It happened faster than they could believe.

Kid was taught well by his father after a certain incident. When he'd resurrected a bunny in his childhood, he thought nothing of it, only that it was still able to play with him. Lord death felt the pull on the strings of fate, descending to scold his son, carving his words deeply into Kid's young mind. Don't meddle with the life cycle and don't use powers beyond the boundaries of the laws of life.

He learned to let the role of others play out in front of him, to allow the severity of death to add to his father's reign. There was no stopping death, he concluded. Everyone must die someday, whether they liked it or not.

So why was he so shaken as he crouched over Liz's drowned body? Why was he so distraught over her inanimate form after he managed to pull her out from the depths of the sea?

A kraken witch had been running rampant on the Pacific shore and Kid's team was summon by the Witches' Council to apprehend her. They set out to sea quickly, knowing that Kid's ability to keep track of the identical tentacles of the witch would prove to be useful in the fight. However, they'd forgotten one thing: Krakens are squids, and squids have eight tentacles… plus two arms. She managed to smack Liz out of Kid's hand and to draw out her human form as she was squeezed between the appendage.

Already suffocating, Liz hardly had time to take a breath before Patty's self conjured shot caused Liz to fall into the water below. Kept busy by the showering attacks from all direction, Kid could do nothing but to feel Liz's life force grow dimmer and dimmer. He wondered allowed, why didn't she swim to the surface? Where was she now? But Patty angrily, no, hysterically cried out that he was an idiot… that Liz couldn't swim. Cursing at Kid's refusal to shoot without both of the two sisters, Patty screamed at him to keep going, or else Liz would sink forever, mustering enough force to keep him going. But they took a beat too long, and Liz's flame was snuffed out.

It was his fault. Kid dragged Liz from the sandy floor and back up to the beach where Patty rushed to meet them. She pushed Kid aside and shoved her ear against her sister's chest, falling backwards as if she were repulsed when she realized that something was missing. Frustrated, she began to beat at Kid, who sat numb and quietly, taking each deserved blow. He couldn't do anything now, not if it tampered with the thread of life.

This was out of his control, out of his line of duty. The urge to reach into the cosmos and to pull out the girl's soul and place it back into her body was maddening. Still, he mourned in silence, barely catching Patty's pleas to bring Liz back, back to the realm of the living. If there was anything his father had taught him, it was to respect the dead.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp smack to his cheek, looking up to see that Patty had transformed her finger into a miniature pistol. She shook as she threatened him, demanding him to resurrect her only family. Another wavelength bullet escape from her pointed hand, hitting the sand next to Kid as he whispered his inability to defy the laws of the world. He barely caught her next words: Don't you love her? And he couldn't stand to meet her eyes, too focused on the body next to them.

Patty trembled as she aimed again, this time to Kid's chest. "Are you an idiot? Give her CPR, you piece of shit. I can't do it on my own."

Ahh, he was an idiot indeed.

Kid snapped into action, bracing his hands above her chest, pumping rhythmically as he counted in his head. This wasn't breaking ancient rules, was it? He could do at least this, couldn't he? These human methods that could bring back the dead, why didn't he realize before?

There was no time to lose… he'd left Liz alone for too long.

He cupped her chin with a hand and pinched her cold nose with his other, tilting up her head and parting her mouth. Kid hesitated, just for a moment, then he covered her with himself, breathing in and feeling her chest rise, but fall without another twitch. He tried again, and again, and again, each additional breath a little more desperate than the one before. Patty slumped onto the sand, muttering it's too late… she's gone.

"One more," Kid fiercely snapped, breathless from the physical strain. One more, and then he would stop. One more, and then he would finally accept this death. But until then, he would keep trying. He angled Liz's head upwards as he prayed to who ever a god's god could be. His lips smashed into hers, blowing in as much air as he could muster. But her chest rose, and it fell without a single beat.

Kid sat back on the palm of his hands, looking at the darkening sky as the sun fell behind him. He could almost see the laughing moon appear now, mocking him that no, a shinigami's role is to take life, not to give it. His unavailing efforts couldn't change what was meant to be.

A wisp of blue caught his attention from the corner of his eyes. Kid followed it's path as it shockingly entered Liz's mouth and disappeared down her throat. It happened faster than they could believe. Time started to move for Liz once again as she pushed off the sand and to the side, retching out the salt water from her system. Patty acted first, propping her sister up and patting her back hard.

After some time, Liz wiped her mouth with the back of her fingers and glanced at Kid's dumbstruck face. "Could you be a little more gentle next time?"

SOULFFLES ASKED → kidliz with returned from the dead kiss?