A/N: Hi! I'm back with the final chapter of this story. I'm sorry that I took so long to upload this chapter. I've had to start going back to school, so I've been swimming in work. I tried my best to make this a long chapter and I hope you like it!
Kid POV
Where did the warmth go? It was just here a second ago and now it's disappeared completely. I don't like this. I want it back. I slowly open my heavy eyelids and let out a big yawn. What just happened? Was that a dream? No, it was too real. My feelings, my peers, the situations, it was all too real to be just a figment of my subconscious.
So that means that I was remembering something from the past. Me and Maka getting together. I had been remembering when we had officially became a couple thanks to Patti and Liz.
I sit up in my bed. My bed? I had just fallen asleep on the love seat with Maka. This boggles my mind! The memory was so realistic that it felt like I was living it for the first time. Ugh, all this sudden information hurts. I get up and walk to the bathroom. I open up the medicine cabinet and grab the pain medication. I take the required dose and close the cabinet. I almost scream. There was a stranger in mirror! W-was that me in the mirror? I looked so much older. That's right. I'm twenty two now. Why was current information coming back to me so slowly? My hair is a bit longer now, I'm more built, and I've grown. I run my hand through my hair and let out a heavy sigh. This was so confusing.
I walk back to my room and grab any random shirt to throw on. I slip it on and head to the kitchen downstairs. As I enter the kitchen, I realize that Liz was in there. She was cooking some eggs and making toast. She hears me come in and turns around. She smiles at once.
"Well well, look who finally woke up!"
"Liz, stop. Look, do you happen to know why I feel so terrible this morning?"
"It's called a hangover sweetie. Get used to it."
"What? So you're saying that I got really drunk yesterday?"
"Yeah, what else would I mean? Soul and Black*Star had come and convinced you to hang out with them last night. You guys ended up going to a bar and getting drunk. Well, more of you and Black*Star. Soul stayed sober so someone could drive you home. Anyway, you slept like a rock. So I didn't wake you up. Anything else?"
I look at her like she's crazy. Then it came rushing back like a tsunami. She's right, they did convince me to go and I did get hammered. I sit at the table in the kitchen. She walks over and sets a plate of eggs and toast in front of me. Then she joins me once she finishes making her breakfast. I sit there and pick at my food. I'm not feeling any pang of hunger, but I do feel a pit in my stomach and there's a lump in my throat.
"Kid? Are you okay? You look really confused."
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that I had a really vivid dream last night. I was remembering something from the past and it felt like I was living it for the first time ever. Waking up this morning just threw me off a bit. I can't even remember what happened yesterday before Soul and Black*Star came and picked me up."
She gives me a puzzled look. This is the first time I had actually LOOKED at her. She had grown as well but not just in height. She has grown more beautifully too. Her skin is like porcelain and her hair like silk. Her body was more slender and curvy. Her puzzled look soon turned to one of mild disgust.
"KID! Stop looking at me like that! First of all, you're dating Maka! Second, it creeps me out! Listen Kid, ever since you took me and Patti in, you've been like a brother to me. So I don't appreciate it when my brother looks at me like a piece of meat!"
I look at her confused but I soon start to laugh. I double over in my seat and tears pour from my eyes like waterfalls. After my good laugh, I look at her embarrassed yet annoyed face.
"Liz, you're too much! I think of you as my sibling as well, but I wasn't looking at you like THAT. Like I said, I can't remember much right now. So seeing you currently and not from the past has really shocked me. You've grown so beautifully and I just now remember thinking that multiple times in the past. I guess I just need current things to jog my memory."
After hearing what I had just said, I now remember something really important. I take Liz's hand from across the table and look at her in the eyes. A small smile forms on my lips.
"Hey Liz?"
"Yeah Kid? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just... I want to thank you for all you've done. Your efforts to bring me and Maka together? I highly appreciate that and I don't think I've ever told you how thankful I am."
Her look of concern softens and now she's seems flattered. Her cheeks now have a rosy color to them.
"O-oh, that? That was nothing, really. I just thought that you would be happy with her and I had Patti help me. It's no big deal, but thanks for telling me. I really appreciate that."
A grand smile has taken over her face. She lets go of my hand and puts her arms gently around her body and hugs herself lightly. I remove my honest yet playful smile and a more serious look takes over my appearance. I can't clearly remember much, everything's hazy. What kind of alcohol did I consume last night? Anyway, I have to clear some of my memories up or who knows how long it'll take? I clear my throat and look directly at Liz.
