Post-saved Kid. :D

8 – Freedom – 8

I opened my eyes slowly. My head throbbed and I felt as if I had been running for miles. Had I been? I couldn't tell now.

There was a noise, only a slight one, and it kept repeating itself over and over again.

"'Ey… 'Ey… 'Ey, you…"

"Uhhh…?" My voice drawled with drowsiness and I felt a slight poke at my shoulder, which made me instantly regain feeling. I tensed, realizing that I was on cold cement. My arms were scratched immensely, and my sleeves were missing. What could have happened? All I remembered were those last few words from the evil entity inside of the book of Eibon… And then it all went black, like a hole in my memory.

"'Ey, get up…"

"What…?" I still hadn't completely come to. I looked up to see whomever it was that was bothering me.

A pair of inquisitive brown eyes met me full in the face and I jumped, sitting up immediately. This only sent another shock of pain in my legs, and I grasped them, cursing.

"'Ey, calm down…" It was a girl, and she spoke in a strange accent I didn't recognize. "And what would you be doing out in the streets, an' all?" Now I understood. It was a British accent, and I shook my head, having not heard the words. The girl with the brown doe eyes raised an eyebrow, and it was a while before I could respond, for the throbbing in my throat of thirst.

"I'm sorry, I didn't really hear you. What was that?" I tried being as polite as possible, in my current state.

"Well, I was just asking what you we' doing 'ere on the side of the road, sir." The girl said, smiling.

"Um… I'm not sure, to be honest. Where am I?" I said, holding my forehead in pain.

"You're at the southernmost point of Death City, sir." She spoke in a very formal tone, now. "You… By any chance, are you the Honorable Son of Shinigami-sama?"

So that was why she was using this way of speech.

"Yes, actually." I replied, standing up. I noticed that the girl was much shorter than me, as she stood up as well. "May I ask who you are?"

"Amelia, weapon at Shibusen, sir, and-"

"Don't call me sir, call me Death the Kid. Or Kid, if you prefer…"

"Kid then, an' I stopped on my way there because you looked an awful lot like you needed 'elp."

"How old are you, if you don't mind my asking?"

She grinned up at me, and I noticed that one of her teeth was missing, freckles lining her face. "I'll be nine-and-a-'alf next month." She replied.

'Ah, so that's why she's so short.'

"Alright then, Amelia, can you please take me back to Shibusen? I don't believe I can make it on my own, in this state." I said, smiling.

This struck a chord with the girl. She blushed a little, and giggled. "Alrigh'y then, Mr. Kid!" She laughed.

I couldn't really revel in the pleasantness of the childish behavior for long, because it had reminded me of something. Patti. Liz, and Patti, where were they? Why wasn't I back in that dreadful book? How had I gotten out? The blush remaining on Amelia's face reminded me of yet another thing. Maka, where was she? Had I been too late to save her? Had Gopher and Noah carried out their sinister plot?

"'Ere we are, sir—I mean, Kid." Amelia giggled, grinning the same smile as before.

There was a noise of sharp footsteps racing down the stairway of Shibusen.

"Ooh, who's that? She's quite pretty, 'm?" Amelia said, pointing in the direction of the footsteps.

I looked up immediately, but not in time before I was collided into by a moving object. The force almost knocked me backwards, but I regained my balance quickly.

"Kid-kun…" A shaky voice was saying, and repeating over and over.

I recognized the feel of tears on my shirt, and the brown pigtails dug deep into my chest. 'Maka is here,' I repeated the thought again and again, until I was full to the brim with happiness. So my captors had been unsuccessful in their endeavors. I leaned my face into the top of her head, breathing in her beautiful scent that I'd almost had a withdrawal of in all of these weeks. 'She's here…' I told myself yet another time, and bliss overflowed me at every corner of my being. This was the sort of thing that was described to you in fairytales. The sort of reunion only those in true love were worthy of, after a long time apart.

There was suddenly a feeling of release, a feeling as if a strand had been cut in the back of my mind. I felt Amelia's presence now strong and frightening. A witch? No, this was different than a witch. I could feel Maka tense in my arms, and the sobs and shaking of her shoulders ceased altogether, as she drew away from me. I watched in amazement as she glared behind me at the little girl, with a look of murder.

"Maka, she's only a little girl, so why are you…" I slowed my speech as Maka's eyes widened in terror, now looking straight at me. "What…?" I asked warily.

Maka stared in horror and disbelief, seemingly right into my face. "No… No…" Her hand was over her mouth now, and tears were once again forming at her eyes. "Kid-kun, no! What did she do to you!"

Another strand was cut loose, just as I was about to respond. Maka's eyes once more widened, until she looked terrified enough to have a stroke right then and there. Suddenly I could not move, and I could not speak.

"It was nothin'." I found myself saying. 'What happened to grammar,' I thought, surprised. I didn't usually speak this way—not ever. "Only the best thing ever, hm, Amelia? Free of rules, free of guilt, free of fear… That is true order—true balance."

Another strand. This one I could have sworn had the word sanity printed on it. This sent my mind into a panic, but it was soon replaced by… The most amazing, wonderful, joyous feeling in the world. I was completely at ease. Nothing bothered me. There was nothing to fix, nothing to tidy, nothing to adjust, nothing to make symmetrical, because it was all symmetry. Balance. Perfect balance. And I never wanted it to end. Insanity. The feeling not only comforted me, but gave me a sense of confidence. I could have taken out anything or anyone in just one punch at the moment. 'Give me two seconds in the ring with any moron and I'll mess 'im up, good.' I thought, grinning.

Maka was backing away now, and that gave me the right—in my mind—to move forward to meet her halfway. "Now, now, where are you goin', Maka?" I asked in a somewhat teasing tone.

Her back stiffened and she let out a small "Away from here." That, I guess, was trying to sound fearless. But she was still afraid. She reeked of it, and I could see it in her eyes, in the frantic pounding of her soul.

I heard a snap of fingers, and I was suddenly aware of everything. Of all of the faults of the world. Every single one of them. I dropped to my knees now, shuddering with the intense nausea this thought brought on. The girl, Amelia, was clapping now, slowly, smiling in an odd way. She stepped toward me, as I sat there, still trembling, and her face changed. Sort of disfigured itself. And it had made itself into the spitting image of Asura. I backed away, using my hands as support for my crawling effort to escape.

I opened my clenched eyes and I was back in Maka's arms, the girl still behind us. Had that all been an illusion? Most likely. Whatever Noah had done to me that last time in the book had messed me up.

"Maka…" I breathed, trying to forget the images I had just seen. "Maka, I missed you so much…" I was barely able to describe this with words. "I love you, Maka. I love you. I love you now more than ever." I moved her face from my chest, and wiped her sweaty bangs from her forehead softly. I stared into her dark green eyes with a feeling I had never known. The feeling of imminent relief. "Don't cry, you're beautiful as ever, and I'm back now. I'm back, and I'll see to it that you never have to cry again, if only for tears of joy." I smiled, laughing slightly.

Her mouth turned up into the smile I had so missed all of this time. "Kid-kun, I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. Oh, I can't wait to tell the others! Patti and Liz will be so excited to hear that you're okay! And I have to tell you about everything that's been going on here! Oh, Death the Kid, I love you!" Tears were welling up again, but this time they were of pure and unbridled joy.

This is what I had longed to see all of this time. To see her happy, to see her again at all.

But how long would this last until I became insane…?