Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor Soul Eater and make no money from these writings.

Love On A Learning Curve

Chapter One

Music played and friends laughed as Kid stared blissfully at the cake before him. The large sheet cake had been decorated in perfect symmetry. And despite there being an odd number of candles on the confection, the twenty-five candles were also perfectly placed. His friends knew him so well, and he was sure that they had gone through a lot of trouble to cater to his OCD to make his birthday perfect. "Thank you, all of you," he said with a smile as he looked around the room. Since his father's passing, his friends had become his family, and he loved them all dearly.

"C'mon, Kid," Patty cheered on from where she and her sister stood behind their meister. "Blow out the candles!"

"Yeah, we're ready to eat," Liz agreed with a smile.

Taking a deep breath, Kid blew out the candles on his birthday cake and smiled when he heard his friends cheer. Even after all of their years together, he still enjoyed their get-togethers. And that was saying something considering just how often they had these parties. There was a party for every birthday and holiday and many more in between "just because."

Liz handed Kid a knife knowing that he would want to cut the cake himself to make sure that all of the slices were perfect. She normally would have urged him on to hurry and not worry about how straight the slices were, but it was his birthday and she was willing to cut him a little slack.

"What kind of cake is it?" Black Star asked as he leaned across the table in attempt to catch a glimpse.

"Would you just sit down?" Maka spoke up as she grabbed the blue-haired man by the back of his shirt and yanked him backwards into his seat. "You need to learn some table manners."

"I've tried," Tsubaki sighed. "He does just fine when we visit my parents."

"Why should I worry about manners around you guys?" Black Star scoffed as he crossed his arms across his chest and scowled lightly at Maka. Moving his hands behind his head and kicking his chair back to balance on the back legs, he added, "There's nobody here I'm trying to impress."

Maka subtly slid one of her hands from the table to give Black Star's chair a little push. With a startled cry and flailing arms, Black Star crashed to the floor and landed on his back with an grunt. "Damn it, Maka!" He yelled as he rolled out of the downed seat and stood to fix it. "What was that for?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Maka responded as she rolled her eyes upwards to glance at the ceiling innocently.

Black Star grumbled a little more as he plopped back down in his seat, but he made sure to keep all four legs on the ground this time.

"Finished!" Kid declared with a flourish as he finished cutting the cake into perfectly equal slices. "Now who wants what?"

Everyone began picking out their pieces and Kid passed out the plates and forks. Looking to the man sitting across from Maka, Kid asked in a gentle tone, "Do you like chocolate cake, Crona?"

Crona looked up from the table and nodded with a soft murmur of "yes." After the battle on the moon that had taken place almost ten years prior, none of them had ever expected to see Crona again. He had sacrificed himself to seal away the kishin Asura. But then, one day only a little more than a year ago when Maka had been visiting the gravesite set up in Crona's memory, the pink-haired man had fallen from the sky. It was very likely that if it wasn't for the black blood that made his body near indestructible, he wouldn't have survived the fall. And that's not to say that he was without injury. A few broken bones seemed a small price to pay, though.

When he had finally woken up after several weeks in the hospital, he said that he didn't remember anything after he had left them. Maka had watched his soul and confirmed that he wasn't lying. He truly didn't remember his betrayal or their battle or his sacrifice. And they, his friends, were content to let things stay that way.

Kid handed Crona a plate of cake and smiled at the man in an attempt to put him at ease. His body had continued to age while on the moon, and while he was still incredibly lanky, he was easily the tallest of the group standing at six-three. He couldn't be talked into cutting his hair, but Maka had convinced him into pulling it back into a ponytail. He still wore several strands down in his face, though. Kid suspected that it was a defense mechanism, like a wall that he could hide behind.

As everyone ate and joked around the large table of Kid's dining room, the mansion's doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Kid said as he stood and excused himself from the group. When he opened the front doors, he was greeted by a small group of people that he knew well. "I'm glad that you could all make it," he greeted them as he stepped aside to allow them inside.

"We wouldn't miss it," Spirit grinned as he shook Kid's hand. The death scythe had started to get a few streaks of gray in his crimson hair in recent years. It was one of those things that everyone noticed but nobody mentioned. Even though Soul was Kid's official death scythe in the event of an emergency, Spirit had stayed on in an advisory role, and Kid couldn't have been more grateful. There was a lot that his father hadn't been able to teach him before he'd died, but Spirit had been able to fill some of that void.

