You woke up to someone lightly shaking your shoulder. You lazily open one eye and look up at Liz. Her long blonde hair was pulled up into a bun and a red tank top hugged her curves.

"Morning sleeping beauty!"

You blink awake and yawn, sitting up. You glance to your side to find the bed empty, and then back at Liz.

"Kid told me to get you ready, you have a big day ahead of you. A doctor is coming later to look at your wounds, but for now we're going to get you dressed and fed and show you around. Sound good?"

You could only smile in reply, your eyes shinning with excitement. Liz guided you into the bathroom and closed the door. She held out a simple black v-neck shirt to you with short sleeves and you take it.

"Go ahead and put that on, don't be shy it's just us girls." She winks at you and you flush, quickly strip yourself of the gown and pull the shirt on. Liz hands you a pair of shorts and you tug them on as well, the jeans falling limp on your hips.

"Wow...and that's the smallest pant size either one of us wear, we're going to have to fatten you up a bit now that you're officially living here." Liz grinned at you. "We'll also get you undergarments when the time comes, but for now these will do. Are they comfy?"

You hug the clothes to your body and smile. "Very...they smell nice, too." You take the shirt in your hands and bring the collar up to smell. You smile, it smelt like Kid and lavender.

Now that it was daylight out and more well lit, you could see that your torso and arms were wrapped up in white bandages. Some of them had dried blood, but the rest were clean and comfortable against your skin. Liz called out your name and waves her hand at you. You snap your attention back to her, not realizing you had zoned out.

"Can I ask you a semi personal question?"

"What is it?"

"What's with the weird symbol on your chest?"

"Weird symbol?"

Liz tugged at some of the bandages on your chest that the v-neck exposed and revealed a circle with a triangle in the center and three odd lines getting out with an S in the center of the triangle carved into your skin.

The wound had dried, cracked blood around it and had started to become a scar. You gingerly run fingers over it, feeling as though the area were numb. "Huh..."

"You didn't know it was there?"

You shake your head after a minute. "No, it must have been placed there in the last fight with..." the memory of your dream flashed in your mind and you shook your head, pulling your hand away and the bandages falling back into place.

"Kid thinks so, too, but it's why we're going to have a doctor give a second opinion. Hopefully we can get some medication and it won't scar too badly, from what Kid has barely talked about, you don't deserve any reminders of your past."

You look up at Liz and she smiles. You smile back. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Liz gives you a soft smile. "You see, Kid saved me and Patty years ago when we were on the street. We had gone through bad times, and Kid gave us this whole new life. It wasn't quite like what you went through, but I have a lot of sympathy for something like that. You deserve a second chance, like Patty and I did."

Liz smiles and you were startled by the tears on your face. You quickly rub at your face and smile back. You hug her waist and after the initial surprise wears off, her thin arms wrap around you.

"C'mon, let's get ya some breakfast..."

She tugged at your hand and guided you into the hallway. When you put your foot through the door, a sharp pain shot through you and that empty feeling from before seemed to tear into you. You let out a gasp and let Liz's hand go, feeling a searing pain in the spot of the mark.

Liz catches you before you hit the floor and you catch your breathe, the white in your vision disappearing. "Maybe you shouldn't go out today, I-"

"No, I'll be fine." You smile sheepishly. "I'm just healing is all, I want to go out. Please?"

Liz gives you a concerned look, though she only nods and helps you onto your feet. She guides you through the manor, though continues to give you concerned sideways glances.

At first you thought she was taking you to the dining room, but instead she turned another corner and opened a glass door to the outside. Behind the manor was a garden, the trees and shrubs dead yet still hauntingly beautiful.

On the patio was a small table with a white sheet over it and some food. You notice there were only two chairs, and they both were currently unoccupied.

"Aren't you guys going to eat with me?"

Liz smiled and shook her head. "Nah, Patty and I are setting up a surprise for you. And Kid wanted more quality time with you, so we figured it was for the best. You'll see us soon, though!"

She gives you a grin and leaves. You hesitantly sit in one of the chairs, glancing down at the covered bowl of food. Your nose couldn't recognize the smell, but it smelt good. Your stomach churned, hungry, but your throat still burned from the night before.

"Good morning!"

You hadn't heard him, but Kid had joined you and sat opposite of you before you could blink. He took both of your hands and kissed them on the knuckles. When he lets go, you bring your arms back to you, blushing. "Morning," you mumbled. Kid smiled, seeming content with your response none the less.

