A Few Days Later

Hiiro's POV

Was I still mad at Soul? Juuust a little. Was I at least talking to him? Yup. Having whole conversations with him? Nope. Had I been trying to avoid him a bit? Oh yeah.

"So, tell me again why you've been coming into work early lately?" Cody asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders in reply. "No reason. Hand me the jack."

He did, and I sat it down on the floor. I quickly positioned it, and cranked the handle. The car was raised about two feet off the ground. "Alright, fine. So… Soul told me you were going on a date with Lucas."

I brightened a little, and continued to change the tire. "Yeah. Yesterday we decided on a movie, and dinner at the local diner on Saturday."

"Sounds fun. Do me a favor?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't go home with him."

Without thinking about anything, except about what Soul said, I swung and hit him in the head with my trusty wrench. "I'll do whatever I damn well please!"

"Ow! That's worse than a Maka-chop five times over! Anyway, I'm just warning you Hiiro-"

"Did Soul put you up to this?!"

Cody looked genuinely shocked. He shook his head. "No. Why? I'm just saying that, because, you know that girl I went out with a couple months ago?"

"Hannah?"

"Yeah. Well, before me she went out with some guy named Lucas. And he tried to, you know, have sex with her on their first date," he shrugged, then quickly added, "I'm not sure it's the same guy, though!"

"Cody, I'm freaking twenty-three. I can take care of myself. I can do whatever I want. God, how many times have I had to say that in the last week?"

The Next Day

Maka helped me go through my dresser for an outfit for my date. We went through a couple different things, but nothing seemed quite right for the movies. Finally, I dug out a pair of black skinny jeans with a sparkly silver belt. She agreed it would be cute, and searched for a top to go with it. After a while, she found a long orange tube top. I buckled the belt over it for more flare. Maka told me I should wear these black strappy heels that had been sitting in my shoe bin, looking pretty. I agreed and slipped them on. I did my hair in a low side ponytail, and applied light blush, red lip gloss (very subtle, actually) and very light orange eye shadow.

"Do I look like I'm trying to be a teenager? I kind of feel like I am…" I asked her, pulling out my ponytail and shaking my hair free.

"Nah, you're good. You're twenty-three, basically still a teenager!"

I laughed a little, and we walked out of my room.

Soul's POV

She looked… pretty. I'd never seen her wearing make-up, or wearing anything so nice. I guess, now I was jealous. And I watched as Cody walked over to Hiiro, whispered something in her ear and hugged her goodbye. She rolled her eyes and headed to the door. I wanted to say something to her, but it would just add fuel to the fire, and that wouldn't be cool.

Hiiro's POV

Lucas looked really nice. He seemed to stare at me for a moment, before shaking his head and leading me inside the theater. He paid for our tickets, and we made our way to the screening room. We talked a little on the way, but I wished we'd started off on a different subject.

"Um… so, Hiiro… that guy with the white hair…" Lucas began.

I resisted the urge to wind a growl through my words as I asked, "What about him?"

"Does he have a… like a thing for you or something?"

My eyes narrowed at the ground. "I highly doubt it… why do you ask?"

"W-well… it's just that he seemed kind of upset when I… when I asked you out the other day…"

"Look, I've known Soul for a long time, and he's… he's very protective of me. Like Cody, except not quite as much. I mean, I think that if I so much as broke my arm or something, he'd break whatever made me fall. Whether or not it's a jungle gym or a person. Whereas Cody would fret if I scraped my knee on the sidewalk." I softened a little as I explained this to Lucas, because it seemed to dawn onto me as well. "So, really, he's probably not to keen on me going on a date with someone he just shook hands with and said hello. At least Cody's met you a few times, or neither of us would be here right now," I finished with a chuckle.

Lucas blushed lightly and smiled. There was something in his eyes, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. "Y-yeah. I guess so!"

Aw, he's pretty cute when he's shy, I thought to myself, grinning at him. Finally, we reached the screening room, and walked through the doors to find ourselves some seats.