"Now Liz, could you tell me some recent events? Something to catch my foggy memory up with the rest of the world?"
She looks a bit taken aback but her eyes then slowly close and her face relaxes. She thinks for awhile about this until her eyes suddenly flick open.
"I'm not sure if anything super important has happened lately. All I can think about is the relationships between everyone. That's probably the only way I can remember insignificant events right now."
"Can you tell me anything you remember?"
"Well, not really. Life has been pretty smooth for the past seven to eight years. It all the same. Everyone going on missions, all of us hanging together, some parties here and there. There's nothing interesting but the subject of you and Maka is intriguing! You two spend a lot of time together and never seem to want to leave each other. Even if you go out with other people, you two still hold each other's gaze. It's as if no one else exists in your little world. Oh! Just the other day you showed me this gorgeous ring you bought for her. You said it was made custom and you would only give it to her as her engagement ring. That is, if you decide to ask her. You were all nervous and said that you probably wouldn't ask for another year or two. I don't understand why you're making her wait Kid. She's waited this long already, so why make her wait any longer?"
She looks at me long and hard for a good long while. She may have thought that I was thinking about what she said. In some sense she was right while being wrong. Her words had somehow sunken deep into my mind and had broken a barrier. It was like letting the flood gates open. Everything about me and Maka, from dates to simple conversations, it all came rushing into my head. I couldn't feel the pain of all the sudden information. I was focused on the rising heat in my chest. It fluctuated constantly, rising and decreasing in temperature. All my feelings for Maka were dropping into my chest like bricks, each one landing with a hard and dull thud but it was just a small piece to a larger feeling. Every little note I had made over the years about something I liked about her were fusing into a happiness I had forgotten about in a single night.
I remember it all now. Everything that had happened from that night in my dream to today, all of the memories were back now. I now had a pounding headache but that didn't matter. The forgotten happiness swelled up in my chest and I missed the feeling. Currently, I couldn't focus on that. Liz was right. Maka has been waiting for eight years!
As I was feeling guilty for this, a wonderful idea wormed it's way into my thoughts. I had to take action as quick as possible. I leap up from my chair and start to run out of the kitchen.
"HEY! I don't make breakfast for you just so I can clean it up!"
"Fine! But if I'm late, it's on you!"
I run and grab my dishes. I quickly wash and put them away while Liz gives me a clueless look. When I finish, I race out of the kitchen and propel myself up the stairs. I pass a drowsy Patti and barge into my room. I find a nice change of clothes and turn on the shower in my personal bathroom. I strip down and leap into the warm shower. I begin scrubbing myself clean as the warm water pours over my shoulders. When I get out and dry myself, I throw on my clothes, brush my teeth, and fix my hair. To top it off, I dab on some cologne and grab the things I'll need for today. I head out of the bathroom and into my somewhat clean room. I put on my shoes and head downstairs. Liz sits on the couch in the living room. She just sits there watching tv while still wearing her mismatched pajamas. I call out to her as I grab my house and car keys.
"I'm gonna head out Liz! See you in a while!"
"Okay! But remember that you don't need to tell me where you're going every time you leave the house. I'm not your mom!"
I laugh as I head out to my car. It was a simple, shiny black car. Nothing special except that I made sure that everything was perfectly symmetrical. Ahh, symmetry! The second most loved thing in my life. I hop in and start the engine. It purrs like a cat. I put the car into reverse and pull out. I shift into drive and head for my destination. It would take a little while to get there so I had time to think and reflect. Boy, this was going to take everything I had.
Maka POV
I toss and turn in my warm bed. I had finally gotten some rest after worrying about Kid all night. I'm so tired. Earlier, I had heard Soul leave for the gym. He probably won't be back for another couple of hours. I roll over and pull the sheets around me. It was so cold in the house. I'm a grown, young woman, so I should be able to go and turn the heat up. The idea seems simple, which it is, but leaving the comfort of my warm blankets to do that little chore seemed so tedious at the moment. So I just lay there in a cocoon of blankets, worrying about Kid's condition this morning. Soul said he had really gotten drunk and that worries me. I look at the clock. It's 9:47 am. Maybe I should go visit him, just to be sure that he's all right. I decide that I'll go but I'll take my time. He'll need rest to recover from the effects of the alcohol. I rise from my cloud of comfort and stand up. When my toes touch the freezing floor, it instantly sends chills up my spine. I brave the cold ground and head to the shower. I clean myself up and get dressed in some pajama bottoms and a tank top. I won't be leaving for a while, so why get dressed now?
