A sound soul,

Dwells within a sound mind,

And a sound body.

"Hey Kid, are you feeling okay? You're looking pretty pale."

Liz Thompson frowned as she watched her Meister, Death the Kid, step out of his large mansion with a grimace on his face. Patty Thompson stared at him as well, wondering if he were perhaps sick or going to get sick.

However, Kid merely sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. Looking up at the sky, he watched a bird fly by before grumbling, "No, I'm fine. Just thinking too hard is all." He looked back down at the world before sighing and walking slowly towards the DWMA: Death Weapon Meister Academy.

"Well, let's get moving."

The two sisters followed behind quietly and wondered silently what was wrong with Kid. They passed a few people walking and Kid stopped suddenly, feeling his body flinch. He turned to look at the couple and stared, his eyes slightly widened.

Liz turned to look back at him, tilting her head to the side before asking, "What is it, Kid? Do you know them?"

Kid continued to stare before he felt his shoulders slump slightly and he looked down, murmuring, "It's nothing. I simply need to talk to Father about something. That's all." Looking up at the sky again, he touched the bangs on his left, and closed his eyes slowly.

"I wonder where she's at right now..."

Death the Kid's Sudden Painful Memories:

Time to Meet Mistress Death?

"Father, I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

Death turned away from his large mirror to see his son, standing a few feet away from him, hands in his pockets, and his eyes glued to the ground. Tilting his head to the side, he asked casually, "Yes, what is it, Kid? Is something bothering you?"

"As a matter of fact, there is." Kid replied, looking up at Death and locking onto his hollow eyes, asking, "Was my mother ever found?"

There was a moment of silence before Death turned to look back at the mirror. He kept quiet for a few moments longer, before saying rather sadly, "That's a strange question coming from you, Kid. As a matter of fact," he looked back at his son before continuing, "no, she wasn't found. Your mother is still out there."

Kid nodded and felt his hands clench into tight fists. He grimaced and looked back down at the ground, grumbling, "I thought so."

"Why the sudden interest in your mother, hmm?" Death asked in his usual, joyful voice. He turned completely around and watched his son try to get his thoughts together, before he spoke calmly, "Well, I've been having nightmares about her lately. About the past with her, I mean." He looked up and added, "And I believe that the Kishin's madness may be affecting me as well. Lately, whenever I have these nightmares, they seem to grow and I haven't been able to catch any more than a half an hour of sleep. It's driving me crazy and sometimes, they'll get so bad that I feel like I have no control over my body. I start doing things that I wouldn't normally do."

Death thought about what his son had said for a few minutes before stating, "I don't believe the Kishin's madness has affected you, Kid, but your mother instead. After all, she was a powerful woman as well and there's a chance that she got into your head somehow." He sighed as he said in a care-free tone, "I'll let Stein know that you're coming down to see him and he can check to make sure she hasn't cursed you with anything. Alright?"

Kid didn't respond at first, before turning around and replying, "Alright..." He didn't speak as he walked away and Death turned back to his mirror. He frowned and glared at the mirror angrily, grumbling, "What have you done now, Shama?"

Sitting in the school's small hospital room, Kid couldn't help but wonder if he were actually cursed with something. If so, how could his mother have gone about doing that? Sure she had powers that Kid wasn't aware of, but were they honestly that powerful that she could attack his thoughts the way she was. Or was it all just apart of his imagination?

"Well, I've got your blood work back." Stated Stein as he entered the room, watching as Kid looked up at him from where he sat on a nearby chair. "Everything appears to be functioning properly, but I found a strange substance floating around with your blood cells. It could be nothing, but it could also be something. I'm looking into it, so don't worry about it." He sat down in his usual chair before looking at the clipboard in his hands and adding, "As for the rest of you, I do believe that Lord Death is correct. Somehow, your mother has gotten inside of your head." He tapped Kid's forehead before saying with a smile, "But only because you're thinking too hard about your nightmares. Just try to relax and forget about it. Alright?"

Kid sighed heavily as he stood up from his chair and replied, "Alright, thank you, Stein."

"Sure, no problem. Better get back to class."

Nodding, the young boy left silently and closed the door.

Stein frowned the moment he left and glanced at the clipboard once again, murmuring quietly, "So, Shama has found a way to get back into his head. Interesting." He looked up at the ceiling and blew out a puff of smoke from his cigarette, before adding, "Lord Death will not be happy with what I've found."

"Kid, where have you been all day? You missed the most amazing fight between Black Star and-!" Liz began shouting when she realized Kid was back.

"Ugh, if it's dealing with that idiot, I don't want to hear anything about it. All he does is waste his time with fighting. It's ridiculous." Kid grumbled as he took his seat in the classroom, listening to Black Star snap something as Tsubaki tried to calm him down.

