Disclaimer: Again, I don't normally do this after the first chapter but here's another book reference. Beast by Donna Jo Napoli, I do not own (besides my copy of it ;))! It's a very short yet well written book. I highly recommend it if you're ever bored and looking for a good read ;).

Odds and Ends

Healing?

It had been three days since they had taken refuge in the cave and she had woken up. The days were silent, and sometimes she would chatter to herself just to hear some noise. Kid had taken to sulking, or disappearing for food runs. He refused to bring her, despite the fact that she could now walk around. 18 days… that was all they had left. They had been gone from home for 12 days… almost two whole weeks. It felt like they had been gone for months, but other times it felt like she had just left yesterday. Today was a day were it felt like they had been gone for far too long.

It must have been the loneliness, but she had asked for Kid to bring back some of her books from the shack, which they weren't staying in just in case the beast had found their scent. At least that was what Kid had told her he had decided and after that almost deadly fight she wasn't eager to have that thing corner her again, so she hadn't questioned him. She had her nose buried in one of her all-time favorites, Beast, blocking out the dismal cave and its sounds. It was a short book, one she could breeze through within the next few hours, but it was perfect for the little respite she was getting. She was lost in another world, bound by a spell that the ink and paper cast on her. She was startled when Kid plopped down next to her. Besides when she had first woken up and asked him to sleep next to her, they hadn't even touched each other. He deemed her unfit to transform so they hadn't practiced any soul resonance and that seemed likely the only excuse either of them could come up with that was 'professional and appropriate' to be so near one another.

"How are you feeling today?"

She blinked a few times, before she folded the book into her lap and turned to face her partner.

"Antsy. I want to get moving," she bluntly told him.

He smiled for the briefest of a second, it was so faint she almost didn't catch it, before his stoic expression locked back in place.

"I want you to heal more… but we're starting to run out of time," he sighed. "Would you mind if I looked?" he asked gesturing to her shoulders.

She nodded and slipped out of the button down shirt she had been wearing. Her cheeks still flushed but Kid made no comment as they both started to work around her bandages. It didn't feel right to be so exposed to him, and she hated how his eyes darkened with pity when he looked at her. She always had the instinct to cover her chest and look away but she managed to refrain. Luckily she had been able to bath down in the stream below the cave (although it had been freezing) and she had a clean bra on now. To be truthful she sort of missed the comforts that the small shack had offered them, such as showers. When she had to bathe the other day she had to pretend it was like going to the beach in a bikini but that hardly helped; not when Kid was staring her down and she wasn't anywhere warm and sunny. Besides the past three days she was sure that whatever she had had with Kid had all been a dream. Kid, more so than her, had probably just been infatuated, and as much as it hurt to think of she could tell he was over it. At least that is what she told herself so that she didn't try to pry into the situation.

Her shirt pooled around her wrists as Kid moved to push it off to get a better view. His hands lingered for a fraction of a second, which made her bit her lip in nervousness. She wasn't over him that was for sure. It's hard to squander one's feelings away when they are so newly discovered. She could barely keep from leaning into his touch. She cursed mentally before looking up to catch Kid's facial expression.

His eyes were hard and unreadable as he looked over her shoulders. Kid's rings had left perfect impressions on her skin, branding her with the skull perfectly on either side of her shoulders. The flesh around the wounds was still a little red, and when she stretched her skin felt tight, but she was well on her way to recovering. Her ribs, she decided, were definitely broken, but the most they did was cause her discomfort when she tried to sleep or move too quickly. She had a few stitches on her chest from the encounter, but they were small scratches they were already healing up nicely.

Kid's eyes squeezed shut and he started to grumble something under his breath. He was leaning over her so he could look at her shoulders evenly, because Praise-be-to-Death they had somehow wound up symmetrical. He called it the ugliest beauty he had even seen, and she had hit him rather hard for that comment. She felt very self-conscious as his stern gaze flashed back and forth between her shoulders.

"Can you lift your arms for me?" he asked after a moment.

He watched patiently as she struggled to lift her arms up as high as she could. Much to her pleasure she could almost get them above her head, but she wasn't quite there yet. It didn't stop the celebratory smile that spread across her face. Kid's eyes lightened and he patted her on the head before sitting down in front of her to help rewrap her bandages.

"Don't be so condescending," she growled and moved away from him.

Kid looked uncomfortable for a moment, before he retracted his hands with a shrug.

"I was pleased," he told her, but he sounded more like the was questioning his excuse.

