Kid stood there, alone, gazing at the freshly turned earth before him; but no tears smeared his face. This grave shouldn't be here. This person shouldn't be dead. The funeral the day before had been the best they could muster at the time, but it wasn't enough. He briefly glanced at the bright bouquet in his hands from Liz, Patty and himself. Such a strange tradition, tearing away the reproductive organs of a plant, thus killing it, and using them as ornaments for the resting place of the recently deceased. He laid the beautiful arrangement across the dirt and placed his hands on the undisturbed ground next to the tombstone. Seconds later, small budding flowers, similar to the ones he had just set down, forced their way between his fingers, their beauty more permanent than their predecessors.

Liz and Patty couldn't go with him. They wished to present the grave with flowers, but the death of the lost friend was too fresh; Patty claimed she wanted him to get used to his knew home before they paid their respects, and Liz didn't counter this explanation, she simply nodded.

A small buzzing sensation from within his pocket brought him to his feet. He reached in and pulled out a small rectangle, the shinigami logo engraved on its sleek design. When he flipped it open, Nygus's face appeared where a mirror once resided. "Her soul wavelengths are stable again. Also, your father doesn't want you straying too far from the DWMA, especially not today. You might want to head over here."

Kid nodded. "I'll be there momentarily." And with that, there was a small click and Nygus was replaced with his own reflection. He took one last look at the grave, bowed ceremoniously and walked out of the cemetery before summoning Beelzebub, quite possibly for the last time.

The young reaper walked into the dispensary of the DWMA and couldn't help but crack a smile as he felt the newly combined soul wavelength harmoniously pulsing from the stationary body. Maybe today would be the day she finally decided to wake up for good.

"Everything is in order. Stable pulse, stable brain activity and, as I'm sure you can feel, stable soul wavelength." Nygus walked in behind Kid, looking at her patient over his shoulder. "Speaking of wavelength, how are you-"

"Couldn't be better. Please ensure that my father knows today goes as planned; what needs to be done, needs to be done." Kid interrupted before his better judgment changed his mind. "Have you informed the others?"

"You're the only one I've contacted, other than Professor Stein, of course. At this point he's so untroubled by her recovery he's tired of hearing about it. I suppose he believes we over worry; but that's Stein for you." A smile was evident in her voice, but it soon vanished. "Where were you just now anyways? You know your father doesn't want you wondering off today."

"Liz and Patty wanted Staz's gravesite to have fresh flowers today, and I agreed with them 100%. I was on my way back when you called, no need for alarm." Kid shook his head. "He should know I'm not going to leave her behind; I wouldn't be so reckless to run away. I have a feeling I won't be too reckless at all anymore…"

"I believe he's more concerned for your safety rather than today's events…" Nygus sighed. Kid had understood, but he was still bitter towards his father. Kid's head snapped towards the girl as her soul began to stir. Nygus muttered I quiet "I'll leave you two alone" before retreating slowly to the door and closing it. Gentle walking to his chair by the bed as if he were trying not to disturb an array of eggshells scattered on the floor, he sat down and watched as the girl stirred ever so slightly, a small smirk of his face.

"So are you finally going to wake up today?" Kid grinned, unsure if she could hear or not. "We've been through this several times before. I've learned not to get my hopes up every time." He lied, knowing his hopes went sky high every time her wavelength so much as fluttered. First her ace began to twitch, as if someone were tickling her nose with a tiny feather, then she began to stretch her limbs, eyes still stubbornly closed. Kid had seen this all before, it would seem so promising, but would always end with something as simple as her rolling over, sleep undisturbed. "Good Morning, Maka." Kid coaxed, trying to hold in a very uncharacteristically giddy giggle. She groaned this time; that was a first. Her face scrunched up quiet unpleasantly and it was then that Kid realized the afternoon sun was peaking in through the window and laying itself upon her closed eyes.

"…mhmOff…" She growled almost unintelligibly.

"What's that?" Kid asked, smiling deviously as he moved to open the curtains even further, lighting the room completely.

"Dammit'Soul, turn'it off!" She curled in on herself, turning from the offending light.

"Too bad Soul isn't here to 'turn it off'." Kid joked, going to sit back in his chair. Maka's eyes were still closed, though the way her eyebrows were tightly knit together proved she would wake up at any time now.

She took in a sharp breath and her limbs stiffened into a stretch as her eye lids finally gave in. "'the hell?" She mumbled, just looking at Kid for a moment, allowing her eyes to adjust. She tried to sit up, but it proved quite difficult, so she laid back down. "Kid? S'going on?" Her eyebrows creased in confusion. Everything was off. Every movement, every word she spoke, foreign; even her breathing felt different. "Kid what happened?" She spoke in a voice that sounded like her own, but didn't feel like it. She tensed in distress as an instinct that didn't feel like her own urged her to calm down, which made her panic. She forced herself upright, muscles strained in obedience, her eyes wide and scanning the room.

Kid, overwhelmed with happiness, placed a calming hand on her shoulder, trying to lay her back down. "Shh, it's ok. A lot of things have happened since you've been… Asleep. Please, don't strain your soul." Kid winced, feeling his raw wavelengths being tugged at.

"No, Kid! There's something wrong with me! I- I think a Rotter bit me! Kid, please, I'm not me anymore, you have to-"

"Maka, stop. Please calm down. There aren't anymore rotters. They're all dead and you're still you, mostly and- Wait- what's wrong?" during Kid's rant, she stiffened, looking slightly above him. One of her eyes twitched. Without another word, she reached up and ran her hand though his hair, flattening out both sides and let her arm fall back down next to her.