Maka Albarn and Soul Eater Evans were sitting beside him, giving him a strange look. Looking over at the two, he asked calmly, "What? Do I have something on my face?"

Maka smiled as she replied, "Oh, no. Sorry. You just seem like something's bugging you, that's all." She looked back at her paper before Soul sighed and grumbled, "Man, today is not gonna be a good day." Looking at the front of the classroom, he kept quiet, leaving Kid to look at the book he was reading. He thought for a few moments and looked up at the board as well.

I can't believe she still hasn't been caught. I always knew she was a powerful woman, but is she honestly that powerful? Or is she simply a coward and hiding somewhere?

"Spirit, do you remember Shama?"

Death stood calmly in front of his mirror, staring into the reflection at his loyal death scythe: Spirit, standing a few feet behind him. His hands were in his pockets as a look of confusion washed over his face, before he replied, "Well, of course I do. She was your wife at one point, wasn't she?"

Nodding, Death continued, "Indeed. She was also the mother of my son, Kid."

"Right, but why bring her up all of sudden? Did she show her rotten face again?" Spirit asked, grimacing angrily. He still couldn't forgive the woman for what he had seen the day he met her.

"No, but I fear that she may have infiltrated Kid's body. After all," his mirror flashed, making his mask seem like an entirely new, scary mask. "she did turn out to be a witch. I still can't believe I didn't realize that."

Spirit frowned sadly before replying, "It's not your fault, Lord Death. She was using her Soul Protect for an entire year. I would've assumed she was a normal human myself."

Sighing, Death turned around and returned to his cheery mood, stating happily, "Well, no reason to dwell on the past! At any rate, Stein has informed me that he has found something looking to be a small worm inside of Kid's blood stream. It is possible that it is indeed Shama's work and she is using it to throw Kid's body out of whack. Based off of what I've heard from him, that appears to be the case."

"So what would you like for me to do?" Spirit asked, tilting his head to the side slightly. Holding up a single finger, Death stated happily, "Pull off a stake-out with me!"

Twitching, Spirit echoed, "A stake-out?"

"Yep! I want to make sure that Shama doesn't make another move tonight on Kid!"

Staring at his Meister, Spirit took a deep breath, before releasing it slowly and grumbling, "Fine."

Kid grimaced angrily as he lay on his large bed, staring at the ceiling before him. He couldn't go to sleep and was too worried to start thinking about his nightmares. He merely wanted to calm himself and stay awake with no worries of his mother infiltrating his dreams again.

Looking at the window, he murmured, "I'm surprised she came back so suddenly..." He stared at the moon for a few moments, before closing his eyes and grumbling, "Damn woman."

"Stop! Wait, I said I was sorry!"

Death the Kid, as a child, backed away from the woman, his mother, standing before him, glaring at him angrily. He could feel the bruise on his left cheek throbbing painfully as his right wrist was beginning to swell.

He had once again disobeyed one of her rules and she wasn't happy about it. He had spoken about his father, Death, once again and she was angry about it, again. Kid knew never to talk about him, but he was confused about what had happened. How could his father not know that his own son existed? How could he not realize that his wife was pregnant? Why weren't they together anymore, but his mother still had the ring?

"I told you to stop asking about that bastard!"

"I-I know, I'm sorry!" Kid shouted out, putting up his arms to block his face as he felt her hand meet his arm painfully. He winced and felt her hand grip onto his swelling wrist tightly, pulling his arm away from his face and shouting, "Why do you want to know so much about him, anyway?"

Kid felt tears welling in his eyes as he whimpered in pain, struggling to break free from her grip. He swallowed and looked at her eyes, saying quickly, "I just don't understand what happened!" His mother grinned as she said happily, "Oh, it was nothing really. He tried to take away my powers, therefore I took away his son. It was a fair trade and I even won myself an experiment as well." She cackled menacingly before tossing Kid across the room, watching as he slammed into the wall and cried out in pain. She put her hands onto her hips before brushing a piece of her black hair out of her face, three single stripes lining the left side of her bangs.

"I don't like him and you're the spitting image of him, but more human looking. It makes me sick." She grabbed Kid by his left arm and dragged him down the long hallway, opening a nearby door. She tossed him into the room and said with a large grin, "Now, have fun in your room, Kid. You won't be eating again tonight and you won't be going outside anymore either." She slammed the door and Kid watched as the light disappeared from his room.

He sniffled slightly, letting his eyes adjust to the weak light coming in from the moon. He rubbed his eyes with his good hand and hiccupped, looking around the small bedroom filled with a single bed, a desk, a chair, blocks, and a pile of books. His mother had insisted that he read them and work for her, working to destroy the Meisters, Weapons, and Death himself along with the DWMA: Death Weapon Meister Academy. However, when he had refused, as he always did, she would punish him the same if he asked about his father.

