Broken Minds and Troubled Times (Kidd, Shilo and I)

Saturday, 11:46 p.m.

Hawk jolted awake. He was breathing heavily and sweat was rolling down his face. Upon a quick inspection of his surroundings, he noticed a few things. First, he was in a bed of some sort. Second, there was something attached to his left forearm just near his elbow joint. Third, he was in a dark, small room that looked to best rounded by curtains. Where was he? His first guess was the school infirmary. But...how was he here? The last thing he remembered was getting hit by Ixion's blade on his right arm, then everything was blank. Speaking of his arm, he looked down at it. It was still in pain, and it was heavily bandaged.

Hawk squinted to see anything more in the dark room. He looked to his left and saw a small lamp sitting on the table next to his bed. He turned it on and got a better look at his surroundings. Machinery was set up next to his bed and around the room. An IV was connected to his help arm, and his right arm was bandaged and bloody. How long had he been passed out? He had to find out somehow. Determined, Hawk attempted to stand up, only to fall onto his knees in lightheadedness. No, he had to push forward. He grabbed the rolling stand for his IV and slowly made his way forward, peeking out through the curtains. He noticed a sign on his curtain that read:

Last Name Unknown, Hawk
Status: Critical
First-Year Weapon
Meister: Kaito, Rori

He looked around, seeing other curtained room, finding most of them empty. His vision was too blurry to see any of them from this distance, he decided to go back to his bed and lie down. He closed his eyes, and began to drift back into slumber.

Rori stirred, exhausted and bones-broken. She heard rattling echoing in the darkness of the infirmary and blinked heavy eyes as her consciousness crept up. She'd been awake earlier, though it was only momentarily. Just long enough to have seen Hawk being wheeled into the ICU and her gurney rolling not too far behind his.

She was just awake enough to be aware of her surroundings and when she finally realized what the rattling was, she couldn't stop herself from bolting upright. This, however, was a mistake as her ribs were very broken and her abdomen was sewn up from the surgery she'd received earlier to repair her innards. She gasped and dropped back into the bed, whimpering and squeezing her teary eyes closed. She gritted her teeth and waited for the pains to pass, wondering now how she was even still alive.


She managed to calm herself by breathing gently and taking note to move with utmost care before sliding to the edge of the noisy bed and pushing the curtains back to see who was awake.

Kidd paced back and forth outside of the room Hawk and Rori currently lay in, unconscious. The guilt Kidd was feeling was crushing him. It felt as though the weight of the entire earth was pushing down on his chest. This is all my fault.... I'm the reason they're like this.... Kidd thought to himself, running his index and middle finger along his black eye. Flinching at the pain, Kidd stopped pacing. Ever since arriving there, which had been a few hours ago, Kidd had been avoiding facing the two again. It was all still so vivid in his memory.

The fighting, the madness. Hawk's stand at Ixion, only to get knocked back down. Standing up again, only to be knocked down for good. Rori saving Kidd's ass. And the revelation of how important Blakely was to Kidd. But the one thing that bothered him the most....

"I.... I should've killed him." Kidd covered his bruised and swollen eye, dropping his gaze toward the ground. "He killed Shilo, almost killed Hawk and Rori, and I let him get away with all that. What.... What the fuck is wrong with me?" Kidd stared at the ground. A lump formed in Kidd's throat. I have to face them. I have to apologize and take responsibility for my actions....

Kidd took a few deep breaths and prepared himself for what had to happen next.

Walking into the dimly lit room, Kidd looked through the various curtained areas of the room, in an attempt to find either Hawk or Rori. "Hawk? Rori?" Kidd whispered, looking through one of the curtains. Empty. After a few more looks, Kidd finally found Hawk. He looked to still be unconscious. Releasing a pained breath, Kidd stared down at the boy. "Hawk, I...." Kidd felt tears well up, but he tried to hold them back, ".... I'm sorry Hawk." As Kidd apologized, the tears finally fell onto the floor. So much for being the tough guy in this situation.

Kidd kneeled down next to Hawk's bed, inches away from his face. "Why'd you have to take the hits? It should've been me...." Kidd wiped the tears from his face. Hawk was so shy, and quiet, and a nice guy. He was a bit awkward at times, but that's just who he was. There was nothing you could do about that. It was eating away at Kidd. Hawk, the quiet one. He'd most certainly gotten the most punishment out of everyone there. He didn't deserve to suffer. Hawk would never even hurt a fly. Why was it that bad stuff always happens to good people? Rubbing his black eye again, Kidd sighed in disappointment. There was so much he wanted to say, so much that he had to say, but Hawk was still out of it. And Kidd probably didn't even have the balls to say what he wanted to, even if Hawk was awake right now. Kidd was a coward. As much as he didn't want to admit this, he knew it was true.

Grunting as he rose from the ground, Kidd left Hawk there. Looking around the room again, Kidd felt his heart nearly leave his chest. Curtains slid open in another part of the room and Rori appeared behind them, sitting up on the edge of the bed.

"Rori!" Kidd nearly shouted. Turning his head away quickly, Kidd felt his face become extremely flushed. Kidd couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't face either one of them when they were awake. "Rori, I'm sorry...." Kidd turned his back to her, feeling even more ashamed and guilty with the consequences of his action. "I.... This is all my fault...." Kidd said, still unable to face her directly. Kidd began crying. A part of him died in that moment. A part that'd never be able to come back to life.

Blakely had been just down the hall, keeping eyes on Kidd. Though she'd been pretty wounded, her infirmary stay was mild compared to Rori and Hawks as she hadn't suffered any fatal wounds. She'd watched Kidd pace for several hours in front of the infirmary door, and though she wanted to ease his obvious pain, she knew that he needed to face the other two alone. She'd checked up on Rori and Hawk after they'd stabilized and found it rather difficult to do so as Rori was pale and lifeless and sewn together, and Hawk's arm was even lined with stitches and his body was bruised and hooked to several machines as if Ixion might have damaged his lungs.

She sighed, frowning at the floor, her body pressed up against the far corner of the end of the hallway as the creaking of the infirmary door's hinges brought her gaze back up to Kidd who was now entering the room. She tip-toed down to the door and peeked through the window, watching him hover over Hawk, his body language speaking the volumes of shame and regret he was feeling. Blakely's brow furrowed at this. It was hard for her to watch Kidd looking so broken and sad. And when he looked back over at Rori and burst into tears, Blakely had to clasp hands over her own mouth to keep her whimpers silent as tears rolled down her cheeks. She crouched down outside of the door, keeping her sniffling rather quiet and wishing there was something she could do to mend their group and Kidd.

