hands had strayed up to his head of raven black hair, save for three white stripes on his right side, running through them in an uncharacteristic way. He never did that. Claimed it messed up the symmetrical balance of the hair on his left and right side or something like that.
Beside him the youngest of the sisters, Patty, giggled delightedly, two spots of red appearing on her cheeks, her blonde hair bouncing as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet happily. That was a common expression for Patty, however; that didn't worry her. But Liz's expression did—the tall fair haired beauty was eying Kidd curiously, her mind obviously whirling with activity (judging by the stunned 'o' her mouth was making, anyhow). Maka frowned, puzzled by her friends, head tilting to the side like an attentive puppy.
They reached the table their group of friends were sitting at after what seemed like forever, taking their usual seats (naturally, Kidd had elected for them all to sit in the spot of the lunchroom long ago, one where there was an even number of windows, chairs, neighboring tables, and other symmetrical coincidences—anywhere else would have been deemed grotesque and sinful by the neat-freak) between Black Star and Soul.
A little slow to realize something was off about the three, Soul's reddish eyes flickered to Kidd, who sat beside him, a cool, easy grin spreading across his face. "Hey, Kidd." The white haired male greeted his friend, voice laid back and lazy. "What's up?"
There was a small pause; Maka and Tsubaki (the busty, dark haired female whom was already picking up on the strange atmosphere) leaned forward in unison, rapt attention clearly portrayed in their body language. Kidd glanced over at Soul, debating how to answer that. Obviously something really big had happened, or he wouldn't have hesitated to reply. Finally Kidd spoke, sounding as filled with awe as he looked. "A lot, actually. Life has been...eventful." He was halting, stalling the conversation as he picked and chose his words carefully.
The two girls exchanged startled glances. Tsubaki was first to speak, her voice frail and soft as always. "How so?" Out of the seven of them, Tsubaki was the most dependable. She was a brilliant weapon, a loyal friend, and the kindest person alive by anybody's standards. If Kidd were to confess any problems or situations to anyone, it would be Tsubaki. Although Maka had wanted to be the person to take control and ask the questions, she was now relieved Tsubaki had beaten her to it. Now Kidd might feel more inclined to reply!
Those rich orbs looked up at the tall girl, pondering how to best respond. Eventually, he spoke, staring at the table, "Father sent me on a mission yesterday. To deal with a rogue soul." They all knew what that meant—a human soul turned evil, on the brink of becoming a Kishin, or an evil demon god. It was their duty as students of DWMA to prevent this circumstance from occurring.
Black Star grinned maniacally at him. "Lord Death sent you on a mission? Why not me? I am by far bigger than you!" The blue haired assassin jerked a thumb at himself, beaming, and the others sweat-dropped. They all knew the only thing bigger than Black Star himself was his ego. None of them commented, however, merely nodding their heads slightly in agreement to humor him or ignoring him completely, and returned their suddenly very interested gazes to Kidd.
"It was off in the middle of the desert, traveling to the nearest town. It wasn't hard to find, either—it was heading toward the old Gisharu ruins." That wasn't a common name anymore. Hundreds of years ago, Gisharu had been a town filled with artistic people, craftsmen, people with dreams. However, a curse was set upon them by a witch, and their structure fell apart. Not a soul was left to explain what had been done. The remains of the buildings had been left there as a reminder of the power of witches, and the great city; nobody had touched it since unless they were merely passing through the foreboding place. "However, that wasn't the surprising part. What was more surprising was who I met there.."
"Are we there yet?" Liz asked for what seemed to be the hundredth time, arms interlocked lazily behind her head, her white cowboy hat cocked slightly so it shaded her eyes. Patty wore a similar outfit with the hat, cropped-to-the-stomach shirt, and pants, but she appeared to be enjoying herself far more than her older sister, whom was already regretting this job and most certainly not looking forward to killing anyone, even if it meant a Kishin soul to be eaten.