Sighing, he walked over to his blocks and began building two, symmetrical towers. He smiled as he built them relatively high and put them together, saying happily, "They're perfect. Perfectly symmetrical." He felt his body trembling as he stared at the towers and his smile twitching slightly. He put his hand on his throbbing wrist before sinking down to his knees and clutching his head, crying softly, unsure as to why he was crying. He simply cried and continued to cry for the rest of the night.

The next day, Kid awoke on the floor of his bedroom. He coughed slightly, his eyes crusted and swollen. He rubbed them slowly before sitting up and looking around, wondering what time it was. When he realized that it was rather dark, yet light in the room, he realized that it must be a cloudy morning. Looking at his blocks, he frowned, realizing that one of his towers had fallen in the middle of the night, sprawled out across the floor in pieces. Standing up on shaking legs, he heard the door open to his bedroom.

Looking at the door, he watched his mother enter, dressed in a long, black dress that reminded Kid of the pictures of Death he had seen, black boots, and her hair pulled into a messy bun by a black rose. She grinned slyly, her bangs hanging down on either sides of her face. "Well, have you learned your lesson?"

Kid stared at her for a few moments, before nodding slowly and mumbling, "I'm sorry, Mother. I won't speak of him again." He looked back up at her and asked, "May I...m-may I please go outside today? Just for a few minutes?" He began shaking as he asked his question, watching the woman frown. She placed a hand on her chin before smiling and saying, "No, not today. You are still being punished after all for what you said yesterday. For today, I think I'll have you help me with my training."

She stepped into the room quietly and Kid backed away slowly, feeling extremely intimidated by her. She was acting strange, so Kid asked, "M-Mother, is something wrong? I didn't...I-I didn't do anything bad today, did I?"

Walking closer to him, his mother laughed slightly and replied, "Well, I finally get to use my magic today. Your pathetic father has finally located me, so I don't think I have to hide anymore. But I want to make sure my magic still works so that I can fend off against him, see? I can't possibly lose to an imbecile like him."

She laughed loudly before raising her hand and revealing a knife, her smile stretching from ear to ear. Flinching, Kid put up his arms to guard himself and shouted, "No, wait!" She brought the knife down and Kid yelled out in pain.

Seconds felt like minutes and soon, minutes felt like hours. His mother had never beaten him so badly before, but she appeared to be rather angry. He had done something bad, he knew it. According to her, he had been spotted by someone who reported it to Death. They assumed he was his son after seeing him a multiple of times and some of his abilities.

Laying on the floor with snot running from his nose, red, swollen eyes, tears pooling from his eyes, blood spilling from his wounds, and his body curled into a tight ball, Kid couldn't hold back the noises coming from his mouth. He had never cried this hard before, but he was so scared and in so much pain, that he was afraid he wasn't going to live. His mother had never beaten him this hard. All the other times he had let her do what she wanted without showing her much of his tears, since he knew she would let him live. However, this time was different. She wanted him dead. He had blown her cover and he was the son of the man who tried to steal her powers from her. He was the only reason his mother was acting like this, the only reason Death was probably going to kill her, the only reason why he had the wounds on his body. If he had simply kept his mouth shut and done what she had told him to, he wouldn't be so hurt, in so much pain, and crying like there was no tomorrow.

His mother smiled as she picked up Kid by his shirt collar and slammed his back against the wall, listening to him scream out in pain. She grinned as she held him there and stared into his eyes, whispering, "It's time to take away something precious from him. Isn't it? Then maybe I can use your body parts for my experiment, hmm?" She began to laugh as she pressed her hands to his neck and began putting pressure on it.

Kid gripped her wrists as best as he could and tried to pull them off, more tears spilling from his eyes. He could feel his body beginning to weaken because of the lack of oxygen and he had no idea how much longer he could stand the pressure building up inside his head. He couldn't find his voice as he tried to kick at the woman, tried to shove her way, tried to do something rather than sit there.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and there was the sound of blood splattering to the ground. His mother's grip loosened drastically, causing Kid to fall to the floor and yelp in pain. He began sucking in oxygen quickly as he coughed harshly and felt his body shaking with fear. His tired, swollen eyes shot up to his mother, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers.

His mother grinned as blood dripped from her mouth and left arm. She grinned and turned to look at a strange man dressed in all black and wearing a white mask. He looked rather scary and was glaring at the woman, his scythe stabbing through his mother's arm. It looked like she had thrown up her arm to block the attack, but still suffered a fatal wound. She looked over at the man and hissed, "Oh, did I make you angry?" She instantly ripped her arm from the blade and shot a strange ball of energy from her hands, watching as the man dodged them all, gripping his scythe tightly.

"To think that I had been searching for you for five years and you turn out to be living in my city." The man said angrily, staring at Kid's mother. He prepared to attack again before saying, "And to think that I let myself believe that you were a kind-hearted woman. How foolish of me."