Hawk's eyes drifted open and closed as he woke up from his sleep at the sound of words. He couldn't hear them at all, probably due to the bandages that he found wrapped around his head. Why hadn't he noticed them beforehand? Man, he was really out of it. He tried to call out to the voices, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out. He panicked and tied to yell, only succeeding in burning his already pained throat more. He looked around, but was to much in pain to move. He thought he saw someone outside of the window, and he looked at the figure with pleading eyes, but his vision was too blurry and it was too dark to make out who it was. All Hawk felt was fear when he found himself immobile, mute, partially deaf and partially blind. His vision had drastically decreased since he fell asleep, no longer being able to read the numbers on the machinery beside him. Where was everyone? Shouldn't someone come in here eventually? Hawk thought to himself. Thinking seemed to be the only thing he was capable of at the moment. So he lied there, in extreme pain, and thought.

Rori blinked up at Kidd, also a bit startled, as she hadn't been expecting him to be there. She jumped at her name being shouted and clutched her heart for a moment, feeling her cheeks turn pink at being scared by Kidd. Though Kidd hardly noticed her mishap as she could see by the look on his face that he was not in such high spirits. She gave a slight frown as the words spilled from his lips before she could do or say anything comforting. And when he turned away ashamed and crying, the reality of their situation weighed heavy on her shoulders. Kidd was crumbling before her and she was terribly broken herself.

She slowly eased off the bed, her body the greatest obstacle as her feet touched the cold linoleum floor.  "Kidd..ahh--" She stumbled forward a bit, catching herself with the railing of the bed and steadying her shaking legs. She reached a feeble arm out to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, biting her lip at what to say. While it was entirely Kidd's fault, and he'd basically wished death on the lot of them, she couldn't bring herself to confront him about it now. Maybe it was because she was injured, or maybe she wasn't as harsh as she put on.

She gave his shoulder a comforting rub before pushing her weight toward him and throwing an arm over his neck to support herself. Walking was hardly as easy as it was mere days ago, and she pointed at Hawk's bed with her free hand. "I have to check on Hawk." She told him, hoping he'd oblige and walk her over because she was feeling embarrassed even having to rely on Kidd at all. Let alone be hanging over him just to get 5 feet across the room.

"Hawk, are you awake?" Rori cooed quietly in her partner's direction, not knowing Kidd had just previously visited him, nor knowing Hawk's current state.

Kidd was on the verge of bawling by the time he'd gotten his words out. That was, until he noticed Blakely staring into the room. After she'd quickly ducked out of sight, Kidd stopped almost instantaneously. Ixion hadn't killed him, but the embarrassment would finish the job off. Here he was, defeated, humiliated, and asking Rori for her forgiveness. Only, he hadn't really asked her. Before today, Kidd had hated the girl with his entire soul and heart. Did this whole experience really change Kidd as a person? It was tough to act like you were the shit when you were really just shit.

When Rori came over and touched his shoulder, Kidd cringed at the simple contact. "Whoa...." Kidd was caught by surprise with Rori suddenly throwing her weight on him. Wrapping his arm around Rori's body with one arm for support, Kidd grasped her hand around his neck with his other hand. Peeking over his shoulder at her, Kidd frowned a little out of concern. "You really shouldn't be out of bed...." Kidd said so softly that it went unheard. Just having her this close to him amplified how uncomfortable he felt with being in her presence. But when she said she had to check on Hawk, Kidd nodded. "Yeah...." Kidd sniffled and wiped his face on his shoulder, "Yeah.... You do have to go check on him."

Walking slowly but steadily over to Hawk's bed, Kidd clutched onto Rori tightly. Never had he thought he'd even touch Rori. But certain situations called for sacrifices. They made their way over to Hawk's side slowly. Rushing it may have aggravated Rori's injuries. Kidd kept this in mind.

"I.... I think he's asleep...." Kidd set Rori down gently at the foot of Hawk's bed. Taking a few steps back, Kidd turned his head away from the two. It baffled Kidd how someone as passive and soft spoken as Hawk ended up with someone like Rori. But ever since the day the two had met in the Combat Classroom, Kidd couldn't deny one thing. They had chemistry that some could only beg for. And even now, that chemistry didn't falter. Without saying another word, Kidd simply walked over to one of the other empty beds and buried his face in his hands. Where was Blakely? All throughout the entire time they'd been here, Kidd found himself forgetting about her.

Rori made sure to gently seat herself on the bed. She gave Kidd a grateful nod and tried to hide her sympathetic gaze from him, as he was fragile and she could tell he was trying to handle himself through the embarrassment. She peered over at Hawk who was looking as pale as she was naturally. Frowning, she reached up to place a hand against his forehead which was cold and sweaty. Her brow furrowed. She looked up at all the equipment. Everything should be stable. But when she looked up at the monitor which was connected to wires that led to the sensors stuck to his temples. His brain waves were erratic and she wasn't quite sure what was going on with him. She took Hawk's hand into her own and gave it a delicate squeeze before lacing her fingers with her partner's.

"Hawk? Can you hear me?" she asked him quietly, leaning toward him in case he moved his lips.


Blakley exhaled heavily and dried her teary face, sniffling and trying to pull it together before she went in. No need to make things anymore stressful. She fanned her face with her hands so her cheeks didn't appear as red as they felt, before standing up and pulling the door open quietly. She peered around the dimly lit room and saw Rori whispering sweetly to Hawk who was either asleep or still unconscious. Where was Kidd? She gave the room a once over before finding him on an unoccupied bed. She felt herself frowning and was unable to keep it off her lips.

She hurried over to him, giving Rori a concerned look to which the girl gave Blakely a weak smile. She reached her partner and placed a hand atop his head, giving his hair a few comforting strokes as she sat beside him. "Are... you okay?" she mewed, unsure how to go about anything from this point on. Part of her had died in that church, and she was sure the same was true for the other three as well.

Hawk laid there, waiting and having nothing to do but run the past events through his head over and over and over again. The image of Ixion, about to strike, seemed permanently burned into his eyelids. The thought that was the worst, however, was the image of Rori taking an attack when he had tried to save her. That hurt the most out of anything else that had happened. He had failed. He had one last shot to contribute something, anything to the team, and he had messed it up. Did he deserve to be like this? Probably. If he had just been better at...who knows what at this point, maybe, just maybe Everyone else would have gotten out injury-free. He screwed up, and that's why they were all here.

Suddenly, Hawk felt extra weight on the bed. He opened his eyes and strained to make out who it was that was seated next to him, and he just barely recognized them as Rori. Now her hand was on his forehead, and she was saying something. He tried to speak, but his mouth could barely move. When he felt her hand laced with his, he tried any way he could to contact her. The only movement he had was in his fingers, and he began tracing circles on the girl's palm in an attempt to let her know that he was awake and aware of the situation. He kept doing this, feeling tears rolling down his cheeks and dripping onto the pillow on which his head was frozen in place.

