Gotta put some Death the Kid in this story :) And I might not be able to update as often because the chapters finally caught up with me, and I don't always have the time or inspiration to write. But I shall try!

Death the Kid smiled as he finished adjusting the painting and stepped back. It left the room completely symmetrical; the perfect environment for his new sibling to live in. His father, Lord Death, happened to walk by and see his son's work on the nursery.

"Oh my, you've done a lot in here!"

Kid turned to his father with pride, "Do you like it? It's absolutely perfect, isn't it?"

"Why yes, very...symmetrical," he answered, trying to please his son while not fully understanding the boy's obsession.

"Yeah..."

Death seemed curious, "You really are excited about this child aren't you?"

Death the Kid smiled with slight embarrassment, "Yes, I know it's dangerous, but I can't help but be happy about it. I've always wanted a younger brother or sister to influence. I want someone to look up to me and learn from me."

"There is nothing wrong with that son," Death seemed to smile from behind the mask, "I remember how cute you looked when you were a baby. The day you were born was the happiest day of my life."

Kid tried to hide his shock by adjusting the curtain. His father had never spoken of his birth before. That event and his mother had always been a complete mystery to him.

He discretely tried to get more information, "Really?"

"Oh yes, with your cute little stripes, and your big gold eyes! You were adorable in every way," he gushed.

Kid had an idea worth attempting, "Are your eyes gold?"

Death paused, "...No, mine are actually blue."

"Oh, interesting, so I must get my eyes from my-"

"Oh shoot! I forgot to get those uh-papers! From Stein! Excuse me Kid!"

He turned to leave in a hurry, but reluctantly stopped dead at the sound of Kid's calm voice, "Why won't you tell me about her? What's the big deal?"

He turned to his boy with immense sadness penetrating his blank mask, "I'm sorry Kid...it just hurts too much..."

Guilt built up in his heart at the tone of his father's voice, "Oh no, I'm sorry Dad, I didn't mean to upset you..."

The Grim Reaper stood and thought for a moment, "No wait, you're almost 18. You deserve to know. Sit." He pointed with one goofy finger to the identical chairs next to the window. They sat down and faced one another nervously.

He started hesitantly, and stumbled over his words, "Well your mother and I met-well we-she...I can't do it this way, it's all wrong." His voice was frustrated and emotional, very far off from his usual optimism.

Kid was patient, feeling terrible for causing so much harm to his father, "It's okay Dad, take your time. If you want we can do this some other time..."

He looked down, shaking his head, "No I mean I can't...talk to you about this with this mask on..."

Kid gasped. No one had seen his father's face since he was granted the title of Grim Reaper. Kid had never so much as seen a strand of his father's hair.

"Dad, you don't have to-"

"Yes I do...I can't hide from you. And this conversation needs to be face to face, or it's meaningless."

He slowly removed the large white gloves to reveal smooth, pale hands, with graceful, slender fingers. He put his god-like hand to his mask and removed it, as relief seemed to radiate from his body. His face was very similar to Kid's; almost identical except for the hair and eyes. He had stripes in his hair too, but they wrapped around his head, symbolizing the full development of his power. His face was smooth, hardly aged over twenty-five, though he must be at least one hundred. Lord Death's eyes were, in fact, the deepest shade of blue. They glistened in the sunlight and he smiled timidly at his equally handsome son, who was in a state of shock and admiration.

Kid had never expected his dad to resemble him so much. But he was better, symmetrical in every way. The young reaper was honored to be shown the face of the Grim Reaper, his father and his hero.

"Dad...wow, I can't believe it..."

"Surprised?" Kid jumped at the change in his father's voice. It was no longer high and cheery, but smooth, and only a tone deeper than his own.

"Yes...I never knew we looked so much alike..."

He shrugged and decided to continue, "So about your mother..."

"Yes, go on." He said, suddenly remembering the whole reason for this reveal.

"Well I met her long before I became the Grim Reaper. We met through work though. She was a talented meister from Colorado, and I was just finishing my education under the reaper before me. She worked for him with her death scythe, and we saw each other everyday, and hardly spoke actually. I thought she was amazing though. She was so beautiful and talented. She had a lovely sense of humor too. She could make the whole room laugh, while keeping their respect at the same time. It was mesmerizing. I finally spoke to her the day her weapon died..." His voice grew somber.

Kid couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose Liz or Patty. They had built up such a strong bond; to lose it would be devastating. "That's horrid."

"Yes, it was. His death was mourned by all. He had been so strong, it was very difficult for anyone to believe he had been killed the way he was. The Grim Reaper had left that day to attend to business elsewhere. She had come to talk to him, but found me instead. We talked for hours. About all kinds of things; her late partner, how she felt, and a few random things just to change the subject. I believe, despite the grim subject, it was during that conversation that we really fell in love.

After that, I was the shoulder she would cry on, and she was my best friend. Eventually it developed into a strong relationship, which became romantic after a while. We were so young and madly in love. So, we got married."

"Married?" Kid couldn't imagine his father with a woman, much less married to one.

He held up his hand to reveal a gold band around his ring finger, "Yes, don't worry, you weren't born in sin."

Kid smiled lightly, "Okay, continue."

"A couple years after our marriage, we found out we were expecting you," he smiled warmly at his boy, "Sometime during the pregnancy, I was made Grim Reaper and started to work a bit more, but I still had time for family. I actually didn't start wearing the mask right away though. I didn't like the idea of hiding my face from my own wife. Then you were born, and everything seemed to be perfect. We had reached our most anticipated goals in life, we were happy, and were starting a family.

But she got sick." He struggled to continue, his face twisted as he fought back tears, "I did everything I could, but she just got worse and worse. You were two years old when she finally couldn't fight it anymore." He let tears roam freely across his face, "I could have saved her if I were stronger. I just wasn't ready yet. My master should have never let me become Reaper at such a young age. But those mistakes are behind us now. And I suppose I never really lost her. I see her in your eyes everyday. Sometimes you sound just like her."

Kid began to cry too, and they hugged. "I'm so sorry Dad, I didn't mean to make you tell me all this."

He answered sternly, "No, you deserve to know this."

Kid remembered something, "Dad?"

"Yes son?"

"What was her name?"

"Oh, sorry son. It was Sara."

Kid smiled warmly at his father, piercing his heart with his mother's golden eyes, "Thank you for telling me Dad. You don't know how great it feels to finally know the truth. I love you."

"I love you too Kid." They hugged and went about their business.