Kid's mother cackled angrily as she listened to the man's scythe speak out quickly, "Hey, Lord Death, look over there!"

The man looked over at Kid, watching the boy flinch and begin to cry harder, hiding his face with his hands. He grimaced and glared at the his mother, snapping angrily, "I see you tried to find a new experiment in my son." He aimed his scythe at her and growled, "I won't let you get away with this." Raising his scythe, he called out loudly, "Soul Resonance, Spirit!"

"Right!"

Instatnly, the man's scythe grew and Kid's mother flinched, growling, "Rotten, bastard!" Her arms began to glow as she focused her magic energy into her arms and hands. Screaming out something Kid couldn't recognize, there was a blast of energy, the sound of wood cracking, and then silence. Putting his hands down, Kid looked at a giant hole in the wall to his left, revealing the outside world; pouring rain leaking into the room. The man was standing still, staring at the hole and an angry expression on his face. His scythe instantly turned into a person with red hair, and he growled angrily, "Spirit, I want this entire city searched until that woman is found! I don't want anyone to rest until then! Am I understood?" He looked at the red haired man and watched him nod, saying, "I'll alert Sid and the others immediately."

The man quickly leapt out from the hole, leaving the red haired man to stare at the giant hole. He grimaced as he ran out into the hallway and shouted out loudly, "SID! ALERT THE OTHERS OF AN EMERGENCY SITUATION! SHE GOT AWAY!" After hearing Sid's reply, he turned to see Kid, sobbing quietly in the corner and bleeding horribly from the wounds on his body. Walking over to the child slowly, he bent down in front of him and looked at his shaking body.

Sighing gently, the man stated calmly, "We're going to get you some help and to a safe place now, alright? There's nothing to be afraid of anymore." Sniffling, the child nodded slowly before the red haired man smiled and said calmly, "You can call me Spirit or Death Scythe from now on, alright? I'm your father's weapon. So I help him out with a lot of missions."

Kid picked his head up slowly and looked at the man named Spirit. He wiped his nose off with the sleeve of his white shirt before wiping his eyes off as well. Watching the man smile and chuckle slightly, it made the boy wonder if he was going to be truly okay with them. Spirit picked him up slowly and held him against his body, listening to the child whimper in pain and clutch onto his jacket tightly. He smiled and patted the back of his head slowly, walking towards the door to head out of the house. "You know, I have a daughter your age. She's the most beautiful child on the planet."

Kid stayed quiet as he listened, slowly begining to fall asleep. He could barely make out what he was saying anymore as he zoned in and out of sleep.

"So tell me, what did your mother call you?"

Staying silent for a few moments, Kid thought about the question. He shifted slightly before replying quietly, "I don't really think I had a name. She never really called me anything." Spirit nodded as he sighed softly and wrapped his jacket around Kid's body, entering the outside world and trying to protect him from the rain and cold.

"Your father has been searching for you for five years and he believes that the name Death the Kid would be suitable for you. Do you like that?"

Nodding, Kid smiled gently and whispered, "I like that name...Death...the Kid." He slowly fell asleep against Spirit, which made the Death Scythe look down and smile softly. He sighed and looked up at the sky as he walked, murmuring, "Why did a child have to endure this much pain?"

"Hey Kid! Kid, wake up!"

Death the Kid's eyes snapped open to the sound of Liz's voice. He swallowed as he stared into her eyes, watching her blink as she leaned over him and asked, "Hey, are you feeling alright? It's already ten o'clock and you never sleep this late. What's eating you?"

Sighing angrily, he asked, "Ten...o'clock?" He creaked his neck over to the right and stared at his clock on the side table beside his bed. Patty was laughing as she clapped her hands and stared at a picture, admiring the art it seemed. Groaning loudly, Kid sat up and looked at Liz, flailing his arms in the air as he shouted, "WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP AT EIGHT, DAMMIT! I WAS SUPPOSED TO GET UP AT EIGHT, NOT TEN! EIGHT!"

Liz flinched slightly as she backed up and shouted back, "HEY IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU SLEPT THROUGH YOUR ALARM! BESIDES, ME AND PATTY JUST GOT UP A FEW MINUTES AGO TOO!"

Patty laughed loudly as the two argued and pointed at the two, saying something that the two couldn't make out.

Kid grimaced angrily and flopped back onto the bed, grumbling, "Well, it's too late to go to school now. We might as well relax and enjoy the day off, right?" He grabbed his pillow and placed it over his face, murmuring, "Besides, I don't feel good." Liz sighed as she placed her hands on her hips and replied, "Look, if something's bothering you, it's better to let it out than keep it holed up inside of you. If you keep it holed up inside you'll get stressed out."