Kidd wanted to just curl up and die if it was the only way he could escape all the guilt and humiliation he'd brought upon himself. When Rori asked if Hawk could hear her, Kidd stiffened up. He really did fuck things up. And that side came out of him again, but this time he just couldn't get it under control. And other's besides himself ended up having to pay dearly for his mistakes. Kidd sniffled as he hid his face even deeper into the darkness of his arms.

The only thing that got Kidd to come out of his little shell was Blakely's unexpected stroking. Kidd grit his teeth, frustrated with all of them. How could they take it so easy on him? Rori and Blakely? He'd nearly gotten all of them killed and instead they pitied him. There was no way of knowing how Hawk would react at the moment. But if he wanted to stay angry at Kidd and never speak to him again, Kidd would let him be. He didn't deserve any forgiveness from anyone of them.

The soft touch from Blakely felt good to Kidd though. A caring touch that he wanted, but didn't want at the same time. Balling his fists up, Kidd brought himself to actually face Blakely. It pained him to do so. "I'm.... Yeah, I'm okay." Kidd brought himself to flash a fake smile. His voice faltered though, showing the conflict he was having with himself internally. "Are you alright is a better question?" Kidd asked softly, avoiding direct eye contact.

Blakely watched Kidd's struggle up to the point her bum touched the bed and she was looking him over adamantly. Her eyes might as well be burning holes into his skin at this point. She watched his fists, white knuckled, as he faced her briefly only to look away with the falsest of smiles she'd probably ever seen. "I'm fine." She replied sternly.

"Look at me." She told him, her tone was commanding, yet quiet.

Rori glanced over at the two and back at Hawk. It wasn't her business. Hawk was her business at the moment. She'd been listening in to the other pair before she realized Hawk's hand was moving. His fingers brushing against her palm. She looked down at their hands together and felt a pang of sullen, nervousness. Could he not speak? She scooted herself up a bit more so she could lay herself against his side and speak into his ear.

"Can you not speak?" She asked. "One circle is yes. Two circles is no." she told him.

Blakely'd taken Kidd's chin and turned his gaze up at hers and dropped her hand before bringing it across his face. Her palm slapped against The cheek Ixion hadn't busted up. And she fixed her eyes on him. He screwed up. He did. As his partner they were both accountable, but he needed to know that she was pissed off and had held it in up until this very moment.

"You fucked up, Kidd. You did. We all did. But you'd better never abandon me... us--again." She told him. She was still sitting and her face was unreadable. Yet her eyes flickered with the smallest hint of guilt. This confrontation was beyond difficult for her and it was taking all of her will not to look like she would burst into tears or throw a tantrum.

"We need you to be with us..." She added. "I need you to be with me. Not alone, with yourself." she gave a great sigh at this and then dropped her head against his shoulder because it felt like her head was spinning.

Rori couldn't help but look back over at them. She too was miffed with Kidd. But with Hawk's being unresponsive, she couldn't really start screaming at everyone all at once.

Hawk blinked up at Rori as she shifted her gaze to some unknown outside voices. Looking up at her face, he watched as it moved from a neutral expression to one that could purely be described as worry. He strained to hear what she was saying, but was barely able to make it out. The corners of Hawk's mouth twitched. His plan had worked. He began to trace one circle on the girl's palm, trying to make some kind of noise. He began to get frustrated at the whole situation, feeling angry. Tears began to roll down his facell uncontrollably. He was just glad that he had RorI here with him, bringing slight comfort.

Kidd didn't budge when Blakely told him to look at her. In fact, it only made him avoid her gaze even more. He didn't stop Blakely when she forced him into her sight, however. Instead, he just blushed as he looked into her golden eyes. What was she doing? Couldn't she just let him hate himself in silence? Even though Kidd's Soul Perception wasn't working well enough to let him see how everyone felt, and he had no idea what Blakely was doing, he could just feel the tension in the air between the two of them. The embarrassment coupled with the awkwardness only made Kidd's cheeks glow an even brighter red.

And then it happened. Blakely smacked him across his face.

In any other reality, Kidd probably would've yelled at her for doing such a thing. But Kidd knew better. He deserved any and all punishment that they wished upon him. Kidd closed his eyes and turned his head away, bracing for anything else that Blakely had in store for him. When nothing else happened though, he opened his eyes and looked back at her. He was met with her intense gaze. Blakely wasn't fucking around.

When she told him that he'd fucked up, Kidd did everything in his power to try and keep the tears back, but failed. "I know.... I'm sorry.... Blakely...." Kidd apologized through his pathetic sobs. It was all he could do. Nothing he did now would change what he did in the past. Kidd rubbed his cheek. Although it wasn't all too hard of a smack, the words of disapproval coming from Blakely's mouth made it hurt even more.

"You guys don't need me here...." Kidd rubbed away a few of the tears as he shook his head. "I'd only fuck things up even worse. I should get as far away as possible from all of you if anything." It seemed like a good idea at the moment. A temporary fix. Running away from his problems. How far could he get though? And how long would he be able to live with himself if he actually did run away? As ridiculous as it sounded, Kidd was actually taking these scenarios into consideration. But when he glanced over at Rori and Hawk, he knew he wouldn't be able to last a minute with the guilt that would come with abandoning them again.

"I'm sorry...." Kidd sniffled.

Rori looked down upon her partner. She could see him straining and feel it within herself that he was struggling. She felt the circle against her palm and when tears began pouring down Hawk's cheek she too could have cried a river. But she couldn't. Not now. She had to be strong for the both of them. Hawk needed to be calm. To rest and recover.

"Hawk. Calm down." she cooed at the boy. "I'll stay here with you until you can speak. Until you're okay." she promised, her expression sullen in the dim glow of the infirmary. She stroked his hair out of his face. It was damp with tears and she thumbed the moisture from his cheeks. "It's gonna be alright. You're stable." she told him, nodding at the machinery hooked up and beeping behind his bed.

Blakely's heart dropped at Kidd's complete acceptance of everything. His fire was gone and she could see that in how he wilted away under her gaze. She snatched him forward and hugged him against herself after the smack, speaking over his shoulder.

"We do need you." She whimpered, and sighed to steady her voice. "That's what I'm telling you. We need you to work with us, Kidd. Not against us..." She just wanted him to understand. She wanted him to be the spunky, outgoing, guy he always was. But she wanted him to just work with her. To include her. To be strong enough to ask for help and not carry all the weight on his shoulders.

"The fact that you're still considering going alone, Kidd..." Blakely's words lingered between them and she sat herself upright to look at him once more. "No more apologies." Her voice was firm. Hearing Kidd apologize so pathetically was hurting her more. It made her realize that he hadn't even thought of them during all the decisions he'd been making that worked toward almost ending all of their lives. This pained her and her expression fell into something so incredibly depressing that she couldn't hope to act stern anymore.

