“So is it wrong to love someone? Is it wrong to never want to give them up? When all the voices are telling you to leave, is it wrong to let go?” Tears started streaming down her face, blood dripping from one cheek. “It’s okay to love someone. It’s okay to feel this feeling. It should be okay to cry when the world is telling you not to.” She put a hand over her mouth as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “And…” She choked out. “Is it okay to love you? Or should I leave and never look back? And… just tell me…”

                  She crumpled to her knees and started sobbing. “It’s okay.” He said in a whisper. “It’s okay. It’ll be okay.” Kidd pulled the crying Mari into his arms and started cradling her as her blood pooled around them. Her arm was gone and one of her eyes was ripped out, leaving an empty hole.

                  Kidd rocked her back and forth. “It’s okay. It’s okay.” He held her to his chest by the back of her head and between her shoulder blades as he started crying. “They’re going to save you Mari…”

                  She glanced over at her missing left arm, and over to where it lay on the ground a few feet away. Kidd’s voice caught a the sight of the empty place where her left eye should have been. She turned so he couldn’t see all the missing parts of her.

                  “How’s that?” She asked, her voice starting to tremble with pain. She opened her mouth to let out a small sound of agony. “K-kidd…?”

                  He stroked her long blue hair. “Mari?” he asked.

                  Her eyes were getting glassy, her skin becoming pale. “I’m scared…” Blood started running down onto Kidd’s clothes from her lips. “I… I don’t want to… to d-die.” She said, her eyes starting to close.

                  He started rocking her head gently again. “You won’t die. Don’t worry… Stein will save you…”

Her eyes closed and her breathing slowed a little. “Kidd?” she asked.

His breath hitched and he started crying too. “Why?” he asked as Mari’s breath thinned to a rasping trickle of air. “Why do I get to be a reaper? Why to have to watch all of them die when I know… I’ll never join them… why? It’s not fair…”

Mari’s eyes were closed all the way. “Life… isn’t fair… Kidd…” She managed through the blood in her mouth. Her chest stopped moving.

Kidd could still feel her soul, but her knew she had lost too much blood. “Mari…” he whispered.

Someone pulled Mari away from him and another pulled him back. He watched as Stein lifted Mari gently from the ground, grabbing her disembodied arm, and began to run. He was gone.

The other person was Spirit, who was now shaking Kidd to get him to respond. “Kidd?” He yelled for the fifth time. “Kidd? Are you hurt?” Kidd shook his head. Spirit pulled him up. “Let’s get you back to your house.” Spirit took his hand as they began to walk.

Kidd remembered when his dad didn’t show up for his eighth birthday and he had started crying, but Spirit had been there. He had taken him home and while they had been walking, Spirit had taken his hand while he kept crying. Spirit had seemed to always been there. His dad had always been busy, so there had been Spirit.

Kidd held his face in his hand as he started crying harder. “She’ll be okay. It’s oaky.”

                  Kidd opened the door to his house and walked in. he stumbled past the dining room where his weapons were eating dinner.

Patty looked over at him. “Kidd?” She called. “Is everything okay? Oh! How was your mission with Mari?”

He didn’t respond as he walked up the stairs, down the hall, and into his room. He slammed the door shut, anger filling his chest. He walked to his bed and started tearing the blankets off it. He grabbed a painting off his wall and threw it at the door. He screamed and began throwing more things.

Somebody knocked at the door and he calmed down enough to say, “Come in.”

Liz and Patty peaked in and their mouths dropped opened as they saw the mess of his room. They glanced at his bloodied clothing and they stepping in cautiously. “Kidd?” Liz asked.

Kidd started picking up glass while his hands shook. “What?” he asked.

The two girls walked in and started helping him clean up. “So was going on the mission with Mari a bad idea? Did she get hurt?” Kidd didn’t respond. Liz stopped picking up the shards of a mirror and gently put a hand on Kidd’s shoulder. “You two weren’t going to be partners, she was just going to be solo… right? And you were going to do your reaper thing?”

“But…” Kidd said. “If she had been in her weapon form completely, she might be okay.” He stared at the floor.

Patty threw herself at Kidd, hugging him. “It’s okay Kidd! We love you so much!” Kidd held her and Liz hugged him too.

“Okay.” Kidd said. “Lets get this mess cleaned up.”

After all the glass and broken wood was in a bag, and his bed was made, Kidd changed and the three stepped outside and started walking to DWMA.

“So..” Liz ventured. “How bad was she hurt?”

Kidd adjusted his wrings. “Bad.”

“She’ll be okay!” Patty sang. “She’s the person that somehow manages to get up at five in the morning and stay up till one writing! She’ll be fine!” Patty ran away after a cat.

They started climbing the long staircase that led to the school. Liz and Patty were exhausted by the time they reached the top, but Kidd was even breathing heavily.  They walked through the big front doors and down the long hallways until they reached the infirmary. Kidd nocked on the door, and when no one answered, they sat down next to the door.

They waited a few hours, Patty becoming board so Kidd started playing handclapping games with her, Liz repainting her nails a hundred times. Then, the door opened and someone stepped out. It was Stein. He was covered in blood.

The three stood as Stein lit a cigarette. “Oh.” He said as he noticed Kidd and his weapons.

“Mair?” Kidd asked.

Stein tilted his head so his eyes were hidden by the glare on his glasses. “Mari…” he pondered. “I was able to reattach her arm…”

Kidd pushed past him into the white room and looked around for Mari. All the beds were hidden by hanging white sheets to block anyone from view. Kidd pulled each sheet back until he found the space with Mari. She was sleeping and she looked lifeless. Stein walked over and Kidd looked up at him. “Is she?”

Stein shook his head. “She’ll be okay. I was able to save her.” He blew out a puff of smoke. “Barely…”

Stitches were hidden by white bandages on her left arm. It looked like someone had gently washed it but blood was leaking through so you could see it. Kidd walked over and took her right hand so he wouldn’t hurt her.

“Mari?” He whispered.

Her eyes fluttered a little but then they both opened. But, she only had one eye. Her left eye was still a gaping hole. She tried to smile a little but winced in pain as she moved her bad arm. “H-hey…” she said, closing her eyes. “Here I am again. I-I seem to be ending u-up here a lot la-lately.” Her face twitched as some blood ran from under her closed eyelid.

“Stein!’’ Kidd called out and the Prophesier appeared and began to rap bandages around Mari’s face. When he was finished he leaned over her and looked into her bloodshot eye.

“Tell me if you can feel this.” Stein said. He poked her arm gently. Mari’s mouth opened in a silent scream. She took in a breath, lard hot tears rolling down her cheeks. Her hand squeezed the bed sheets in a fist while Stein pulled out a syringe. “Okay Mari. It’s just one shot this time.” Stein clicked his screw. “At least the nerves connected…” he said under his breath.

He stabbed the needle into Mari’s arm and she calmed down as the drug caused her to fall unconscious. Stein blew out another puff of smoke, looking over at the three other students. “Mari has panic attacks when she gets shots.”

“Why?” Patty asked.

Stein shrugged. “Maybe something happened when she was a kid. That can effect a persons life.” He looked at all of them. “You should let her rest.” They all walked out and down the hall.

“At least she’s okay.” Liz said.

“Yeah.” Kidd said.