Kay, this is done now. I have too many projects I need to stop starting new ones. But I have a comic I'm making. That's why I took so long with this.

Also, at some point in this chapter, Asura does have a panic attack and I'm sorry if it's not the best. I'm still working on writing things like panic/anxiety attacks so it will probably not be the best.


Shinigami liked to think he was a patient person. After all, living for hundreds of years and raising two boys who each had their own... eccentricities, for lack of a better term, tended to help one learn patience. But just because he could be patient, didn't mean he had to like it. He had been on edge since Vajra's revival, and had immediately sent for the Death Scythes to gather.

On top of that, both of his sons were wounded, Kid had already recovered for the most part but it seemed his ribs were taking longer to heal. His younger son had been very upset with him lately too, since he had been forbidden from going back to the Gallows Manor for the time being. And Asura's recovery was taking far longer than it should have been. Stein had removed the...the collar- he hated to think about it like that, but that's what it was -from around his neck. He was healing better now without it, but it still wasn't the same as before.

He had also made sure that Asura was set up in one of Shibusen's guestrooms while he recovered. Keeping him away from the students was for the best at the moment, he knew they were curious about the boy but he couldn't risk someone getting hurt. The Reaper had been far more anxious since he'd woken and refused to eat or let Stein or anyone else change his bandages, spending most of his time curled in the corner of his bed with a blanket wrapped around himself.

The scientist still had to give him the full report on Asura's condition too, since he'd been busy making sure to tighten security around the school. Maybe he was being overly cautious, but he would rather not wake up one day to alarms going off to find both of his boys gone. That was why he was waiting on Sid now for some kind of an update.

After waiting for so long, the zombie was finally standing before the mirror. "So Sid, have the eight Death Scythes gathered then?" He asked the blue man, sincerely hoping for some good news for now. His luck seemed to be pretty bad today however.

"Well, Justin only just arrived. So with the other two who arrived earlier, that's four of them." The zombie stated, holding up four of his fingers. It took every bit of will power the Reaper had not to sigh. He had really been hoping they all would be there by now.

"And the other four couldn't make it because...?"

With a nod, Sid explained, "The European chief and West Asian chief are on missions at the moment and couldn't make it." He paused for a moment before adding, "And the South American chief only says 'Gaogao' so we can't really communicate."

"And Africa?"

"They've blocked our communications." The man said.

"Oh..." Was all that he was able to say for a moment while Sid nodded solemnly in agreement. "Well then...I guess four will have to do, huh? If that's all, you're dismissed." The Reaper waved him away then but Sid still stayed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other like he wasn't sure he should say something or not.

Finally, the man looked up at him and said. "I know it isn't my business, but do you plan to check up on Asura anytime soon? That kid's not doing too well lately." He told the man, adding, "When I spoke to Stein last, he said Asura seemed to have convinced himself that him being here is some elaborate hallucination the Kishin decided to put him through."

Shinigami tensed slightly, taking a moment to process the information. "...yes, I planned on visiting once I'd gotten the Death Scythes gathered and briefed. Once I speak to those of them here and talk to Stein about his condition then I'll visit." He reassured the zombie. If Sid felt differently he definitely didn't say so, instead he nodded and turned to leave. Quickly, the Reaper called after him. "Sid! Could you check up on him?" The zombie turned back for a moment and nodded.

"I will."

"Thank you Sid."


All four Death Scythes who had arrived so far, plus Stein, stood before the Reaper. It was about time too, since he was admittedly losing his patience. He wanted to get on with this and check up on his children. There were a few things he had to talk to both of them about, but he would worry about that in a little bit. For now he put on his cheeriest voice and said, "Thank you all for coming! It has been a while since I've seen you all."

The statement was met with a couple nods and a smile courtesy of Marie Mjolnir. With the greetings done, Shinigami continued, "I'm sure you all know why I've gathered you all here. Kishin 'Vajra' has been revived and I thought we should take a moment to discuss this. Vajra can be very unpredictable, but I don't believe he will take action so soon. He will probably take his time recovering from this revival and the fight after."