Kidd shot Liz a look, losing patience with her. Normally he was a pretty even tempered guy, not getting annoyed easily. But this had been her thirty-seventh time saying it. Thirty-seven was an odd number. He didn't like that she'd stopped there, not at all. Pointing an accusatory finger at the weapon girl, the Shinigami barked angrily, "That's terrible! Saying such things and ending on an odd number! Dirt! Scum! One more time! Say it one more time."
Looking startled, Liz stuttered, "A-are we there yet?" Death the Kidd relaxed, nodding, golden eyes looking forward once more, the angry flush leaving his face and his eyebrows straightening out to a calmer position.
"And, to answer your question, we are almost there. Can't you feel that wavelength?" Patty looked curious, and Liz blinked rapidly before closing her eyes and focusing, searching for the soul. Then she smiled a little, glad that their mission was already almost over. As they grew closer to the forgotten city, Kidd frowned, hesitating for a moment. "..There's more than one soul there." He murmured, bewildered. "But why is that? Father specifically said one." The girls exchanged confused looks, and Kidd shook his head, muttering about three not being symmetrical and other rubbish. The boy got Beezlebub (his trusty motorbike) out and hopped on; Patty and Liz, taking their cue from his new found haste, transformed swiftly into their weapon forms. Catching them deftly, Kidd nodded in satisfaction and rushed off faster than he had been on foot earlier, wondering...who were the other two souls? Would they need to be killed too? Or were they victims of circumstance?
The dark monster-man jumped, mouth gaping wide, and she waited for the end, unable to believe it was going to come like this. Rei was going to die, and so was she. At least, in the end, she died returning the favor she owed him...to a degree. It was not a repayable debt. She would try, though.
A slim form seemed to materialize before her from a different direction, foot outstretched. It slammed into the creature with the force of a rhinoceros. With a wail of shock and pain the monster was thrust aside, skidding across the ground. Blinking in astonishment, she lowered her arm and stared at him, her braid to floating out to the side by the strength of the wind the teenaged male before her had created. He was pale with hair like the night, save for three white stripes on one side, and eyes like a dandelion; dressed in mostly black, he looked very professional, especially holding those guns in such a natural, confident manner. For a moment their eyes met, his cool and collected, hers astonished and grateful—and then he was gone, chasing the monster.
...Who was he?
"Soul Resonance!" Kidd growled, holding the two sleek, perfectly symmetrical pistols in his hands. A war cry exited his mouth, echoed by the Thompson Sisters, and he felt their souls connect like opposite magnets attracting together, his own soul swelling with power, sending a ripple of energy around a several mile radius.
Turning slightly to face the almost-Kishin man, he cocked his weapons, preparing to battle. "Your days of eating helpless human souls are over, creature. Give up now." As an afterthought, he dusted a bit of dirt off his black suit, being the type to need to be neat and tidy. Once he was satisfied, his attention flashed back to the monster, eyes calm.
Unimpressed, the man stood up, about seven feet, towering above the smaller boy. He wore all black, and the evil that was tainting his soul was already beginning to be visible on the outside, his skin and hair stained with black blotches, almost covering the entirety of him. "Who's gonna stop me? You?" The creature laughed, his voice rasping and hoarse from misuse. "That's funny."
Seven words. Kidd felt a rush of distaste for the monster as he lifted his weapons. "That was a dick move, Kishin. This battle will be your last." Then the bullets began to spray. They weren't normal bullets, either—Liz and Patty's bullets were more related to a soul wavelength, shooting it at their opponents. It was much more deadly, anyway. But the monster was fast. It dodged one after another, those long fangs peeking out from over his lips in a chilling sneer. It's feet hit the ground, running on four legs, and immediately as it would bound, leaving that location, Kidd's spray of bullets would hit right afterward, only seconds behind. Lifting a fist, the almost-Kishin drew it back. The punch hit Kidd directly in the chest, knocking him away. The bullet he'd shot was somewhat off course now, only hitting the creature in the arm; it screamed. Kidd hit the ground and tumbled away, landing on his head and shoulders in the beginning of a somersault position. Only stunned for a moment, the boy pushed off the ground with his arms, arching his back and legs so he landed upright on his feet. He was, apparently, quite the gymnast.
Lucky Kidd. He's stood up just in time to be tackled by the creature, whose skin was turning completely black. Now there was only a single white patch left, just under his eye.
