One week later.

"So you think your ready for the test Maka?" asked Tsubaki

"Yup, I studied all week. I'm going to stay top of the class of sure." She replied with a grin.

"Did you and Black star study together?"

"mmhm. I think he will do better than last time."

"That is if he didn't get caught stealing the test again."

Kankyo and Shizuka sat a few rows up watching the girls as they chatted away about their partners. Kankyo knew this test would be difficult part of him worried if Shizuka could do it. He had heard Maka got 99 before he had faith that Shizuka could get 100 but he would not have peace of mind till the scores were posted. Shizuka looked at her partner he had been bouncing his leg since they sat down, it was jiggling her chair. She knew he was anxious but he had to stop for her sanity. She reached over and placed her hand firmly on his knee.

"Stop it." She said calmly Kankyo stopped and looked at her. "Everything will be fine"

Kankyo nodded. He didn't understand how she could be so calm when she had not had a restful night's sleep in weeks. Maybe it was all just an illusion to help calm him down. It was hard to tell with her she was good at hiding her true emotions. Though he had learned to read most of her subtle signals but some were still a mystery to him. Shizuka suddenly heard a voice right next to her causing her to jump. It was Pig tails, the girl had been friendly with them since they showed up. Kankyo said from what he could tell Maka was truly trying to be friendly but she thought it was just a ruse, gain their trust so she could stab them in the back.

"Hi, Maka you excited about the test?" Asked Kankyo.

"Yup, How do you guys think you will do?"

"Well with Shizuka's tutoring I should be in near the top 20" He cracked that crooked smile that Shizuka had seen many a girl melt at. Maka seemed unfazed unlike the girls just behind her who were swooning at him. Shizuka fought the urge to roll her eyes and groan. 'Why do all the girls go berserk around him? Would I be like that if I hadn't grown up with him? No, I'm not that kind of girl.' Shizuka thought as she watched the girls behind Maka wave at Kankyo.

"How about you Shizuka?" Said Maka

Shizuka Shrugged. "I really don't know I forgot to study." She could see Kankyo waving With a huge grin on his face at the girls out of the corner of her eye, she was pretty sure he winked too.

"Well Kankyo has confidence in you."

'is she always this positive' thought Shizuka. "I know, Thank you good luck"

"Good luck on the test Maka." Cheered Kankyo

"You too." She waved as she turned to leave.

Shizuka stared at the test in front of her she had just finished checking her answers with fifteen minutes to spare. She checked again no mistakes now she had ten minutes to spare. She looked down at the group in front of her Maka and Tsubaki seemed to be the only ones who were taking this test seriously. She looked at the rest of the group Liz she was filing her nails with only half of the test done her sister was making an art project. Shizuka had to admit it was a good elephant even though the trunk was not finished. Her eyes trailed farther down the group, Kid only had part of his name one the paper and was erasing a perfectly good H. Soul seemed to be trying to copy of the student in below him and Black star seems to have dozed off. She looked at the clock three minutes left. Kankyo was almost done.

"Times up! Grades will be posted in a week" Said Stein

"Now we wait." Said Kankyo.

Shizuka eyes shot open. She was breathing short, heavy breaths. Sweat beads ran down her face as She looked around the room, wide eyed, Checking every dark corner of her room to final stop on her clock it read 1:45. She sighed 'Another nightmare.' She buried her face in her hands. She could still feel the Icy Knife on her skin and the warm blood trialing down her face and arms. She shivered rubbing her bare arms. She reached over turning on the lamp on her night stand. She had to make sure the blood was not there, No just the scars left from that night. Her nightmare was once a reality that now haunted her. She walked over to the mirror in her room and looked at the scar on her face, she looked down at the scars on her arms they were there to a constant reminder of the night her parents died, No, were murdered. She heard a knock at her door.

"Come in"

Kankyo opened the door and poked his head in "Hey"

"I didn't wake you did I?" asked Shizuka 'I wonder if I screamed in my sleep.'

"No, I was up playing videogames and saw your light was on" he said as he walk to her bed and plopped down with his hands behind his head.

Kankyo watched her stare at her hands. He could tell she was about to shatter one more night she would have a breakdown he couldn't let that happen not again. He got up and grabbed her arms and pulled her into a hug. She lightly hugged him back he could tell it for his sake. What could he do to help her?

"Tell me the dream." He said as he pulled away from her and dragged her to sit on her bed. He knew what the dream was she had told it before not only that but he had helped her after the real event. She stared holes in the floor. She knew he would sit there and wait for her to tell him even if he had to wait till morning so she had to give in completely or be vague.

"It was the same as always, my parents being tortured and killed in front of me, as well as my own torture. I can feel the knife cutting the star into my arm." She said as she ran her fingers over the star on her right forearm "I could feel the cut being made face. I feel is him carving his name into my left arm. The last thing I feel is getting stabbed. The dream ends with him leaving thinking I died like my parents." She finished a few tears falling from her eyes. There was more to the dream they both knew it.