"I'm not a dog, I'm your weapon… and your friend," she added sternly.

It was quiet for a moment before Kid cleared his throat, "I thought it was best because I can't exactly give you a high five. You seem to favor that sort of physical expression when you want to celebrate a victory."

She felt a smirk grace her features as she rolled her eyes. Buttoning up her shirt she stood up and placed her book by her makeshift bed. Before she stooped next to the fire to poke at it, mostly in an excuse to distract herself. She had questions burning inside of her, but she knew that it was Kid's call. She had to drop the subject before she had even brought it up, otherwise she knew it would turn into a nasty temper tantrum between the two of them… just as it had the other night. He had told her he would let her know when they would be ready to attempt more training. She had to accept that and wait…

"You seem to like that sort of genre," Kid said gesturing to her book. "I haven't seen you read much else," he continued when she glanced over at him with a challenge in her eye.

Was it just her or was he actually attempting to make small talk? The air around them had been rather thick and tense the past few days; yesterday they had barely said more than a few sentences to each other all day. She was tempted to let his comments disappear into the cave's darkness, but she was rather starved for some type of conversation. She let out a small breath.

"Everyone has their likes and dislikes," she said calmly.

"Ah yes," Kid trailed off. "I like to read humor."

She cocked her brow as she swiveled to face him fully.

"Is something on your mind, Kid?"

He looked startled, even rattled that she had caught on so quickly. Or maybe it was the harshness that came naturally with her suspicious tone that threw him off. The two meisters stared hard at each other before Kid let out a gentle breath.

"I realize I have made things tense between us, but I would rather not throw away our friendship. That was the very thing I was trying to avoid," he mumbled after a moment. He stood as well and made his way so that he stood a respectful distance from her across the fire.

Maka felt her stomach drop at the uncomfortable topic. Something like this was exactly why there was a taboo against weapons and meisters forming romantic relationships. It could destroy a wonderful team, or make them ridiculously overpowered. It was beautiful or ugly, there wasn't an in-between. Maka chewed her lip, carefully making sure to keep her gaze locked on the fire as she contemplated her reply.

"I do understand that," she whispered, "but this isn't exactly easy to deal with."

If Kid's sigh was anything to go off of he wasn't pleased with her reply. The silence in the cave thickened.

"Stein picked us for a reason Maka. We're both so far ahead in class that he gave us an assignment that is normally charged to a Death Scythe. He wouldn't have done this if he thought we weren't ready, despite our inexperience with each other and your weapon form."

It had never been said out loud like that. They had both danced around it, played at the seams per say, but it had never been spoken. The words brought a sting she hadn't been expecting. Kid was right. That little reminder was what she needed at the moment, just like she had needed to snap him out of his self-hate for the injuries she had sustained.

"A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body," she whispered to herself. That phrase had become much more like a prayer than a line to be memorized in class. It calmed her, soothed her and reminded her what was important. It was the guideline to her life.

She lifted her gaze to meet Kid's. His golden eyes flashed from the light of the fire, tinting the shade with amber and ruby. His expression screamed bloodlust, and for a second she felt genuine fear of her friend grip her. Maka felt shy as she lowered her gaze back away from him. On the inside she drew up her courage and took a few calming breaths. There had only been a few times when she had witnessed Kid so visibly upset and lately it was because her welfare had been put in jeopardy. She knew that they were going to have to face that monster sooner or later, she wasn't sure if the thought terrified her this time. With Kid by her side she knew it would be easy. She hadn't lied to the wyvern when she told it she was not afraid of it, nor was she scared of pain. She could take a few hits here and there. What made her skin crawl was the evil aura that pulsed around the beast as it had lapped up the blood from her wounds and it simply annoyed her that it had somehow snuck up on her. Kid was livid, and whenever she had tried to broach the subject he turned cold, or colder than he had been since she had awoken. The upside was that now the anger was rightfully placed on the beast and not at himself for what had happened to her.

"What's the plan then?" she asked breaking the stern silence that engulfed them.

"We find that damn thing and kill it," he said briskly.

"Stein wants it alive," she remarked trying to keep her tone from being disapproving. I'm the weapon, she reminded herself. I'm the supporter, he calls the shots.

"Yes, well… I told him I wasn't holding back once I found it again. He seemed to understand," Kid grumbled, clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth in irritation.

"What exactly did he say when you went back to the shack?" she asked exasperated.

