Alright, now here is the chapter I said there would be a warning about. Now I, personally, don't think it is that bad, and I believe if you were able to watch Soul Eater with all of its… suggestive themes, then you're A-ok, and I promise this will not go above a teen rating. But I have also seen people put warnings for less stuff than this, so I feel obligated.

I planned on having this chapter out later, which is why I had the preview on the last chapter, but I decided it give it to you guys early.

So… there's the warning and enjoy the chapter!

Things calmed down quite considerably. Thankfully they were able to find enough wood that was dry enough to start and continue a decent fire. It was rather nice, actually, though the rain continued to drone on outside, the fire had warmed the cave quite nicely, leave the two more comfortable, temperature wise, than they had been in awhile.

Kid looked over at Maka who was hugging her knees tightly to her chest, forlornly looking into the pits of the campfire. He sighed inwardly, every since they had gotten back she had been like this, distant and unresponsive. This whole ordeal was tough for him to manage, but she had experienced everything he had along with the possible confirmed death of her weapon partner… Best friend… Maybe more? Kid shook his head of the thought; it made him… Uneasy for some reason. If anything good were to come out of this silence, it was that Kid was able to think more thoroughly about his injury when his mind didn't wander to the small, fragile looking blonde across from him.

He figured it was only logical he didn't change, his reaper body was far different from any humans'. After sneaking a few glances at the wound, careful not to alert the seemingly comatose Maka, he discovered an eerie purple tinge around the bite that had, thankfully, stopped bleeding. Checking it every hour, he found the purple seemed to be spreading, but very slowly. Though he deduced it was highly unlikely he would turn into one of those flesh eating beasts, Kid was certain the bite would be the death of him. The purple was probably the 'virus' or whatever caused the mindless state, but it didn't really seem to be going past just under the skin, though once it reached his heart or brain, it was sure to do irrevocable damage. At the pace it was going now, he figured he might have two days left to live, if that; and if the infection didn't start spreading fast, which was a possibility that was all too real. He wouldn't dare tell Maka now…

He looked over at the girl who was still in her same feeble position. Kid used all of his concentration to focus in on her soul, almost gasping at the sight. It wasn't that her soul was being over run by madness, but it already seemed… Dead. He knew her spirit had been completely beaten down, her pride torn to shreds. The reaper looked over to his bag, wondering if he should bring up the gift… Well, now would be as good as any time… it just felt so lame… He sighed and shuffled over to his bag and shielded it from Maka's view as he pulled something out and took the necklace from his pocket, draping it around the mystery present. He sighed once more as he glanced back over at the girl, who seemed completely oblivious to his actions. How should I begin?...

"So… Um… I got you… This things… And I uh…" He stuttered awkwardly as Maka lazily looked over at the sound of his voice, only for her eyes to widen slightly in curiosity. In his hands, Kid help a medium-sized, fluffy stuffed panda bear and what looked like something shiny around its neck. Kid looked at the blonde, but his eyes immediately shifted to something else uneasily and a light blush formed on his face as he continued. "I counted down the days from… You know… The Rotters… AndIrealizeditwasyourbirthdaysoIgotthisforyou…" He had sat down next to her, deciding to stare intently at the bear, all the while his fingers drumming restlessly in its fur.

Her eyes went wide as she pondered the thought. "My birthday…" She whispered, though Kid didn't seem to hear. That's right… It was in fact her birthday; even she had forgotten all about it.

"I know… It's kinda stupid, and dumb… But I just remember you telling me about that stuffed cat you got from Spirit, and I know it's no cat… It's… well, a bear… And I'm not Spirit…"

He actually remembered that? She thought in awe; sure the stuffed animal had been extremely important to her, but she didn't even think he was listening to her when she talked about it, much less intend to replace it. Kid continued his stumbling rant.

"I thought you would like it… Sorry it's not much... I just wanted to do s-" He was cut off by a massive force that had just knocked him over from his seated position; and moments later did he find that this massive force was Maka's embrace. Though stunned at first, finally Kid sat up and returned Maka's hug, only to realize he still had a plush bear tight in his grip.

After pulling away somewhat awkwardly from the hug, Maka looked up at Kid, slightly embarrassed, though he was glad to see a small smile playing at her lips. "Uhm… Yeah. So, here you go, and Happy Birthday." He gently handed her the panda to which she took gratefully; he could almost feel her soul slowly lighting up again.

