Liz put down the telephone after calling Black*Star. She hadn't explained much, just left a message warning him and Tsubaki to stay away from Soul. They might be confused when they hear it, but at least she'd warned them. Liz shot a worried glance back at the living room. After Kid had collapsed, she'd woken Patty. The two then moved their meister onto the couch. Professor Stein was currently in the room, examining Kid's wounds. Maka had arrived a few minutes ago with Blair. The cat was curled up in Liz's room at the moment, and Maka had refused to leave Kid's side since she'd arrived.
Liz turned to look at Patty. The living room had become awfully crowded, so Patty had joined Liz in the kitchen to make phone calls. One call to Black*Star, the other to Lord Death. Unfortunately, neither party had been available to take the call, so Liz resolved to try again later. Patty was currently sitting at the kitchen table, a glass of water in hand. She was unusually silent, worry etched across her features. Liz looked over at her sister sadly. They had done all they could for Kid-cleaning and wrapping his wound-and now it was out of their hands. She only hoped that whatever power that was now in charge of Kid's life would see fit not to squander it. If Kid died…the thought was too painful to comprehend.
Because her thoughts kept drifting back to Kid, Liz decided to focus on all of the good memories they had. Death the Kid was like the brother she'd never had, albeit an insanely rich, ridiculously OCD one. Admittedly, the first time Liz had seen Kid, he was just easy prey. Then, when they became partners, Liz's intentions were just to take advantage of Kid's money and power. Kid had known all of this, of course, but he chose to ignore it. He looked past the rough exterior and saw the girls for what they truly were. Kid had really changed the two. For that, Liz would always be thankful. The trio had fought through thick and thin, never giving up on each other. Sure they disagreed sometimes, but then again, what family didn't? And that's what they were. A family.
When they lived on the streets, Liz would often wonder what it would feel like to lose Patty. Of course, she'd sworn to protect her sister to the ends of the earth, but what if something unforeseeable happened? What if Patty was dying and all Liz could do was sit around and watch? Nothing like that had ever happened, but now Liz knew. It would feel like this. The devastation. The realization that no matter how much she did, it wouldn't be enough. Kid was dying and there was nothing she could do.
Liz turned to gaze out the window when something caught her eye. It was actually someone. A white-haired someone, sprinting across the lawn. Soul. Anger boiled up within Liz. He had the gall to show up here? Liz would teach him to never mess with the Thompson sisters.
"Patty! Weapon form! Now!"
Patty looked at her, a slightly malignant smile curling on her face, and obliged. Pistol in hand, Liz sprinted to the door and pulled it open.
Soul was halfway up the lawn when the first shot zipped by him, barely missing him. He cursed under his breath. He really hadn't thought about what would happen if he-Kid's attacker-showed up at the mansion. Of course the sisters would shoot at him… who wouldn't? But if they actually managed to hit him, it would be all over. Somehow, he had to make them understand that he was trying to help. He had to reason with whichever sister was shooting. Either way, it was going to be tough. Liz was like a mother bear whose cubs were threatened, and Patty…well, Patty was a bit maniacal when she was upset.
More shots whizzed by. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOU MURDERER?!" Murderer? Did that mean Kid was dead? Was Soul too late? If so, he'd accept whatever punishment Liz (for she was definitely the gunman) saw fit to give. He almost surrendered right there. Just stopped running and gave up. Liz's next words urged Soul to keep going.
"COME TO FINISH THE JOB, HAVE YOU?!" So Kid was alive. Relief coursed through Soul. There was still hope. Kid could still be saved.
"You have to listen to me!" Soul yelled up to Liz.
Liz laughed a tad maniacally. "LISTEN TO YOU?! LIKE HELL I'LL LISTEN TO YOU, YOU BASTARD!"
Soul was still weaving in and out of the bullets, but eventually, they would find a mark. He ducked behind one of two ornate hedgerows that grew in the yard. It wouldn't protect him forever, but it would buy him some time.
"You can't save Kid!" Soul cursed himself. That had come out wrong. It sounded like he was gloating over what he had done. And Liz would certainly take it that way.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" came the bellowed response. "I WILL SAVE HIM!"
Soul shook his head. He shouldn't have expected her to listen, but if she didn't, Kid would die. "No matter what you do, it won't be enough! Kid's wounds won't close-"
"SO YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT TOO?! FINE! EVEN IF I CAN'T SAVE HIM, I CAN MAKE SURE TO AVENGE HIM!"
Maka perked up to the sound of gunshots and yelling. She had been sitting next to Kid, watching Stein examine the wound with tears in her eyes. She was no doctor, but it looked to her like Kid had mere hours left. How could this be happening? And Soul was responsible…
The exchange continued. Stein seemed entirely oblivious to the entire thing, instead being wholly focused on his work. Maka was slightly confused. Who could Liz be shooting at? There was only one person Maka could think of, but she didn't think he'd be stupid enough to show up. Unless he had a death wish. No, it couldn't be him.
Then, a familiar voice responded to Liz's shout. It was him! Maka pulled her eyes away from Kid. There was nothing she could do here. She bolted from the room, making her way to the front door. She couldn't let Liz kill him, not until she heard his side of the story. She was his partner, and she still held on to a small sliver of hope that Liz was wrong. Maybe he hadn't tried to kill Kid.
Maka turned the corner to see Liz standing in the doorway. Wielding Patty, she was firing shot after shot into the night. Maka still couldn't make out the words being said over the sound of gunfire, but she saw him. Bright white hair. Crimson eyes.
Soul.
Okay, so I'm going to try to update once a week. School will be starting soon and I'm not entirely sure what the workload will be for sophomores, so I'll have to see. Hopefully, I can get out a chapter a week, but if not, I'm really sorry!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please keep reviewing!-Angel Otaku121