"Because of this, I don't think his movements are our top priority. We should still be careful though, as I sad, he is unpredictable sometimes. For now we need to work on some countermeasures. The wavelength of insanity that Vajra exudes...Stein. If you will." The shade waved a gloved hand, gesturing for the man to take over.

Stein nodded. "Alright."

"Wavelength of insanity, huh?" Azusa said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Can we think of this as Vajra's wavelength then?"

"Yes," the scientist replied, "but it's a wavelength at the level of a god. Although it seems like it's not exclusive to him as we managed to recover the Kishin's Meister during the fight to stop his revival. Occasionally I can sense something similar from him."

He could see a flash of concern cross Marie's face for a moment, before she asked, "So, does this wavelength attract something then?" Stein nodded.

"That's a good way to put it...every human no matter who it is, has a bit of insanity in them. Myself included. Vajra's wavelength of insanity encourages the insanity in human souls. It's certain that insanity is contagious. I definitely felt it."

Azusa nodded once in understanding before she asked, "Can this happen to anyone? And what about this other person you mentioned? If they've got a Madness wavelength, are they a threat?"

Stein paused, glancing between the woman and Shinigami as he thought about his answer. "Well, for your first question...no. I expect the appearance rate to be low among clergymen with strong faith like Justin." He waved absentmindedly to the weapon in question, then continued, "And about the second, I don't think we're at risk of him going mad anytime soon. His Madness wavelength seems to be inactive or suppressed for the most part. If anything, it seems to act as a defense mechanism that activates when he feels overly scared or threatened."

The white haired man took a long drag from his cigarette before adding, "Also, I doubt that the general human populace will be hit with a 'madness outbreak' at this stage."

"Well, what's the issue then?" Justin asked, though Azusa spoke up right afterwards.

"The awakening and powering up of evil beings." The woman stated, reaching up to adjust her glasses.

"That's right... making snap judgements about people based on appearances is awful you know. Makes me wanna cut you to pieces~!" The scientist quipped, quickly switching the topic afterwards before Azusa could respond. "But anyway there's no end to the things we can worry about, from sleeping witches being woken to Atlantis rising from the sea floor..."

A worried look crossed Spirit's face as he said, "And we don't know when he might act..."

"Nope!" Shinigami chirped way too cheerfully before a deeper, darker tone replaced it. "But he will undoubtedly come for his Meister and Kiddo too, if what his weapons said is true. And speaking of this, now might be the best time to bring this up. You all know I have a son, Kid, but I never had a reason nor the will to tell anyone of his older brother Asura. He was Vajra's Meister eight hundred years ago and I had thought he was dead all this time."

Each of the three new Death Scythes had varying looks of shock and surprise etched into their faces. The Reaper gave them a moment to process the information before he continued. "It's one of my top priorities to keep my sons safe from Vajra, especially Asura. It's quite possible that Asura's Madness wavelength could spiral out of control if Vajra gets a hold of him again. And before you ask, he has a Madness wavelength because of his...condition. Since he was born he's had an excessive amount of fear in his soul, everything scares him and it's nearly driven him mad before but he always manages so he isn't a threat."

"..." Azusa fixed her glasses and nodded at the information. Then she pointed at both Stein and Spirit, saying, "This situation is because of their failure. Do you have any ideas for corrective measures?" Stein didn't react but Spirit practically leapt away form the accusation. Shinigami would admit that it was pretty amusing to see.

It was always nice to have such eccentric people when things were getting too serious and he really needed something else to focus on instead of Asura. Because now that he mentioned his son, he felt the need to visit when he couldn't, so a distraction would have to help. Nothing worked better than messing with his personal Death Scythe, so he said, "Hm, let's see..." Right away the scythe flinched like someone was going to hit him.

The Reaper let a pause hang between his next words and the last ones, and Spirit looked more uncomfortable the longer he waited. Until finally he said, "I was thinking of a personal change."

The red haired man looked like someone had just punched him in the stomach, yet he still managed to shout "WHAT?!" If he were anyone else, Shinigami figured he wouldn't be able to keep from laughing as the man laid over the edge of the platform they stood on. But he didn't laugh, instead, he grinned behind his mask.