"You're kind of awesome, you know that?" She question, taking the bear, but keeping her eyes on its presenter.

"Not really…" He chuckled lightly, trying to avoid her bright green stare. So that's what the necklace had reminded him of… "It's just… I mean it's simple, really. It's-"

"Perfect." She smiled, looking down at her plush toy. There was an awkward silence before she spoke up again. "Well, I guess we should take inventory of what we got?" She asked as if they had just returned to the cave moments before.

"Right." Kid nodded, thankful for the break in silence. Not particularly feeling like pulling items out one by one, Kid unzipped his backpack and simply dumped everything out when he herd a loud metallic clank as some foreign item toppled out of his bag. Kid, assuming everything that had been in his backpack was either plastic or cloth, went to retrieve said item and a large grin appeared on his face. Maka, having heard the loud crash, turned to see Kid holding what appeared to be a small portable radio. "I completely forgot I packed this…" He said, almost laughing as she turned around.

"A radio?" The scythe meister questioned, looking up from her own backpack.

"Not just a radio. It's a soul radio." She crawled over to the reaper to get a better look at the plain looking object, all interest of inventorying supplies lost.

"What's a soul radio?" She question, watching as he turned a few dials, resulting in a quiet white noise emitting from the speakers.

"Well, it plays songs-"

"No shit." Maka laughed, ignoring Kid's playful glare at the language.

"It senses the mood of souls around it and plays songs accordingly; It's pretty entertaining, actually. Would've been really helpful to lighten moods if I had remembered it sooner… But what I find really intriguing is, when really concentrated, you can change the song."

"It just sounds like static to me…" Maka said, tilting her head. Kid frowned a bit and closed his eyes, shutting them tight. The scythe meister began to hear the small voice of a clarinet fight it's way through the white noise; it was soon joined by another instrument, though Maka couldn't quite put her finger on what. Finally, just as it sounded as if the two instruments had accepted their fate of being drown out by the radio's static, a firm, loud set of horns blared through the speakers, obliterating any unnatural radio like sounds. The quality was amazing, it truly felt as if the symphony was sitting right next to her. She looked over at Kid in amazement to find he was no longer concentrating, but grinning at the bewildered expression sure to be plastered on her face.

"Cool, right?" Kid asked with a smug smirk.

She nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Where did you get something like that?"

"Well, being the son of Death has its perks." He shrugged. The blonde simply nodded and played idly with the fur on her bear until her fingers ran across something that wasn't soft and fluffy. She looked down and gasped at the sight of the silver and green necklace that was almost hidden in fur. "Kid…" He looked up at the sound of his name then blushed slightly as he watched the green eyed girl gawk at the piece of jewelry she had removed from the bear, its stone very much resembling her irises. "I-It's beautiful…" She unhooking it and draped it around her neck. "Um.. Do you mind…?" She trailed off; knowing Kid understood her request, seeing as his hands were already moving to fasten the clasp. Once fastened, she turned to face Kid all the while looking down at her new treasure. "H-How does it look?" She asked, turning her eyes to Kid. Neither of them had noticed when the instrumental song had died down, being replaced by a new song, but this time with lyrics.

Hey Jude,

Don't make it bad.

Take a sad song,

And make it better.

All he could manage was an involuntary goofy smile as he took in the sight. She was absolutely beautiful, her green eyes shining brightly and looking at him expectantly, a perfect glow from the fire framing her face, her eyebrows raised lightly as a small innocent smile tugged at her lips… Oh wait, she meant her necklace… "'s beautiful…" He said in the only voice he could muster, causing her to blush. Damn, had he fallen hard; to bad he only realized it after… His mind wandered to the bite on his arm and he took his eyes off the girl when he realized he was staring.

Hey Jude,

Don't be afraid.

You were made to,

Go out and get her.

His eyebrows rose slightly as he looked over to Maka and found her mouthing the words to the song now playing. Before he even knew what he was doing, Kid was on his feet extending a hand towards the blonde who was looking just as surprised as he felt. She tilted her head, an eyebrow raised. "You wanna dance?" He asked, the question being the only thing that came to mind. "It helps the soul… It helps keep the madness from…" He was cut off by giggling, causing the reaper to smile in embarrassment. "What?"

