Chapter Twenty-Seven

~ Maka ~

I gripped tightly at his hand as we walked down the street. The early night sky beaming down on us like a spotlight, and my personal sign of reassuring safety.

I wore one of Kid's white button up shirts, so large it practically consumed my body, but remained hanging six inches above my knees.

The sleeves swamped my arms, so we spent what felt like forever rolling them up to my elbows, which unfortunately displayed the ugly wounds across my wrists.

He asked if I wanted to bandage them up again, but I just told him how that would bring them more unnecessary attention.

He had found a black waist belt from his mothers room, which somehow made me look more slimming than I normally did, but also made the shirt look more fashionable than just overly large and baggy.

And to finish it off, he dug out an old pair of brown builder boots, claiming how they used to fit him, but didn't anymore or something.

I just couldn't pay attention to a word he said. I was too busy staring at the girl in my reflection, and wondering how she came to look so pretty, and how she had never tried to look like that before.

"You okay?" Kid asked, squeezing my hand in his. "The house is just over there."

He pointed to a house on the corner of the road, the one that had crowds of people surrounding the outside and people barging past one another to get through the front door.

Despite the cold, my legs were shaking for a whole other reason.

He stopped me beside him. "We don't have to go if you don't want to."

Although my heart was racing drastically in my chest, I shook my head. Feeling the grace of the sky smile down on me as I squeezed his hand back.

"No," I smiled. "It's okay."

~o~0~o~

The house thundered with the thrill of music. My heart stuttering as the vibrations seeped their way into my skin, everything inside me becoming non existent as they took over my body.

Kid guided me through, and I followed. Like a moth to a flame I gripped on tight to his hand, feeling the music consume him also, as his fingertips shook beneath my own.

For once everyone's gaze wasn't set on me. I was free to walk through the crowd of everyone around me, without anyone judging me or feeling the need to put me down, because to them, I was just a stranger. A wonderful stranger.

Laughter desperately filled the air around me. The pure sound of happiness flickering at the warmth inside of me, causing it to rage like a fire and spread throughout the course of my veins.

Every thing felt so beautifully warm.

"Hey!" A boy exclaimed as he bumped fists with Kid.

It was like that with every step we took through the crowded hallway. People greeting Kid with handshakes, fist bumps or over exaggerated high fives.

Every single one of them caused butterflies to burst to life in the pit of my stomach, and a smile to appear and then reappear upon my slowly heating cheeks.

"James!" Kid called out.

I was pulled over to a tall, black ponytail haired boy, standing in the corner of the room, his back leaning against the wall while his arms folded across his chest.

As soon as he saw Kid, it was as if his face lit up almost immediately. His dark brown eyes gleaming as we walked towards him, and his smile – somewhat – widening, as he saw me cower behind Kid's back.

"Maka," Kid smiled. "This is James."

I stammered, "nice to meet you..."

"You're the one who put that bitch Liz in hospital," he chuckled. "Trust me, it's an honour to meet you."

He held his hand out towards me, his long bony fingers stretching out as they waited for my hand to join them.

I hesitated, but my hand eventually joined his, and he didn't hesitate to shake it straight away, as if I did have some kind of special status, that only he knew of.

"Speaking of Liz," James sighed, stepping back against the wall. "Soul's still pissed at you."

~ Death the Kid ~

I shrugged my shoulders, "can't really blame him in all honesty."

James nodded, taking his lighter and cigarette packet from his pocket. "When is he going to realise what that bitch really is?"

"Obviously not anytime soon," I chuckled.

James held his packet out towards me, raising an eyebrow as he placed a cigarette to his lips, and smiled because he already knew the answer.

I shook my head, "you know I don't smoke, James."

He rolled his eyes, "it won't kill you."

Maka added, "yet."

I chuckled, moving my hand from her sweating palm, to wrap my arm around her shoulders. Pulling her in closer to me, until I felt her soft hair against my lips, and I didn't hesitate before kissing her.

James moved the packet out towards her, now raising both his eyebrows out of curiosity to see whether or not she'd take one.

She shook her head, "my dad smokes."

He watched her carefully, clearly waiting for her to elaborate.

"My dad's an ass," she added.

James moved to light his cigarette, "smart girl you got there kiddo."

I smiled, "I know."

~o~0~o~

The moon shimmered above us as we sat on the patio. James popping cigarettes like his life depended on it, and my arms wrapped tightly round Maka's waist, because my life did depend on it.

James lit up another, "Black*star's around here somewhere."

The girl in front of me froze to the bone.

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows, "where is he?"

"No idea," he shook his head. "Just look out for the prick with a black eye and a broken nose."

~ Maka ~

My heart hammered at my ribs over and over. As if it longed to destroy everything inside me, so that I'd suffer and have to be sent back to that awful place that held me captive.

But with every second that Kid's arms were wrapped around me, I could feel myself drifting in and out of panic, and just wanting to exist within the depths of his warming body.

"I'm gonna go grab a drink," Kid's arms unlocked themselves from around my waist. "Want one, Maka?"

I wanted him to come back. "Uh, okay."

I breathed deep beneath the sky, as if it were slowly pressing down on me, and wanting to squish the life from my already breaking lungs.

My hands gripped at my shoulders, my nails pinching at the shirt that hung loose upon my body and attempted to consume me with its pure coloured material.

"Those cuts," the brown eyed boy pointed to my wrists. "You an emo or something?"

My heart stumbled in my chest, tripping over the remains of my ribcage.

I chuckled nervously, "no."

His eyes watched me carefully, like they themselves could catch me if I tumbled to the ground.

"I'm just really messed up."

He smiled up at me, his dark eyes reflecting the moon and the stars from the sky. Like they themselves were my personal sign that I could trust him.

Looking from left to right, he placed his cigarette between his lips, checking his surroundings once more as he gripped hold of the sleeve on his right arm.

He hesitantly rolled it up, displaying scars that travelled all the way up to the back of his elbow. Scars that travelled in all different directions, and scars that traced the outline of multiple cigarettes.

The circular scars appearing fresh like burn whilst the others had faded jaggedly within his skin, in order to reflect those dark faded nights where he must have fought his battles.

He looked up at me, smiled, and whispered, "same."