He leans over and lifts the lid off of your bowl and his to reveal a white mush sprinkled with some kind of brown powder. The placement was arranged so it was the same on both sides.

"I'm sorry again about the food last night, I don't know what I was thinking, feeding you rich foods you aren't used to. I figured oatmeal would be the better option for breakfast, I hope you like it."

You smile and take your spoon and dug in. It wasn't the most flavorful thing, but it tasted good. And sweet. Kid laughed at your expression and you were careful taking another bite, not wanting to over do it like you had done before.

You glance up at him as you chew, thankful he wasn't looking at you this time. He switched out his simple look for a black suit, the design on it even on each side with a skull holding his tie in place. It was a major change from your old life, the only outfit Abraham ever wore being a nasty shirt and damaged pants.

You felt another sharp pain through you and you held the scar on your chest, feeling dizzy. Kid's hand slipped into your free one, placing the spoon in it down and giving your hand a squeeze. "You okay?"

"Yeah...just aching, still." You give his hand a squeeze back. "I'm just...not used to this. Any of this..."

"But you do like it here, right?"

"Of course!" You make eye contact, feeling flustered. "It's so much better than my old life, it's just hard to comprehend it's all happening is all." You let out a nervous laugh. "I feel like I'm going to wake up any second and find it was all a dream..."

Kid's grip tightened around your hands. "I promise it's not a dream, this is going to be your new life and Abraham can't take that away. No one can."

You smile at him, feeling tears in your eyes. He comes around the table and crouches by you so you were eye to eye with him. He wipes away a few tears and gazes at you with a kind smile.

You gaze back, feeling your already weak pulse speeding up. You look away, blushing, but his hand guided your chin back to look at him. Before you could comprehend what was going on, Kid's lips were on yours and you felt your heart skip a beat.

His lips felt foreign yet familiar on your lips, and you didn't know what to do with your hands or your lips. It was an odd phenomena that both scared and intrigued you. You moved your lips gently and hesitantly along his, hoping you were doing something right.

Kid pulled back and your lips felt cold from the sudden loss of his lips, and you found your face had lightly drifted towards him when he moved away. You blush and he smiles at you, tucking your hair behind both ears. He glances to the side and you follow his gaze to see blonde hair whip out of sight into the house.

Kid stands and pulls your chair out and helps you to your feet. "Ready for your adventure?"

"Ugh..." before you could respond, he was already guiding you out of the garden and into the house. He held your hand and you trailed lightly behind him, still trying to understand what had happened. You brought your fingers to your lips, the ghost of his still there. You could taste the sweetness of his breakfast and you blushed again.

You dropped your hand when you turned a corner and was met by not just Liz and Patty, but two other girls. You stopped in your tracks and your hand slipped out of Kid's when he walked too far ahead without you. He turned around to face you.

"It's okay, these are friends of mine. Meet Maka and Tsubaki, they're fellow classmate's at my father's school. I figured you could use more female friends besides just Liz and Patty, they're going to take you out to town today."

You blush and feel incredibly shy. The green eyed girl, Maka, grinned at you. Her blonde hair was pulled into two pigtails and she wore an adorable shirt and skirt with a long trench coat. The girl next to you made you blush harder. Her long hair was pulled into a high pony tail, and her outfit was very odd. Though, it hugged her curves in the right places and you wondered if Kid just naturally made beautiful friends or if he flocked to them. Did he see you as beautiful as they are?

"Wait, you're not coming with?"

Your eyes flicker to Kid and he just chuckles. "Nah, I have some stuff to catch up with. Like I said, you should have some quality time with other girls. You'll get sick of me after a while, and we'll just see each other again when you get back anyway."

"Right..." You felt a little sad, but more nervous being left alone with girls you barely knew. Liz was one thing, but all of them together was a little overwhelming.

"You'll be fine, I promise." He kissed both your knuckles once more before turning around and leaving you with the girls. The nerves set in, but you didn't dare move or say anything. 'You'll see him tonight,' you reminded yourself. You glance at each of the smiling girls and relax a little. 'Maybe this will be a nice change?'

The Square was alive with people and venders. You clung to Liz, glancing at each person who walked by. Everyone looked so unique, from the shape of their nose to their eye colour and even different shades of skin. It was beautifully hypnotizing, yet terrifying.

You wondered who they were, where they came from, where they were going...had they ever stepped foot out of Death City? Have they ever seen the world? Were they just as scared as you were?