"I know dancing helps the soul, I was in that lesson, too." She said, still giggling. "But sure, I'll dance with you, Kid." Taking his hand, she let herself be pulled up to his level. Keeping their hands clasped, Maka placed a hand on the reapers shoulder, and in return he hesitantly placed a hand on her tiny waist. He looked at her, his face instantly heating as he realized their closeness, and they both swayed slightly to the beat.

For well you know that

It's a fool

Who plays it cool.

After becoming slightly more comfortable with their current position, Kid began taking wider steps which, surprisingly, Maka was able to follow. "Wow, you're pretty good." She commented, smiling up at the smirking reaper.

"I was actually about to say the same to you. Though I may have not chased bugs in my childhood, father did sign me up for… uh… Dance lessons." He blushed slightly, "For formal occasions and such." He tacked on.

Maka giggled slightly. "I was in dance classes, too. I actually really love to dance; It's just Soul never wanted to… And I didn't know who else to ask… So I usually just watched everyone else." She shrugged as much as she could.

"Well, In that case." Kid grinned and as if it were arranged, the music became increasingly louder as he began to twist and turn, Maka easily able to keep up with every movement.

Na, na na,

Na na na naa,

Na na na naa,

Hey Jude.

Both were laughing and giggling as they moved around the cave to the beat of the song, avoiding random objects that had been skewed around and even kicking a small can like object to the back of the cave on accident. Neither of them had had this much fun since the disease broke out; not when they shared laughs by the campfire, not when they had pulled pranks on Robin and not even when Kid attempted to skip rocks. Kid wouldn't trade this moment for anything, and if the smile on Maka's face was anything to go by, she wouldn't either. As the song began to fade, they slowed; returning to their shuffling back and forth, but soon after another song came to follow. They both stopped moving for a second to adjust to the pace of the song and Maka only had to hear the familiar energetic piano melody for a smile to grace her lips. "I love this song!" She said half to herself.

Kid gave her a devious smile before willing the music louder and starting to dance again, this time, much faster, causing her to stumble at first; but it was ok. He was there to catch her. Recovering quickly, she caught up with the pace, following any quick twist and turn he threw at her; neither of them could keep their eyes off each other, both of them laughing out of pure joy.

Lights go out and I can't be saved.

Tides that I've tried to swim against; you've

Put me down upon me knees,

Oh I beg, I beg and plead.

With one last smug smirk, without warning, Kid took them outside the cave and into the pouring rain. Maka gasped at first from the sudden chill, but got over it quickly and was over run by gleeful giggling. Childish smiles played on the lips of both meisters. She had to admit, this was the most fun she had had in… Well, awhile; maybe even ever. She had never seen this side of Kid; she wasn't sure if anyone ever had. Maka decided nothing would make her happier than just to live in this simple moment; dancing in the rain, Kid at her side. Though they were moving quickly, she leaned into his touch, not caring about the chill of the rain but rather enjoying it's cold spray.

Come out upon my seas,

Cursed missed opportunities

Am I

A part of the cure?

Or am I part of the disease?

Maka's giggle became louder as she moved her hand down to his waist and changed their hand position, giving her the lead. Kid raised an eyebrow, but went along with it, letting out a light hearted snicker and moved his hand from her waist to her shoulder. She lead them through more twists and turns, just as Kid had and even made his spin, causing him to roll his eyes playfully seeing as he had to duck significantly just for her to bring their arms over the top of his head.

You are

You are

Home, home.

Where I wanted to go.

Still laughing in delight, they both walked into the cave, shivering involuntarily no recognizing the chill. The music eventually died down, returning to quiet white noise, and the two meisters moved over to the fire, greedily taking in it's warmth. Kid couldn't help but smile as he glanced over at the girl grinning next to him. It was amazing how such simple things could turn around someone's mood. The reaper sighed inwardly as her eyes looked up into his. He willed his eyes to tell her how he truly felt for her, for them to tell her how beautiful she was, but somehow it was lost in translation seeing as she quickly looked away and into the flickering tongues of the fire. He followed her gaze, his mind having an internal battle with itself. Tell her? Don't tell her? He rolled his eyes. Was he really worrying about stereotypical teenage problems when they were in a damn zombie apocalypse? Fuck it. He was going to tell her. When he looked back over he froze. Dammit! He grit his teeth. So asymmetrical…! He was already moving forward, closer to her and fixing her hair before she looked up at him and realized what was going on. It was a simple fix, really, but even after the small strand of hair had been dealt with, he found that he simply couldn't move back away from her. They were so close…