"Liz," Kid began, removing the pillow from his face and staring at her, smiling gently. "I'm fine." He put the pillow back on his face before grumbling, "Now, let's enjoy the day off, alright?" The girls nodded before cheering loudly and rushing fromt he room. Listening to them leave, Kid instantly clutched his right arm in pain and growled, "What the hell is this sharp pain in my arm? It feels like someone is trying to rip it apart." Sitting up, he pulled up the sleeve of his shirt and looked at it calmly, noticing nothing.

"Nothing there." He paused for a few moments before smiling nervously and growling, "Of course there's nothing there." He laid back down on his bed and kept quiet, looking at the ceiling. "I should enjoy today too." Grimacing, he placed a hand on his forehead and murmured, "So why can't I enjoy it?"

"Hiya, Kiddo! What's up, what's up, whaaat's up?"

Kid twitched as he sat on his bed cross-legged, book in his hands, and his eyes glued to his father, now standing in the doorway of his bedroom. "Father." He stated calmly, before replying, "I'm just...reading a book."

"I can see that. I just came to alert you that we may have a special visitor tonight and I'm in need of your assistance if she shows. Think you can handle it?"

Shrugging, Kid brought his eyes back down to the book and replied, "I suppose so. She should be fairly weak by now."

Death watched his son before saying happily, "That's right she should be! So we should be able to rid that vile woman from this world once and for all! It'll be a blast!" He chuckled slightly before walking out of the room and babbling something to himself. Kid placed the book down on his lap and stared at the empty doorway before grumbling, "So she's back after all. This should be an interesting fight. Mother, prepare to finally be eliminated."

A woman grinned as she rushed through the streets, her black hood hiding her face and bangs. She was laughing softly as she ran through the dark and her feet were moving so quickly that they blurred almost. She could hear the sounds of someone chasing after her, but refused to stop running. She heard the sounds of guns firing and instantly dodged the bullets.

"WITCH HUNTER!"

Flinching, the woman was able to dodge the attack quickly, a piece of her jacket getting sliced off in the attack. She grimaced angrily and glared at a nearby girl with pigtails. She held a scythe tightly in her hands as she said loudly, "My name is Maka from the DWMA. Surrender now or have your soul eaten."

The woman grinned as she murmured, "The DWMA, was it?" She laughed loudly before hearing a gun fire and dodging the bullet. She looked up at the roof of a building, making eye contact with her son; Death the Kid.

Grinning, she pulled her hood down, revealing three white stripes on the left side of her bangs. She murmured something under her breath before her hands began glowing. Kid grimaced and growled, "Rotten woman." He raised his two pistols before adding, "DIE ALREADY!" Firing the bullets instantly, the woman dodged them all, before blasting magic at Kid and Maka. Maka instantly blocked the magic with Soul and Kid had plenty of time to duck down.

"Maka!" Kid shouted, looking down at her.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Attack from the other way! I'll chase her from behind!"

Nodding, Maka took off running around a corner and disappeared. The woman grimaced as she growled, "Rotten child. How dare you defy your mother!" She took off running again, Kid hot on her heels. He chased after her with his guns raised and he heard Liz shout, "Did she say something about your mother? Kid, who is this woman?"

"Not now, Liz!" Kid snapped without meaning to. He fired several times before his mother turned around and fired a ball of magic at him, slamming into his chest. He yelled out in pain as he slammed against a building and lost his breath. Dropping to the ground, he grimaced and glared at her, watching her attack him quickly. She was amazingly fast and was hitting Kid every time she moved.

His body began splashing out blood like a fountain and he didn't know how much longer he could last. Kid finally got a good grip on his weapons and fired with a loud yell, watching the woman fly into a nearby building. He fell to his knees and panted heavily, gripping his right shoulder as it oozed out blood. His face was bleeding from several places as well and he was panting heavily, trying to keep his body awake.

She's fast. Kid thought silently. When did she become so fast and powerful? Was this because of the Kishin's madness?

"Shama, so you have returned."

Flinching, Kid looked up at the sound of his father's voice. He watched Death standing on a roof, glaring down at the woman, Kid's mother, known as Shama, with Spirit in his hands. He watched Shama grin before hissing, "Just having a little fun with my son. Do you mind?" She ran for Kid again, who immediately raised his guns and fired uncontrollably, shouting loudly.

Death quickly jumped from the building and injected his scythe into Shama's body. Putting down his symmetrical guns, Kid panted heavily as blood dripped off his chin. He stared at the woman, watching her grin as Death removed his scythe and then stabbed it into her chest this time. Shama began laughing as blood leaked from her mouth and she looked over at Kid, then at Death. "That's all you got?"

Within moments, there was a sudden explosion of smoke, causing Kid to cough harshly and block his mouth with his right arm. A smoke bomb! Dammit! He began looking around frantically for her and heard Patty shout out, "Kid, incoming attack at ten o'clock!" Turning quickly, Kid raised his pistols and began firing immeidately in the direction.