You hugged your bag of new clothes tighter to your chest and fidgeted in your new dress. The sun felt good against your skin, and it felt weird to wear flip flops. But you wouldn't say that to the girls.

"You know, you don't have to have your soul protect on when you're with us," Maka said, glancing at you over her shoulder. "No one will hurt you with us here." She grinned.

"Soul protect?" you muttered. "What's-"

"Maka, this is the first time she's been out in who knows how long. Let her unwind at her own pace." Tsubaki smiled.

"Right, I guess I'm being insensitive. Sorry!" Maka gave you an apologetic smile and turned back to face the direction you were walking in. You give the back of her head an odd look, trying to keep up in your odd new outfit and shoes.

They had had fun with you, dressing in such odd clothing from dull colours to bright ones, stripes, polka dots...it was exhausting, yet fun in its own way. The girls stopped and you nearly crashed into Maka.

You glance up at the store you stood in front of: Death Robbins. The smell of something sweet tickled your nose and you felt your mouth water.

"Do you like ice cream?" Maka turned around and beamed at you.

"I...I don't know." You answered honestly. "What is it?"

All the girls looked at each other. "You really have never had ice cream?"

You felt that shyness creep back and you considered trying to find your own way back to the mansion by yourself.

"Guys, we shouldn't be too surprised. We should buy her vanilla, just in case her stomach can't handle anything else."

You were whisked into the store and plopped down at a table. The girls came back moments later with something that looked familiar. Maka handed you your cone and after watching the girls lick at their own, you took a hesitant lick yourself.

Memories flooded back of when you were a little girl. Your mother gave it to you once in a while as a treat, but Abraham never did after he killed her. It tasted good, and you felt a strong since of nostalgia, wishing your mother was there to enjoy it with you.

"You okay?"

You wipe at your eyes. "Yeah...it's just really good. Thank you. For everything." You smile at them and they grin back. "I never thought I'd get the opportunity to have this kind of life, to wear such a pretty dress...but I don't know how I'll ever repay any of you, I don't have money."

The girls laughed and you felt your face flush. Tsubaki places a hand your shoulder. "It's okay, we don't expect payment for this. You're our friend now, and friends do these kinds of things for each other."

"Yeah, and don't worry about the clothes. Kid is rich, he gave us new clothes when Patty and I first moved in. Take all the time you need to expand your life, if you want a job we can easily help you when you're ready, just don't feel rushed, okay? We've got your back." Liz gave you a reassuring smile and Patty giggled behind her.

You looked from her face to Patty's, Patty's to Maka's, and from Maka's to Tsubaki's and you felt, for the first time in your life, really, really happy. You took another lick at your ice cream and look out the window.

Your reflection looked back at you and you stopped and stared. "Everything okay?"

You didn't answer, you just place your hand on the window and examine yourself. The dressing room didn't have a mirror, and you didn't get to look at yourself fully when they took you to get your hair cut. They had to distract you from someone having something so sharp close to your face, and you had left in a hurry.

But in the window, you finally could finally see yourself. Your raggedy hair had been combed and neatly cut. Where your hair was chopped randomly with Abraham, the barber had taken his time to even the strands out and washed your hair to smell like strawberries.

The dress you wore was simple and black with a few white bows and white spaghetti straps. You had never looked so...you didn't know the word for it. You ran our fingers gently over your face and through your hair where a few strands were tucked back with a matching bow on each side. Your eyes were wide, but you liked what you saw. You looked...normal, and you loved it.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I just...never got to get a good look at myself. I look-"

"Beautiful?"

You blush hard and mutter a thank you to Tsubaki. Just then, the scar on your chest ached and you grabbed at the area, wincing and letting out a pained gasp. A few hands were on your back to comfort and support you, but the pain wouldn't go away.

Beneath your hand, you could feel your already faint heart beat become fainter. Your mind became dizzy and you looked up, past your reflection, and at the horror of seeing Abraham.

He was bloodied, his shirt torn up and pants just as bad. He winked at you, though no one else seemed to notice him. You jerked back from the window, a scream in your throat but the sound never came. What was wrong with you?

The girls were now surrounding you, but you couldn't hear them. Like your heart beat, their voices were faint and incomprehensible. You felt your knees give and someone had caught you before you hit the ground. But all you could focus on was the ghost of the past outside the parlor's window and how, even when you're free, he still wasn't finished with you.