The dark night in St. Petersburg engulfed the city like a hand gripping over something it desires. The stars twinkled in the sky, like they were laughing sweetly. The sun had long since said goodbye and retired, and the moon had taken its place. Most of the inhabitants of the city had removed their slippers and snuggled up in bed. Most children were hugging their stuffed animals as they drifted off into sleep that was filled with dreams of sweetness.

Most of them. Not all of them.

Feet clicked against the pavement. Tiny feet with tiny shoes on. These feet and these shoes both belonged to a young girl of about six years old. She clutched a teddy bear to her bosom, hung a bag from her shoulder, and had long, flowing black hair flying out behind her as she ran, ran, ran.

She was cold. She was alone. She was afraid.

Originally, she had meant to run away from her home. Now it was a race to get home or die. For behind her stood the most terrifying creature she had ever seen in all her years.
So she ran. And it chased her.

The moon seemed to laugh cruelly at her as she ran. She was losing steam, beginning to slow down.

Finally, the cracks of the road gripped at her toes and she fell. The girl scraped her knee and a stitch in her teddy bear came loose. In a last ditch of desperation she crawled to a nearby dumpster to hide behind. She clawed at the ground, forcing her body over to what might be her saving grace.

But it was too late.

Before she could even grasp the large metal box, a vicious monster hovered over her quaking body. Its sharp fangs glistened as saliva slowly poured down them, and its low growls expressed his hunger for her puny soul. It stood, probably eight feet tall. Only a mouth and two insane eyes were on the face. The creature's body was entirely white, with long, monstrous fingers and an inhuman body.

Unable to turn away from the monstrous gaze the little girl let out a shriek of terror, and as the creature prepared to swallow her whole...

"Halt!" Was the voice that shot through the dark streets.
The creature stopped dead in its tracks and turned to where the voice had come from. But as the creature's sharp eyes turned all that was left for it to see was a fast woman and sharp sickle swinging straight at it.

In an instant the blade made contact with the creature's torso and sliced it in two, all while its attacker skidded to a stop on the pavement after the blow. However, the corpse did not shed blood at the blow, but rather dissolved into dust and vanished, leaving behind the small red orb in its floating state.

The woman who held the scythe, was a tall, strong young woman named Kami. A single mother within her thirties. Her hair was long in its dark blond color and her form was built of many curves. Her deep green eyes turned to the sickle in her hand as she released it from her grasp.

Doing so, the weapon itself transformed into another woman in a flash of light, who though seemed to look young, was far from it. Her figure was just as well built as Kami's, but she was much shorter and much more refined by her appearance.

The woman had short white hair with three black stripes along the left side of her head, amber eyes, and a white business suit lined with gold buttons down her chest and matching white heels. This was Morlina Shinigami, wife of the Grim Reaper.

In one swift gesture, Morlina took the red Kishin egg in her hand, placed it in her mouth and swallowed it down whole. Kami stared at her comrade as she did so.

"Taste good, eh?" Kami asked. Her voice was smooth, like any normal mother's voice. It was somewhat high-pitched, but sweet and trustworthy.

"Oh, yes," Morlina replied. "It's quite the delicacy, at least for me. You should try one sometime, Kami." Morlina's voice was very regal and refined. It was smooth and sweet, like oil pouring steadily from a bottle. It was somewhat deep, but if she felt the need to, she could raise it to a higher pitch.

Kami shrugged at her partner. "Well, we've solved that problem," she sighed. "Let's head back to the hotel."

"Mhmm."

Morlina's ears suddenly caught the faint whimper omitting behind her. Turning, she saw the girl the monster was after. Tear after tear dropped from her precious eyes, which were full of fright and terror.

Morlina's heart soon gave into sympathy's grasp. Stepping away from Kami, she made her way over to the girl. She took a knee down to match herself to the girl's eye's level, and gave her a sweet smile.

"Hello, miss," Morlina cooed softly. "There's nothing to be afraid of anymore. That monster is gone."

The girl's shaky voice finally emerged. "W-W-Who are you…?"

Morlina tilted her head a bit. "Let's just say that we're friends," she murmured. "Are you hurt?"

"N-No, ma'am."

"That's good to hear." Morlina's heart felt like it was going to explode. She hated seeing children cry, especially one as cute as this. "Come now, don't cry, sweetie." Morlina reached her thumb out to wipe the tears from the girl's cheek.

The child's skin was soft and sensitive. It felt like the softest pillow in the world, like a kitten's fur, like a marshmallow.

At that thought, Morlina stood.

"Uh," she stammered. "Y-You can get home from here right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good, don't let this happen again. Good-bye."

Morlina all of a sudden took off down the street. Kami watched her with confusion in her eyes.

"Morlina!" she cried. She soon realized it was futile, that her friend was too far away and too troubled to listen. Sighing, the single mother reached a hand out to the girl. "Come on," she said. "I'll escort you home."

