It had been a week since Lexi had been retrieved from Scorpius's castle. Both Titus and Scorpius were dead. Lexi had Destroyed Titus's soul as well, but she still remained trapped in her own mind. Her eyes stayed silver. Kid brought her back to the DWMA, holding her hand and talking to her the entire way. She could walk, but she had to be led places. Her eyes stared at some fixated point on the horizon. She never blinked. Kid wondered what she was thinking about- he was almost certain Lexi was awake somewhere, deep in her own mind. He was almost sure she knew what was going on around her, but she had no control over what she was doing. The Soul Master inside of her had taken over, shoving Lexi away from him completely. He didn't even know if his plan- show her the wreckage of the torture device, and get her memories back- had worked.
To be honest, he just missed Lexi.
He always sat in the infirmary with her. He skipped his classes, sitting there and holding her hand and talking to her while she made no sign she even registered his presence. She didn't sleep, didn't eat, didn't talk. She didn't move unless she was moved by someone else.
She just stared.
Kid often took her on walks- walks through the school, walks around the city. They never went further than Gallows Manor. He took her there, too- showing her where she lived, where she slept, where he slept. She never reacted, not to anything.
She just stared.
Eventually, Kid had to start going back to his classes. He spent every class thinking about her. He began failing quizzes because he was so distracted- he spent hours drawing her name in his notebook, or thinking about ways to get her back. He often drew her- her eyes, mostly. The way they used to be, that incredible hazel that always made him feel better when he looked into them.
After a week had passed, Kid decided he had had enough of this torture. He didn't think he could bear waiting another month, or possibly longer, for her to wake up. So he decided to do something.
He was sitting with Lexi in the infirmary. Stein sat in the chair next to the bed. She was lying down, staring blankly at the ceiling. Kid held her hand.
"What can I do?" He asked Stein suddenly. The professor jumped a little at the sudden break in the silence.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"I mean, what can I do?" He repeated. "I can't handle another month of being without her. Just one week hurts so much. I need to get her back, Professor, I have to."
"She's trapped inside her own mind, Kid," he said. "She's lost in there. The only way she can leave is if she finds the way out."
"...What if I show her the way out?"
Stein looked up. "What do you mean? Lexi's mind has been locked away deep inside her subconscious. You can't-"
"For Lexi to walk around now, she has to be led by someone, or she doesn't know where she's going," Kid interrupted. "Maybe all I have to do is find her and lead her out."
Stein considered this. "What if you get lost, too?"
"I know the way she thinks," he said. "I won't get lost in her mind." Stein sighed.
"I guess you can try," he said. "But don't be upset if it fails. There are no guarantees." Kid nodded.
"I'm coming, Lexi," he whispered. "Just hold on a little longer." He began to lean down, as if he was going to kiss her, but instead pressed their foreheads together. He closed his eyes.
Lexi's mind was not a peaceful place. It never had been, and she knew it probably never would be. There was only one place here that made her truly happy, and she wanted to find it.
She started off in a dark forest. There was almost no light at all. Lexi wore that white dress with the gold accents again. She was barefoot, and it worried her a bit when she started walking- what if she stepped on a rock or something and hurt her foot?- but she soon realized she couldn't feel the ground beneath her feet. Her hair was newly curled under the gold circlet around her head. She walked through the forest, slightly intimidated by the darkness and the sounds she heard. Often, there were screams- bloodcurdling, terrified screams from people Lexi had seen die. The moon was full above her, but that just cast eerie shadows over the trees, making the branches look like skeleton hands, reaching out to grab her and pull her in.
She didn't have a path to follow. She didn't know where she was going, but she never retraced her steps and went back. She just walked, waiting to see what she would find.
After walking for what seemed like three days, the forest let out- into exactly the place she wanted to be. She was back in the field, though still near the line of trees making up the dark forest. This was where she had spent a lot of her time in the month-long coma, with her friends from the DWMA. But this time, none of them were there. This time, it was her family.
They were all dressed in white. Everyone was there- her mother, Ariana, her father, Ryan, her older brother, Max, and her little sister, Tori. Even their dog, Mocha, was there. She smiled and waved when she saw them, and they waved back. They all surrounded the bench, and Lexi began running towards them. As she did, she began to be able to feel the ground beneath her feet. The grass tickled her toes, but it was like a soft, green blanket. She soon reached the tree, and launched herself into her father's arms.
"I thought I would never see you all again!" She said happily. She had freed them last year, on New Year's Eve, by accepting their deaths and moving on. She had the picture from that dream sitting on her bedside table at home.
"Just because you freed us," her father said softly, "doesn't mean we're going to disappear. We've been keeping an eye on you, Lexi." He released her from the hug, and she turned to her mother, wrapping her arms around her. A breeze, not too warm but, at the same time, not too cold, rustled the leaves in the tree above them and blew her hair around her face. She turned to Max, who picked her up and spun her around as she laughed. He had been seventeen when he died, and that was how he looked now. Tori leapt into her arms and kissed her cheek adorably. She had only been six. Mocha ran up, and Lexi picked him up. He licked her face, and she giggled lightly and kissed the top of his head, then set him down.
"What are you all doing here?" She asked. Not that she wanted them to leave, but she didn't understand why they had come.
"We didn't want you to wait all alone," Max explained. "He'll be around soon enough, but you would have gotten bored waiting for him."