With a grunt, Death the Kidd was pushed backward, feeling blow after blow rain down upon him. Desperately he shot the pistols at the monster, but his arms would be shoved so the bullets would go off course. The soul wavelength of the monster penetrated Liz weapon form, and she cried out as a gash split open over her shoulder. Blood dripped from the pistol as she gasped, fighting down the pain. "Liz!" Kidd shouted, but then he was grabbed by the collar and thrown. Again he hit the ground hard, face first this time, before tumbling head over heels. Eventually his pace decreased, sliding to a stop on his side. Sore, he pushed himself up, his movements sluggish, arms quivering. Dragging himself to his knees, he sat up, wielding the pistols with trembling hands. "S-sorry, you guys...That was too close..." His voice was low; the Sister's knew he'd be tearing himself up over this later.
"It's fine, Kidd!" Patty told him, smiling, trying to cheer him up.
"It doesn't hurt so bad. Soul will be jealous my scar is bigger than his. No worries!" Liz told him with a weak grin, barely able to keep her voice from cracking.
It wasn't enough. Kidd's spirits were plummeting. He looked up at the creature that had once been a human, watched the white spot turn to dark as he slowly but steadily raised his weapon partner's up to shoot. He stopped just before pulling the trigger.
He was absolutely symmetrical now. It was beautiful, the epitome of incredible taste and Godliness. There was no way Kidd could kill it now. It would be upon him in seconds. Two pink spots of wonder and delight appeared on his cheeks, and those golden oculars stared up at the creature as his arms dropped to his side, unable to tear his gaze away from the symmetrical monster.
"Kidd!" gasped Liz, struggling to get his attention. "Kidd, no! It will kill you! Kidd, you can't be serious, Kidd, KIDD-!"
Crunch.
Strands of hair tickled his face, and he lifted his hands to scratch it. Very suddenly it sank in what had happened; his eyes became the size of full moons, amazed.
The girl!
There she was, crouched in front of him protectively, using her own body as a shield. Her red hair, braided, had a few chunks coming loose, springing free from captivity. Drip, drip. Drip, drip. Blood—that was definitely blood. Kidd's gaze dropped to her back, scanning for sign of injury, and found there was none. The blood...it wasn't hers? The human girl stood there, silent, not turning to face him. Kidd's breathing was ragged, barely daring to believe that he'd just escaped death so narrowly, and angled his head so he could peer over her shoulder. One of her arms had transferred into some sort of dark, metallic smokey colored sword, tinted with jagged green embroidery symmetrically covering it in thin, angular stripes. He gaped; she was a weapon!
Kidd noticed where the blood was coming from now. Not even a centimeter away from her was the almost-Kishin, pitch black, having run himself through with her sword simply by the speed he had been approaching Death the Kidd. Those deep eyes were wide, flashing iridescent as her soul wavelength that she'd shot into her weapon form pinged around within him. Then he coughed violently once and evaporated, nothing but his soul levitating in the air.
The battle was done. The creature had been killed, no lives had been lost, and there was a Kishin soul to eat.
Her arm transferred back into its normal form, the blood disappearing with the loss of her weapon self. She had an easy expression on her face, unmoved by the previous events, simply sitting down so her hamstrings (which were aching from her sitting in a crouch for so long without switching positions) could rest. The redhead stretched, exhaling in satisfaction.
Then those luminous blue eyes turned to look at the three whom had saved her and Rei, taking them in. Realizing that it was safe, the guy's weapons morphed back into their human selves, and she admired them. They were very pretty, both of them, and were very comfortable with their bodies. That's definitely a good thing, since most girls were not. Her eyes arched pleasantly, a soft smile blossoming across those fragile looking features. "Thank you guys for saving us. You were very brave." It was only then that she observed the injury of the taller weapon, and blinked, smile vanishing. "A-are you ok? I-I don't think we have any medical supplies left, but I'm sure that this town has somet-" Concern radiating off her in waves, the little ginger stood up and immediately slumped, knees buckling.
