Yeah, I'm out again. Being in the same room, let alone the same house as Maka, is making me miserable. So I go out. I ride the streets on my bike, sometimes I meet up with Black Star from time to time. Sometimes Kid too. But I mostly like being by myself. I feel like everyone around me has grown up, except me and Maka. Black Star and Tsubaki are dating, actually engaged, Kid is the new head of the DWMA, and his partners are now Death Scythes. Technically he's our "principal" now, if we were a typical school. But Maka and I are still the same, I've only got 87 Kishin souls in me, and it isn't growing very rapidly. Our fighting is really brining us down. I turn into the bar I normally hang out at. Technically, I'm not old enough to drink yet. But Sid works there, so he gives me a few beers on the house. He's good to talk to sometimes also. I feel like he's what I need right now; that and some alcohol.

The bell above the door rings as I walk in, Sid sees me right away and waves me over. There aren't many people here tonight. It is a Thursday, after all. "Hey, Sid. Bring me a beer?"

"Sure thing, kid." He leaves and comes back with one, its cold in my hand and down my throat, and very refreshing. "How's it going? Haven't seen you in about a week."

I chuckle, but not because it's so funny, "Maka smelled the alcohol on me last time, that argument did not end well. But right now, I don't care." I take another swig. Sid grunts, "You guys aren't doing so well, huh?"

"Not exactly."

"Ever think of leaving?"

I almost spit out what's in my mouth. I cough after I finally get it down, "leave? Are you crazy?"

"Am I?"

"Leaving Maka would be like opening Dracula's coffin or angering Bruce Banner. Thanks, but I don't feel like getting killed."

"So you figure it's either death or torture?"

I look up at him, one of his eyebrows is raised and I know I sound like a mad man. "To be honest, I've never thought about walking out on Maka. We're partners. We became partners for a reason, our souls connected to each other in a way no one else's would. Besides, I'm all she's got." As I say it, I know it's true. I'd kind of forgotten about how fragile she was. Not in body or mind, but in heart. Her father was a douche, her mother left her with him, and now she hates men. Her partner could have been a girl, but it hadn't been. It was me. I took another slow sip of my drink and set it down. "Thanks, Sid." I dropped a five on the bar and left. Turns out, I need to just ride.