Later That Night

Lucas and I sat at the table of the diner. I chomped away at my fries and burger, and talked to Lucas between bites. Through the night, he got a little less bashful, and became a bit braver. Even getting to hold my hand during to movie, and putting his arm around my waist as we walked to the diner. He smiled at me as I told him how I got into a fistfight with a girl at school who said Cody was a dumbass. Yes, it was after I found my weapon ability, but of course I couldn't use my blades during this fight. And of course I left out the fact that I was a weapon to Lucas. The story ended with the girl stomping her foot at anger in her loss, flipping me off, and angrily walking away. We ate in silence for a while before Lucas smirked to himself, and captured me in his gaze. Again, there was that something in his eyes that I couldn't place. As he opened his mouth to speak, Cody's words about his ex Hannah and her other ex-boyfriend Lucas came rushing back to me. And then I recognized that look. Lust.

"Do you wanna come over to my place after this?" he asked confidently.

My mouth hung open for a moment. I closed my eyes and shook my head in disbelief. Generously giving him the benefit of the doubt, I replied, "What do you mean by that…?"

He laughed, giving me that lustful look again. "C'mon Hiiro, don't be stupid. You know what I mean."

My eyes narrowed, and I abruptly stood from the table. He watched me grab my bag and walk out the door. Lucas wasn't shy at all, it was just an act. Cody was right; it was the same Lucas. And Soul was right; I shouldn't have gone out with him. I barely got down the street when someone grabbed my wrist. I spun to see Lucas, eyes wide. When I tried to tug free, his grip tightened and he pulled me closer. "Hiiro, you're not going home tonight. You're coming with me, and you can leave my place tomorrow. Alright?"

"No way!"

Another tug and my arm was free. I started walking again, and Lucas caught up to me again. "C'mon. You know you want to. Let's go, it'll be fun."

"Tch. As if. Go away."

His eyebrows arched down in frustration. He pulled me into an alley, secluded from the eyes of anyone passing. And I mean anyone. I was pushed to the concrete ground, and landed on my back. He straddled me between his legs, and reached for the bottom of my shirt. I swiped at him, but he dodged and yanked the orange fabric above my head. Cold air hit my now bare stomach and part of my chest. He grinned seductively and moved to the hem of my jeans. My fist curled up, and cracked him in the jaw. Lucas fell back, and I scurried to my feet. This really was no problem. I could take him on easily. And I wasn't surprised when he got back up. Anger filled his eyes, and he rushed at me. My fingers wrapped around his fist with ease, and I swung him around and kicked him to the ground. Lucas rose again and lunged. He had strength, but no strategy and tactic. I had both. Dodging him was easy. But then, that's what he intended. He grabbed both my arms and tied them behind my back with my belt that had come off with my shirt. A little more difficult. I kicked at him, but my feet were an easy miss. To my horror, Lucas pinned me to the wall of the alley and managed to hold me in place. I felt him sucking on the skin just above my bra. I was angry, no I was livid. My knee came up and hit his groin. He doubled over in pain, and I somehow freed my wrists of the belt.

I quickly grabbed my shirt and bag, and ran towards the end of the alley. But I was suddenly paralyzed with fear when a mischievous snicker behind me. My head swiveled slowly to see some sort of creature with disheveled hair and beady black eyes standing behind Lucas. It had one bronze colored wing on the right, and red and black tattoo markings on the left arm. Similar tattoos marred its stomach, and it wore jeans with many rips. Red triangles were marked under its eyes, and its tongue flickered in and out of its mouth. Kishin. But here? In Ohio? I'd never encountered one outside of Death City. No matter, it needed to die. He advanced towards Lucas. I ran at him. As much as I hated Lucas, he didn't need to have his soul eaten. A knife appeared in the kishin's hand and, I pushed Lucas out of the way. My lovely blades that I'd missed the sight of came out of my arms and blocked the attack. With force, I knocked the knife from the kishin and kicked him away. Without thinking, I dialed Cody's number.

"The alley by the diner. There's a kishin attacking. You better get here soon; it's hard defending a man while fighting at the same time with no meister."

I could feel him smiling on the other end as he said, "Be there in one minute."