Kankyo sat quietly while he let her cry she was a silent crier the only thing you could hear was when she inhaled. He could feel her shake with her sobs. She rarely cried and when she did he was never sure how to comfort her. Every time she cried he would just hold her. He was never sure if it helped. Right now he had her pulled against him her right side pressed on the center of his chest her head was under his chin. He could not help but think back that day. He had come over to play like he always did. He opened the door. He found something never expected to find. It was Shizuka and her parents each tied a chair, each covered in blood. He fought the urge to shutter as he remembered that image. He ran home and told his parents who were best friends of Shizuka's parents they had attended DWMA together. A little bit later his mom can back carrying Shizuka in her arms. He remembered his mom asked him to get wet rags and bandages. He remembered hearing her on the phone with someone telling them Shizuka's parents were dead but Shizuka was alive. After that he helped his mom clean Shizuka's injuries. They had only been 7 at the time after that Shizuka came to live with them. One of the men who attacked her family was killed by his parents. He was the one who did the most damage. Gray Star The name that was carved into Shizuka's arms the man who killed her family and left her scarred in almost every way possible was killed by his parents, but the second man got away not only that but he had killed Kankyo's dad and Almost killed his mother with poison, she was left paralyzed. They were 12 when his father was killed. His mom died when they were 14 from heart problems doctors thought it was from the poison that almost killed her a few years earlier but they were unsure. They were now both 17 and the only thing he wanted now was to see his Best friend smile.

"Hey, Kankyo?" She said so softly he almost didn't hear it. He glanced at the clock she had only been crying for a few minutes, She would only allow herself to cry for a few minutes at a time. He knew that if he gave her a few minutes she would let out a few more quick sobs then stop again. She would do that tills she stopped crying it was her way of starting to suck it up. He truthfully wished all girls cried like that he had met some that cried for hours nonstop.

"Yes?" he replied

"Thank you" she said as she pulled away with a grin. Kankyo could tell the smile was forced.

"Well you know I'm a sucker for a pretty girl." He said jokingly as he wiggled his eyebrows. Shizuka scoffed as she wiped at her eyes.

"Idiot." She said with a small smile "Is there ever a time when you're not flirting?"

"If I didn't flirt we would never finish a job." It was true when it came to getting information out of people or getting into a place Kankyo could flirt his way past almost anyone and usually did. He did not care the gender of the person or the age he just flirted. If his flirting didn't work then they would use Shizuka's method of getting information, Bribery, but he would flirt even when they weren't working a job it was just a part of his personality.

"Hey, remember when you had to flirt with that creepy shop owner because he would not accept a bribe." Kankyo laughed "I never knew you had it in you."

"I thought we agreed to never speak of that again." Replied Shizuka

"No, you said," He rose his voice trying to mimic Shizuka's voice. "We will never speak of this again." As he finished his voice returned to normal. "I never agreed to that."

Shizuka rolled her eyes and yawned, he had successfully brightened her mood with his antics but she was getting tired and they had to go to school tomorrow To see if she Beat Maka on the test.

"Kankyo, It's 2:55 we need to go to bed"

"Speak for yourself, I need to finish a Quest on my game."

Shizuka stood up and walked in to the living room and picked his controller off the ground in front of a stack of pillows, hits save and shuts the game off, Then lightly tossed the controller to the couch as well as the pillows that belong there. The last two pillows she hands to Kankyo.

"Hey!"

"At least I saved, it's not like I'm completely mean. You can continue the quest tomorrow. Now go to bed."

Kankyo turned with the pillows in hand and walks into her room and closes the door.

"Hey, what are you—"

Shizuka follows him into her room to find him in her bed with his back to the door. The covers were pulled back with just enough room for her slid in next to him if she wanted. He had thrown on of her pillows to her desk chair and replaced it with the ones she had given him. He then rolled over and looked at her.

"This is my bed, yours is that way" Said Shizuka and she pointed towards his bedroom door.

"Yeah, but that's all the way over there and I'm comfortable here besides you told me to go to bed so I went to the closest bed." He said with a stretch "I left room for you." He knew she would most likely have another nightmare before it was time to get up. He wanted to be there when she did even if he was asleep he knew just being there would help her calm down. Shizuka was couldn't believe him, or that she was considering it. The last time they slept in the same bad was when they were 14 after his mother died. That was one of the few times he crawled into her bed the only other time being after he learned his father died. She was the one who always use to climb into his bed at night after a nightmare because she felt safer with him around. She guessed the reason behind that was he saved her life. If he had not come over to play that morning she had no doubt in her mind she would have died. She was too tired to have a battle of will power with him. So she turned out the light, and slid into bed next to him.

"I'll keep my hands to myself I Promise." Said Kankyo she could hear the smile in his voice.

"good."

His head suddenly popped up. "hey, wait where is your promise to keep your hands to yourself?" Shizuka reached back and hit him.

"Ouch."

"shut up and sleep." Shizuka knew she hadn't hit him that hard. He was saying ouch to be dramatic.

"I still don't have a promise that you are going to keep your hands to yourself, I can't sleep if I have to worry about you feeling me up in my sleep." Said Kankyo "Ouch that one actually hurt, ok, ok goodnight." She felt him roll over "when did you become so violent?" She heard him mutter before he finally shut up.

"night" Replied Shizuka stifling a Laugh.