She was too weak. There was no way she would be able to do it. They'd die there, the five of them. This had to be her fault. If only she'd been faster to react, quicker to come and help. Sure, it may have taken every ounce of energy in her limbs to stand up and dart over to help just in the nick of time. But...she was certain she could have been faster, stronger! It could have happened sooner.
"I...I'm sorry..." Her voice was a mere whisper as she crumpled.
Kidd jumped into action as she crumbled to the ground again, half-standing to catch her shoulders in his hands, supporting her body with his own, before easing her back to the ground, pillowing her head on his lap. "Don't be stupid. You're in no shape to do anything. When was the last time you've eaten?" From the girl there was a silence, her eyes barely open. "Drank anything? Slept?" More silence. Behind her weakness, Kidd sensed flashes of stubbornness. Great. One of those types.
Sighing, he shook his head at her. "Wonderful." He'd get nothing more out of her. There was no use interrogating the incredibly reckless red haired lady.
As if detecting his defeat in questioning her, she slowly allowed herself to sink into unconsciousness. But suddenly she realized something, making herself hang on just a moment long. Her eyes grew wide in the effort to stay awake. "W-wait!" the woman caught his attention; those exotic eyes were back on her, and she found herself speechless under that gaze. But she steeled her nerve—now wasn't the time to geek out about how weird his eyes were. "Re-" What if this guy wasn't a good guy? What if he was actually evil? She couldn't give away her name, or Rei's. So she paused, making it look like she was fighting to keep her eyes open again. "My partner. Can you...save him, please?"
Her voice was so distraught, so helpless, that even if Kidd had been a bad person, he wouldn't have been able to tell her no. The boy gave one of those rare, gentle smiles. "Of course." The girl grinned. And then she left them, traces of that crooked grin still remaining on her face.
Looking over to Patty and Liz, he directed, "Liz, I want you to eat that soul. It'll make the pain more bearable. And then I want you two to get that boy she was talking about and get him to DWMA. I'll get this girl."
The blondes nodded, Patty wandering over to the brunette and lifting him up as if he weighed nothing. She skipped back over to them, watching gleefully as her older sister ate the soul and looked relieved. Patty smiled, eyes glowing, before looking at the redhead on the ground, watching Kidd's expression as she laid there, unconscious. That might seem creepy to most people, but if they'd seen Kidd's face...There was nothing creepy about it. Whoever the girl is, she'd really made him think. Liz caught Patty's gaze and the younger of the sister's put the boy down, slipping one of his arms around her shoulder. With a small smile, Liz got under the other arm, and the two girls began walking over to where they'd left Beezlebub. Once they got to the motorbike, this whole carrying two teenaged kids with them idea would be so much easier.
Death the Kidd picked up the girl, taken aback to find how light she was—barely over a hundred pounds, he'd guess. Carrying her bridal style, he arranged her body so her head rested comfortably against his chest, having no trouble with this added burden. He followed the girls, a little behind them, going over the past events in his mind. The wheels of his brain were turning, trying to find reasons to her words. She'd left him with more questions than she had answered them. He didn't like that at all.
A few minutes were traveled in silence, only the sound of their feet in the sand heard between the five of them. Beezlebub was in sight, and the girl's exhaled, gratified that their moments of physical activity would be done with soon. Kidd had, finally, taken his gaze off the girl and was looking ahead. Until, that is, he felt the slightest of stirrings. It could have been nothing, but he looked anyway, curious. He tilted his head down to look at the girl, seeing those bright blue hues had opened slightly, about halfway. There was a loopy smile on her face, as if she were daydreaming. Slowly she lifted a hand; she had small, childlike hands, Kidd noticed as she stretched up her arm. Then she touched his hair, the base of her palm resting gently on his forehead. A startled look crossed his face, but he didn't move, too busy wondering about what she was doing. Her fingers brushed over the side of his head with the white lines, the side that made him asymmetrical, the side that made him hate himself. For a moment he almost decided to curse himself, now that his mind was on the topic. But what happened next stopped him.
