Chapter 11 – Obsessive Shinigami

Death the Kid

Liz wasn't planning to let me wait till the evening for an explanation. She met me at the door to my father's office with a scowl on her face and her arms crossed across her chest.

"It's the girl from earlier isn't it?" She stated flatly.

I averted her gaze. "Yes."

"So, is this it? You expect me to take this as your method of rejection?"

Patty shrunk down at Liz's left. "Sister…" She muttered; her arms hung in front of her in embarrassment.

She didn't allot for me time to explain.

Her tone was harsh. "Giving up on us, aren't you? Think she'd be a better Weapon for a Shinigami?"

I could feel a scowl on my face as I eyed her in irritation. "Instead of taking this time to jump to conclusions, it would have been better spent waiting for the meeting to finish."

She glowered. "What?"

I sighed. "I never said I was giving you two up as my partners. I made that clear to my father at the end, but you stomped out prior to that. Stomping noise and all..." I left my voice trail off.

Liz cocked her head to the left. "But then…"

My thoughts started to run away from me. "Sai doesn't need a partner." I muttered. "Probably wouldn't work anyway…"

I watched Liz's mind process my words for a moment. "That means…"

She then burst into abrupt laughter.

I gawked at her and blinked.

"Kid's in love! I didn't even know that was possible!" She wound her arms around her midsection and was racked with giggles.

"Love! Love!" Patty yelled, dancing in place.

I stuffed my fists in my pants' pockets, turning away from them. I could feel my ears and face warm. "Stop it." I muttered.

"But seriously, I'm right, aren't I?" Liz asked between laughs, pointing at me. "That's what all of this was about, right?"

I screwed my eyes shut and hung my head.

"I am! That's so cute!" Liz cupped her face with her hands.

"Cute! Cute!" Added Patty swinging in place.

There was nothing but laughter for a long moment. I could feel a severe headache coming on already, and the night was young.

Liz seemed to calming down. "I can see why you'd like her, though. But why would she like you?"

My eyes snapped open. It was something I hadn't yet considered.

"I mean," She continued. "You have some serious issues…" Liz waved her hand. "And I saw her – she's pretty. Not as pretty as me, but I bet a lot of guys will be after her at Shibusen. For partners, you might say…" She smirked and gave a nod.

With those words I became locked in my own thoughts. I could feel my shoulders drop; I stared at the floor but saw nothing.

I had to wonder – what if it was one-sided?

What if she didn't like me in return?

What if she was just being nice to me because she was nice to everyone?

What if she had just been nice to me because I was Soul's friend?

What if…what if she couldn't like me because I'm…obsessive?

Then the worst thought of them all hit me. Suddenly being a Shinigami added nothing positive to the equation.

I'm not even human…Shinigami aren't human…

I covered my face with my hands and groaned. There were too many questions for my mind to process all at once. I felt like an overloaded machine on the verge of a melt-down.

A moment passed and Liz was shaking my left shoulder. "Kid? Snap out of it. Hey!"

After a moment I let my hands drop.

Liz was looking at me with compassion. "Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. That was cruel of me."

"But you're right…" I whispered.

She ignored my comment. "Besides, she already knows your biggest flaw. She pointed it out to your face." She chuckled, patting me on the shoulder.

If that was supposed to make me feel better, it wasn't working. Being neurotic couldn't possibly be the biggest hurdle in this situation.

But I would keep hoping it would be that way.

Liz put her right arm around my shoulders and started leading me down the hall. Patty tagged along behind us humming a wordless tune. "So, what was that about dinner you said earlier?" Liz questioned.

***

Liz and Patty allowed me to stew in my own thoughts regarding my merits all the way to Maka and Soul's apartment. I even started obsessing about other nonsense –should have changed my suit to something less formal? Should I have brought something to contribute for dinner? I was so lost in the maze of "what-ifs" I nearly walked past the apartment building. Liz's sudden grab on my collar yanking me in reverse was the only clue I had walked too far up the street.

"Hey! Wake up!" She complained.

I could feel a bought of anxiety coming on, but I tried to fight it back. This was not an opportune time to have a mental collapse. I left my hands in my pockets to avoid fidgeting, but it was still a struggle. I still absentmindedly played with the rings on my hands. Even my surroundings were a blur. I wasn't even aware of climbing the four-floor's worth of steps into the building until a half-flight away from the apartment's front door.

There was a sudden crash, and I bounded for the door.

I pounded on the door, and then tried the handle. It opened freely; I couldn't help but comment on it. "Hey, you shouldn't leave your front door…"

And I couldn't help but stop. The apartment was in chaos.

Maka, in her apron, was chasing Blair in her feline form around the dinning room with a wooden spoon. It looked, and smelled, as if Blair has snatched a package of fish from the kitchen and was dropping small pieces of it around the apartment.

"Come back here, that's dinner!" Maka yelled.

Tsubaki knelt on the floor with Black Star's head on her knees. She was trying to revive him. He looked like he had just taken a blow to the head and face.

"Black Star! Wake up!" She begged, fanning him with a magazine.

It appeared that that blow had come from the apartment's flat screen television; it looked like Soul had managed to drop it on him. Sai was now trying to help Soul carry it, but it seemed much too heavy for her.

"I…ah!" She yelled. "Soul! Watch it!"

Sai tumbled backwards and landed with a thud, and the television landed on her abdomen. She struggled on the floor under its weight, trying to push it towards Soul at the opposing side. "Pick it up, will you?!" She yelled.

"Sorry!" He yelled though his teeth. He tried to pull it off of her, but it was obviously too heavy for one person alone. He was struggling.

I'm usually too polite to barge into someone's home, but I considered this an extenuating circumstance. Bounding over the couch between the living room and the front door, I braced myself next to Sai.

I looked at her with intent. "Hold on. Don't move."

She simply nodded, in obvious discomfort.

I fit my hands between her stomach and the edge of the television and pulled upwards. It didn't feel nearly as heavy as it looked.

Or it simply wasn't heavy to me.

Soul and I sat the television on a prepared glass table to Sai's right.

The thoughts that had held off in my moment of heroism started to creep back. It wasn't heavy for someone like me.

Why would she like someone like me? Look at me…I'm a mess.

"Heh." Soul said with a pant, brushing his hands with each other. "Thank goodness you were early."

I could only stare at him. I didn't know I had returned early. If Soul was still agitated with me, I couldn't even ascertain. I was barely aware of anything, even my own existence.

Sai stood up from the floor and looked up at me. "Thanks Kid." She said with a smile, brushing off her black dress.

She had taken off the coat I had given her. Why did she take it off? Did I do something wrong by giving it to her?

I could feel myself start shaking in duress; my arms locked up at my sides.

She stared at me in confusion. "Kid, what's wrong?"

I stared at her, but I couldn't comprehend her words. I was in melt-down.

I could feel her grab my arms to try and support me, but it was too late. My head was swimming and my vision blurred.

"Kid!" Was the last thing I heard.

And I saw nothing but darkness.