"I... I can't-" her voice was so low that she thought she might not have even spoken aloud. A sensation tingled in the depths of her insides and it felt like she couldn't hold herself upright. The weight of everything was heavier now than she was able to handle and she simply collapsed onto the bed, staring a hollow gaze at the wall. Her heart was physically breaking. Did Kidd ever think of them? Ever? Did he ever think of her? The notion that he never even considered them in that moment, meant he never even considered them outside of it, either. And she couldn't make herself accept that Kidd was truly that cold. But he was. And that hurt her most of all.

Shit, Hawk thought to himself, as he Layed in the hospital cot, feet just barely hanging over the edge of the bed. Rori was here for him, staying with him, and all he could do was stare up at her and move his fingers? Man, he really was useless. Thoughts began to flood into his mind uncontrollably. He could have saved them, but he chose to worthlessly attempt to sacrifice himself. He could have fought and helped save more people from injury. He there he was, immobile and mute, in intense pain, and probably causing grief for his partner. His partner who had cared for him and cared about him. Who had helped him when he needed it. And he threw it all away. He couldn't stand it. Anger began to bubble up inside of him, and he attempted to force his body to move.

Hawk felt his foot twitch. Then his hands began to move.the movement went up his body until he was shaking. He heard the monitor next to him begin to beep as his heart rate went upfrom the exertion. He was straining, and he felt motion return to his body. Yes, he whispered, looking up at Rori, before his vision faded to black and he fell unconscious.

Kidd let himself be hugged as a few more tears rolled down his cheeks. No. What Blakely did the first time was right. Getting smacked and hated were the only things Kidd should've received from her, not a comforting hug. When Blakely said that she just wanted him to work with her and the group, Kidd sighed "No, Blakely...." Kidd shook his head. "There's so much that's happened to me ever since moving here. I've lost a lot more here than I've been used to my entire life.... I need to be strong enough. To protect you. Death City. The entire world. I can't rely on others.... Not even you." Kidd admitted to her, hating every word that came out of his mouth.  But every single word was true. Ever since moving here, all he'd been doing was losing to everyone he came up against. There were maybe two people he was actually able to defeat, but that was only because Daisy was so strong. Kidd wouldn't have been able to take on those adversaries without her.

And then Kidd realized something.

Was history repeating itself again? Here his team was, injured and broken. And all because he'd turned his back on them in the most crucial moment. Kidd'd also abandoned Daisy. Although he didn't know how she was doing, or where she was at, she surely had to know by now that he'd left her, all because he was too impatient to hear back from her. Months and months he'd waited for her to get back to him. There had to be some sort of repercussion for what Kidd had done to her. The same was happening now, but with different people.

Kidd was turning his back on them. Only, everything was ten times worse now. Kidd was choosing to turn his back on them in their time of need. Abandoning them, because he knew he fucked up and wasn't strong enough to face them. What type of person was he? He was no hero. He was even worse than the man that'd almost taken their lives. Kidd was a coward.

"I...." Kidd looked around the room for a second. "I think I should go...." Kidd said out loud to Blakely and Rori. This was possibly the worst decision Kidd could make, and he knew it, but he just couldn't handle the circumstances he was put under. The pressure and stress was killing him. And besides, Rori hated him. It wouldn't matter to her if he left or not. Hawk was unconscious. Maybe he wouldn't remember anything that'd happened. Blakely probably wouldn't care. The two of them always argued over the dumbest of things. It was a mystery to Kidd why the two were even partners if they bickered nonstop every time they were with each other. And if this is what it took to bring them closer together, it'd probably be better if Kidd left her alone.

Rori gazed down at her partner and her heart raced once beeping erupted from the machines. She felt him twitch and stared at his face, at the strain there, and when his lips parted with a quiet "yes" she could feel tears threatening to escape.

"Hawk!" She called to him. His eyes rolled up and back into his head before he gave a heavy breath and lost all consciousness again. She felt a weight on her chest, but when the machines settled down, she wondered if maybe it was for the best for him to be unconscious and rest.

Once the boy was resting and she made sure he was breathing still, Rori couldn't help but eavesdrop on the two behind her. She could hear how utterly depressed Blakely was, despite her stern tone and when Kidd started running his mouth, she felt the heat in her cheeks spread across the entirety of her head. How could he even say those things to her after she'd just begged him to stay?

Rori turned herself toward them and she felt her pain numb over in the wake of the anger boiling inside her. She slipped off the bed as gingerly as she could manage--eyes glaring daggers at the boy.

"Kidd. You..." She trailed and pressed her index finger and thumb against her forehead as if she had to literally gather herself just to speak to him. Like he was some uneducated peasant and she was about to point out how completely inept he was in every way. But instead she setteled with "You're a fucking asshole."

For a moment, Blakely wasn't sure she'd heard correctly. Her breath caught in her chest and the words hung in the air between them, looming over the group like a hurricane waiting to rip through infirmary. Blakely rolled over to face the girl, and then sat herself upright and looked between Kidd and Rori. But Rori was not finished. Oh no.

"You think leaving is gonna solve this?" Rori spat, gesturing around the room at all of them. "This isn't some fucking game where you can just press quit and then come back whenever YOU feel like it. She just asked you to stay. She wants to be your partner, even though you almost got us all killed. Maybe she's as stupid as you are for that, but at least she's not a coward."

Blakely's mouth parted and then snapped closed. She was just insulted and almost complimented at the same time and she couldn't figure out whether she was offended or just sad that what Rori was saying was true. "Rori... please. This is not the time." Blakely gave a sigh and stood up.

"And I was just starting to like you." Rori added, her face disgusted. Clearly with herself. "Even after almost killing us, you pulled through. And you just want to leave. Fine. Leave. But you're not shit without Blakely. No one wants a coward as a partner. No one wants someone who's going to leave when life gets tough. Blakely can get a new partner."

"Enough Rori. You've said enough." Blakely was up and starting toward the girl, but she turned on her heel, dark hair flicking over her shoulder as she crawled back into her bed. Blakely stared at her back and then looked back at Kidd and over at Hawk. Her mind was aching with everything that was happening and when she looked toward the window, her reflection gazed back at her, tattered and exhausted and covered in wounds. She was trying to keep the peace. Trying and failing. She wanted to sit on the floor and cry, but what would that solve?

And moreover, Kidd's words had really stung. Leave? Why would he leave? She needed him. At least she thought she did. With how they'd resonated and almost killed Ixion, surely he couldn't abandon her now. She was sure that they needed one another, but everything Kidd was saying just made her feel like he could care less either way. "Kidd. Do you even... care about me? Or... us?" She asked weakly then, her eyes were looking past him and out the window into the night. An emptiness filled her and the question was a heavy one that she wasn't so sure about hearing the answer to.

Kidd had his eyes lowered, regretting the words that'd escaped his lips a second ago. A second was all it took Kidd to realize his mistake. Leaving them wouldn't fix anything, and he really would just be making the same mistake he hadn't learned from. What was said and done was said and done though. Kidd looked up at Blakely, making eye contact with her on his own for the first time since they'd been in the room, before sighing. Such an awful decision.

