Autors note: If you haven't noticed already, I can write sad stuff.

Mari cried. Her shoulders were shaking so hard her back began to hurt. She put her fingertips to her cheek, feeling the cut on her face. Her fingers came away pink. She looked up at the living room walls. They were red, red with her dads blood. Mari put a hand to her mouth as her stomach heaved.

She stood and waked shakily to the fridge. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and balanced herself on the counter as she began shaking again. She picked up the house phone and dialed the number on the slip of paper on the fridge. “Ki-kidd?” She asked.

“Mari?” Someone’s voice on the other shouted over loud music. “This is Kidd… Will you turned off the music for a minute!” The background sound went away and was replaced by the muttering of fifty people.

“Ki-kidd… I don’t think I-I’ll be able t-to come to the p-p-party. I’m really so-sorry.” Mari said into the speaker.

“Are you okay?’’ He asked.

Tears began falling down Mari’s cheeks as a wave of happiness rolled over her. She doubled over, a hand to her mouth. She sobbed silently for a minute. One gasp broke through her fingers and echoed onto the phone.

“Mari? What happened?’’ Kidd asked.

“M-my dad i-is… my d-dad was…” Mari began to rock as she realized her dad was dead. ‘Papa… papa… papa…’ she thought. “This thing… I t-think it had a keshin egg soul… it ki-killed… It killed my… my d-dad… and a-ate his soul.” Kidd was silent for a second. “A-are you still there, K-Kidd?”

“Mari, what’s you address?” He asked after another gap of silence. She rattled off the numbers and road in a shaking voice. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.” He said before the line went dead. She brought it in front of her eyes so she could see the small digital screen. The numbers that indicated the time of the call kept ticking upward. The battery sign in the corner blinked zero and the phone beeped. After three more minutes, the screen went dark.

She sat on the tiles for a minute, watching her world fall around her. She was by herself in the dark. Her dad was dead. Her mom had been dead. All of her relatives hated her. She had no place to go. She took in one rattling breath. “H-hello?” She asked to the darkness. “Is anyone there?” But as always, no one answered.

She fell to her side, letting her hands fall out in front of her. She looked at her fingertips. Little spirals grew larger and larger as they emanated from the center of the pad. Creases broke the soft lines. She just lay there, staring at her hands. Then, the door burst open and a few people walked in.

“Mari… Mari!” A voice whispered. “Mari!” It said, louder this time. She could see the new friends she had made today out of the corner of her eye. ‘Friends? Who would want to be your friend?’ The voice had always been there.

“Go… away.” She whispered to the voice. All the people turned to see her on the ground.

“Mari?” Tsubaki said in a sweet voice. Mari didn’t answer.

“Mari!” Kid said urgently. She could feel him drop to the floor next to her. He lifted her off the ground a little and patted her cheek. “Hey! Hey! Hey!” He said. Mari’s head was in his lap.

She could see him, but her vision was getting a little blurry.

“Mari! Please don’t be dead! Come on! Get up! Please…” He whispered.

Mari turned into Kidd and started crying again. Her shoulders were shaking, her voice cracking as she sobbed. Kidd sat for a second, not sure what to do.

The others stood around and waited for something. Did they just not care? Mari’s dad was dead. But maybe they just didn’t know this kind of hurt.

Maka sat down on the floor next to her. “Mari? Just so you know… I know what you feel like. If that makes anything better-“

The anger was coming, Mari could feel it. “No.” She said, beginning to curl up into a ball. “N-no you don’t know how this feels.”

Maka drew away a little. “Yeah!” she retorted, getting a little angry too. “I watched the world begin to fall apart as the keshin started taking over!”

“B-but do you… k-know wh-what its like to… to watch both your p-parents die?” Mari cried into her sleeve. Maka’s lowered her gaze.

Black Star, who had been standing in the doorway with Tsubaki walked over to see into the living room. He put one hand over his mouth and his eyes shook a little as her looked at the big blood splatters on all of the walls. “What the hell?” he whispered through his fingers.

Mari tried to stand a little. She set one hand on the counter and everyone stared at her. “I-I think I just… I wa-want to be a-alone.” She put a hand to her mouth and took a deep breath.

Her dad had never been a good dad. He had always been less than perfect; always drunk, a smoker, even one he had locked Mari in a closet when she had tried to go outside, but Mari had always loved him. Never one moment had she doubted that he was her dad and he had loved her.

Mari put her hands to her eyes and tried to wipe away the tears. She looked up and smiled. “I’ll be okay.” They all were silent.

“No. That’s not gonna happen.” Soul said. He was leaning against a wall with his hands in his pockets.

Maka turned to him. “Where is she going to stay though?”

He shrugged and Black Star began yelling that his house had plenty of room. Patty and Liz were saying something about pigs and nail polish. Tsubaki and Kidd were quiet. All the voices seemed to get louder and louder and the room began to spin. She fell to the ground and the world went black when her head hit the tiles.

The light was bright. Bright as sunlight. Mari turned to look out the window. It was sunlight. A sharp pain echoed around in her head and she grimaced. “Ow.’’

“You’re awake.” Someone said.

Mari turned to see Kidd in a chair reading a book. “K-kidd?” She asked, closing her eyes and putting a hand to her head. “Where am I?”

Kidd looked out the window. “You’re at the DWMA’s hospital wing.”

“Why-“ She rubbed a hand over her cheek and felt a small bandage over a tiny cut. All the memories came flooding back at once. “Oh.” She said, tears beginning to run down her cheeks.

Kidd looked up from a book. “Oh my god… Mari…” He set the book down and walked over. “Mari… uhm… its okay…” He said uncomfortably.

Mari’s face was being pressed into Kidds chest and he was whispering something about how it would be okay. “Okay.” She said. “Okay. Okay.”

Kidd was pulling away from her. “Mari. If you need anything… tell me. Okay?”

She nodded. “Okay.” She sniffled.

Kidd chewed his lip for a second. He took her face in both on his hands and looked into her eyes. “It’ll be okay.” He rolled a piece of her hair between her cheek and his thumb. He glanced up at the bandages on her head for a second, then leaned in and kissed her. She hadn’t been expecting it so when his eyes closed, hers were wide open. Then they closed slowly. After a minute, he pulled away.

“I-I-I should l-leave…” He said, still holding her face.

She smiled. “Kidd… are you stuttering?” She bit her lip as her heart fluttered.

He pulled away and started fuddling with his wrings. “N-no!”

She reached up and messed his hair up so it wasn’t symmetrical. She giggled when his eyes fluttered up to his hair that was ruffly and sticking up at odd angles.

“Now what am I supposed to do?” He asked.

“Wear my beanie.” She replied. “Or you could wear it how us mortals wear it. MESSY!”

“Your hair isn’t messy.” He said, a light blush starting on his cheeks. Mari felt myself blushing too. “And by the way…” He said as he stood. “Uhm.. I don’t know how to put his lightly.”

Mari looked up at him. “What?” She asked.

“Uhm… You’ve been asleep for eight days.”

Mari was shocked for a second, then she looked on the bright side. “Then that’s eight days I haven’t had to deal with my grief!” She smiled.

Kidd smiled back sadly. “I’ll tell Stein you woke up. You’ll be okay?” He asked.

Mari smiled and waved a hand. “I’ll be okay!” But the tears were all ready streaming down her face.