Chapter 1: Death the Kid
"Daddy! Daddy! Wake up already!" I hear. I open my eyes, still groggy from sleep. I feel fingers poking me. There's only one person it can be. Sure enough, it's Will, my seven-year-old son. His hair is a bright turquoise this morning. He's more Changeling than Shinigami, and can change his appearance all the time. Except his eyes. He has my eyes, and they never change. He looks at me with those eyes and says, "Daddy, Mommy says Grandpa Death has an assignment for you guys and you need to get up and eat!" He starts jumping up and down on my stomach. Blech.
"Ok, ok, Will! Tell Mommy I'm getting up!" I rise out of bed and look at my twenty-five-year-old self in the mirror. I knew that when I was thirty I'd stop aging. Just like my father. Julia aged as I did, for my sake, and would freeze herself at thirty as well. I couldn't believe we'd been married for seven years. It didn't feel that long. I got dressed and headed down to breakfast.
When I reach the kitchen, I see both of my kids sitting at the table, eating pancakes. I smile. I quickly eat breakfast and Julia says, "Kids, go get dressed. Daddy and I don't know how long we'll be gone, but you're staying at the Stein's until we get back." Both kids cheer. They loved it at the Stein's place. "I already packed your bags." Julia adds. She's always on top of everything.
"Mommy, did you pack my Scythe?" Luna asks. She has a toy Scythe she brings with her everywhere. Luna is my five-year-old daughter. She is more Shinigami, and has my hair, including the stripes, and Julia's green eyes. She can change only her hair, and that's it. She's much more mellow and sweet than her crazy, tenacious brother.
"Of course." Julia says. Once the kids are ready to go, we drive over to the Stein's place. The kids are bursting with excitement.
We arrive at the lab. Jade answers the door. "Hey, Julia. Hey, Kid. You here to drop your kids off?" Jade says.
"Yep. We don't know how long we'll be gone, so make sure they don't turn into weapons. Well, Luna at least. We can't let her use her powers yet, because she's too young to control them. And keep two eyes on Will, he'll destroy the whole place if you let him." I say. Stein comes over.
"Hey guys. Julia, why is your hair turquoise?" He says in confusion. "It's my way of testing Will's abilities. I alter my appearance everyday and see if Will can do the same thing." Julia responds. "Alright, we've gotta go. We have yet another mission to go on. I wish ol' Death would let someone else do all these missions."
"Julia, you're a Death Scythe, it's your job." says Jade. Before we leave, Will and Luna come out and give us hugs. With them, they have Jade and Stein's kids, Scarlett and Alistair. Scarlett is Luna's meister, and she's got a very wild, active personality. She has Jade's purple eyes and Stein's silver hair. Alistair is Will's weapon, and he's a very calm, intelligent child. He has Jade's black hair and Stein's green eyes. Scarlett is five and Alistair is seven. They also give us hugs, then we rush to our car, and head to the DWMA.
We arrive in Lord Death's room to see Adrienne and Justin. Justin never had a meister, and he wanted to try it, so Adrienne became his meister. They went on missions, just like Julia and I. They also had a kid, a three-year-old named Moon. She's probably at Stein's Lab, too, I think. After they got their assignment, my Father started to talk to Sid, who had gotten there before us. Julia and I sit, waiting. She leans her head against me, and I put my arm around her. "I hope we aren't gone too long this time." she says. Last time we were on a mission, we were gone over a month.
"We won't be, love. I promise." I tell her, hoping I was right.
Suddenly, Sid starts freaking out. "HOLY CRAP, LORD DEATH! Do you have any idea how serious this is? The Avatar doesn't just ask for help! He's in big trouble! We can't send just anyone for this! We need the best! This is serious!" Sid screams.
"Oh?" says Father in his comical voice. "In that case... Kid! Julia! Come here, I have a special assignment for you two. You two are going to the avatar universe, using Julia's space-and-time travel powers. Avatar Aang is in need of your assistance. His old friend, Zuko, needs your help! You must go at once to see what he needs of you. You two will be welcomed by him, due to Julia's travels in that world. He is having some sort of dragon trouble. He claims it's serious. You must solve his problem. Oh, and how are my grandchildren? Can I see them sometime?" Lord Death loves my children, saying they're perfect all the time. I totally agree with him.