Kidd slowly began to stand up, the exit the only thing on his mind before he noticed Rori getting up from Hawk's bed. " Whoa.... Rori, you really shouldn't be-" Kidd stopped himself when he noticed the angry look on her face. Kidd immediately felt a sense of fear go through his entire body.

Kidd, you fucking asshole.

There was so much venom and hatred in those words that it knocked Kidd back, forcing him to sit back on the bed as he stared up at Rori. Nothing could prepare Kidd for what Rori had to say next. "I...." Kidd tried to speak up but was hushed by Rori's powerful words. It felt as though there was no one else in the room except for Rori. What she was saying had a hold on him.

He looked around the room as Rori gestured to his entire team. Kidd tried to gulp down the knot that was forming in his throat when his eyes fell on Hawk. All the guilt filled him again. She was right. Kidd couldn't just run away whenever he felt like it, whether it got tough or not. He wasn't that little boy that had joined the academy last year anymore.

When Kidd's eyes fell on Blakely next, he froze up. She was going to defend him. Against Rori. Even when what she was saying was true. Kidd had thought he realized how great of a partner she was back in the battle with Ixion. She'd went to him crying, believing that he'd lost his life. She truly cared for him. And yet, here he was still not fully acknowledging her for what she really is. Maybe Kidd just wasn't willing to let go of Daisy yet. The two of them really had something going back then when they were still together. Kidd really didn't know what it was.

A new partner? For Blakely? That blow hurt Kidd the most. Mainly, because it was probably true. Blakely was a partner that was too good to be true for most. Kidd wasn't worthy of having her. Why did she even agree to being partners with him? Everyone in the town recognized Kidd as the loudmouthed clown who thought he was really something to behold. Even through all of that, she decided to stay by his side. Not many people were willing to do such a thing.

Kidd watched Rori in silence as she walked back over to her bed. Everything she said made his stomach churn. Kidd felt extreme anger towards Rori for that. She was right. His rival was 100% right. And nothing Kidd said or did could change any of that. He felt extremely powerless. Their professor had give Kidd the role of leader in this mission. What a great job he was doing. Kidd grit his teeth, feeling his blood boil. He really wasn't shit. How would it have really turned out if they'd all just cooperated to take down Ixion? He wouldn't be able to go back home bragging about his victory, he would've accepted help from her. But there was no way that just he and Blakely could've taken on Ixion by themselves and came out alive. He really was nothing.

When Blakely got up from the bed, Kidd's anger was replaced by fear again. What was she going to do? Had Rori actually convinced her to find a new partner and leave him behind? Kidd held his breath as he stared at Blakely's back, waiting to see what she would do next. His hands clutched onto the bed sheets when she turned around and looked at him. What was she thinking? The suspense of it all was killing him.

When she asked if he cared about her, Kidd paused for a moment. Was this what was truly bothering her? How he felt about her? With the way they always acted around each other, it didn't seem like she'd actually care about his opinion. He always thought that their bickering and partnership was all they had together, not an actual friendship, or perhaps something more. Blakely's question confused him. That's all she seemed to be doing to him as of late. This morning, they were both at each other's throats and didn't speak to each other at all until they had reached the church. But by the end of the night, the two of them had resonated perfectly and were enjoying every bit of it. Well, Kidd did. He wasn't quite sure how Blakely felt during those moments.

Kidd's grip on the sheets loosened up a bit as he thought about what to say. Up until now, he'd never actually had to think of Blakely in another way besides just his partner. "I...." Kidd looked up at Blakely who seemed to be looking past him and not directly at him. "Of course I care about you.... You're the best partner anyone could have, Blakely...." Kidd was incapable of looking at Blakely as he spoke. "I.... I owe my life to you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now...." Kidd felt like crying again, but was all out of tears. He was drained physically, emotionally, and mentally. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take before he would just drop dead on the spot. "But what I think about you isn't important. So, don't worry about what I have to say.... You're better than that." Kidd said, trying to make Blakely feel important. He'd already caused more than enough damage, he couldn't afford to hurt her even more. Most of what he said he wasn't sure he meant. He didn't actually know how to feel about Blakely.

Blakely could see Kidd's confusion. How her question struck him in a way she hadn't meant for. His words fell out like loose change, and she flinched and found herself recoiling at how awkward it all felt. She didn't want to hear the uncertainty that her partner spoke with. Even though his intentions were well and good. She wasn't asking for a love confession. She was asking if he cared beyond their roles as simply meister and weapon. But his words struck her oddly and she knew then, that they were strictly business. He did the fighting and she did the killing, and beyond that--they were nothing.

"THAT'S..." her voice was raised, but she caught herself with a sigh. "I think, maybe, you misunderstood me..." She gave him a once over, her eyes going from head to toe. She liked Kidd. She did. And she thought them friends, but like Kidd said, it wasn't important. "Better than what? Better than whatever you think of me?" She asked him, her tone sharp. She didn't care that she'd saved his life, he'd have saved her's she hoped. She didn't care that he was still hung up on Daisy. She didn't care. She just wanted him to accept her, and accept Hawk and Rori, and quit with the one track outlook that he was the only one in his universe.

"If you can't even say that we're friends, Kidd. Then why are you sitting here?" She asked harshly. Her eyes flickered gold and grim. "You act like I just asked you to marry me." she wanted to rip her hair out. Punch something maybe. She wanted to pick up her longboard and skate right off the campus and hop a plane back to California. "I don't need your confirmation as a man, Kidd. I need your commitment as my friend and partner that you actually give two shits about us to not get us into situations like this." She told him this, but her legs were taking her toward the the door. She faced him, and was backing slowly toward the exit with every word. How had they resonated if Kidd felt no connection to his partner aside from the basic concept of weapon and meister? Why was he even sitting here? What were they? How could she be partners with someone she didn't even know?

"Blakely, are you leaving...?" Rori's voice echoed into the quiet, and Blakely realized then that her palm was on the handle of the door and she was staring into the room with wide eyes. "Are you okay?" Rori quipped, sitting upright and looking a bit alarmed. Blakely was clutching at her chest and taking quick breaths.

"I...I..." She turned the knob of the door and stumbled, pulling it open.

"Blakely, I think you should lay down. You don't look well." Rori told the girl, Blakely's face seeming pale. She'd slid out of the bed and was easing toward Blakely as non-threateningly as possible. But Blakely was having none of it and swung the door open. Her longboard tipped onto the floor and clattered against the ground as the door knocked against the wall. It'd been proped in the hallway and when she broke out of the room, she snatched it up with her left hand, running .

"Wait! Blakely! WAIT!" Rori called after her down the hall, but couldn't chase. And she watched Blakely's blond curls whip around the corner and vanish from view.

