A/N-This is my first fan fiction ever and while some of my ideas are not originals, I find them interesting. I have read/watched the manga/anime and loved them both equally. I am trying to keep the characters in character as much as possible, but there will be moments when that isn't so. The only character I have a problem with in the original is Excalibur and I will only mention him once (in the first chapter) just to show my distaste. Without further a due, chapter 3.

Kid's POV

It was almost time for school to start, and still no sign of River in her normal wardrobe of black leather pants, black V-neck tee, black leather jacket, and her steel toed boats that I am pretty sure has a blade concealed with in them (A/N: got the idea for the concealed weapons in boots from Sherrilyn Kenyon's books. She's an amazing author and I highly recommend her Dark-Hunter series). I tried to call five times already but there was no answer on her home phone or cell. I sighed and headed up the stairs. If I lingered any longer I would be late for class and Stein would make me stand in the hall like he did on the day we first learned about group resonance. I took my seat and tried to pay as much attention to the nutty professor as I could, but I couldn't shake this bad feeling.

The bell finally rang for lunch and I made up my mind about what I would do. "I'm going over to River's house to see if she's ok. Liz, Patty, stay here while I go check."

"Okay," Patty said laughing about whatever she was thinking of. I gathered up my materials and went outside as quickly as I could, careful to avoid all mirrors just in case my father decided to get a little nosy about my personal affairs. Once I got outside, I summoned Beelzebub and flew as quickly as I could to her house. I knocked on her door and backed up to stare at her windows.

I then waited a few minutes before I knocked again and they shouted "River. It's me, Kid. You in there." When no one answered I tried the doorknob, surprised that it opened without resistance. I went in and shut the door behind me, calling out for river once again. When she still refused to answer, I used my soul perception ability and figured out that she was upstairs and that something was off about her soul. It seemed sad somehow. I followed the path until I reached the door were the soul was tucked away and knocked gently. "River, I'm coming in." I then opened the door and found River curled up on her bed, crying. "Hey, what's wrong," I said running over to her and pulling her into my arms, ignoring the fact that she was only half dressed.

All she did in response was throw her arms around my neck, buried her face in my hair and cried. I gently took off my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders and just provided her the comfort she needed. I didn't know what was wrong, or how long we sat there, but I could tell that she needed a friend now more than ever.

River's POV

I don't know how long a held onto Kid, all I knew was that my world was falling apart and I needed something solid to keep me grounded. All I remember about the time before Kid arrived was receiving the phone call that knocked me off kilter and turned my world upside down. "I have to return to Texas," I whispered barely audible to my own ears.

"Can you please repeat that," Kid said pulling back a little bit so that he could look down at me and pull his jacket farther around my torso. He looked so worried about me.

"I have to go back to Texas," I repeated on the verge of tears again. "Somethings happened to my family. The authorities said it looked like a robbery gone wrong, but from what they described." I closed my eyes, stopping the new flood of tears before they could escape. "It sounded like a Kishin attack. I have to go back. It's all my fault," I broke off into another round of sobs and buried my face back into Kids chest.

"Shh. It's ok. I've got you." He just kept whispering that into my ear and rubbing my back until I calmed down again. When I looked at the clock, I noticed that it was well after six.

"We have to contact Lord Death and see about me taking a leave of absence from school to go check out the situation," I said getting up to go straiten myself. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to a stop. "What are you doing? I have-" he placed a hand over my mouth before I could finish my argument. The next words out of his mouth surprised me.

"You can't go alone," he said with a slight blush. I will contact my father, Liz, Patty, Angel, and Acheron while you take a shower and inform them of the situation and our plans." As surprised as I was over that, I never expected what he did next to happened next.

Kid's POV

Without thinking, I leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. Then I kissed the tears from her lashes and placed my forehead against hers. "Go take your shower. I'll start contacting everybody." She pulled away giving me a brave smile through her tears. I waited until she was locked in her bathroom before I touched my lips. Hers were as soft as freshly fallen snow in the winter. I sighed and then used my powers to get into contact with my father, once I was out of River's bedroom, for obvious reasons.