"No, no Spirit!" He exclaimed loud enough to be heard over the man's depress mumbling. "You'll still be my weapon!" He hoped he sounded reassuring enough to the man because he was trying to be sincere.

"Are you really okay with a guy like me?!" The blubbering man exclaimed, tears and snot dripping down his face as he looked back to the mirror.

For a second, Shinigami wondered if he had gone too far with that, but then again Spirit was always so emotional. "Yes, and of all the Death Scythes, you are the only one who can truly be called a 'Death Scythe'. Take pride in that."

Right away Spirit was knelt before the mirror in something like a bow. A big grin was plastered across his face as he said, "Oh thank you! I'm so happy!" For some reason Justin mimicked the action.

"Good, and in return, I'm going to end your stint as Stein's temporary weapon. From now on try your best to stay at Shibusen." The Reaper commanded. "In addition, I'd like another Death Scythe to stay here as well to reinforce our defense." He glanced over the remaining weapons, already knowing what he planned. "Marie, I'd like you to be Stein's new partner."

"Eh?! Me?! " The blonde woman exclaimed as she pointed to herself. "Oh man...wait a minute! Wait just a minute! I don't want to work! Even the reason I became Oceania's chief is because it's a peaceful area without much work! I don't want a Shibusen post...my marriage will be delayed even further!"

Despite her rant no one really seemed to notice, aside from Stein, who said, "It will be okay, you're a hard worker even if it's unconsciously."

"Don't say that..."

Turning her back to the other woman Death Scythe, Azusa asked, "Shinigami-sama what would you have me do?"

"I'd like you to use the breadth of your world view to try to locate Vajra. And also to take over as the Oceania chief in Marie's absence." The woman nodded and he turned to Justin. "And as for Justin..." He paused, waiting for a response from the blonde man. When he got none, he tried again. "Justin." Still no response, it seemed like he had his headphones in again. When did he put those back in?

Both Azusa and Spirit kicked him in the back, making the weapon topple forward. He hit the floor with a thump, his earphones popping out as he pushed himself up again, Shinigami said, "Well then... Justin, you'll remain in reserve. From now on Shibusen is going to have to change. Our guiding principle is 'It's a brutal but cheerful life.'. Well then, dismissed~"

The group began walking away when the shade called after them. "Just a moment, Stein, Spirit. There's some things we need to discuss." The men stopped and Marie did as well, looking back to her newly assigned Meister. The scientist nodded at her and she continued on. Once they were alone, Shinigami asked the professor, "So Stein... what's Asura's condition? Is it bad?" There was a worried undertone to his cheerful voice that he was sure the two could hear.

Stein hesitated for a brief moment, bringing his cigarette up to his lips before realizing that it was all burnt out. The man sighed at that, he had hoped to calm his nerves because he was honestly not looking forward to this. Instead he asked, "Well, let's see, do you want to know his physical state or mental state first?"

"...Physical I guess." The Reaper replied after a moment of thought. The professor nodded then.

"Well the good news is that he's healing quicker without that collar..however I don't think he's always had just the collar. But I'll explain a bit later. Currently there are multiple stab wounds from Medusa's 'Vector Arrow' spell, though I spoke to Liz, who told me some of them were from the Kishin himself. Apparently Asura tried to distract Vajra so they could rescue Kid, and Vajra retaliated. An older wound caused by a bladed weapon, I'd guess a sword from the direction and depth, that's still healing. Then a more recent gash on his arm that reaches the bone..."

With each new injury mentioned, the scientist could feel the Reaper's aura change to something more threatening while Spirit glared at the ground. Still, Stein continued. "And to add to that, there are much older injuries, some suggest that there might have been a matching set of cuffs to go with the collar. There are scarred rings around his wrists that look like the mark around his neck that's just started to heal. Also, I did an X-RAY to check for fractured or broken bones. There are small breaks on the bones in his hands. It's likely he broke his hands to get of them."