"Well. That went as smooth as expected." Rori muttered, looking up at Kidd and rolling her eyes. "You might as well have told her to die in a fire while you were at it." She sneered, flopping onto her bed, exhausted by everything. "I don't get you, Kidd. I really don't." She sighed and squeezed her eyes shut.

Kidd sighed a breath of relief after he was done talking, believing that he'd fixed at least one problem he'd caused. He was wrong. Rest would not come to Kidd. There was a reaction from Blakely that let Kidd know he'd fucked up yet again. Only, he was clueless as to what he did wrong yet again.

Kidd flinched at Blakely's sudden outburst. She was right, he did misunderstand. He misunderstood most things that went on nowadays. Here we go again.... Kidd's brain felt like it would just stall completely. A headache came on strong as he listened to Blakely's venting. Kidd needed to know what he was doing wrong so he could fix it. "Blakely, please. That's not what I-" Kidd bit his tongue and simply stared up at her, his own eyes casting a look of sadness. It felt like most of what Kidd said went unheard, but whatever didn't only put him under fire. It'd be better to just wait Blakely out and see what he could do for her.

Kidd was deeply hurt by Blakely now. "We are friends...." He said softly, his own golden eyes dimming under the anger and hostility of her's. Everyone and everything was putting Kidd down. And he was now realizing how much of a terrible person he truly was with what Rori and Blakely were telling him. It also made him realize that he had more power than just his strength and speed on the battlefield. He was capable of hurting those around with just his thoughts and words.

Of course they were friends, right? They had to be. It wouldn't have been possible for them to pull off such a strong ability against Ixion if they didn't have at least that connection with each other. Kidd couldn't lie to himself though. Until now, he hadn't really taken how important Blakely was to him into consideration. He'd simply thought that they'd come closer because of their mutual connections through Shilo. And the two were in need of a partner. Shilo's disappearance was another factor that put them together, but he never thought much of her outside of the realm of Meister and Weapon. It was strictly business to him.

"What are you doing? Where are you going?" Kidd said, concerned with Blakely who was now making her way to the door slowly. He looked over at Rori who sprung to action before he could. Captain Rori, to the rescue again. She was doing better at handling situation than Kidd, despite the injuries and trauma she'd received. Kidd decided to sit this one out again and see if she could do a better job at calming Blakely down than him. But when Blakely didn't heed to Rori's advice, Kidd stood up immediately. "Blakely, please.... Let's just talk about this." Kidd would start all over again if he had to. Whatever it took to make things right.

Kidd began trudging over to Blakely slowly. She was really serious about leaving right now. He couldn't let that happen. "Seriously, Blakely. Come on. Please don't do this." Kidd reached his hand out to her. Just as he was about to reach her, she slammed the door open and took off running down the hallway, leaving Kidd stupefied. Did that really just happen? His eyes went wide at the noise of the board clattering against the floor. He'd really pushed her to that point.

Kidd looked over at Rori for her reaction. It was almost as if he was expecting her to say or do something else beside give him some witty remark. Kidd clenched his fists and jaw, staring down at the ground for a moment. If things seemed like they couldn't get any worse, they did. A whole lot worse. Kidd shot a glare and frown at Rori, feeling his blood boil.

"Shut up, Rori." Kidd said before running out of the room on his own to find Blakely. Who knew what was going through her mind right now? Or what she even planned to do once she got out of here? Kidd turned the corner, following after the sound of her footsteps. He huffed as he ran, rarely having the energy to keep up with her. The battle had taken more out of him than he'd anticipated. His Soul Perception still wasn't functioning correctly, so he couldn't afford to lose her now, otherwise he wouldn't be able to find her for the remainder of the night.

"Blakely!" Kidd called after her while he continued running. Kidd willed himself to run faster, going against the aching pain in his legs. After a few seconds, Blakely started to come into view again. "Blakely, please stop! Talk to me!" Kidd pleaded. She cared so much for him, but he'd been oblivious to it the entire time. He was obligated to step up. The distance between the two shortened and shortened until Kidd finally reached out and grabbed her wrist, bringing her to a complete stop.

"Blakely...." Kidd hunched over, catching his breath. The distance they'd ran wasn't very far, but it felt like he'd just sprinted an entire marathon. "Blakely, please.... Just talk to me...." Kidd stood up, wheezing. He stared straight into her eyes. He wouldn't let go out her wrist fearing that she'd just try to run off again. "Please." He begged her, wiping some sweat off of his face with his free hand.

Blakely hadn't realized how utterly exhausted she was. Her legs were just taking her because she willed them to do so and the wind whistled past her ears drowning out any of her thoughts, and moreover Kidd's footsteps gaining on her. She'd reached the main exit of the school, shoving one of the doors open and breaking the threshold of the DWMA. The night air hit her lungs and she gulped it in greedily as if she'd been short of oxygen for quite some time now.

And just as she reached the steps, her wrist was snatched up and she spun to face its' captor, her board dropping from her hand and rolling down the mountain of stairs below them. She looked at Kidd, breathing wildly, her chest rising and falling beneath a wide-eyed stare--like some feral animal. Kidd's eyes held hers and all at once she realized just how shaky her legs were and stumbled a bit, as if his gaze had set her off kilter. Her legs gave out completely, then,  and she dropped to the ground, rather gracefully, given the circumstances.

Her head hung there, eyes downcast, feeling too heavy to even lift her own weight. Blakely's wrist draped limp in Kidd's grip and she turned her arm up so she could take hold of his arm, and gently gave it a tug, gesturing for him to sit down with her. Without realizing just how close to the edge of the steps she was, her bum slid off the first step and she squealed, lurching forward and grabbing Kidd's legs to keep her from toppling down the staircase. Her cheeks flushed bright red and she sniffled a bit, still looking down, more embarrassed than she had been.

She gave an awkward crawl back to the top of the steps at Kidd's feet and sat there like a small child, clinging to one of his legs as if she might fall again at any moment.

She didn't know what to say to Kidd. Sitting there clinging to her partner she couldn't think of anything that would make her look less pathetic. She just wanted to sleep and cry and scream all at once. But she couldn't even sit on the ground without almost falling to her death, let alone walk herself all the way back to the dorms and hope to survive the night. "I'm sorry." she muttered, her voice scratchy and tired. "I just couldn't stay in there anymore. I... felt trapped." she admitted, rubbing one of her eyes with her free arm.

"Kidd. I'm sorry." She stated a bit louder this time. "Just forget what I said. I can't deal with it anyway." She sighed honestly. She was hardly handling life in general, and all of this, well, it just wasn't working for her. She couldn't understand herself or where she belonged in this place. She'd thought she'd started to fit in with Shilo, and she was happy then. And when her and Kidd became partners it felt like things were falling into place for her. But they weren't, with Shilo being gone, with Kidd feeling confused about her... she was feeling like she didn't belong anywhere. Like she was better off leading a normal life in California with her family.