"Marie, Dr. Stein," Kid greeted as the couple also entered his home. Both of them had stayed on as teachers at the academy, but neither looked much older than how he remembered them from his teen years. There was no telling if Stein was going gray yet or what his experiments had done to his body over the years. As for Marie, her only signs of the years were a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was the envy of many other women at the academy. "And hello to you, Greta," Kid said to the young girl who was hiding behind her mother's legs.

It hadn't been terribly surprising when Marie and Stein had announced that they were expecting, though more than a few people were worried about what kind of father Stein would be. Even the doctor himself had fretted over his impending fatherhood. But when a baby girl with light gray hair and green eyes was born, all concerns were forgotten as the man practically melted. At ten years old, Greta was the spitting image of her father though thankfully without the patchwork of scars. But she was shy and rarely spoke directly to Kid. Marie told him once that Greta had admitted that his yellow eyes made her nervous. He'd been surprised, but after he thought about it he decided that he really couldn't blame her.

"Happy birthday, Kid," Marie said as she gave him a warm hug. "Is everyone else already here?" She asked as she heard laughter coming from down a hall.

"Yes, we just cut the cake," he answered as he directed the quartet towards the dining room. "Would you like some cake, Greta?"

Greta blinked at him before her fists tightened in Marie's skirt and she nodded her head twice.

"Soul's in the dining room," Marie spoke down to her daughter in a knowing voice. She watched as the girl's eyes grew wide and pink rose to her cheeks. It was only seconds later that Greta was off like a shot, likely to climb into her favorite uncle's lap and steal his cake.

It was no secret that the girl had a small crush, but it was an attraction that had baffled everyone. She'd clung to Soul since she was an infant. While the pianist-turned-weapon had been awkward at best in dealing with her when she was small, he was getting better. Everyone had their own theories as to why Greta was so drawn to him. Some thought it was the similarity in their hair, others thought it was because he was the only one of them who really hadn't wanted anything to do with her as a baby, but Marie, being the wise mother that she was, suspected that it was because Soul was one of the most laid back in the group. He was quiet like she was but had a confidence in it that Greta admired.

"I'll go make sure she isn't torturing Soul too much," Marie chuckled as she looked at Stein and Spirit pointedly. "You guys take your time."

Kid's brow furrowed as he frowned at Marie's words. Looking to the two men that had taught him how to run his father's academy, he questioned, "What did she mean?"

Spirit sighed as he pushed a hand through his hair. "Let's have a seat," he suggested as he motioned to the couches nearby. "There's something that we need to talk to you about."

The way Spirit seemed to be skirting the issue made something in Kid's stomach tighten, but he took a seat anyway and waited for either Spirit or Stein to pick up the conversation. When they were all seated, Kid on one couch and Stein and Spirit on the one opposite, the older men looked at each other before looking back to Kid. Spirit reached into his coat pocket and withdrew an envelope. He placed the envelope on the coffee table between them and slid it across the smooth surface.

"What's this?" Kid asked as he reached out and picked up the letter only to see that it was addressed to him and in his father's handwriting. He looked up to Spirit immediately for an explanation.

"As light and even silly as your father could act, he was incredibly smart man who kept many contingency plans," Spirit began to explain. "He always knew that there was a possibility that he wouldn't be here for your twenty-fifth birthday. That's what the letter is. He instructed me to deliver that to you today if he wasn't here and a few other criteria were met."

"Criteria?" Kid questioned in utter confusion as he began to neatly open the envelope. "What is all of this about?" He asked more to the the air than to anyone in particular. Removing the letter, he unfolded it and felt a wave of nostalgia hit him as he scanned over the previous Lord Death's neat cursive. He brought his eyes back up to the top of the page and began to read:

Hey Kiddo,

Happy birthday! We both know what it means if you're reading this, but today is a day for you to be happy so let's not think on it too much. I do wish that I could be there to talk to you in person about this, though.

Spirit is under orders to deliver this letter to you on your twenty-fifth birthday for a very important reason. Your powers will be hitting their peak soon. When that happens, you'll more-or-less cease to age, at least for a very long time. Reapers live very long lives, Kid. Because of that, I don't want you to be alone for much of it like I was.

Aside from you receiving this letter on this particular birthday, Spirit was also instructed to only deliver it if you weren't in a serious relationship. I know, you probably don't want to talk about these things with your old dad, but these things are important. Did we ever have "the talk?" I can't remember. Drat. While I hope you're at least aware of the basics, ask Spirit if you have any questions. I'm sure he can explain things, that philanderer.