"I like," the girl began, the phrase broken by her semi-slurred words, "..your stripes." He gawked; she beamed. Then she dozed off again, not to be awoken until they arrived at DWMA. Kidd stared down at her, blushing ever so slightly, mouth hanging open. She liked...his stripes? Nobody had ever said that to him before. Not even his friends; they hadn't even commented on it. Not even Liz and Patty! And he himself had never found his stripes to be anything commendable! So why did she like him?
It were these questions that caused such turmoil in his head the rest of the evening, and all through the night. They still cluttered his mind the next morning during his first classes. He hadn't been able to get these thoughts off his mind until lunch that day.
The six stared at him, even Liz and Patty whom had been present during the event. Soul was the first one to break the silence, rust colored eyes wide. "So...where is she now?" Seeing Kidd's blank look, he added, "The...mystery girl, I mean. She sounds pretty cool."
Kidd's eyes barely looked up at all to meet Soul's, still thinking really hard about all of this. "In the infirmary. I imagine Dr. Medusa is tending to her-" There was a clatter, and Kidd's eyes widened. When he looked up, there were six missing places at the table where his friends had been. He stared before jumping to his feet and racing after them, cursing. Now those two would never get any of their much needed rest! They'd just get in the way, looking for the 'mystery girl', as Soul had called her.
When he reached the infirmary doors, Black Star had apparently been elected to knock on the door. He lifted his fist to do so, grinning and going on about how the biggest star should do it. Kidd sprang on him, crushing his arms to his side. Off balance, Black Star teetered away, doing everything he could to stay upright. "A-ack! Kidd! What're you /doing/? Somebody like you shouldn't jump someone as big as me-!"
"T-they need their rest! Be more considerate! Who knows what they've been through, and the last thing they need is you interfering and getting involved with-!" The two boys scrabbled, Kidd's arms and legs tightly wound around the blue haired boy, while Black Star hopped and writhed, struggling to dislodge him.
"Excuse me?"
At the soft, dainty voice, both boys froze and looked over. The door to the medical wing had opened, and there stood a young woman in barely any clothes. Bandages were wrapped around her breasts and ribcage, doing nothing but flatter her ample figure even more, and they started again at her waist, circling her like a mummy and stopping at her skinny ankles. She was very thin, although her blue eyes gleamed in a lively way; she wasn't malnourished anymore. Long, wavy red hair fell down to her hips, containing the perfect amount of curly and straight so it was a manageable, voluptuous heap. Although untamed and unruly, she would still be described as 'pretty'.
There was a sharp intake of breath from Kidd, and suddenly they all knew—this was her! Except that her hair was down, she looked exactly as Death the Kidd has described her!
Their stares must have made her uncomfortable, for she fidgeted nervously, holding onto the door frame to keep herself upright. She didn't recognize anything, not even the Thompson Sisters. Everything had been dreamlike to her, and nothing around here was familiar. Then her blazing blue oculars fell upon Kidd, looking him right into this golden eyes, feeling a tug. Her eyes lifted to his hair. "The stripes." She breathed, stunned, before beaming at him. "I thought I'd merely dreamed of you. But it was all real, wasn't it? The Kishin, you saving me, you guys fighting it..." Although she spoke to him and the sister's, her gaze was locked upon his stripes. Then she laughed under her breath, shaking her head in amazement, walking forward a little uncoordinatedly. "..I may have been totally out of it, but...I still feel the same way. I like your stripes." For a moment it looked like she was about to reach out and touch them again. But she seemed to think better of it and looked around at the lot of them.
"Well, hello, everyone. Do y'all live around here?" asked the redhead, gaze warm. If there had been any doubt about Kidd's story before, there wasn't anymore. The girl had all but vouched for him just then.
Maka spoke for them all, smiling in a friendly manner. "Yeah, we all do. This is Death Weapon Meister Academy, also known as DWMA." The blonde was only a little smaller than the bandaged girl before her, meeting her gaze eye to eye. "So I hear you're a weapon, ne?"
The lady nodded with a wry smile. "That I am! And my brother Rei is my meister." Then she looked pointedly at Kidd. "He's the partner I asked you to save, if I remember correctly."
