So, I've decided to celebrate Death the Kid for the first eight days of August (after seeing some post on Tumblr) with some short stories of sorts! I'm not planning on using any prompts, so I'll just type whatever comes to mind. I hope you all enjoy~

Stories may possibly contain cussing and/or violence, which is why this is rated T.

I don't own Soul Eater or any of its characters.

Death had never given much thought to raising children-at least, not since the incident with his first son (in which he became a fear-driven monster bent on consuming souls of the innocent). However, as his current Death Scythe Spirit Albarn continued to discuss his blooming relationship with his second meister, Death found that he rather missed the thought of having family.

He used to live in a grand building known as Gallows Mansion, though as his workload increased, he began to spend less and less time there until it seemed he practically lived at Shibusen. If he had family once again, then there would be someone to fill the space in the rather empty manor, and he'd have more reason to return to it. Still, Death was reluctant to attempt raising another child. Was there even a harmless piece left of his soul that could be used to create another being? Removing his fear resulted in Asura becoming a corrupted coward that murdered to obtain power, after all. On the other hand, he would need someone to take his place eventually...

It was a constant thought weighing heavily on the shinigami's mind every day, and he had yet to really make the decision. One day, when it seemed the idea just refused to vacate his thoughts, Death decided to confide in his partner.

"Death Scythe?" He called suddenly, interrupting the red-haired man mid-sentence. Spirit jerked, startled at the sudden interruption, though regained his composure quickly enough.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Do you think that having a child is worth it?" Death asked, his goofy voice remaining intact, though with a hint of seriousness. Spirit stared blankly for a moment with confusion evident on his features, though the silence didn't last too long.

"Of course it is! Children are like little miracles of the world! Ya know, my fiancée and I were discussing having a child one day..." The man rambled, his eyes practically sparkling as he spoke.

"Okay, I think that's-"

"-and I think it's an honor to care for another being-"

"Alright, Death Scythe, I've heard enou-"

"-though, I wouldn't mind having a boy, but I would just adore having a little girl-"

"SHINIGAMI-CHOP!"

Yes, after several attempts to shut the redhead up, Death had to resort to the infamous Shinigami-Chop. Spirit had crumpled pitifully to the ground upon impact, clutching at the injury with a pained whimper. Death cleared his throat.

"That's all I needed to hear, Death Scythe. Now, if you continue to dismiss whatever I have to say, then I'll have no choice but to Shinigami-Chop your thick skull!"

"Ugh...ya know, it would be more effective...if you gave that warning before chopping me..."

It was later that night, the moon visible in the cool atmosphere, when Death returned to Gallows Mansion for the first time in years. He stood in his cloaked form outside the double doors, sweeping his gaze over the building. The outside remained in good condition, since he arranged for it to be maintained as such-though, the inside was a different story. As soon as he entered, the shinigami found himself enveloped in a cloud of dust. He waved one of his comically-large hands and cleared the air around him in a single swipe.

"A bit dusty, hmm...?" He murmured to himself.

Death continued forward, allowing the doors to be left open-so as to air out the dust-and noted the worn tiles that creaked beneath him. Glancing up, he saw a rusted chandelier that was perilously close to dropping from its thinning cord, as well as several cobwebs bare of any spiders. Wallpaper peeled from the walls, and a mirror that he used to travel through was left cracked and forgotten in a corner. Death took everything in wordlessly, before coming to one conclusion:

"...This is no environment for a child."

Needless to say, the shinigami hired a few construction workers to spruce the place up for him. The crew did a wonderful job, he thought as he examined the place a couple weeks later. The inside had been completely renovated, all pieces of furniture replaced with newer models. The walls were free of grime and cracks, and the wallpaper did not peel. The floors were clean and just as reflective as a mirror, which had also been replaced. Death was pleased with the results, so the workers had been paid generously before the shinigami bid them goodbye.

He was soon left to himself, having nothing else to do but decide on what piece of himself to lose. He weighed his options for a while before he finally came to a decision-his son would be the fragment of Order. Now, Death lived to balance the lives and deaths of the human population, and he appreciated an orderly workplace, but he figured that giving up his Order would prove to be less harmful to the world than that of Fear was...

"Okay, let's get started~" He chorused to no one in particular.

It was a painful process, of course; splitting one's soul wasn't entirely pleasant, even if it was just a fragment. Death focused the energy of his overwhelmingly large soul and channeled it into his palms, mentally grasping onto the fragment he knew as Order. As soon as he had a firm hold, he gave it a forceful wrench and materialized the piece within his hands. Death allowed a sigh of relief at having the most excruciating part of the process over and done with, but knew he wasn't quite finished yet. Using a bit more of his depleting strength, he willed the soul fragment to complete its transformation of that of a living being. It wasn't long until a white light nearly blinded the shinigami, which was quickly followed by a soft cry.

Death observed the small form he held with awe-filled eyes hidden behind his mask. The boy was quite small, he observed, having forgotten just how tiny infants could be. Being a shinigami, the child had already opened his eyes to reveal two-toned gold irises. His skin was also remarkably pale, which contrasted greatly with his dark hair. However, the inky locks were marred by three white stripes on only the left side of his head.

The older shinigami knew that taking care of his new son would be quite the responsibility, but had already devised a way to prevent the boy from growing into his abilities too quickly: the Lines of Sanzu. With the power-limiters bonded to the boy, Death had no need to concern himself with his son using his powers too soon. It was something he learned after having dealt with Asura nearly eight hundred years ago.

"Hi, son~" Death cooed to the sniffling infant, "I'm gonna take great care of you, I promise!"

"Death Scythe, meet my new son!" Death chirped the next day. Spirit's jaw dropped as a noise of disbelief caught in his throat.

"What the hell?! How...When?!"

"I got him last night~"

"EH?!"

"I've decided to name him after me, since he'll take my place one day," Death continued, never mind his weapon's confusion.

"So you're gonna name him Death Jr.?" Spirit asked after forcing himself to just to play along.

"I was, but then I decided it seemed overdone, so I decided to go with Death the Kid instead!"

"..."

Spirit decided not to question his partner's logic, nor comment on the fact that the name was rather...out there.

Good luck, Kid, he thought to himself.

Not sure how I feel about this one...I mean, I hardly included Kid at all! T~T

Oh, well. There's always tomorrow, I suppose. Anyways, be sure to keep up with the following chapters throughout the week! Thanks for reading!

Reviews are appreciated~