Heat and Soul: A Soul Eater Love Story (xKid)

~Chapter Thirteen~

Tsubaki touches me gently on the arm.

"Would you like to sit with me, Ember?"

I nod, grateful for her offer. I follow her into the living room, where she sits on one end of another couch. I plunk down on the floor in between her and Kid. Kid raises an eyebrow at me.

"What are you doing?"

I answer without looking at him, "Sitting on the floor, obviously."

"Why?"

I look back at him with a playful smile, "Because I just like to. I'm weird like that."

He stares at me for a second longer. Then, he shakes his head at me and goes back to talking with Soul and Black Star. Tsubaki leans toward me and asks in her gentle voice if I'm really happy on the floor. I nod my head, and she decides to join me.

"You don't have to sit with me if you'd rather be on the couch," I protest.

She smiles at me in a friendly way, "No, it's fine. Maka, Liz, and Patty can sit there. I don't like seeing you here all alone."

I smile back at her and we sit in comfortable silence. The other girls come back with popcorn and sodas and we start movie night. As I sit quietly in my spot on the floor, I listen to the conversations and laughter echoing around me. This is a pleasant atmosphere, if a bit loud. I don't think anyone is actually watching the movie most of the time. I pay attention instead; every time someone asks what just happened or says they don't get it, I fill them in. We go through several bags of popcorn and four bottles of soda before the night is done. While the credits of our last movie scroll on the screen, Kid nudges me with his foot.

"Ready to go?"

I stretch, careful not to hit anyone, "Yeah... I need to get some sleep."

A yawn punctuates my last sentence. The party starts to break up. Tsubaki says goodbye to me and follows Black Star, trying to keep him quiet. Liz and Patty follow, singing songs from the movies together. I make it a point to thank Maka for inviting me over and offer to help clean up, but she turns it down.

"I'm glad you had fun, Ember... But you'd better catch up with Kid."

I turn to see he's already halfway up the street. I run to catch up.

Kid glances over at me, "There you are. I was beginning to think you wanted to stay the night."

"You're a liar! You know I didn't bring any clothes or schoolbooks. You were gonna' leave me behind, weren't you? Jerk."

He bumps me with his shoulder, "I'm not a jerk. I was going to wait for you."

"Oh sure," I say sarcastically, sticking my tongue out.

A sudden wind blows through and makes me shiver. I realize something and stop.

"Oh crap! I forgot my hoodie!"

"Forget it. We can get it tomorrow. It's getting late."

I shiver again, "But it's cold!"

Kid rolls his eyes and drapes his jacket over me.

I pout, "I don' wanna' wear your jacket! I want my hoodie!"

"Just put it on. We'll get your hoodie tomorrow, I promise."

"But then you'll be cold..."

He gives me an exasperated look, "I'm a Shinigami; I don't get sick. I'll be fine. Now put on the coat and quit whining."

I grudgingly slide my arms into the sleeves and zip it up. The jacket makes it glaringly obvious how different our body shapes are. It's really tight on my chest and upper arms, but the sleeves are past my fingertips and the hem is halfway to my knees. I stare at it for a bit. I look ridiculous, but it's warm, black leather and I don't want to bother Maka and Soul over something as stupid as forgetting my hoodie. I sigh and tuck my hands in the pockets, following Kid obediently.

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I'm walking through a haunted house. Not one of those fake carnival rides, but a real house with legitimate ghosts in it. I know I'm dreaming again, but that doesn't make it any less scary when they pop out of the walls. I start to sprint, trying to get out as fast as I can. I burst through a door to see a scene from a previous dream: Kid and Daemon in a vicious fist-fight. They're not just screwing around like guys do; it looks like a fight to the death. I try to yell at them, tell them to stop, but I can't speak. I run towards them, but I'm not moving. Ghosts swirl out of the floor and engulf me as I scream silently. I wake up in a sweat, heart pounding.

I glance around the dark room and shudder. I have to get somewhere a little more open. I open the door to my bedroom, half expecting a ghost to be waiting for me on the other side. Of course, there are no ghosts there. I shudder again and dart into the living room that I found by accident my first night. I curl into the fetal position in the center of a couch, keeping my back against the fabric. Bits of the dream flash through my mind: The expressions on Kid and Daemon's faces, the fight to the death, and the fact that I couldn't stop them. For some reason I don't know, I start to sob. I sit there for a while, crying over something I don't really understand.

Kid's voice makes me jump, "You okay?"

I don't reply while I try to stop the tears. I don't want him to know that I'm crying over a stupid nightmare. At my silence, he comes around the couch.

"You're crying...? What happened?"

I grip my elbows hard, "Just... a stupid dream... I'm fine..."

His tone says that he doesn't believe me, "Want to talk about it?"

I shake my head, "I just want... to forget it..."

Another sob escapes without my permission. Kid sighs. Next thing I know, he's sitting next to me. He wraps a tentative arm around my shoulders.

"How can I help you forget it?"

"I dunno..." I lean on him, grateful for his touch, "Just stay with me for a bit...?"

He rubs my shoulder silently. I can't take it anymore. I move over to curl up in his lap, my head on his chest. I'm sure he can tell I'm crying now, but I don't care. He gently strokes my hair. It feels so nice. After a minute or two, I've calmed down and most of the dream has evaporated. I sniffle and snuggle into Kid's chest.

"I'm sorry... I'm being a pain again..."

He brushes my bangs away from my face, "You don't need to be sorry."

I pick my head up off of him and wipe at my eyes. He grabs a tissue from the side table beside us and hands it to me. I take it gratefully and clean myself up. He's looking away, pretending he doesn't see my tears. I scoot off of him and stand up.

"Thank you..." my lip quivers and I feel the tears well up again, "You're always so nice to me..."

He stands up and hugs me, "Hush. Calm down or you'll end up crying again."

I go limp in his arms. He strokes my hair again and I close my eyes. I imagine that he's brushing all the horrible images away.

"Ember, if you like, I could make breakfast for you again tomorrow."

"That sounds great..."

"Any requests?"

I hesitate for a moment, "Can you... do oatmeal?"

I can feel the smile in his voice, "Of course. And not the nasty instant stuff, either! Homemade, with brown sugar and cinnamon."

"Sounds amazing. I can't wait," My tears are gone, and I'm smiling too.

I pad back into my room, feeling warm, nightmare forgotten. I fall asleep remembering his tender touches and calming words.