A weight was lifted off his chest. One, because she'd spoken of her meister in present tense, which meant the boy had survived the ordeal, and two, because he was her brother. A relative. For whatever reason, knowing that the two only shared family ties made Kidd a very happy meister.
"His name is Rei? Ok." Maka nodded, her soprano voice polite and interested. "And what is your name? I'm Maka!" She grinned and held out her hand to shake.
Looking startled and pleased simultaneously, the redhead took Maka's hand in her's. "It's nice to meet you, Maka. I'm Kumiko." Her name fascinated Kidd, for whatever reason. It was a Japanese name meaning 'long time beautiful child'. It couldn't be more fitting. Kumiko. Kumiko. Then, as he tried the name on for size a few more times in his head, Kumiko acquainted herself with the rest of his friends before asking, "Would you guys like to come inside and meet my brother? I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
They exchanged glances; this girl was still a mystery to them, although she was just as cool as they'd all expected. So the lot nodded and Kumiko beckoned for them to follow her. They entered the infirmary; the only other person in there was the tawny haired male, who sat up in his head, naked from the waist up. His only clothing were white bandages from his waist to his ankles. "Rei, meet Maka, Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, Liz, Patty, and Kidd." She introduced them one at the time, each waving or doing something to call attention to themselves as she had them meet her brother. His ebony eyes were emotionless, simply eying them up, expression not changing. "Brother, Kidd, Liz, and Patty were the ones who saved us that day. They brought us here." Kumiko explained with a smile, sitting next to the boy and taking his large hand in her's. For once his face changed, and he gave her a gentle look, but just for a moment. Then his face was completely blank once more, nodding to them.
There was a moment of awkward silence. Then Kumiko gave Rei a look and punched him lightly in the arm; it obviously wasn't that light, though, because it knocked him over slightly and he needed to right himself ago. "Rei! Say something!"
A few seconds passed. Then his mouth opened stiffly. "..Hi."
Kumiko beamed at him before looking at the others. She loved her brother, and although he was the strong and silent type, she was sure he'd get along well with everybody else here.
Tsubaki spoke then, the dark haired girl smiling kindly at them. "Are you going to begin to attend the Academy, Kumiko?" She asked inquisitively, hoping she wasn't intruding. Kumiko thought about all this before shrugging.
"If the option is offered. If not, then we'll be just as happy to live in the city, I suppose." Tsubaki nodded, those royal blue eyes seeming a little disappointed. She already liked these two, and wouldn't have minded them being around. Besides, Black Star seemed infatuated with her, wondering what sort of person Kumiko was to have gotten Kidd's attention. He'd have his hands full Kumiko, she could tell.
They talked awhile more, laughing and telling jokes and stories, but Dr. Medusa eventually asked them to leave. The six left, still giggling, and Kumiko held the door open for Kidd, who was taking his time. Finally, he looked over at her. "..Kumiko." She blinked, snapping to attention.
"Kidd?" She asked, calmer than she had been all this time. He'd learned that the girl was the eccentric, bubbly type of person. He didn't mind. But now she was serious...he wondered why.
"I...I just wanted to thank you for saving me the other day." He said, meeting her gaze. Unlike most men, he didn't have that overwhelming 'guy pride' most of them carried around. Kidd wasn't afraid to show gratitude, or admit he'd had his ass saved by a girl. Kumiko's eyes widened. But then she grinned, and it was then Kidd's turn to have his eyes become larger.
Kumiko, still grinning, reached out and took his hands in hers. "Oh, Kidd." She said with a laugh, as if this were some sort of joke. "You don't need to thank me for something like that! You saved my life, I saved yours. We're square now. And besides, I have the feeling we're gonna be friends. So no worries, 'k?" This said she gave his hands a squeeze before releasing them, the fire on his skin where they'd been dying out. She then lifted a hand and made the peace sign, pressing it to her forehead. Such a child she was.
He goggled at her. But then he chuckled and nodded, smiling broadly. "Alright."
She gave him a particularly dorky thumbs up, and he laughed. Then, unable to fight the smile off his face, the teen turned and walked after his friends. Kumiko smirked, turned around, and closed the door behind her.
His hands were still burning.