One Week Later

Kidd POV

The small mirror in my pocket rings, and I pull it out quickly, tapping the surface to clear the fog and find father on the other side. "Father, what is it?"

"I'm calling for an update. I don't sense Maka anywhere near you, and I haven't for days. What's going on over there?" he asks in his serious tone, no longer trying to be relaxed.

"I found the twins, but I got separated from Maka before we could do so. A building fell between us, and Wes Evans supposedly has her now." Father makes a sound of confusion, and Death Scythe comes to stand next to him. "Apparently he was stuck here when the whole thing started, and they've been helping each other since they met."

Liz comes up behind me. "Yo, Lord Shinigami, please tell me you have a backup plan to get us out of here."

He shakes his head. "There was no backup plan, Black Star is busy with the city's defense, and Stein is researching to improve the cure. Nobody else is able to take on such a mission."

I shake my head. "Perfect, we're stuck in a city of the living dead, and I don't have access to a big enough mirror to send anyone through."

Maka POV

I glare at Wes from the other side of the room. "Stop staring at me."

He smirks slightly, red eyes glinting with mischief. "Can't help it, there's not much else to look at around here, and you're a sight for sore eyes, gorgeous."

I scrunch up my nose and cross my arms over my chest. "It's your fault I'm here. You couldn't have just left me out there?"

"No, I couldn't have done that. You would have been dead by midnight, if not sooner." He turns to look out the window. "At least it's almost dawn, and if I know the girls, they ought to be going on a food run sometime today. They said your boyfriend found them a few hours after I got you, so I'll be happy to send you on your way with him."

I shake my head. "We came here looking for them and any other survivors we can bring back with us will be more than welcome back in Death City. Come with us."

He shakes his head stubbornly, like every other time we've had this conversation. "There's no point in me leaving this place. I'll be dead within the next few weeks anyway."

I stare at him, a frown on my face. "I don't get it, what's wrong with you? We've got doctors there who can help you!"

"I can't be saved at this point, Maka." He pulls up his sleeve, shoving me a blackened arm. "Tenebris got to me a month before all this happened, and gave me a poison that would slowly kill me."

I shake my head in denial. "There is a way around it, I'm sure of it. She had me for experimentation a few times, and I'm still alive and kicking! Stein could figure out something, if not a cure then a treatment to keep you alive."

He shakes his head. "I've already made my peace with it, knowing that you killed her, and gave my brother a mercy I couldn't offer. I want to see my family again, and death is the only way it will be possible."

I look at the ground, clenching my fists and holding back tears. "Do the girls know that you're sick?"

"No. I hardly even know them, we just met during this apocalypse." I feel his eyes move over me. "You know, if there is something you want to do for me, it would be to take my life now."

I gasp and glare at him. "I could never do that! It would be murder, and I promised myself I would never do it unless I was attacked!" I stand up and stomp my way to the kitchen. "How dare you ask that of me?!"

He sighs tiredly from the living room. "I knew you would react like that, that's why I told you my only other option."

I pull out a water bottle from under the sink and crack it open, taking a sip. "I just don't want Tenebris to steal another person's life, even after her death. It will mean she's claiming another victory in this whole affair."

"I know, but I'm fighting it as much as I can so that it won't be an easy victory, I assure you." He steps up behind me and puts a hand on my shoulder. "I promise I'll never ask this of you again, Maka." He whispers in my ear before he walks into his room.

I know this is super short, but I'm working on getting back into it. Sorry for a disappointing update after such a long wait.

I do not own Soul Eater