New Student at DWMA: Time heals all wounds? Chpt 7

Kid yelped as a shoe hit him in the face waking him from sleep. He assessed the source of violence was from Mari. "Must you be so violent all the time," he yelled at her.

"When it concerns you? Yes," she said, slipping on her green boot. "Now hurry up and get ready, we are almost to the station."

Kid looked outside and saw the train station a few miles away. He checked his watch, seeing that the train was a little early. How disappointing. It can't even keep hold of its regular scheduled time.

Kid quickly put on his coat and shoes and caught up with the girls, who had already made their way to the exit doors. The train slowly came to a stop at the station, and the doors slid open. The conductor was there to meet them.

"I hope your ride was pleasant," he said. Kid heard Mari give a sarcastic chuckle as she passed him. "Welcome to Harrisonburg, Virginia."

()

"Well, now that we are settled at the hotel, I vote for a little tourism," Liz grinned.

"I wanna go swimming at the pool here," Patty cheered.

"Now girls, this isn't a vacation," Kid said, flipping through channels on the television. "Just because we checked into a hotel doesn't mean we can relax like tourists."

"I never said we were tourists," Liz said, feigning innocence. Mari plopped down on the desk in the corner and logged into the hotel's curtsey computer.

"The word 'tourism' was the first word to plop out of your mouth when we shut the door," Mari said to her, not even looking away from the computer screen. Liz chuckled uneasily, being caught in her idea to escape. Mari growled and shut down the computer. "But, this place does have terrible internet, so might as well do something to stimulate the mind."

Liz and Patty cheered, running out the door, both of them already talking about the shops they had seen on cab ride to the hotel. Mari grabbed her carry-round and pulled out a small money clip.

"What, are you going shopping too?" Kid asked, genuinely curious.

"No, I'm going to the Starbucks I saw down the street," Mari answered him. She slipped on a dark grey beanie over her hair, and a cargo jacket, making her look more the college, tom boy intellectual type than the stand out-ish teenager she was. She picked up Jaden and stroked the top of his blade gently. The scythe glowed momentarily and then shrank down to the size of a hockey stick, the small blade disappearing. Mari took out a cover and slipped it over the blade, making it look just like one.

"Wait, we went through all this time with your scythe partner in his full size, and you could have done that the whole time?" Kid asked. Mari nodded. "Why didn't you? It would have saved you from prying eyes."

"It's uncomfortable for Jaden to be in his smaller form for a long time. Plus, I don't really care if people stare at me. Let them judge, it's not my fault Jaden is like this," she said. She shot Kid a piercing look before walking out of the hotel room. She walked over to the elevator and clicked the button to call it, but as the door opened she heard running footsteps coming to her. She stepped in, but Kid dodged inside just as the doors shut. "Another reason why I left: I didn't want to hang around you."

"Oh come on Mari," Kid almost pleaded. "Can't you go just one day without being so negative with me?"

"No," Mari said with a tone of finality. The elevator opened at ground level and she walked out with Kid at her heel.

"Mari, I really wish to understand you better. I don't understand a lot of things about you and I really just want answers-"

"You want answers? Fine. I hate you, you disgust me. That's it, the end," Mari snapped. She turned away and hurried to the door out of the hotel.

"But why?" Kid asked, blocking her retreat outside. Mari paused, staring him down hotly. Kid matched her stare, and added a fraction of confusion along with his stubborn fury. Mari sighed and shook her head in defeat. She glanced over him, curiosity the only thing left in her eyes.

"You truly don't remember, do you?" she asked. Kid shook his head. A pained look appeared in her emerald eyes. She sighed again and walked past him and through the door quietly. Kid followed her outside but paused there, watching her walk away. She stopped and looked back at him. "You coming or what?" Kid only hesitated for a moment before catching up to her and following her down the road.

()

Okay, sure I'm glad she hasn't really been aggressive to me since we left, but she's seemed really down.

That were sitting together in Starbucks in silence. Both of them were sipping on mocha iced coffee, a personal favorite of his. He didn't find it all that strange that she liked the same beverage. It is a pretty good choice in my opinion, it's bitterness is soothing. It's not surprising others would like it too.

Mari stared down into her cup somberly, just sipping away at it. Her eyes seemed strangely unguarded at the moment, so open and vulnerable. He could clearly read the sorrow in her eyes, the years of hardship and sadness. He just wished she would talk to him about these things she was bottling up.

"Are you going to tell me or not?" he asked. Mari put her cup down and stared up at him angrily. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, looking very serious.

"As you have already assumed, Jaden is cursed," she started. He nodded.

"How did it happen?" he asked her. She shifted in her seat, suddenly uncomfortable.

()

I never really looked back on that day. I barely even saw what happened.

"It was seven years ago. Jaden and I were living together on the streets of Death City. That day, a group of muggers stumbled upon our alleyway looking for trouble..."

~Flashback~

"Oi, shrimps. Give us those scraps you call food," the leader said. I glared up at them, hiding my loaf of bread behind my back. There was no way in hell they would be taking my food. Jaden stared up at them without emotion, then continued to nibble on his half of the loaf. "I said hand it over or else!"