"Who will be coming?" She asked skeptically. There were a lot of he's she could expect- Kid (her number one choice), or her friend Sammy from when she was thirteen and living in Chicago, or even Stein or Lord Death. Soul, maybe, or Black Star. Any of those options would have been acceptable. But then there were the people she didn't want to see... Calix, for one. Titus. Her old math teacher, Mr. Dean. He was always mean to her. But him showing up in her dream wasn't very likely.
"You'll see," Max said, not really answering her question at all. She sighed and sat between her mother and her father on the bench. Tori ran over and climbed onto her lap, and Lexi giggled lightly and kissed the top of her head.
"So," she said. "How's the afterlife?"
"Incredible," her mother replied. "It's so much more beautiful than Earth. There are a lot of elderly people, though." Lexi laughed at that.
"I would imagine so," she said.
"Your brother met a girl," her father chimed in. Lexi looked at Max.
"When were you going to tell me this?" She asked. He shrugged.
"Actually, we're getting married," he said. "It was the best year of my death, with her. I was going to tell you soon, but I didn't know how you could have gone to the wedding..." His face was a soft shade of red, and Lexi laughed.
"What's her name?" She asked.
"Alice," he replied. "She died when she was seventeen, too- got caught in crossfire in a gang fight. She was shot in the head. She said it didn't hurt much, though." Lexi nodded slowly.
"What an awful way to die," she said softly.
"She's happy now, though," he said. "The wedding is in four days. Maybe... Maybe you can come? I'd really like it if you were there, Lex..." She smiled.
"Miss my own brother's wedding?" She said. "How could I? Of course I'll go, Max." He smiled and hugged her.
"Perfect," he said. "I can't wait for you to meet her. She's so nice, she'll love you."
Lexi spent hours talking to her family. They didn't sleep at all- none of them felt tired. Soon, hours turned into days, and when four of these days passed, her family got ready to leave.
"We've got a wedding to attend," her mother said with a smile. "Are you ready to go?" Lexi nodded. "I am, let's-"
"Lexi?" Tori tugged on the hem of her dress, and Lexi knelt down to look at her.
"What's up, Tori?" She asked. The small girl pointed to the trees.
"Who's that?" She asked. Lexi turned and looked at the boy just stepping out of the trees, and a smile graced her face. She turned to her family. "You guys go on ahead," she said. "I'll catch up with you." They all watched the boy for a moment, then began walking into a white light next to the tree. Lexi turned and waved at him, trying to get his attention.
"Kid!" She shouted. She began running towards him. "Kid!"
Kid opened his eyes. He was in a forest, a dark, creepy forest. This was where Lexi was? He knew how she thought, but was this what her mind was like? How was he going to find her in here?
He looked at the ground. There was no path to follow, but he could faintly make out footsteps in the dirt. Bare footprints. Who would be crazy enough to walk around a forest barefoot? Then again, following them seemed to be the logical thing to do. At least they would lead him to someone- hopefully Lexi. He began following them, a bit intimidated by the darkness. He walked swiftly through the trees, not wanting to waste any time in finding her and bringing her home. He looked down at the ground and suddenly realized that every patch of white on his suit had turned gold. The black stayed the way it was, but the white spots had turned to gold. He wondered why that was.
After a few hours, the footprints faded, and he could see a bright light up ahead of him. He walked towards it, and after a bit of walking, the trees ended and the grass began. He squinted, his eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness, and he saw a tree and a bench. There were people around it- two older people, a man and a woman, who Kid assumed were married from the way they looked at each other. There was another boy, about his age, maybe a bit older, and a young girl. There was even a dog. They all wore white. The little girl was talking to a slightly older girl who looked to be about the same age as Kid. She wore a white dress with gold accents, and her blonde hair was curled. The little girl pointed right at Kid, and the older girl stood and turned.
Lexi.
A wide smile broke out on his face. She smiled as well, and turned and said something to the people. A bright light appeared behind them, and they walked into it, leaving Lexi behind. She turned and faced Kid, then waved to him and began calling his name. He smiled and began running for her, and she did the same.
She leapt into his arms, and he hugged her, practically squeezing the life out of her. He spun her around, lifting her bare feet off the ground. She laughed happily, and he set her down and kissed her. She kissed him back passionately, her arms wrapping around his neck. His hands rested gently around her waist, holding her close to him.
"I missed you so much," he said when they pulled away. "Are you alright?"
She nodded. "I'm great. And I missed you too, Kid." She kissed him again.
"Who were those people?" He asked.
"My family," she replied. "They didn't want me to wait for you all alone."
"They knew I was coming?" He asked, a bit shocked. She shrugged.
"I guess so," she replied. "You have to meet them, Kid. They're gonna love you. I told them all about you..."
"Your dad doesn't have a shotgun, does he?"
She laughed- a beautiful, genuine laugh. "No," she said, still giggling a bit. "And even if he did, he wouldn't have a reason to use it."
He sighed. "Where are they? Because we've really got to go."
"They left," she said. "I told them we'd catch up. Come on!"
"Lexi, we don't have time," he said as she grabbed his hand. "We've got to get you out of here." She turned to him as the white light formed behind her.
"We've got all the time we want, Kid," she said. "Now come on. We've got a wedding to attend." She smiled and pulled him through the light.
Aww, a wedding! I can't wait to write that scene... Anyways, thanks for all the reviews! I don't own Soul Eater (however much I wish I did). Please review!