Kid paused in his reading to run a hand down his face in an effort to dispel the heat rising to his cheeks. Glancing up at Spirit and Stein as they watched him quietly, he cleared his throat and dropped his eyes to continue reading.

I suppose I'll just come out with it. Some time ago, I met a young woman. She's a very charming girl. After you were born and I realized what life would be like for you, I contacted her guardian and arranged a marriage contract. For a long time I wondered if I did the right thing. You were a baby, after all. I had no idea what kind of man you would be. But as you grew, I became more convinced that I did the right thing. I think this girl would be good for you Kid. The Thompson sisters have done wonders to balance out some of your…quirks, but I believe that this woman will be able to do even more for you.

Know that I would never force anything like this on you. I don't want you to be unhappy. All I ask is that you meet her. If you decide against the marriage or have your heart set on someone else, you have the option of terminating the contract.

Spirit has all of the necessary contact information. Just let him know whether or not you're willing to meet the young lady, and he'll take care of the arrangements.

I know that this must be a shock, but I do hope that you'll meet with her. I don't want to pull the parental guilt-trip on you, but think of it as your dear old dad's last wish.

Happy birthday, Kid. I don't think I ever said it enough, but I do love you. Have a great life! I know you'll be a great Death.

-Lord Death (Dad)

Kid lowered the letter to his lap and sank back into the couch to think about everything that he'd just read. He was betrothed. He was betrothed. Part of him wanted to feel betrayed. Who even practiced arranged marriages anymore? With the exception of a few cultures, the answer was nobody! Even among cultures where it had once been the norm, the number of arranged marriages were dropping all the time. But despite the part of him that wanted to be indignant and irritated, another part of him understood where his father was coming from. He'd never shown much interest in dating while his father was alive, and he hadn't shown much more after the man died. He respected his father and his opinions. If he thought this woman was such a good match, didn't he owe it to him to at least meet her?

"Kid?" Spirit asked softly. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Kid answered as he skimmed over the letter one more time. "You knew about this?"

Spirit nodded. "If you'd been in a relationship that looked serious, I wasn't even supposed to deliver the letter. I was supposed to just cancel the contract. Your dad always wanted what was best for you, and your feelings always played a large part of his decisions."

"So what now?" Kid asked.

"That's simple," Stein spoke up. "Do you want to meet her or not?"

Kid hesitated a moment before asking, "Have either of you met her?"

Stein shrugged and shook his head, but Spirit nodded. "I have," the former death scythe answered.

"What is she like?" Kid didn't know why he bothered asking. His father said it would be a good match. But he just need something more, some sort of reassurance.

"She's nice," Spirit told him before he smirked. "And very pretty."

Kid fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"So," Stein spoke. "What's it going to be?"

Taking a breath, Kid was about to answer when he heard several people call out for him from the dining room. It wasn't long before Liz, Patty, and Maka appeared.

"There you guys are," Maka laughed. "What are you all doing in here?" Looking over the trio of men and taking in the mood of the room, she stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"

Kid wasn't sure what to say. It wasn't that something was wrong. Not exactly. It was just that he hadn't had time enough to let everything really sink in. "Nothing," he responded absently as he tried to clear his thoughts. When he he looked up, he only saw Maka standing behind the couch where her father and Stein sat.

That was when he felt the letter being plucked from his hands. He whipped around to see Liz and Patty leaning against the back of his couch as the read over the paper. "A letter from your dad?" Liz asked surprised. He would have answered, but she was already reading it. Kid watched as Liz's eyes grew wide before she turned to look at him. "Seriously?!" She cried.

"Apparently," Kid sighed

"Apparently what?" Maka asked not liking being out of what appeared to be a very serious loop.

"Kid's engaged!" Patty announced loudly.

Maka blinked, but apparently Patty had been loud enough to grab the attention of the rest of their friends in the dining room. It wasn't long before all of them were filing in to make sure that they'd heard correctly. His letter was passed around to several curious parties until he was finally able to grab it back.

"Now that all the Nosey Nellies know what's going on," Spirit glared at the younger generation that surrounded them, "do you know what your decision is going to be, Kid?"

Kid looked back down at the letter in his hands, and his eyes locked onto one phrase in particular. Your dear old dad's last wish. Shaking his head with a small smile, Kid thought, 'He did that on purpose.'

Looking back up at not only Spirit and Stein but all of the curious faces of his friends, Kid took a deep breath and answered, "Make the arrangements. I'll meet with her."