"Kid, there's another attack coming from behind you!" Liz shouted.

Flinching, Kid turned around just in time to make eye contact with his mother. She grinned and hissed, "You've become faster at dodging my attacks." Her eyes flashed and her fist made impact with his stomach, sending Kid flying into a wall. He coughed up blood as he fell to his knees and tried to clear his hazy vision.

Looking up, Kid watched as Shama raised a dagger in her hands and scream out, "TIME TO DIE!" She brought the knife down, making Kid flinch before leaping out of the way.

"Kid, who is this woman? You've got to tell us what's going on!" Patty shouted suddenly.

Kid looked at his mother as she vanished and he began searching the area frantically. The sisters began shouting about telling them what was going on and Kid snapped back, "SHUT UP! I DON'T HAVE TIME TO FILL YOU IN!" His grip on them tightened slightly as sweat rolled down his face. Her wavelengths are getting stronger. I can feel fear starting to kick into my body...like when I was a child. Dammit! She's getting a hold of me again!

"KID, WATCH OUT!"

Reacting to Patty's voice, Kid turned around quickly and watched as his mother neared him with her dagger again. This time, there was no way he could avoid her attack with the way he was standing and where he was against the wall. He quickly shut his eyes and snapped them open to the sound of blood splattering, but no pain.

Staring at his mother over someone's shoulder, he watched her cackle wildly before removing the dagger sharply. Looking at the person in front of him, Kid felt his eyes widen slightly as he shouted out, "PATTY!"

Watching in horror, Kid heard Patty's body sink to the ground. He instantly dropped down beside her and looked at her wound; seeming to be deep and painful, blood oozing from the left side of her body. Liz instantly transformed back into a human and scurried over to Patty, screaming her name over and over again. Kid looked up at his mother and watched as Death leapt down behind her and stabbed her through the back. She grinned as she vanished and Death muttered, "Another doppleganger. This is getting rather annoying."

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" Liz shouted suddenly, holding Patty upright so that she wouldn't choke on her blood. She was glaring at Kid angrily and was trembling angrily as well. "WE'RE PARTNERS, KID! THAT MEANS THAT WE TELL EACH OTHER EVERYTHING ABOUT EACH OTHER SO SITUATIONS LIKE THESE DON'T HAPPEN!"

Kid flinched slightly as he stared at Liz, listening to her shout.

"THANKS TO YOU, WE COULDN'T HELP YOU AND PATTY GOT HURT! I'M GIVING YOU ONE MORE CHANCE, KID, BEFORE I START TRYING TO KILL YOU! WHO THE HELL IS THAT WOMAN AND WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

Kid swallowed as he glanced at Patty's pale, pained face before looking back up at Liz and stating, "She..." He felt his body trembling as he suddenly felt her wavelengths again, sending chills down his spine.

"That's Kid's mother, Shama." Death cut in suddenly, looking at Patty and then at Liz. "She was a very abusive mother to Kid and had hidden him from me for five years. Therefore, for five years of his life, Kid had been abused. It got so bad that by the time we found him, he was almost dead. We were lucky to have found him that day, otherwise he probably wouldn't be here today.

"However, even though the woman has been out of Kid's life for ten years now, he can still remember what her wavelengths and spiritual energy feel like. She is slowly starting to increase her power and is making sure that Kid is starting to fear her. That way, it'll be an easier fight when he scrambles to think in his stage of fear."

Liz nodded and looked down at Patty. She felt tears rolling down her cheeks as she murmured, "We have to help, Patty."

Kid clenched his hands into angry fists as he grabbed Patty's shoulders suddenly and asked, "Patty, are you still conscious?"

Patty's eyes fluttered open and she nodded, smiling slightly as she said, "You know it. I'm not just an ordinary pistol. I'm a Grim Reaper's pistol."

Kid smiled and looked at the two girls, saying, "If we have enough energy left, I want to try Soul Resonance. I have an idea that may be able to get rid of her. Are you up for it?"

Liz looked down at her sister and watched her nod confidentally. She looked back up at Kid and exclaimed, "Let's do it!"

"SOUL, WE'RE LOST AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Maka shouted angrily as she rushed through alley after alley to try and find their way back to the fight. She grimaced as she heard Soul reply, "HEY, IT'S NOT MY FAULT! YOU'RE THE IDIOT THAT LISTENED TO MY DIRECTIONS!"

Stopping suddenly, she looked around and murmured, "She's coming this way." She looked up and down the street they were on now and muttered, "But which way...?"

"MAKA, BEHIND YOU!"

Turning around quickly, Maka was able to block Shama's sharp dagger with Soul. Grimacing, Shama leapt back and fired magic from her hands, watching Maka duck.

"What the hell was that?" Soul shouted, listening to Maka snap, "Magic!" She dodged a few more of her magic before watching her run off. Flinching, she yelled sharply, "Come on, Soul!"