It had felt like Stein and Kid were always a step ahead of her; that they left her out of the loop for whatever reason. It pissed her off and she was rather tired of not knowing what was going on. Assertiveness aside, she was just as important to this pseudo mission as Kid was and she had rights to know dammit! Kid's silence rang throughout the cave louder than her question.

"Kid?" she continued to prod timidly.

"Maka… I—"

Kid was cut off by the faint roar that could be heard outside. It was in the distance, but it was a hint that something was off. The wyvern had only made noise when it had cornered Maka, and sure that it was going to defeat her. If it was making a sound from such a far range then it must be closer than they thought. With a worried exchanged look both teens rushed to the mouth of the cave and timidly peaked out from behind the cleverly moved rocks that concealed the entrance. Maka moved to peer further out but Kid's hand snagged her wrist and locked her in place with a firm pull. She collided into his chest.

She knew now was really not the time, but she found herself lingering in his embrace. His arms moved protectively around her sensitive shoulders with a firm and almost possessive hold so she couldn't move away if she wanted to. She could tell even with his normal suit in place that he wasn't as scrawny as she had always thought he was. His shoulders were broad, his stomach toned, and she tried not to notice his growing familiar scent as it wafted over her. His face was much to close, and she felt her cheeks heat up dangerously as his lips moved over so that his breath tickled her ear.

"It could be a trap," he whispered.

"Soul Perception doesn't work on it," she growled back. "Remember? It can sneak up on us easily. I don't think it can distort noise so that it seems further away. That's impossible with the layout of our cave. It would only amplify sound," she muttered in a hurried explanation.

Kid let out a sigh before turning Maka so that she was facing him.

"I need you to focus," he whispered. "That thing has a soul somewhere. Stein used some sort of magic to conceal it. Maybe a dragon soul infused with something, but its ancient magic and very foreign for you. So I think what happened was that you were simply unprepared, right now though, I need you to find that wavelength."

Maka felt herself waver under Kid's stern gaze. His golden eyes were full of admiration but urgency at the same time. She nodded in response, taking a deep breath to steady herself she let her eyes slide shut as she focused on the world around her. It had been years since she had to try so hard to find a soul and that was including a witch's soul that was concealed.

It was faint at first, more like a flicker, but for a split second she could feel it. It hung in the air like disease; its wavelength was similar to a Kishins'. Evil pulsated around it and it filled her heart with despair. She could have held on longer but she cut the connection quickly eager to get rid of the emotions that swirled from it. She recoiled into herself, clutching her sides and bending over to hide her face. Her hair had been loose the past few days, as she couldn't see the point in wearing them in pigtails when she hadn't had much action. It effectively hid her face from Kid. What really brought her back to reality was the warm hand that settled under her chin and made her look up.

Her breath caught in her throat as she caught Kid's worried gaze.

"Found it," she said cheekily giving him a half smile to reassure him.

Without warning Kid leaned in and caught her in a kiss.

It wasn't like the other ones they had shared. Although this had a desperate taste to it, and a sense of urgency, there also was a hint of understanding. This could be the last chance they had to tell each other their feelings before they had to run off and fight a very dangerous monster. Maka pushed him away, not roughly, but slowly. Placing her hand between them she moved to give herself space.

"I'm sorry," Kid mumbled. "I had to…"

"Had to? Kid I'm starting to think that you are enjoying this and playing games," she snapped.

He winced at her words but shook his head.

"Now isn't the time. We need to get moving."

She could have said a lot of things. She could have called him a coward, questioned him on why now of all times, or even if he was only doing this because they were out here in the middle of nowhere where no one could interrupt them from giving into each other. She could have hissed and yelled. She could have punched him. Instead she mumbled an unintelligible curse and stormed back to the cave to collect her things. She only made it half way back when Kid caught her wrist and whirled her around to face him.

"Maka, I promise I'm not doing this to complicate things, but I don't have time to explain right now. We need to get moving. I can't rest until that thing has been…" he shivered and lowered his gaze. "I can't … focus knowing that it is so close, knowing that it hurt you."

Maka felt herself sigh as she looked at her friend. Some odd feeling swelled up in her chest and her cheeks flushed against her will at his words. It was almost as if her soul felt better, as her heart hummed in content. A small smile graced her lips as she stuck out her hand offering it to Kid as she had so often reached out for others.

"I get it," she whispered lowly. He stared blankly at her hand before smirking in understanding.

His hand clapped loudly in hers, as they souls melded and touched for the first time in days. In a flash her body melded to its second form as Kid whirled her around experimentally.