"Then there are more scars all across his body and healed fractures in the bone structure. But to be honest, I didn't think it was possible for Death Gods to scar." Stein stated, pausing to gather his thoughts and possibly to get an answer to his unspoken question.

"We aren't supposed to have scars. Not for long anyway. If Asura has scars on him like you say...the wounds would have had to be reopened frequently and probably very deeply." Shinigami's voice was much darker, no cheeriness to it at all, and his head was turned away from the scientist

"So... basically torture...He's just a kid, isn't he?!" Spirit spoke up suddenly, anger obvious in his voice. "Hell how old is he even?"

"Physically, and probably mentally, I'd say late teens. 17 at least, 19 or barely twenty at most." Stein supplied helpfully.

"He was kidnapped by Vajra when he was 16. So I'd say Stein's probably right, though it's more like 19." Shinigami agreed flatly.

"Why...how could anyone do that to a kid...to their own partner..." The red head mumbled just loud enough to be heard. Stein was quick to intervene before Shinigami could.

"Why does one punish a dog that rips up furniture?" Stein asked.

"My son is not a dog." The Reaper growled. Stein nodded.

"I know, but it's the same concept. Like a bad pet, people can be trained. Taught to obey or else they will be punished. That's why the Kishin did this. He wanted Asura's obedience, he wanted him compliant. I think Vajra being sealed may have interrupted his 'training' Asura. Asura learned to fear Vajra's wrath, but he may still have been resisting to some extent. Without the constant threat of Vajra, he grew bold enough to try to escape." The professor lifted his head to stare at Shinigami as he added, "If you had sealed Vajra later, or never had, there's no telling how far he would have gone or what he would have done to Asura."

That last statementsent chills done the shade's spine and he could see Spirit shudder as they both processed the information. The underlying message was clear as day, if he had been any later sealing Vajra, there might not have been enough will for him to try to escape. If he were any later, his son could have been broken beyond repair and the Asura he knew could have been gone forever. "...This is all kinds of fucked up, isn't it?" Spirit asked, and though it was more to himself the Reaper still nodded.

"That it is, Spirit..."

"But on another note," the scientist announced, catching the two's attention again, "Asura's mental state may take a while to fix, but I think he will be better in time. You weren't kidding about his excessive phobias though. He's certainly paranoid, and has some severe anxiety. I wouldn't be surprised if he was prone to panic attacks. I also believe that he's somewhat depressed and occasionally he seems to close himself off, particularly in stressful or frightening situations. I have also noticed some self-destructive behavior too. Isolation and sleep deprivation seem to be his go to methods."

As he finished his report, the man turned to Shinigami. "I would recommend that you talk to him soon too. He seems wholeheartedly convinced that we, and Shibusen are part of and elaborate hallucination designed to trick him or test his loyalty to Vajra. I doubt that this is something that he fabricated on the spot, so Vajra may have used Madness induced hallucinations on him before as a form of punishment. I tried to speak to him about it when I last saw him, but he simply ignored me."

Shinigami nodded slowly, mulling over the new information. So he would have to convince Asura that he wasn't hallucinating before they could even begin to start helping him otherwise. The shade could only hope it wouldn't take long to help him see that this really was real. "I see...well then Stein, you're dismissed. Spirit, you stay." Both men nodded, Spirit staying as he was told while Stein left.


Okay. He could do this. It wasn't that hard. The Reaper stood before a solid metal door set in the stone wall of his school. It was one of many of the exact same doors scattered all across this floor. He reached out carefully to open the door, only to pull his hand away at the last moment. Maybe he should use his human form for this...yes! While the shade form was incredibly useful, it was also kind of...well, it wasn't very personal. He wanted Asura to feel more comfortable with him so that was the best option.

He shifted back into his human form, reaching up to remove his mask as he entered and closed the door behind him. What greeted him however was an empty room. It was larger than the normal guest rooms, big enough for a bed in the top right corner farthest from the door. There was also a round table with two wooden chairs around it, a small dresser, and a bookshelf. A different door to the side led to a bathroom too, but he didn't sense Asura there. He was somewhere in the seemingly empty room, and there was really only one place to hide that he might fit.