Maka, unsuccessfully trying to hide a light blush, rolled her eyes at the familiar scene. "Asymmetrical?" She questioned quietly, but tilted her head as he stilled, his eyes showing he was somewhere else; perhaps deep in thought. He finally shook his head slowly in a delayed response and leaned forward until their lips finally met. The blonde froze at first, but returned the kiss, finding that she didn't mind it. This was what she had really wanted, right? Somewhere deep down she knew she harbored a certain soft spot for the courteous death god, before Liz had even brought up the possibility of it being intimate, she had never really known what it was… And she had been denying the possibility ever since.

Kid jerked his head back, eyes wide. Did he really just do that?! "M-Maka, I'm so sorry! That wasn't fair! I'm such filth. Garbage even…" He scolded himself, forbidding his eyes to even look at the girl again.

Maka smiled, "no, it's ok…" She managed, looking over at the self-loathing reaper.

"It's not ok! I'm such a horrible person… Deserve to die…"

"No really-"

"I'm a horrible excuse for a per-" Kid was cut off by a pair of soft lips that crashed into his. This kiss was less than enjoyable however, seeing as Kid's teeth had almost bit down on her lip; he wasn't expecting the sudden obstruction on his mouth. But all in all, it served its purpose as a way to shut Kid up.

"Kid, It's ok. Really. More than ok…" Maka smirked, drawing back only far enough for her lips to ghost his, then went for another kiss and to this one, Kid obliged.

Maka smiled as she felt hesitant arms wrap around her waist and slowly pull her closer and closer. One kiss turned into two, which turned into many; each slightly more heated than the other. The blonde meister suppressed a giggle as Kid's lips left hers and began kissing down one side of her jaw, then the other; a kiss on the right side for every one on the left. Kid vaguely noted that the soul radio had turned on once more, though the song that graced the speakers seemed fuzzy and quiet as it fought through the static.

She knows what I think about,

And what I think about:

One love, two mouths,

One love, one house.

No Shirt, no blouse.

Just us, you find out

Once his lips met her's again, the kiss was noticeably more passionate. Maka's hands entangled themselves in Kid's hair as his arms simply tightened around her waist, drawing her all the more closer.

Neither of them had noticed when it happened, but at some point Maka, now on the ground, had unfastened the buttons of Kid's shirt, who now loomed above her. Kid couldn't help but blush at the sudden exposure of skin and looked down at Maka, his face heating even more. He could easily make out the dark black fabric of her bra underneath the soaked and now see-through pale pink button-up shirt she was wearing.

These hearts adore,

Everyone the other beats hardest for.

Inside this place it's warm.

Outside it starts to pour.

He could feel his pulse grow faster as his hands reached for the buttons on her shirt to return the favor she had done for him, but he froze. Surely this heart rate can't be good for… Grudgingly his mind came back to reality. Maka looked at him, her eyes curious.

What am I doing? Kid thought, scolding himself shamefully at his less than pure intentions. We can't do this! We're only 17! Besides… He got off of the blonde and watched as she sat up, giving him a curious look. Who knows how this virus is transmitted… He blushed at the thought, but tried to give Maka a reassuring smile.

"I guess we kind of… Got carried away…" She blushed, but smiled at his words.

"I guess so…" She giggled, her eyes not meeting his.

Well that escalated quickly. This chapter has basically been screaming at me ever since I started writing this. The dancing part was very much inspired by the scene of Harry and Hermione dancing in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows pt. 1; just giving credit where credit is due, though the rain and what followed the dancing was my little twist. I really wanted to use the song O' Children by Nick Cave, but decided against it.

Because this chapter was becoming a monster, I decided to cut it in half. It really bothers me to have one chapter longer than all the rest. I'm not going to post replies for chapter 18 on here because I JUST posted it and expect a few more reviews, so replies from chapter 18 and 19 will be on my next update. Hope this makes up for the lack of KiMa in previous chapters!

Oh, and if your wondering, the songs in order as appeared are:

Rhapsody in Blue- Gershwin (that instrumental song that was first heard)

Hey Jude- The Beatles

Clocks- Coldplay

Sweater Weather- The Neighborhood