"Right!"

Simultaneously, they shouted, "Let's go! SOUL RESONANCE!"

However, before their souls could resonate, a blast of magic energy slammed into Maka's body. She yelled out in pain as she flew about five feet away from where she was and slammed into a building, creating a semi-large hole in the wall. Falling onto her back, Maka coughed up blood and instantly started to fade out. Soul transformed back into his human self and picked up Maka softly, calling out, "Maka! Hey, Maka! Maka, get up!"

Shama began walking towards the two, her arms glowing again, when suddenly, there was the sound of gunfire. She flinched and backed up, avoiding the bullets. Death appeared and instantly tried to swing at Shama. Finally, he was able to pin her against the wall with his scythe and he glared at her golden eyes, snapping, "This will be the end for you."

Spirit looked at the woman with despise as well and snapped, "You won't be running off and killing more people from here, Shama!"

Shama began laughing loudly as she heard Kid's voice shout out, "Let's go!" She flinched and looked at Death, shouting, "How is that possible? I was able to rid him of one of his pistols!"

Spirit laughed slightly as he replied, "You have to remember Shama that when Lord Death creates a child, that child is given all of the abilities as his father. Some may be different, but no matter what you are, witch, weapon, Meister, Death overpowers all of that. Therefore, to put in perspective, the only thing that makes you Kid's mother, is that he was created inside of you for nine months and you gave birth to him. Other than that, you're not even linked by DNA."

Shama felt her body shaking with anger as she growled, "No...no, that's not right. So you...YOU USED ME!" She shouted angrily, glaring at Death. He stated in his care-free voice, "Uh-huh! I love kids and you were the only one who would bear my child!"

"DEATH CANNON!" Came Kid's voice.

Shama instantly tried to move, however, Death stood still.

"ARE YOU INSANE?" She screamed. "IF YOU STAND HERE, YOU'LL DIE TOO!"

Death laughed slightly as the attack neared them and he hissed, "Good-bye, Shama."

A large explosion erupted as Kid slowly stood up to examine the damage. He panted heavily as he felt like he was going to pass out and he grinned, saying slyly, "Well, looks as though we got her." Turning around, he flinched, seeing Shama standing there. She was holding her left shoulder, which wasn't connected to an arm anymore, and she growled angrily, "YOU STUPID CHILD!" She screamed loudly as she ran at Kid and he grinned, saying calmly, "You had better start watching where your going from now on."

Not listening, Shama quickly shot a blast of magic at Kid, sending him flying from that roof, over to another. He coughed up blood as he slammed onto the roof and lay there, feeling Liz and Patty transform back into humans. Patty was panting heavily as she stood by Liz, using her as something to lean on.

Kid smiled and sat up slowly, watching as Maka and Soul stood in front of Shama.

"WITCH HUNTER!" They screamed, bringing their scythe down and slamming into Shama. Shama screamed loudly and Kid fell onto his back, instantly passing out. He could hear the voices of the Thompson sisters, Maka and Soul, and his father yelling out some kind of attack as well. There was another loud explosion before everything finally quieted down.

"Hi there! My name's Maka. Maka Albarn. What's yours?"

Death the Kid, as a child, flinched slightly when he saw the young girl known as Maka standing before him. He looked up at Spirit, who was standing behind her with a smile, and then up at his father, who was standing beside him.

"I've arranged a little play date for you today, Kid. You two stay here and have fun while me and Spirit go and get rid of some bad guys." He said cheerily, patting Kid gently on the head. Spirit smiled at the two before hugging Maka and rubbing his cheek against her head, saying with a wide grin, "Have fun, my little Maka!" He listened to her giggle slightly before he followed Death out the door.

Kid looked at Maka again and shifted slightly on his feet, placing a hand on the black brace on his left wrist. His arms were covered with band-aids and gauze pads, as were his chest and legs, and he had a bandage wrapped around his head. He looked at Maka's green eyes before saying calmly, "I'm Death the Kid. The son of Death."

Giggling slightly, Maka asked, "Death the Kid? Really? What a unique name." She stepped into the house and took her shoes off, looking around. "Wow, this sure is a big place." She looked back at Kid and asked with a grin, "So, what do you feel like doing today? We could go play with a few toys, go outside and run around, or we could go color or something."

Staring at her silently, he felt a smile place itself onto his face and he replied, "We could go play with some of the blocks I have upstairs." He laughed slightly when he heard Maka giggle and he began making his way towards the stairs in his house, leading to his room. Maka reached out and grabbed his good hand gently, saying with a wide smile, "Hey, let's be friends. Staring today. Okay?" She giggled and Kid stared at her smiling face, feeling a wave of shock hit him.

Smiling, the young boy replied happily, "Yeah. That sounds great."