"Or else what?" I asked, standing up to show I wasn't afraid of them. The group of men chuckled and came closer.

"You think you're tough shit, huh?" one of the guys said to me.

"She's pretty cute for a kid," another piped up.

"Maybe in a few years she could be some fun," one other said. The leader reached out to grab my chin. I would have countered easily by punching him across the face, but Jaden had come between us before contact was ever made. He stared at the man in a manner almost threatening, standing there with complete calm.

"Don't touch her," he said, his emotionless voice sounding intimidating to my ears. Over the months I've spent with him, I could tell when he was about to kill something just by his posture and words. He never showed much emotion in the first place. The group laughed at his bold statement, which I knew was very stupid of them for underestimating him. The leader pushed Jaden aside and grabbed my arm. A scythe blade appeared from my left and went into the man's arm. He screamed in agony, but the scythe was to deep in to allow him to draw his arm back in. "I said don't touch her." Jaden's voice was now full on threatening, and I knew immediately that his temper had peeked for a moment. He pulled his scythe arm back and the leader stepped away from them, holding his bloody arm close to him.

"You little brat, how dare you," he yelled. "Take him out!"

"Mari, run away," Jaden said to me. The other men took out guns.

"But we can take them out easily as a team," I argued.

"Don't argue with me and run," he shouted. I flinched at his harsh tone; he never shouted at me. The group fired, but Jaden blocked the bullets with both his arms forming a scythe shield in from of him. I only waited a moment, looking between him and the firing men, before taking off down the alley and around the corner.

I dodged behind a dumpster, using a box to cover me from view. I hadn't gone to far away, but a safe enough distance to not get hurt and still hear what was going on. The sound of gunshots rang through the alley, soon being harmonized with the sound of pain-filled screams and metal through bone. The gunshots slowly disappeared and the number of screams lowered to none. Soon there was silence. I pondered on going back to him, but decided against it and just waited for him to come get me.

A new scream suddenly echoed through the alley, and a blinding light passed over me. The scream was familiar. Jaden!

I came out of hiding and sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me. I ran back to where I had left him, and I was horrified at what I saw. The whole group of men had been slaughtered, blood splattered here and there, bodies torn apart and littered all over the place. There wasn't one soul present in the whole group. Jaden wasn't in sight. I walked through the litter of body parts and caught sight of a bloody shaft. I ran over and found Jaden in his scythe form, his blade covered in blood. I knelt down and picked him up.

"Jaden, what's wrong? Why are you in scythe form?" I asked. No answer. "Jaden, talk to me! Say something!" Still no sound came from the cold scythe in my hands. "Jaden, please answer me! Wake up," I cried. I used my soul perception, and was alarmed when I saw his soul was almost unresponsive, and there were bonds on it, as if it was being held down forcefully. He's a prisoner.

"Don't worry Jaden. I'll free you. I find who did this to you and make them pay. I promise!"

~Flashback End~

Kid could see now why she was so attached to this thought of hers. Once she finished her story, she simply stared intently at him. She was waiting for him to say something, but he really didn't know what to say. Her past was much harsher than he had imagined. She had to live on the streets as a child with only one friend in the world. To go through that and then suddenly have that friend practically taken away from you, he couldn't imagine how it must have felt to be in her shoes at that moment.

"I'm sorry. I never would have imagined-," he started.

"Of course you wouldn't. You live the well off life, never going through the same hardships I had. Not that it matters to you," Mari said to him.

"I wish I could help find who did it," Kid said. Mari stilled, and threw her coffee at him, which he dodged. "What was that for?"

"Shut up! You act so innocent and stupid," Mari yelled, standing up in her chair. Kid stood up.

"I don't understand what it is you have against me! What have I ever done to deserve your hatred?" he shouted, ignoring the people staring at them.

"You should know! You're the one that cursed him," she screamed. Kid stilled, shocked at her accusation.  

"What makes you think I did it? You said you didn't see who it was!"

"Death himself said it was you! He used your name and told me you were in Death City," she said, her hateful glare back at full force.

Father said I cursed Jaden? Why would he lie about something like that?

"He must be lying. I was nine years old! I wasn't strong enough back then to do such powerful magic, and I'm not that powerful yet either!" Mari was silent, so Kid took it to his advantage to continue. "Whoever cursed Jaden is much more powerful than I am. Maybe a witch cursed him. Besides, I barely knew anyone outside of my family at that age, I have never met either of you until you started at the DWMA." Kid watched the information slowly sink in, realization dawning in her shocked expression. She slowly sat back down on her chair.

"B-but the old man said... Oh my god, I can't believe I let that bastard lead me on." She buried her face in her arms, the shame and sadness coming from her soul's wavelength. He didn't move, knowing it would only make matters worse if he tried to comfort her. "Then that means, He was leading me on the whole time, and only wanted to trap me back into Death City. And now I can't escape his jurisdiction again." She brought Jaden from her back and hugged him close to her, and kid could see the tears running down her face. "I'm such a fool."