"Hello, hello, good to see you Kiddo," father greeted in his ever chipper voice. Then in his more serious voice he said, "What is this I hear about you skipping the second half of the school day."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," I said calmly and as deadpan as I could. "When River didn't show up for school I got worried and decided to go check up on her. When I got to her house, I found her crying and saying that the Texas authorities called…" I trailed off as I saw the look on his face. "You already knew about her family, didn't you?" I was shocked that he had refused to share the information with me when he knew how I felt about her.

"I learned about it and was planning on sending a team over there to investigate the matter. I didn't think that the authorities would be so careless with their actions and inform her."

I sighed in disgust as I ran through all of what I just discovered. "You can cancel the team you assigned it to. River and I, along with our weapons, will take the assignment and investigate the possible Kishin attack," I quickly said before he could get a word out. "Along with that, if you say we can't go there to investigate the matter, then River and I will need a leave of absence. Her, to prepare the funeral arrangements, and me because she doesn't need to go through this alone." I saw that he wanted to decline the cards I was setting up, but he couldn't and he knew it.

"Fine. I'll inform your teachers that you will be going on the assignment. Just be careful and keep an eye on her." He sighed looking defeated. "I was trying to prevent her from having to do this. Her grief will cloud her judgement and she will need a friend more than ever." He then gave me the instructions to receive our travel information. He also said that River still had her driver's license for Texas. After I finished talking to my father, I called all of my friends and informed them on what happened and the plan.

TIME SKIP

When River finally came out of the bathroom, everyone I had notified was already gathered in her living room to offer their condolences and good lucks for the mission. "River," I said softly to get her attention. She looked over at me and blushed a little. "Our flight will take off tomorrow morning at nine, so I'll be by to pick you up at eight. You're weapons are already packed and will be spending the night here so that we will be able to get there on time."

"Ok," she said with a small smile, then continued to nibble on the muffin she was eating. I went up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, causing every pair of eyes to stare at us. She ignored them and laid her head on my upper arm in an affectionate way. Then she got up and went to a closet to retrieve her suitcase. I went and took it from her with the others trailing and offering to help pack her things for the trip. She then started laughing and asked, "Do any of you even know what Texas weather is in late August? Trust me, its hot spelt with a capital H."

That had everyone laughing and a smile plastered to River's beautiful face. I wanted to find a way to keep it there, but I also knew that it is hard to get over the death of a family member that you care deeply about. But one thing is for sure and that is the fact that she will never be alone during the grieving process.

River's POV

I turned and stared at Kid as he watched me pick out clothes for the trip. I decided to pack a bathing suit because I knew that it would still be warm when we got there and I loved to swim. It helped to clear the mind and allowed me to think about things I needed to keep my attention on. When I saw his confused look about why I chose a bathing suit I simply said, "I told you. Hot. It is still technically swimming season down there."

For the next few hours, Maka, Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, Liz, Patty, Angel, Acheron, Kid and I laughed and joked around as we discussed things other than what was actually plaguing my thoughts. The only one who seemed to be able to see through the mask I put in place was Kid. When I looked at him, he would smile and I would blush, remembering the feel of his soft lips on mine. His comforting words as he held me while I cried. We both know the unspoken truth. We love each other, and nothing will ever change that.

At around ten, everyone started to file out of my house one at a time. I showed Angel and Acheron to the guest bedrooms and where everything was kept. When I came back into the living room, Kid was still there straightening things up for me. I smiled and walked over to him. "You know you don't have to do that," I said wrapping my arms around his waist and laying my head on his back.

"I know, but you've had a rough day. Go on to bed. I'll finish cleaning up and then lock the door when I leave." He patted my arm then turned around, giving me a peck on the cheek before we disentangled.

"Ok. See you tomorrow." I then went upstairs and got ready for bed.

Kid's POV

I stared after River, wanting to make sure that she was well enough to take on the mission. I sighed and went back to cleaning up the mess that Black Star made on her coffee table. I should have come over here sooner instead of going on to class. To think that she was all alone when she received that information, I thought to myself. I will never forgive this transgression. She might not think much of it, but I do. I will always be there for her, now and forevermore. "I'm sorry," I whispered towards where she disappeared and left her house. When I reached the fence I turned back and saw her watching me through her bedroom window. She waved goodbye and I blew her a kiss as I summoned my skateboard. As I traveled back towards my mansion, I thought about the day to come and how it would most likely impact my one true love. A raven haired beauty that goes by the name River Styx. Or to me, my precious rose.