"Kid, can you change Kenna's bandage for me? Timmy fell over and he won't stop crying." Tsubaki handed the medical kit over to Kid and ran off without waiting for an answer. Kid didn't mind, he was going to say yes anyways.
"What are you doing!" Kid demanded when he walked into Kenna's room, it belonging only to her after the death of her sister, and found the girl laying on the bed, grabbing pencils and shooting them in the air with a bow-arm.
"I'm bored." Kenna answered, another pencil shot into the ceiling.
"Read a book or use the pencils for what they are made for." Kid dropped the kit on the bed as he stood on it, pulling pencils out of the ceiling. "Write or draw or something not as stupid as this."
"Whatever you say dad." Kenna chuckled and soon found a pencil bouncing off of her nose.
"Don't call me that and sit up." The shinigami ordered, sitting on the ledge of the obeyed, but added a few grumbles as she did so. Kid took Kenna's arm and removing the wrap that held the gauze pad in place.
How could it be only a week since the funeral, he and Black-Star have been for only nine days and it felt like they've been there forever. At least in the week no one got killed or seriously injured, Kid had a thought in the back of his mind that no one was dead or hurt because he's refused to go on a run those seven days. Black-Star wouldn't go out without Kid, never really saying it, but some of the group understood what the star was saying the one time he had to verbally deny going on a run. A week. A week of cooking, cleaning and taking care of Kenna. A week of watching people and never really knowing if they were ever going to come back and a week of Kenna begging to leave. Kid looked at the wound after it was exposed, Kenna still had a good week till it was healed and four of those days it still needed to be covered just in case.
"So how am I doing Dr. Kid?" Kenna asked, her smile the brightest it's been since Bre's death.
"You still have a week before you're leaving the house." Kid diagnosed.
"What!? But I'm going to go insane in this place!" Kenna protested.
"How do you think Maka feels?" Kid asked, biting back his original comment of 'you'll die out of this place'.
"But I'm not pregnant."
"You better not be." The two laughed.
"Hey Kid, can I talk to you?" Maka asked, standing at the opening of the door.
"Of course." Kid finished wrapping Kenna up and followed the woman out of the room. "What's up?" Kid asked when Maka stopped and faced him.
"How's Kenna doing?"
"She's fine, another week and she'll be as good as new." Kid answered. "For a second I thought you were going to ask why mine and Black-Star's soul was smaller at the resturant than normal." Kid chuckled.
"What?" The shinigami saw the confusion in the woman's face.
"Surly you noticed, we were right in front of you." Why did he have to bring it up?
"Uh...yeah..."
"You two weren't there." Kid remembered the hug, Maka hadn't touched them, she was just really close. When she punched the table, Black-Star had cursed and the table jerk came from their side...but what about the chairs, they were sitting... "Free..." Maka looked away. "You used Free's projection thing."
"We can't leave, we're stuck."
"What are you talking about?"
"When the fire kishin was released, everyone's soul that was in the city is now stuck here till you die or that thing dies. You and Black-Star are the only ones that can leave. Stein could too, but..." Maka's sentence trailed.
"He's still alive." Kid said.
"What? But he's never...he hasn't..."
"He said the madness is getting to him and he doesn't want to risk hurting you guys." Kid shook his head. "He must have found us and told you guys."
"We got a letter that wasn't signed, it must have been Stein."
"So did we."
"When I find that man I'm killing him. How many people that I think are dead are actually alive?" Maka asked herself.
"Three so far." Kid answered, smiling at the annoyed glare he received.
"You're worse than Black-Star." The woman sighed.
"I'm not sure that's possible."
"You're the one that's with him." They both chuckled at the comment. "So when are you going to tell everyone?"
"Tell everyone what?" Black-Star and Soul asked, walking to Maka and Kid with two bowels in their hands.
"That you two are together." Maka pointed at the star and shinigami. Kid had thought about it and he and Black-Star had talked about it once and neither of them could find a good reason to and they had plenty of reasons on why they shouldn't.
"We can't." Black-Star answered, handing a bowel to Kid as Soul did the same to Maka.
"Just do it and get it over with." Soul said.
"And risk getting kicked out again." Kid stated. "We just got back together and I don't want to never see you guys again because we informed people of a relationship that doesn't really concern them. I am not allowing my father to force us to leave again."
"But Lord Death-"
"I don't want to hear it." Kid interrupted Maka and walked off.
"He's never going to know." Soul said as they watched Black-Star follow the shinigami.
"I give up. If he finds out too late about Lord Death than it's his fault." Maka snapped.
Kid looked inside of the bowel and noticed there was no meat at all in it, they must be completely out. Kid ate his food as he looked for Free, the two had finished by the time Kid found Free sitting in the kitchen with Tsubaki and a young girl.
"Come on Alana, you need to eat this." Tsubaki held a bowel under the girl's face.
"I'm not hungry, give it to Liana." Alana stated, crossing her arms over her small chest.
"You haven't been hungry for three days, you are eating." Free snapped. "Liana's fine and you're starving yourself, how can you keep Liana safe if you're dead." Alana looked at the wolf once before taking the bowel and walking out of the kitchen.
"Do you need something Kid?" Tsubaki asked when she saw the two men watching the scene that had played out.
"We're out of meat." Kid stated.
"Hunting's harder now a days." Free grumbled.
"I'll go hunting with you." Kid offered.
"What's with the sudden want to leave?" Free asked.
"I need to let out some steam." Kid answered truthfully.
"I'll make sure Alana eats, you go ahead." Tsubaki said. "You need to calm yourself down as well." She left the three men alone.
"I'm guessing Black-Star's coming." Free said as he stood up.
"I need the fresh air." The star stated.