This is a hallucination. I must be sleeping or something. I never met Maka until I was signed into the DWMA. I had heard about her a few times from Spirit, but I rarely paid attention to her name. What would've happened...if we had met during our childhood? Would things have been different? Or would they still be the same between us? I wonder if my personality and attitude would have changed at all. Would I have been a different person if I had met Maka as a child?

"Welcome home, Kiddo!" Death exclaimed, opening the door to his large mansion.

Kid looked around calmly before looking up at Death and saying, "It's really big." Nodding, his father replied, "Yep, but you'll get used to it. It took me a while to adjust too! But after a while, it grew on me! Now, let's get you to your bedroom!"

Walking up the stairs behind his father, Kid looked down at his small hand and stared at the black brace. He thought of his mother and he grimaced, looking up at his father. He decided that from now on, he wouldn't let anyone else see him cry and he would stay strong. He decided that he would never let his mother take over his emotions again and he would become his own person.

"I'm off on a mission, Kiddo! See you later!"

Kid, now twelve years of age, watched silently as the doors closed slowly to his large mansion. He stared at them for a while, clenching his hands into tight fists. Thinking for a few moments, he grumbled, "I'm alone no matter where I go. Even Father doesn't pay very much attention to me." Looking up at the doors again, he put his hands into his pockets and turned, walking towards the stairs leading to his room. He looked out a nearby window at Death City before murmuring, "The DWMA." He stared at the large school before murmuring, "Certainly not a place for a Grim Reaper." He continued trudging up the stairs before muttering under his breath, "Not like friends matter anyway..."

Liz sighed as she pressed Kid's hand up against her forehead, keeping quiet as she listened to everything around her. Patty was asleep in a bed next to Kid's, while Soul and Maka stood by the entrance of the small hospital room in the DWMA. Stein sat quietly at his desk, writing something down on a piece of paper as Kid jerked slightly.

Liz put his hand down and held it tightly in her hands, looking at his face. A cold washcloth covered his eyes, a failed attempt to lower his rising fever. Patty was out cold, but Stein had said her injuries were fine. However, Kid was cursed with staying asleep and witnessing nightmare after nightmare. Stein and Death both had said something about the worm inside of Kid's body going corrupt and causing him to hallucinate, while in a state of sleep. It would last for about three days and would probably be painful for all three days as the worm slowly destroyed itself inside of Kid's body.

Watching Kid's grip on Liz's hand tighten, Maka frowned softly and murmured, "We should go, Soul." Nodding, the white haired boy replied, "Right."

"We'll come by tomorrow." Maka stated, bowing to Stein, then Liz, before leaving the room quietly with Soul. The room grew incredibly quiet before Stein stood up and looked at Liz, pushing up his glasses. "I'm off to run some blood work again to make sure he's doing alright, Liz. Would you like to join me?"

"No. No, I should stay." She looked over at Stein and said with a soft smile, "Just incase either one gets up."

Stein nodded before leaving the room quietly and Liz focused her eyes on Kid. Looking up at Patty, she laughed slightly and watched her drool in her sleep, her body spread out. Feeling Kid's grip tighten again, she looked down at his face and watched him bite his lower lip, tears slipping out his eyes. Frowning, she murmured gently, "I wish I knew what was going on inside that head of yours, Kid." Kid's body jerked slightly before a few more tears slipped out and his body grew tense. Liz felt her eyes watering as she pressed his hand back to her forehead and began crying, murmuring, "Please be okay, Kid. Please..."

Staring at the dark world around him, Kid stood calmly in the room, hands in his pockets. He heard his mother's voice call out to him and for an instant, the room flashed to a bloody red. Staying calm and collected, he turned around and saw his father standing off to the side. He watched his life play behind him and he grimaced, grumbling, "Nothing very special there."

"Hey Kid, wanna come over and play today?"

Hearing Maka's voice, Kid turned around slowly and saw her waving to him, a child-like Maka. She was smiling and giggling as a white light seemed to envelope her. Behind her, Kid saw the DWMA and the others; Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, and Liz and Patty.

The white light took over the entire room and before Kid knew it, he was lying down on the ground and staring up at the white sky. He kept calm and quiet, before murmuring gently, "I wonder if things would've been different..."

"Hey Kiddo, you know, you're old enough to join the DWMA now! Why not give it a shot?"

"Father, please. I'm a Grim Reaper. I don't need to attend a school when I already know everything there is to know about being a Meister."

"Well, I figured you'd like to meet some new people! Get out and see the world! Maybe even become the talk of the school!"

"No, thanks. I prefer being at home."

"If I had chosen to go to the DWMA that day," Kid smiled softly as he felt his eyelids closing and he continued, "would I have changed? Would my life had been different? Would I have been able to find happiness sooner?"

His eyelids were growing more heavy as he finished, "How much different would life had been...if I had changed that single choice?"