Would've had this up a few days ago, but I've had no internet access. I'm posting this on hacked 4G through my phone onto my laptop :p
"Well that was uneventful." Liz commented, adjusting the last few of the winter coats in her backpack and wearing as many as she could.
"The less eventful, the better." Kid shrugged. "I'd rather have a boring walk than be tracked down by rotters. Liz, could you hand me those batteries?" The travel there had been, as Liz said, extremely uneventful; but none of them were truly in a place to complain. Sure, they had seen a total of five rotters on the way there, but they were fortunate enough to slip by them, undetected. Kid frowned; why were there so less? Was it because of the cold? Were they simply migrating to another place? Did they hibernate? He shook his head. Far too many unknown variables for the young Shinigami's liking. Now that they had stocked up on clothes and essentials (the building strangely free of the dead just like the rest of the trails on their journey), they stood at the long broken glass doors, preparing to depart for camp.
"Maybe we should just stay here for the night?" Liz offered after watching Kid stare blankly out into the broken, outside world. "It's a roof over our head, and it's just for one night."
"I was thinking of that at first… But this place is far too big for the three of us to secure… I don't want to live through what happened last time again…" The reaper shuddered at the though, letting his fingers ghost over the fabric that hide his newest battle wound. "I think it will be best to go ahead and go back." He sighed, ignoring the protest of his angry joints. All three of them were fatigued beyond belief, but there was something about this ominous quiet and lack of rotters that just wasn't natural. Not for this shattered world. He had a bad feeling that he couldn't shake, a 'calm before the storm' feeling that seemed to be sewn into the atmosphere; or maybe it was just him. Either way he didn't particularly want to put his adopted sister or Maka in the line of fire.
Maka cocked her head up to the sky, examining the placement of the sun. Kid couldn't help but crack a smile at the sight of the tiny blonde almost being swallowed by her overly stuffed backpack; she reminded him of an absurdly adorable turtle.
Missing his admiration entirely, Maka nodded with a somewhat disappointed look on her face as a semi-warm gust of air came up and tickled her face. Perhaps it wouldn't snow after all… "I guess that would be best. It's not too dark just yet." She shrugged indifferently, though she knew her response was what the shinigami was waiting on.
Sighing in defeat, Liz followed the two meisters. She grabbed her stomach as it protested against using anymore energy on something other than a decent meal, but she kept her hunger controlled thoughts to herself. Above all else, they needed to get this supplies back, and the sooner they returned to the cave, the better off they'd be in the end. She knew Kid and Maka were just as hungry and as tired as she was; but they both kept to themselves. For each other's sake. The blonde couldn't help but admire their strength, even over something so simple. She straightened her posture in attempt to lighten her mood. If they could be this strong, so could she. A quiet rustle behind her caused Liz to freeze in her tracks. She turned so see nothing more than small shrubs, trees and the store they had left moments before. She rolled her eyes and continued walking. She was supposed to be strong, not afraid of mice.
"I never understood that assignment much either. Though Professor Stein was very adamant about the subjects being related, I don't see what examining the digestive track of a polar bear has to do with the anatomy of weapon transformations." Maka smiled, shaking her head. They had been walking for a little over a half hour and were a bit over half way there. Small talk seemed to whittle away the minutes like seconds.
"We studied polar bears?" Liz questioned, confused.
"Only for that class period. I believe you and Patty skipped in favor of a shopping spree. I remember you saying something about a sale." Kid cut in, slightly chuckling at his weapon's antics.
"Oh that's right," Liz sighed in nostalgia. "That had been the day I bought Patty her first real pair of heels."
"The red ones?" Kid asked, catching both girls of guard.
"Uh, yeah, actually they were. You remember them?"
"The damn things left asymmetrical scuffs on my floor due to her incessant need to drag her feet." He said through grit teeth, Liz and Maka laughing at the boy's OCD. "It's not funny!" Kid whined pathetically. "I couldn't sleep for days knowing such unspeakable things were happening to my living room floors…"
After the girls regained their composure, things were relatively quiet. The sun was beginning to set, signaling for the crickets to emerge and begin their nightly serenade to the lonely woods. "I wonder what happened to Papa…" Maka finally sighed, voicing a thought she couldn't shake from her mind. As much as she loathed him for what he had done to their family, deep down he was still her father and she cared for him; just as he had always cared for her. No tears. No tears. She hissed at herself, blinking her overly bright eyes.
"He's fine, I'm sure. He's probably holed up somewhere with Stein; and you know he's still around." Kid reassured, wrapping an arm around Maka. The scythe meister rolled her eyes as she heard the demon pistol attempting to asphyxiate a girlish squeal. "Knowing Stein, he's probably captured at least three of these things for experiments." Maka giggled and nodded in agreement; that would be just like their professor. She could see it now, her father whining and ill-tempered due to the fact of his only companion in the apocalypse being his insane, outlandish best friend rather than a pretty girl from Chupa Cabra's. Suddenly, this scenario seemed to make more sense rather than the more gruesome, tragic pictures her mind had been trying to throw at her moments before.