0o0o0

Morlina shut the door behind her as she entered the small hotel room for two. She hung her head low as she walked over to the window on the far side of the room. She sat at the seat next to it, lost deep in thought. Her mind traced back to the softness of that girl's face. She had felt such a softness before, and was far too familiar with it.

"Just like a marshmallow..." she chuckled to herself. The very word brought back a wave of memories of a small boy she once knew. The small boy who had been none other then her own son.

0o0o0

"Ah, what a bright day today!"

Morlina stared up at the bright-blue sky, a grin upon her face as she clutched the bags of groceries to her chest. Her honey-colored eyes sparkled in the light of the laughing Sun. Her straight rows of teeth were perfectly white, perfectly symmetrical.

Morlina had been out shopping and was finally returning to the large mansion of which she called home. The big house's exterior was admired by many passer by's on a daily bases with its large black painting, and red shingled roof. Morlina quite admired it herself, mostly due to its perfect symmetric placement.

However any member or friend of the Shinigami family would know that the real beauty of the home was on the inside. With brightly lit windows, polished marble floors, and frequently vacuumed carpets made it anyone's dream home. She herself was quite proud to call it her own home.

Morlina had left her husband in charge of the household while she was gone, and as she approached the house she sent up a prayer that the symmetrical beauty of her house was not totally destroyed due to her husband's silly nature.

She opened the door with one hand as the other clutched to her grocery bags full of bread, cheese, and other various food items. As she closed the door behind her and proceeded to the kitchen she came upon muffled noises that resembled laughter and... splashing?

Morlina called out, "Dear! I'm home!"

She finally reached the kitchen and set her sights on the large black-cloaked figure standing beside the kitchen sink. Why, it was no one other than her own husband, Lord Death himself. His tall black figure, along with his goofy cartoon skull mask had been soaked from the various waves of sink water that had been launched by the tiny baby sitting in the mountains of bubbles.

This child, much like his mother, had large amber eyes, his hair was of dark ash and three white stripes crossed the right side of his small head and stopped at his center bang. This child was Morlina's son, Death the Kid.

"What on earth is this?" She asked humorously with a chuckle.

"Oh, well you see, I was outside with Junior here and things got a little muddy. So I thought we'd clean up a bit!" Death gave his wife a reassuring smile under his mask as his small son sent yet another wave of water at his cloak. He turned back to the child and muttered, "Junior, sit still! My goodness!"

Morlina laughed at the spectacle and walked over to the two.

"I told you before, Death, 'Junior' is old hat. His name is Death the Kid, not Death Jr." She rolled up her sleeves and took the shampoo that was in her husband's large, foamy hand. "Also, you happen to be doing this wrong. Let me show you."

With that she squirted the soapy liquid into her hand, rubbed it against the other, and reached for her son's head. Slowly but surely she began to run her slender fingers through her son's dark locks, digging down to the roots of his scalp not letting one spot of his precious hair go un-cleaned.

All the while the little reaper giggled with pleasure in his warm bath, and the father and mother reapers sighed contently at this one small moment. Just them and their prize…

0o0o0

"Alright, Morlina, what was all that about? I know you, and what happened back there was not like you at all."

Morlina stared at the pages of a book, hiding behind a façade that made it seem like she was reading. However, inside she wanted to scream.

Morlina had run back to the hotel where she and Kami were residing until they moved off from St. Petersburg, and possibly Russia. There, she had waited at the window so that she could watch for Kami's return. Kami would definitely understand if she were told, but Morlina didn't want to bring up any unnecessary feelings with her technician partner.
Kami had shortly returned, and she was questioning Morlina's actions like no tomorrow.

"What was what about?" Morlina inquired, like she didn't know.

"You know what," Kami hissed. "You never just run away like that. If something like that happens then you usually are friendly to them and get them home safely. What happened, Morlina?"

"Kami, nothing is wrong. I just wanted to get home. What makes you think I'm worrying about someone?"

Kami's eyes narrowed. "I never said you were worried about someone."

Oh, crap.

Morlina mentally scolded herself. She closed her book with a loud THUMP and quickly shot a glance at her partner.

"Don't you ever miss your daughter?" Morlina muttered.

Kami was taken aback by this question. "Excuse me?"

"Your daughter you're always writing to. Maka is her name, right? Don't you miss her at all? After all the years we've been doing this, you handle the job like its nothing. How can you act so cheerful one moment and get angry at someone like me another when your only child is so far away!?"

There were a few moments of silence. The sound of late night bustling cars sounded out the windows to break the quietness. Kami finally sighed and sat on her own bed.
"I see," she began. "So that's what this is about."

Kami looked over to Morlina with gentle eyes. Morlina just stared at her lap. Kami had been working with Morlina for far too long, she seemed to know of Morlina's dilemma just by her face. She knew the amount of pain that clutched at her chest at the very thought of the family she missed so dearly.