"They're great. They'll be staying with the Steins until we get back, but they'll visit. And are you sure Zuko'll recognize me? I haven't seen him in twenty years!" Julia says.
"Oh, Julia. He'll remember you." Lord Death says. "Now go save some people." We leave.
Who is this Zuko guy? How does Julia know him? Why does my father think he'll remember Julia? "Julia, who is Zuko?" I ask.
"Well, he's from the Avatar world, as you might've guessed, and he's the Fire Lord. Aang had to defeat his evil father twenty years ago, when I was in that world. I gave Aang some help, although he never met me. I sent spiritual help through other spirits. I ran into Zuko when he had some inside conflict about whether he should help the Avatar or help his father. I helped him solve that conflict. Later, I helped him find the Avatar when he wanted to go join him. That was the last I'd heard of him." Julia says. "Now, let's go save some people." She takes my hand, and the world is whirlwind of colors and light. I feel as if I'm being dragged through a tiny tube. I can't breathe. The only thing I can feel is Julia's hand on mine.
Suddenly, I hit the ground, hard. I gasp for breath, and stand up, taking in my surroundings. We are on the steps leading up to a great palace. Everything is red and orange, which looks amazing under the sun, which is already beginning to set. We walk up to the door, and Julia changes her hair back to its normal blond. There are guards at the front doors. "What is your business at the Fire Lord's palace?" one grunts at us.
"I have business with Zuko. I'm an old friend." Julia says.
"Very well." the guard says. He opens the doors, and we walk in. One of the guards follows us, as if intending to guide us.
"I know my way around." says Julia dismissively. The guard backs off. Julia leads me through a series of long hallways, and we reach a set of doors with a fire insignia on it. Another set of guards are at this door.
"State your name and business." one grunts.
"Julia the Changeling and Death the Kid. We were under the impression Zuko needed our assistance." Julia says.
"We'll be right back." the guards slip through the doors and leave us waiting. Julia grimaces.
"I'd forgotten how stringent security is. You'd think he'd welcome us."
"He is a Fire Lord. Do you think Aang will be here?" I inquire.
"He must be. Zuko would ask for his help then Lord Death. Your Father is a last resort for many in these alternate universes. I'm afraid to ask why they asked him for help." Julia says nervously. I pace back and forth while we wait. I tremble, afraid, knowing that if something was bad enough for Julia to be afraid, it would be as bad as Asura. She's tough, and isn't afraid of much.
The guards come back and say, "Zuko is glad to know you came. He said it would be a honor to greet his old friend. Please, come in."
"It's about damn time." I hear Julia mutter. The doors swing open into a cavernous room. On the other end of the room there is line of flame, and behind it, two figures, one sitting on an ornate throne, one standing beside him. From this far away, I can't make out their faces, but I know it's the Avatar and Zuko.
"My Lord," announces one of the guards, "The Changeling and her husband, Lord Death's son, have arrived." The line of flame disappears and Zuko and Aang approach us, and we approach them. Aang airbends over, and says to Julia, "So you're the Changeling Zuko has told me so much about." Aang has the airbender tattoos and looks much more serious and grown up than what Julia had said. He looks about thirty-two, not much older than us.
"That's right, Aang. This is my husband, Death the Kid. He's a shinigami, and Lord Death's son."
"Lord Death's son, eh? I hope you're more serious than your comical father."
I say, "Don't worry, I'm much more serious than him. You should be grateful that my Father is comical. He's scary when he's angry." Just then, Zuko arrives.
"Julia! It's so good to see you!" Zuko exclaims. He is older than Aang, I can tell, and has a large scar on the left side of his face. The one his father gave him, I think. He wears a ponytail with a little flame hair piece. He smiles down at Julia, happy to see her. "I didn't know help meant you!" He embraces Julia.
"Well, Lord Death said the best people were necessary, so he sent Kid and I. It's good to see you too! You look so old!" Julia exclaims.
Zuko laughs. "I'm not that old! This must be your husband, Death the Kid."
"That's me." I say. "It's nice to meet you."
"And you, Kid!" Zuko says. Zuko suddenly seems serious. "Thank gosh you came. This world is in serious trouble."