"Whatever, go put your belts on and meet me at the front door." In only a minute the three men were ready, knife belts on and a bag in their backs. Free handed Black-Star and Kid a gun, giving them the warning of only using it in an emergency and they were off without another moment passing.
Kid ignored the guilt that hit his heart as they climbed over the fence, he needed to get over it if he was ever going to be of any real help anymore. The group of three went the opposite way of the market, heading towards a gas station that looked abandoned. Kid froze when he heard something small running past him, he quickly grabbed a knife and threw it towards the sound.
"Squirrel." Free said, seeing the rodent laying on the ground with Kid's knife sticking out of its head.
"Nice shot Kid." Black-Star complimented as the shinigami removed his knife out of the squirrel's head. Free pulled a rope out of his bag and tied it around the squirrel's neck then tied the other end to Kid's bag. The shinigami wasn't that happy with something dead hanging behind him, but he didn't complain, there were worse things in life than a dead he still felt horrible for killing the thing. The men took off again and soon reached the gas station.
"Quiet." Free held his arms out to keep Kid and Black-Star back. The wolf pointed to a large pig that was laying on its side in a puddle of water. "Hopefully everyone missed pork." He said softly. "Stay right here." Free ordered and started creeping up slowly on the sleeping pig.
"What are you doing?" Black-Star asked when he saw Kid looking away.
"I'd rather not see this." The shinigami said and flinched at the pig's dying squeal.
"Alright, let's raid the gas station real quick." Free said, returning to the other two men with a bloody knife in a bloody hand. Kid went to to gas station first, a blade in his hand in case there were kishin demons in the building. After he gave the a-okay, he was joined by Free and Black-Star and the three filled their bags with the candy and food that wasn't molded. Kid saw a brand of candy bar that was called a 'Crunch' bar and he remembered Maka asking for one when they left. He was still pissed at the woman, but she was his friend and she was pregnant so he took all of the Crunches, hearing the whistle to leave when he finished. They were about to leave when they heard a cry, a human cry. Black-Star went towards the sound, ignoring Kid's protest and soon returned with a young child in his arms. The boy had to be no older than four.
"We can't leave him here, he must have lost his mother." Black-Star said, trying to comfort the boy by bouncing him in his arms.
"You're not that cold-hearted Free." Kid added.
"Of course I'm not, you just carry the boy and I'll take care of the pig." The wolf handed his bag to Kid after taking the squirrel off of Kid's bag and he went outside.
"Let's go!" Free snapped from outside and soon the three men were back to the apartment without any trouble, something Kid as thankful for.
"Is that a child?" Tsubaki asked the moment they went into the now filled main room.
"We found him during the hunt and we got pork for a month." Free slapped the pig on his shoulder and went into the kitchen, squirrel hanging from his jeans.
"Robby, can you clean the little boy up?" Tsubaki asked a young man next to her and he took the child away without a single protest.
"Are you going out?" Kid asked, seeing that Tsubaki was wearing a knife belt with a gun in one of its pouches.
"Izzie has the coughs and we're out of cough syrup." She answered. "It's going to be a small group of me, Max, Sonya and Alex. Tell Free if he asks." And without saying anything else to the men she and the other three adults took off.
"You just got back and they're already people gone again?" Maka sighed.
"I got you something." Kid said, trying to brighten the mood.
"What?"
"Crunch bars." The shinigami reached into his bag and handed all of the candy bars to Maka. Hoping there was a truce between them, for now at least.
"Nice to know that you listen." Maka chuckled and bit into a candy bar. Robby walked back in a minute later with the child no clean and in some some-what fresh cloths.
"No injuries." Tommy said with a think spanish accent. "Just dirty." He chuckled as the boy reached for one of the candy bars on the ground.
"Go ahead and put him down." Maka said and when Robby did, she handed the boy a bar. "What's your name?" She asked the boy who was eating the bar like he hadn't eaten in a week.
"James." He said through a mouthful of chocolate.
"Silly, silly, little chico." Robby chuckled.
"He is a silly child." A man with a softer spanish said. "Roberto, did he say anything to you while you were cleaning him?" He repeated himself in spanish. Robby answered in the other language as well. "The boy kept asking for his mother." The man translated for the others.
"So he's parentless." Soul said. "Poor boy."
The group spent a while playing with the youngest in the building, the two twins joined in the game as well, not wanting to be ignored since they were no longer the smallest of everyone. The innocent games were interrupted by the door being thrown open and Tsubaki stumbled into the room, blood covering her face.
"Where's Max?" Someone asked Tsubaki when only two other people joined her. Tsubaki said nothing and only shook her head.
"We were attacked." Sonya said, a small scrape on her arm dripped blood.
"I...I thought I heard something and fired my gun." Alex admitted.
"Tsubaki?" Free saw the battered group. "Alright everyone, let's get them cleaned up." The wolf used the rag he had in his pocket and cleaned Tsubaki's face. "We'll have the ceremony tonight after dinner."
After the three were cleaned and dinner was finished, Kid watched the funeral ceremony start. This time there would be no body to bury, they still had their candles and stood in a circle around a pile of wood. The candles were lit and a young man Kid didn't know stood in the center of the circle. No song was sang, there was no body to sing to so they stood in silence for those minutes, only several sobs broke the silence.
Kid sat on his bed, legs curled up so he could hug his knees. He was alone while everyone else sat in the main room, mourning for the man. Black-Star entered the room and sat next to Kid, wrapping an arm around the shinigami. Kenna soon joined them as well, squeezing herself between the two men and trying her best not to cry. The sent of the candles was still fresh and it made Kid's eyes burn. Nine days, it has only been nine days and this was already their second funeral. Was it ever going to stop?
I feel like you already know that answer.