0o0o0

The family of three stood at the front door to the large mansion. The large cloaked Shinigami stood to the side as Morlina swung a small bag over her shoulder and clutched a suitcase in the other.

"Are you certain you've packed everything?" The Shinigami asked.

"Yes. Quite certain."

As she smiled at her husband, Morlina felt a small tug at the hem of her shirt. She turned around to see the young boy, she was so proud to call her son. Now at the age of twelve he had certainly grown from the boy she once knew.

He obviously was much taller, and his hair had grown a darker shade of black making the lines on his head's right side seem more bold. He had taken to wearing a pair of glasses for his young eyes, both of which remained unchanging through all these years. They still had that same amber glow that always reminded Morlina of her own.

Kid looked up at his mother with curiosity in his eyes, as well as a hint of worry.
"How long will you be away?" he asked.

The answer in truth, Morlina did not know. The reports of lost, wondering souls through out the world had been increasing. Without a Grim Reaper the souls of the lost had not been able to pass on. And Lord Death himself had sworn to protect Death City with the Kishin trapped inside, and sealed his soul there. Thus Morlina took it upon herself to leave the city and rescue the forgotten souls of the dead.

Such a task would take a long, long while, no one knew precisely how long though. Morlina was never one to lie, and certainly not to her own family, but the eye's of her small boy just melted her down to her very core. The truth wouldn't come out.

"Not too long." she replied, kneeling down so she was now eye level with her son. "But even if I do take longer, if you get lonely, promise me you'll be a good boy until I do get back, okay Marshmallow?"

Usually, Kid would often recoil at the sound of that, oh so embarrassing nickname. But under the current circumstances, he really didn't mind that much.

"Okay." he replied with a nod. He then met his mother's embrace as they shared one final hug.

"I love you, Kid."

"I love you too... Mommy."

The young reaper pulled away from his mother's clutch, allowing her to stand once more. She made her way toward the tall Shinigami, who despite wearing a mask, showed some expression of sadness.

"Be careful." he told her in his goofy voice. The two also shared a deep hug, with Morlina clutching to the Shinigami's cloak.

When they finally parted, Morlina shared one last stare at her family, and with a smile plastered on her face, she walked down the pathway and out the gate. She tried not to look back on her way to the train station to meet Kami, but by the time she did, sweet Gallows Manor was already far out of sight.

0o0o0

Kami twiddled her thumbs about in her lap. She understood very well what Morlina was feeling. There was not a day, not a moment that passed the two women by where they did not think of their children.

"I do miss Maka," Kami breathed. "And I know you miss Kid."

"With every breath I take," Morlina hissed. "I only speak to Death every other month or so, and I haven't seen Kid since we left. It's torture!"

"I know, Morlina," Kami replied. "But right now we have to stay strong for each other and for our families."

"But what if Kid hates me!?" Morlina cried, the tears pouring out from her amber eyes. "We haven't spoken in three years! We couldn't go back when Asura broke free! I haven't been there for him and I haven't even spoken to him!"

Kami wrapped her partner in a loving embrace. "If Maka can always write 'with love' in her letters," she breathed, "then I'm sure Kid misses you as much as you do him."

"It hurts, Kami," Morlina sobbed.

"I know…"

Truth be told Kami was having a similar experience. She never showcased it in front of her weapon, but inside the fiber of her very being slightly tore away at the thought of her daughter possibly abandoning her after she herself had done no different. In the end, perhaps there wasn't such a difference between the two women after all.

0o0o0

The morning after went by slowly. Both mothers woke up dazed and sluggish, and the weather outside was foggy and damp. After bathing and having a small breakfast in the restaurant below, both Kami and Morlina packed their things and headed for the train station.

Upon arriving, they sat at a bench awaiting their train to arrive. Kami often tried to start small conversation with Morlina, but the half-Shinigami was still deep in thought, after the events of yesterday.

Suddenly, Morlina felt a small vibration coming from her coat pocket. Reaching in, she pulled out a small makeup mirror which was pink in color with a small cartoon skull on its surface.

"Excuse me I should take this."

It was the first bit of words Morlina had spoken all day, so Kami smiled and nodded, allowing Morlina to step away from the bench for awhile. She walked over to the edge of the track, next to a light post, quickly adjusted her hair and jacket, and flipped open the mirror.

"This is Lady Death speaking."

"...Well, I guess father gave me the right number after all."

The voice of the caller was deep, formal, and refined, Morlina herself couldn't quiet place who it was. When the image finally appeared before her, it was a boy. A boy with dark hair and three white stripes upon the right side of his head, perfectly symmetrical bangs, and most of all, glowing amber eyes that perfectly coupled with his soft smile.

"K-Kid...?"

The woman felt her eye's well up as she fell to the ground clutching the small mirror in her hands.

"Hello, Mother."

THE END