"Thanks, Kid." She smiled, leaning into him as much as she could while staying mobile. "You're probably right. I-" She stopped mid-sentence when Kid froze, his foot hanging in mid-air. "What is it?" Maka asked, having the sense to whisper.
"Did you hear that?" Kid hissed under his breath, looking from Maka to his startled, yet silent weapon. They all stilled for a moment, none of them making a sound. "I guess it was just my imagina-"
Pwzzzzt.
Pwzzzzt.
Kid tackled both girls to the ground as two silenced guns were shot at them, followed by a rusty laugh. On the ground, Kid ushered the three of them to the cover of a nearby tree. "'Ey! Ey Boss! I found 'em!" A man cackled as he cocked his gun with a metallic click. "I don't think I shot 'em, but they're on the ground!"
"Liz. Go get the others." The reaper hissed, his voice hushed and eyes filled with urgency. "Travel north for about an hour. Maka and I will hold them off while you gather the supplies-"
"Kid! You're bleeding!" Liz gasped. Maka turned to see the weapon's fingertips tracing a blood-rimmed rip in the sleeve of her meisters shirt.
"Dammit, Liz, we don't have time for this. I'm fine, now go get the others." With one last look at her closest friend and meister, she nodded and slipped of into the trees, thankfully unnoticed. "I'm sensing three, maybe four…" He said as he listened to a few hushed voices and the sound of guns being loaded.
"I've counted four, but my perception is getting a little cloudy again… But I'm pretty sure there's no more than six…" Maka informed, favoring their odds. Her and Kid were armed and trained. "It shouldn't take us too long."
"Oi! Bring over the truck!" A man screeched, followed by the loud beeping of a reversing U-haul.
"There's only one problem." The truck hissed to a halt as the breaks and gears grinded as Kid spoke. "I don't think we're dealing with just them anymore."
Just finished reading Ender's Game…. I don't know what to do with my life anymore.
So this is really coming to and end quick you guys, it's really been fun and I really appreciate all the positive reviews and feedback I've received. Though this particular story is coming to an end, I definitely have more KiMa fics in queue to publish; thank you guys for sticking around for so long. You all are truly amazing
Reviews~!
Mirandapaige812- Yeah, I realized that just before I read this post, so I went back and changed it. Thank you for that :) and I'm glad you enjoy it :D
DeathTheKidsDinosaurRawr- Well Happy (late) Birthday!
GarGoyl- Of course Soul wouldn't let Kidd off the hook that easy, even if Kidd could kick Soul's butt at any given moment, you gotta give him props for standing uf for his meister anyways. And yes, I guess it would be called 'fluff'; don't worry, I find myself looking up definitions to these terms ALL the time, so you aren't alone!
Khfan12- Most of that chapter was actually written around this little scene. Soul's line just popped into my head one random day and I was like 'I must write this!' and so it was done XD
Hawkllama- Yes, this is ending… rather quickly with this chapter. I have a couple more for this and then it's over. I'm rather pleased with my ending and how I thought of it, more or less original, or at least I've never read a story that has done what I'm doing…
Guest (from Nov. 28th)-In deed something will.
Parker- Well thank you for being such a kind reviewer!
221BBC-MissMoriarty- Yes, I figured I ought to throw in a bit of fan-service with Kidd XD And don't worry, there will be angst, that is sure to come.
Shell-kun- I know, I've waited far to long to update this… I am ashamed, but I will never give up on this! I swear to it!
Summer time 10101-Thank you!
PyschopathicXangel- I think they kind of are, kind of aren't? They know their feelings for each other, but they feel there is so much tension between them and there is so much other stuff going on that they don't have too much time to worry about a true 'relationship'.
Scytheshinigami- Sure, I'll read it! Just drop me a line (drop me a line? I suppose that's a bit dated… well message or review or something…) and I'll check it out!
Da-Beat-go-Boom- I will always write more, but I make no promises about the waiting. I have quite a bit going on so I write when I can.
Findingmygarrus- (responding to all your reviews XD)You did? I was hoping someone would! It really does enhance the atmosphere, and I was actually going through song after song to find the right ones. I didn't want to use anything to over used, but something people would recognize. (this was, of course, before the song Sweater Weather EXPLODED and was on every radio station XD ) And you know, I've never seen Ouran Host Club, but I've been meaning to watch it. As for the skinning part, Ihad the need for writing something gruesome, I had no intention of killing Kidd of at that point, but I didn't want him getting out unscathed from that either.
Trulyundignefiedturtles- Well thank you! I love my brain too! It keeps me breathing and stuff. But I don't think someone could love something more than Kidd loves symmetry O.o
Domo-I'm sticking with this story till the end! I promise I won't give up on it!