I walk to the kitchen with socks as a barrier for my feet, protecting them from the cold floor. I open the fridge and grab the carton of milk. I set it on the counter and reach up on top of the fridge to grab a box of cereal. I pull it down and pluck a bowl from the cabinets. I make my breakfast and sit down at the counter. For some reason, I inhale the cereal and clean everything up so fast that you probably couldn't have seen me. Why did I do that? I have time to waste. Not knowing what else to do, I head to my room to get dressed. I switch my pajama bottoms for black jeans and I put on a crisp white tee shirt. I brush my hair and leave it down. Change can be nice sometimes! I put on Kid's favorite perfume and leave my room. I put on a leather jacket Kid had given to me for my birthday and grab my house keys. I check the house to make sure that things are off or locked and walk back to the door. My fingers barely graze the handle when I hear a knock from the other side of the door. Surprised, I open the door. There on the other side stands Kid.
"Kid! What are you doing here? You should be at home, resting and recovering from some type of massive hangover! Well, I assume you have one because Soul said you got really drunk and-"
"Maka, you're rambling again."
"Oh, sorry! Anyway, why are you here? I was just about to come visit you."
"I wanted to talk to you about something. Can I come in?"
"Of course! You're always welcomed here Kid. You know that."
He just nods and walks in. I shut the door and follow him. He just stops in the middle of the room and turns to me.
"So what up? Is there something wrong?"
"Yes and no... It's nothing you did wrong, it's me."
Why is he talking like this? Is he breaking up with me? No, no he wouldn't. I shouldn't even be thinking like this! I have complete faith in Kid and there's no reason to doubt him. I just have to hear him out.
"It's just, this morning some things had come to my attention. I should have noticed them before and attended to them, but I didn't. I can't really explain but I know that I need to fix this problem and there's only one way to do that."
Oh no! Please don't let him do what I think he's gonna do! I've been so happy with him, so why would he want to end it now?
He doesn't look me straight in the eye but looks like he's trying to. His hands shake slightly as he moves slowly. His right hand and his knees both work simultaneously as they bend hesitantly. I soon feel guilty for my thoughts. He's now bending down on one knee and pulling a jewelry box from his pockets. My eyes begin to water and hot tears fall from them. He opens the box and my hands fly up to cover my mouth. He looks up and smiles, eyes finally able to settle on mine. He takes the gorgeous ring from the box and holds it up to where I can see it. He slowly takes my hand into his and our gazes lock.
"Maka, I'm so sorry for making you wait for so long. There's no way I can make up for such a terrible mistake. But I know I can stop making it by ending it here. So, Maka Albarn, will you marry me?"
I'm so stunned by his words that all I can do is nod and cry. He looks down and gently slides the ring on my finger. He stands and reaches for my arms. I put them out, reaching for him too, and we embrace. I squeeze him as I tell him my response officially.
"I do! I absolutely do Kid!"
We pull back a bit and kiss. It's soft but full of love. He's made me so happy and now I can spend the rest of my life with him! I wouldn't want it any other way.
Kid POV
After we part from the kiss, all I can do is smile. She smiles back and I take her hand.
"C'mon! Let's go hang out for the day! Let's celebrate!"
She nods her head and we head for the door. I hold it open for her and then lock it. We head out to my car and hop in. I start the car, pull out of her drive way, and turn to her as I make my way towards town.
"So where do you want to go for the day?"
"Um, I don't know. There's only so much we can do!"
"Do you want to visit someone or is there somewhere you need to go to?"
"Well, I haven't seen Tsubaki in a while. Wanna visit her?"
"Sure, why not? I haven't seen her or Black*Star in a while either. Do you remember which street I have to turn down?"
"Yeah, make a left there then go down that street there."
I hadn't noticed that while driving my one hand had become intertwined with hers. We held hands all the way to Tsubaki's place. Her hand was smooth and warm. Her warmth was something I didn't want to live without. I pull into the driveway and turn the car off. I look over at my fiancé and see her glowing face. She also has a goofy smile like me. She let's go of my hand and gets out of the vehicle. I follow her actions and exit the car. I lock it then head up to the front door of Tsubaki's place. I raise my finger to push the doorbell but before I even reach the small button, the door opens and two hands drag us in. I almost fall onto the floor but regain my balance. I look over and see Tsubaki hugging Maka. It looks more like strangling, but she's probably just really happy to see us.