"My brother told me to stay in Cali. But I had to come here. Was it a mistake?" she whimpered, talking to herself really. She leaned her head against Kidd's knee and closed her eyes. She was comfortable with Kidd. For some reason there was an ease between them. And maybe they couldn't say they were close friends, but there was something so easy and free about their relationship that it just made sense to her. They worked. She couldn't explain it. She didn't know why. But whenever they'd resonated she knew it was supposed to be that way.

She didn't know if Kidd felt it. But he was different than she. He'd already been partnered with someone else. And loved her, and Blakely was just a fill-in. But it seemed right and Blakely wanted to deny it. But she couldn't anymore.

Kidd had finally caught his breath after a few seconds. He looked past Blakely and down the steps, where her board had fallen. Unfortunately, it was out of sight due to how dark it was out tonight. Kidd sighed and waited for Blakely to reprimand him. He knew how much she loved that board and how much it mattered to her. Kidd prayed to Lord Death that it wasn't broken or lost, for fear of what she'd do to him if it was. Nothing happened. Instead, she slumped down on the ground, clearly exhausted. "I'm sorry, Blakely.... I'll help you find it. If we can't find it, I'll you a better one." Kidd promised her, feeling bad because of what'd just happened.

Kidd stared down at Blakely, his eyes drooping down halfway. He was getting extremely tired, but he wouldn't allow himself to black out here. Especially not when there was one step he could take towards making things slightly better in someway. Had it not been for her squeal, Kidd may have unknowingly let her fall down the steps to her death. Kidd bent over quickly and wrapped his arms around her while she grabbed onto one of his legs.

"Be careful, Blakely." Kidd said, all emotion in his voice gone from his exhaustion. The moon and stars were slightly soothing to Kidd, who found himself a bit lax. Of course, they couldn't completely rid him of his problems, but they did make him feel just a bit better, which couldn't do any harm. "Blakely, are you alright?" Kidd asked her in a softer and calmer tone. For the first time since the battle, his Soul Perception was managing to function. Kidd could see deep into Blakely's soul, how she felt.

The way she wrapped her arms around his leg made Kidd feel like an awful person. Like he was superior to her or something, when he really wasn't. The two of them were equivalents. It disgusted Kidd that at one point he would've wished for people to actually come at him like that. Crawling at his feet. Kidd could just sense her embarrassment, but he didn't move until Blakely stopped talking, in order to avoid interrupting her.

After she was done, Kidd unwrapped her arms from his legs and took a seat directly in front of her. He crossed his legs as he sat down. "Blakely, don't apologize. I completely understand." Kidd yawned. Maybe the moon was too relaxing for his tastes. "Trust me. I probably would've done the same thing, too. None of this is your fault, you have nothing to apologize for." Kidd gave her a small smile and patted her shoulder in a comforting manner. Seemed like a simple topic to discuss. Anyone would've wanted to escape the room too if they knew what'd happened to cause Kidd and his team to wind up in there. But Kidd knew that it was more that was bothering Blakely than just that.

"Stop apologizing. Seriously Talk about what's bothering you. I really want to help you, Blakely. I actually care." Kidd reached over and squeezed her hand. The last thing that she'd said really sparked some thinking in Kidd's head. Stay in California and never come to Death City? Now that Kidd thought about it, Blakely was by far one of the most important and influential people in his life. What would he be doing now if it weren't for her? Where would he even be? "Hell no. Your brother is wrong, Blakely. You belong here." Kidd sighed and looked up at her, rubbing his black eye. "At one point, I felt like you. Like leaving behind my hometown was the wrong decision. I'd be leaving behind my little brother, mom, and the city I love so much behind. I still think about it sometimes. But you have to realize, you're worth so much, Blakely. More than what anyone could ever say about you, including your brother and parents. You need to show the world that. Make your family proud, so when you do go back and visit them, you can feel way more accomplished."

Kidd felt like he could sort of see where Blakely was coming from. He still wasn't one hundred percent sure he completely understood her, but there were some similarities between him and her that he'd spotted in what she'd said.

When Kidd seated himself in front of her, she peered up at him with meek eyes and then back down at her lap. She'd dropped her arms at her sides and was leaning her weight on her right arm mostly, reclining herself a bit. She could see just how exhausted they both were and she turned to look down the staircase where her board had probably met its' demise. It didn't matter. She gave a dismissive chuckle to herself. What did her stupid skateboard even matter anyway? Couldn't save her from the hole she'd dug herself into.

"I'm sorry...ugh" she groaned at herself apologizing again and sighed before she continued. "My brain isn't working right now... not like it ever does anyway." she muttered from the corner of a frown, blond curls falling in her face and sticking to her lips before she blew the strands away from her mouth--giggling cutely. She pulled her knees up and dropped her forehead against them, talking toward her thighs. "Helping me is probably impossible." she told him, hoping it wasn't too muffled to hear. She couldn't tell him anything, because she couldn't even understand herself.

She turned her head and reached up to pull the mop of hair away from her face, sliding a hairband from around her wrist and using it to pile the curls into a bun atop her head. "You know. I--" She paused for a moment, considering opening up to Kidd. They'd really never discussed anything personal before, which made her feel somewhat worried. She wrinkled her nose and mentally said "fuck it" before proceeding.

"My parents, don't care. They just shipped me here because they couldn't handle the fact that I was different. My brother cares, but he's got his own life to worry about." she looked over at Kidd for a moment, gauging him and whether she should just keep silent and pouting her lips at his blackened eye. "I've never stayed anywhere long, Kidd. It's just who I am I guess." she gave a yawn and lifted her head then, stretching her legs out straight toward him, her heels tapping against the ground--arms reaching toward the sky. She tipped her head back and gave the stars her attention for a moment. She wished she could be as peaceful as the night made her feel.

"I don't know what will make me feel accomplished. I thought I was starting to, but this fight changed that stupid idea." she snorted, the freckles on her cheeks crinkling with the motion.

"Enough about me and my shit life." she exhaled, looking the boy over and then reaching her hand out, pinky extended. "Just promise me you'll put up with me, and stay my partner." her face was dead serious for a minute before she cracked a goofy smile and wiggled her finger at him. She could really curl up on the ground and sleep there. Her muscles ached and she felt gross in general.

"What Rori said. I disagree. I couldn't get a new partner so easily. It's not that simple for me. I can't just bond with someone and then drop them and move on. I wish I could... but we're okay together, right?" she managed a weak smile, and shrugged her shoulders. Maybe Kidd was better off without her. He was capable of being solo. But was she? Could she really even entertain the idea of someone else? It didn't seem so. And again she sighed. Because being co-dependent made her feel pussy-whipped, and Kidd wasn't even a girl.