"Uhm… Kid?... Why does your hair bother me…?" She asked quietly, already having some idea of the answer.

Kid sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Maka… You were bit. When we killed Katsuo, which we did, all the rotters, and everything infected died. Including you. You were bit at the last moment; because you weren't fatally wounded but you were infected with the disease, your soul ejected itself from your body for a reaper to collect." He paused for a moment, letting all this information sink in, but bottled up rage fought its way forward. "It was all some stupid test. A stupid challenge every reaper must overcome; They always appears in different ways. The great flood. The Black Plague. The greatest human tragedies all trials to be the new Lord Death." He growled, fists clenched. "I knew about it too; but along with my abilities, that memory was blocked; making the challenge a 'pure test'. It's disgusting." Maka looked out the window; survivors worked diligently to put the town back in order. "Father was allowed to keep his Death Scythes and Meisters from harm, but the rest of us were left unarmed."

"So it wasn't technically your father who did this?" Maka asked.

"No." Kid said dryly. "Something bigger than my father. I don't know who or what; that knowledge is exclusively for the Lord of Death." They sat in silence for a moment before Maka spoke.

"Kid? How am I still alive?" Maka asked the question that had been hanging on her mind.

"Soul Thread Sutures."

Maka thought back for a moment. "The technique Stein uses in battle?"

"Yes, that was the basic idea. Soul Thread Sutures are the only thing other than the natural bond that can hold a soul to its body. Since your body wasn't physically harmed, a soul could technically still reside in it."

"Doesn't something like that take immense concentration? How is he still doing it now? I don't even see him in the room." She looked around as if to prove her point.

"He didn't stitch your soul. I did. I also used the Soul Cutting technique."

Maka gasped. "But- that's how you become a Kishin! What did you do that could possibly cut your own soul?"

"I brought a human back to life. Because I'm a reaper, and because I refused to reap your soul, I went against the balance of nature and my soul was torn…" Kid tried to hold in a wince as the memory of the excruciating pain he went through infiltrated his mind. "My soul is what keeps your soul in place, Maka. And for that, I am sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"When I die, my soul will be released, in turn releasing your soul-" Kid was caught of guard by two slender arms tightening around his waist.

"Wh-What are you doing? I just told you when I die, you die!" His eyes widened as if the size of the yellow orbs would display the gravity of the entire situation. "That's hardly anything to be happy about…"

"Kid, you saved me." She mumbled, her small voice altered by his shirt. She released his middle and met his distressed gaze, green eyes void of any uncertainty. "Reapers can't just do something like that… Isn't it against nature or something?" She was beginning to realized how weak and sickly he looked. His usually tidy hair, even amazingly during the rotter times, was now sticking haphazardly in odd angle. His bright gold orbs were slightly dulled, sunken back and had a faint, yet noticeable frame of bruising. "Kid…"

"My reaper body is beginning to reject my authenticity. It knows what I did wasn't right and is punishing me until I go before punishment. My father was able to delay it up to today in hopes I might see you when you woke up. Looks like we got lucky." Even his smile seemed forced but the look in his eyes was genuine. Absolute adoration.

Maka was quiet for a moment, afraid to ask the question looming unspoken in the air. "What are they going to do to you?" She squeaked, letting her shoulders droop in defeat.

"I'm not sure." He replied, not meeting her gaze. "Nothing of this… Severity has ever been broken."

"Your dad can't be too harsh… Can he?"

Kid chuckled bitterly. "If it were up to my dad I'd get a slap on the wrist and a repeat of 'the talk' for good measure. I don't think the natural order of things will be so… forgiving." Kid didn't dare tell her the death penalty was received for far less reasons than brings a soul back from the dead. Maka buried her face back into his chest and he rested a pale bony hand on her back. "Don't worry about me." He whispered, kissing the top of her head. "Whatever happens, I'll always love you."

Maka's grip tightened at the words. "Don't say that!" She suddenly growled, catching the reaper of guard. "You're no going anywhere!" She began to sob. "They'll punish you, and- and you'll be just fine!" Kid stood up, careful that Maka didn't fall over the side of her bed and laid down next to her, propping himself up with an elbow. "I love you too, Kid." She whispered, shuddering. "I'm sorry I'm like this." She sniffed. "I'm a big, fat pile of bawling goo. Damn emotions." She grumbled. Kid chuckled.

"But you're my pile of goo." He added cheekily, earning a soft nudge and a roll of the eyes from the girl. A soft tap on the door caused them to jump slightly and cling to each other. They were both terrified of the events to come.

"I can't go with you, can I?" Maka whispered.

"I don't think so… Even so, I don't want you to witness this…" Kid replied, meeting the blonde meisters eyes, then slowly leaned in, capturing her lips for a brief second before the door opened, Stein entering with a grave face.

"It's time." He spoke solemnly, even for Stein's normal, hum-drum tone. He offered a sad smile to Maka and patiently waited for the reaper to come towards them, never once questioning why they were in such and intimate position. Once Kid was with him at the door, Stein looked back at his meister's daughter. "The rest of your resonance team is waiting to see you, may I let them in?" with a nod from the girl, Stein and Kid disappeared, soon to be replaced with all the people that meant the world to her. All minus one.

Fin

There is an aftermath chapter being written, but this is the last 'official' chapter of Beyond Help. It has been absolutely great writing this for not only you guys, but myself. Thanks for sticking with me until the end : )

Replies will be posted on the Aftermath.