There was something therapeutic about sharing feelings between souls, because it is so intimate with another it could get embarrassing. Balance between the souls was important, and so was mutual understanding. Yet as Maka has grown she noticed that understanding your friends isn't always as important as a fundamental sense of trust. The friendships she had with everyone weren't something that could be broken so easily; despite her frustration she trusted Kid she knew he would make the right choices, and he would definitely keep her safe. Her pride was in the way this time, as she was having a hard time dealing with the fact that she wasn't in utter control. It wasn't like Kid would silence her or not listen to her opinion. For some reason she had forgotten that, or choice to ignore that fact. She would have blushed if she had still been in her human form as Kid went through all her feelings. His were a bit harder to read, but his frustration was there. The dark feelings of inferiority and doubt were there as well. Yet a surprising feeling of protectiveness for her had welled up since the last time they had resonated, as well as self-loathing for not being able to protect her. She winced mentally.

'Kid…'

"Yes I know Maka," he sighed.

'I don't think you do. I'm the weapon. I'm supposed to protect you,' she stressed trying to emphasize their roles.

"Yet you weren't in weapon form when you were attacked," he snapped.

She didn't have a comeback for that as he summoned Beelzebub and mounted slinging her over his shoulder gracefully. His cloak was donned as the wind whipped around him as they hovered outside the entrance of their cave.

"Alright Maka," he breathed out, "show me where that bastard is."

()()()()()()()()()()()

It was almost too easy finding the beast. It was in the middle of the forest clearing, surrounded by a pile of rocks and munching on something burnt beyond recognition. Its wings flapped in an annoyed manner as it slammed its tail repeatedly into the meat as if to tenderize it as its jaws snapped and tore away flesh. The charred boulder and burnt trees brought back imagines of her battle with the wyvern as Kid dismounted and hid them behind a tree.

'Stay in weapon form,' he told her through their bond.

She would have rolled her eyes and nodded her head, but the feeling was conveyed back to him. He smirked slightly, before fidgeting to peer at the beast from behind their coverage.

'We should jump out and surprise the bastard,' Maka thought, part of her cringing slightly with how similar she sounded to a Thompson sister or to Soul ready to lunge into battle without a thought.

'No, I think it knows we are here. Its ears are facing us,' Kid mused.

'He could blast us with a flame easily, stick to an area where you can duck behind something,' she advised. Her past experience danced before her eyes and she nervously tried to reassure herself. Kid stroked the staff in a soothing manner as if to relax her. 'I don't want you getting hurt,' she said clarifying her feelings with sudden realization.

'He won't get the chance,' Kid growled.

He might have been annoyed but he heeded her advice when he stepped out into the clearing. He stuck close to their tree ready to duck at a sudden blast of fire but the wyvern merely eyed them and continued eating nonchalantly.

Kid's teeth started to grind together.

'Bastard just thinks he can ignore us,' he hissed to her.

'He's waiting for you to charge. He has the advantage of long rage and close rage but he'd do more damage the closer you get,' Maka noted.

Kid nodded slightly as he eyed the wyvern. His lips pursed before he let out a small breath, 'we'll just have to initiate the fight and go from there. He doesn't seem to think us a threat enough to stop eating and it'll be better to have him unprepared.'

"My partner promised you your death," Kid called out. "I'm here to deliver that."

As Kid twirled her above his head he lunged for the beast. Only seconds before the monster managed to roll away from the blow, letting loose a blast of fire and took to the sky. It disappeared quickly from sight. Maka released her weapon form to stand beside Kid feeling as dumbstruck as he was as they stared off into the sky.

"Did he just run away?" Maka asked in disbelief.

"Looks like we have a hunt on our hands," Kid growled, gently bending down to scoop up the remains that the wyvern had been devouring. His face twisted in rage and sadness as he stared back up to the sky.

Dust fell through his fingers and landed on the charred pile of remains. Maka sucked in a sharp breath as she noticed just what the bones and ashes before them were made up of. She had taken enough anatomy to know what human bones looked like.

A/N: Yikes, I know it's been a while since I have updated. Thank you all that have been so patient. I adore all the attention this story has been getting and I want to thank you all for reviewing and enjoying this story with me. The darkness has been mostly with these two chapters. I won't spoil much for you all but after this things get considerably lighter. Since I am on break for the next month I should be able to pump out a few more chapters or at least get a skeleton for it going, permitting that work doesn't get in the way. Haha. Until next time!