Kidd was so tired that he was beyond falling asleep at this point. It'd never occurred to him how tired he really was until just now. Probably all that stress and leftover adrenaline from earlier pumping through his body. At least the adrenaline was gone now. Kidd followed Blakely's gaze over to the stairs. He yawned as he stared down into the abyss of darkness. If Blakely killed him, he'd have it coming. He just knew it. Much to his surprise, she didn't say anything about it. What crazy world were we living in?

Kidd frowned at Blakely again. None of this was her fault, but she seemed so insistent on apologizing. But for what? What reason did she have to apologize for? No one else but Kidd should've felt guilty of anything in that moment. Kidd sighed at Blakely. Her brain was working just fine. If it weren't for her, they'd all be dead right now. She was the MVP. "Nothing is impossible. Just lemme help you...." Kidd yawned again, really starting to feel it. He rubbed the tiredness out of his eyes, but flinched from the pain. "Fucking Ixion...." Kidd muttered to himself, rubbing at his black eye. He kept forgetting that thing was there.

Kidd watched Blakely put her hair up into a bun. It made him realize how much effort he put into his hair. He probably put way more effort into his hair than Blakely did hers, but that's only because he needed to, otherwise he'd look terrible. Not like his haircut was the best anyways, people either loved it, hated it, or laughed at it. Blakely was lucky. Her hair looked nice, she didn't have to do much to it to look good for the day. Kidd sighed again, running a hand through his hair. Even through the shittiest of situations it held up perfectly. His hair was stronger than he was. Kidd let out a small chuckle. Man, everything seemed so depressing now.

"Hmm?" Kidd looked back to Blakely. "Just say it, why are you being so-" Kidd in turn paused for a moment. How could he criticize her for wanting to hide her problems and feelings from him? He was the one who couldn't even be upfront with her about what she meant to him.

"Huh?" Kidd cocked his head to one side. There were a bunch of things he and this girl had in common. Her parents didn't care? Couldn't be anything worse than he'd been put through with his mom. Kidd still couldn't get over how many times he'd done everything in his power to impress her, getting scouted all the way out to Italy and other places in the world, only to have her brush it off like it wasn't anything. Kidd didn't even know Blakely had a brother, either. Not until just a second ago. Just like him. Only, Kidd's brother was a lot younger than her's and didn't have any responsibilities. Kidd could still remember the day he got to the airport, his little brother saying he wanted to go with him wherever he was going. Kidd rubbed the back of his neck, starting to consider whether him coming to Death City was a mistake. Maybe it wasn't too late? Kidd could surely still get on a pro team and join the US Nationals. Then his mom would have no choice but to pay attention to him.

Kidd remained silent as he listened to Blakely speak. His mind was all over the place right now. There was so much he wanted to say to her, but he just didn't know how to say it. And he didn't want to say anything that could be misinterpreted either, since that's all that'd been happening tonight. "Blakely, you accomplished a lot tonight. You saved all of our asses. Take some pride in that." Kidd gave her a small smile and thumbs up. He tried to be that energetic and vibrant Kidd that he used to be in an attempt to lighten up the situation a little, but it just wasn't happening. Nothing would be the same.

Kidd stared at Blakely's pinky for a moment before coming to any decision. She seemed completely serious right now. Fuck. No fucking up this time. Kidd thought about all the things he's be put through with this agreement. He weighed the positives and the negatives that would come with their partnership. There certainly wouldn't be any repeat of what'd happened with Daisy. Nope, fuck that. Kidd scratched his nose, really thinking hard about this decision. He was a man of his word and he knew there would be turning back. Once he saw Blakely smile, he realized her was just a joke. "Oh, uh.... Right." Kidd smiled back, lacking any humor. He really wasn't in the mood to be joking around, but at least she didn't seem as angry at him as before. Kidd reached up with his pinky and linked it up with her's, shaking on it.

No turning back now.

"Yeah, of course we are. We're the best partnership out there." Kidd projected his voice with confidence this time. He made sure to not take too long this time or hesitate at all. It'd just be food for Blakely's doubts in having faith for him. But it wasn't entirely made up on the spot either. The two of them had potential and were a formidable alliance. That move they pulled off on Ixion was insane, something Kidd would never dream of doing. And besides, Blakely wasn't the one that had to worry about finding a partner, it'd be Kidd. No one else was willing to put up with his shit, especially if they knew who he used to be. It made him wonder why she was willing to put up with it. "Don't listen to Rori.... We're a good team, Blakely. Honestly." Kidd said, sounding sincere. He didn't wanna lose another good partner just because of his childish acts. Not again.

Blakely was just as confused about apologizing as Kidd was. She really wasn't one to take responsibility for herself or for others, but feeling displaced and like she didn't belong seemed to be affecting her more than she realized. She didn't want to think she didn't have a place at the DWMA and maybe apologizing would fix all of that for the both of them. Help Kidd not bear the entire weight of the Ixion mission, and help her not feel like she was going to be solo for life. When Kidd gave her a confident reply, she couldn't help but find it almost funny. Obviously they weren't the best partners out there, but it was nice to see Kidd at least trying to be his normal self. Though Blakely was sure that any of them returning to normal wasn't so easy.

Reaching up, she rubbed at her neck, dark with Ixion's hands that gripped her even now that they were miles apart. Forgetting this battle wouldn't be so easy, and she knew the four of them would look at each other with the memories of near-death, whether they spoke to one another after everything or not. Each pass in the hallway or glance from across the campus would bring the memories, fresh, to the surface of their minds. The bruising was sore and her body was bruised all over from being tossed around. She looked herself up and down, tanned skin peeking from beneath her shorts and knitted shirt. She wrinkled her nose at scraped knees and bloodied arms. "I look gross." she muttered.

She felt shy at Kidd's comment about Rori being wrong. She was sure Rori was, in fact, never wrong--but she accepted that Kidd was willing to stay with her and work toward  become a good team. Her cheeks felt a bit red, and she gave him a sigh and stretched yet again before standing up. She held a hand out to him to pull him up. "Let's go get some sleep. You're exhausted."

She looked at the stairs and they didn't seem so ominous under the stars with her semi-committed partner. She tugged him upright, her weight wasn't much compared to Kidd's toned weight and she stumbled a bit before he was standing on his own. Really, even if the two weren't partners, she knew that Kidd and herself were a pair in general. They had plenty in common and their personalities complimented one another. She couldn't really imagine being at the DWMA without Kidd. It was hard enough without Shilo, but not having Kidd would make it a hundred times worse.

She stared down the stairs, eyes feeling a bit heavy as she recalled the world outside of the DWMA. She knew that the school wasn't the only path she had in life. She didn't have to fight forever. She didn't have to have a partner and collect souls. But when she peered over her shoulder at Kidd, and how tired he was--still standing there putting up with her and giving it his best effort for the sake of their partnership, she thought maybe she was on the right path.