Because there needs to be more Shinigami and Kid fanfics :/ And Shinigami and Spirit fanfics, too. And more Shinigami fics in general. And because I thought of this during my computer class and didn't wanna work on Painting Nightmares.

And more human!Shinigami.

Green eyes flew open at the sound.

He immediately grabbed his jacket and ran out into the pitch black. Footsteps echoing on the stone ground, he headed towards the large and somewhat menacing (thanks to the guillotines and skulls that the owner liked to use for decoration) Gallows Manor. When he got inside, he flew up the stairs and entered a large chamber down the hall.

On the large, skull themed bed, there laid a man. He was screaming and convulsing in his sleep, clutching the sheets and arching his back.

Spirit ran over to the bed and started to shake the man roughly, desperately trying to get him to awaken. "Shinigami-sama! Shinigami-sama, please, wake up!" he pleaded. The man known as Shinigami bolted upright, his screams cut off. He was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and breathing very heavily. Spirit put his hand on his meister's shoulder in comfort.

When he caught his breath, Shinigami looked up to Spirit with tired golden eyes that appeared to have faint tear trails streaming from them. "Spirit-kun? Why are you here?" he asked sleepily.

"Sir…you were screaming in your sleep. I thought that I should come and see what's wrong…"

"I was?" Shinigami's eyes widened. "Oh my. Was I loud?"

"…Well, I could hear it from my apartment."

"Oh dear, that's not good at all. My apologies, Spirit-kun."

"Sir, if I may ask…what made you scream like that?"

"Just a bad dream, that's all."

"That's all…?"

"Well…yes."

"Sir, you can tell me. Really."

"And I told you Spirit-kun. I had a bad dream. A nightmare."

"….about Kid?" Spirit offered quietly.

Shinigami remained silent.

"Sir, it'll help to talk about it."

"…"

"…please?"

"…"

"…"

"…it's the same dream," Shinigami finally started, his eyes blank. "I have the same dream every night."

I'm in Death City."

Shinigami wandered the streets, in his human form. His regular black cloak was low on his shoulders, his jet black hair falling over the spikes messily. He was looking- for what, he didn't know. He had to find something. Someone.

He finds himself in the town square. The fountain is pouring blood, something he finds unnerving. Since when did the fountain pour blood and not water? He looks to the moon, and there is blood between his teeth. Someone has died. But there was something else in his teeth, something like…a skull?

He looks back to the square, and this time he sees someone lying on the ground. It took less than a second to recognize those cute little stripes and familiar black clothes. Shinigami is overjoyed- has his son really found the power to escape the book? He wouldn't doubt it for a minute; his precious son is growing stronger every day. He couldn't help but feel delight and pride.

Rushing over to the boy, Shinigami turned him over to be greeted with a horrific image.

Kid's mouth was stitched into a smirk, and his normally bored eyes were literally lifeless.

Shinigami calls his son's name again and again, shaking him in his arms. Kid doesn't respond, and the death god can feel his heart breaking for the first time. Standing up, Kid still in his arms, Shinigami starts to choke with sadness. It is uncharacteristic of someone like him, but he does not care. His son is dead. His son is dead! He doesn't want to believe it. He lowers his face close to his son's, tears falling from his cheeks and onto Kid's skull broche.

Suddenly, he throws his head to the grinning, bloody moon and screams.

"…"

"…"

Spirit doesn't know how to respond. How do you comfort a scared god? Especially if it's about his child, a subject Spirit was never an expert on? All he could do was put his arm around his meister comfortingly, just keeping him company. He can tell that Shinigami is close to tears.

"Don't worry," he says. "Kid is strong, just like you. He can handle himself."

"You don't understand," Shinigami replies. "You don't know the book like I do. I'm so afraid, Spirit."

"…" This show of weakness was something Shinigami would only show to his closest friends. The bond between the death god meister and the death scythe weapon was closer than anyone would think. Spirit had watched Kid and Shinigami from the moment Kid was born. He knows Shinigami would do anything to save his child, and the fact that can do nothing probably kills him.

Likewise, Shinigami had never shared such a bond with one of his Death Scythes before. Spirit was certainly not perfect, but he had redeeming qualities, and Shinigami felt like he could talk to his weapon about anything.

Spirit patted Shinigami's shoulder. "It's gonna be fine, right? Like I said, Kid is strong. Whatever's in that book, it's probably no match for someone like him. You still baby him, Shinigami-sama." Spirit added the last line with a little smile, which made Shinigami look up and smile as well.

"I guess I do, don't I?" Shinigami chuckled, scratching the back of his head guiltily. He elbowed Spirit. "Not as much as you do Maka, though!"

"My baby Maka needs to be protected!" Spirit complained. "I have to save her from that scythe boy!"

Shinigami remained quiet for a little before snorting into a laugh. Spirit looked scandalized, and then joined him, laughing heartily. When they were done, Shinigami fixed his gaze upon Death City with a smile on his face.

"Thank you, Spirit-kun."