"Maka! Kid! I haven't seen you two in so long! Where have you been all this time?"
I look at Maka and she stares back at me. We turn to Tsubaki.
"Well, we've been busy and our schedule has been pretty packed. So, we haven't had much time to socialize."
I hope that she'll except my answer, but the look on her face says otherwise.
"So Kid, you're saying you have enough time to party but not enough time to visit? Come on! You can come up with better excuses than that! You're too smart for something as overused as that phrase."
She crosses her arms and glares at me. What am I supposed to do? She has already seen through my excuse, so does she want me to just come up with something on the spot? She shakes her head and walks into her living room. Maka and I follow and sit down on the only available couch. Maka and Tsubaki engage in a conversation while I look around the room from my seat. Everything was in order and kept very clean. Nothing looked remotely out of place except for a massive pile of blankets that looked like they were just thrown onto a particularly long couch. I assumed that Tsubaki was just about to do laundry until the blankets moved. I jumped in my seat as goosebumps traveled along my skin like sports fans doing the wave. Tsubaki catches me jumping at the sudden movement and addresses me.
"Oh, don't worry about that Kid. It may just look like a mountain of blankets, but believe it or not, Black*Star is under there!"
"What? That can't be possible! He wouldn't let something as low as blankets destroy his godly image, would he?"
Immediately after Maka's comment, the blankets explode and from under them emerges a haggard looking Black*Star. He sits back down on his couch and turns to us.
"Don't worry Maka! You awesome god was just taking a rest. I was awoken by you mentioning my godly presence. It's been a while. Oh, Kid! You seem like you're handling your hangover well. Lucky you."
"Don't be stupid Black*Star. I'm still suffering the consequences of drinking. I can just handle them better than you. You look like a train wreck."
"Jeez! Not everyone can look like a superstar right after they wake up."
We bicker back and forth for a little before we walk into the kitchen, leaving the girls alone. Black*Star walks up to the kitchen table and takes a seat. I take the one across from him and he starts talking.
"So, you finally did it. You finally gathered enough courage to ask. Job well done."
"Black*Star, what are you talking about?"
After a couple of seconds of thinking, it hits me.
"Oh! The ring, right. Yeah, I finally asked her and I'm glad I did. Today, Liz was telling me that I was making Maka wait for too long. Once her words got to me, I knew I had to propose today. I feel really bad for making Maka wait for eight years. That's too long. You know what I mean?"
He slowly nods while looking out into space. It seemed like he wasn't so sure. I shrug it off and head back to Maka and Tsubaki. She had finally shown Tsubaki the ring. It wasn't really special but at the same time it was completely special in its own way. It had a simple silver band with a single beautiful diamond in the middle. It was surrounded by small emeralds to match Maka's eyes. The both fawned over the sparkling ring as I sat next to Maka.
We stayed at their house all day, just talking about the past and present things currently going on. Around 8:15 pm, Maka and I agreed to leave and go have dinner. We stand up and start saying goodbyes.
Black*Star POV
"Alright, I guess we should be going. Right Kid?"
"Right Maka. Okay, so we'll be sure to visit agin soon Tsubaki. We should also set up a day where we all hang out together. Bye!"
They hug Tsubaki goodbye then me. Tsubaki shuts the door behind the engaged couple and heads to the kitchen to start cooking. I haven't even noticed that time had passed. It seemed like they were only here for a couple minutes. I guess I was submerged too deeply in my own thoughts. Kid's words had gotten through my thick skull and made an impact on me. I walk into the kitchen and watch Tsubaki cook.
This time, I'm next.
Thank you all so much for reading my story! I really appreciate all the super nice comments and support from you guys. Now, if you haven't guessed yet, I would like to tell you something about my next story. I have read comments where some of you guys liked the idea of pairing Tsubaki with Black*Star. So, my next story will be a sequel to this one. It will mostly be about Tsubaki and Black*Star and their relationship. It will connect to this story a bit, so you'll still have the same characters, pairings, and events from this story in the next one. The next will just be mostly centered around Black*Star and Tsubaki. It may be a little while before I start the next story, but I will write it. So please look out for my next story. Again, thank you all for the support and comments! I hope to see you guys again in the next story! Bye! -PQ :3