Shinigami placed the mask and hung the cloak off the back of the chair. He knelt down on the ground, peering under the full size bed that was missing it's comforter. Glowing red eyes stared back at him, wide with fear, as he tried to curl even further back into the corner. "Asura?" The Reaper called softly, getting no response from his son. "Asura, I talked to Professor Stein. He told me you think this isn't real. Is that true?"

Asura blinked, the action only noticeable because the red glow vanished. Then he slowly nodded. "Okay...okay then. Can you please come out here so I can talk to you easier? I am getting old you know I probably shouldn't be crawling around on the floor like this." He joked, waving at the younger Reaper to come towards him. Asura seemed to think it over for a moment before he was crawling out from under the bed.

The boy stood carefully, eyeing Shinigami like a cornered animal as he climbed onto his bed. He curled up again in the farthest corner and wrapped the comforter he'd dragged with him around his shoulders. "You are safe here you know. This really is real, I heard you hit your head when Vajra escaped the underground so I doubt you remember much past that." Shinigami started, sitting himself at the edge of the bed.

"You were very lucky, one of the students you met found a way to stall Vajra until I could reach you. Does the name Soul sound familiar?" The man asked, watching Asura's eyes light up in recognition. Slowly he nodded. "Good! Well, they have a magic cat living with them and I guess she was nearby at the time. Soul convinced her to fight Vajra to get you back and I got there in time to help you when she couldn't."

"...o-oh, um...i-is she...okay?" The question was so quiet that Shinigami barely caught it, but he nodded. There was no reason to make his son worry by mentioning that the cat lost another life to help him.

"She's fine now. No need to worry." He reassured. "But I have to ask, you aren't just playing along because you think this is fake, are you?" Asura's gaze shifted from his father to his toes, which poked out from under the blanket. He didn't need to say anything for the man to know what he thought. "C'mon Asura, I know you know better than to believe that right away. Use that amazing Soul Perception of yours! Try to find some of the people you were with on the night of Vajra's revival. Vajra wouldn't have taken all of them and we both know soul waves cannot be faked."

A thoughtful look crossed Asura's face as he weighed his odds. Shinigami was right. The spell's time was almost up when Vajra revived and not everyone was with them. Maka and Soul were closest to them before he passed out. But then, he really didn't want to be proven wrong. He didn't want it to be fake. If it were fake though, Vajra would just grow tired of him not reacting and tear the illusion away anyway, so why not do it himself? At least then it was his choice.

With that in mind he closed his eyes and just searched, looking to pinpoint the souls of the people who were with him that night. He didn't get far though, because the moment he could sense souls outside of the collars range his eyes snapped open. Both hands flew to his neck to check for the collar, only to find bandages wrapped around his neck in it's place. He froze when Shinigami spoke up, "Professor Stein removed it while you were unconscious. We figured that was why you weren't healing properly."

"..." Taking a moment to gather himself, Asura tried to find something to say. It had to be real. It had to be. He never could use Soul Perception in Vajra's hallucinations and then he had sensed other souls nearby. No humans were ever nearby while he was imprisoned. It had to be real then! His father was really real! Really here! He was safe! He was...oh no, he'd been acting horrible since the man walked into his room. What if Shinigami was mad?!

Clapping his hands together in the same prayer style he usually used, Asura gasped sharply. He hadn't been expecting it to hurt to move so quickly. But he still had to apologize, so he hurriedly said, "I'msosorryfather!Ididn'tmeantoberude,Ididntknowitwasreallyreal!IswearI'llneverdoitagainjus-justplease! Don't hurt me!" He remained frozen like that, aside form occasional shivers, while he waited for a response.

"... okay, I'm going to be honest. I barely understood a word of that except for the last part, but it sounds like an apology so I forgive you." Shinigami stated, reaching out and slowly setting a hand on his son's shoulder. It hurt to see the boy jerk away from his touch, but there wasn't much else for them to do besides hold steady. "I won't hurt you either okay? You're already wounded, and I want you to get better. Do you understand?"

Asura nodded slowly and lowered his arms, glancing briefly up at his father before hiding behind his bangs. If he didn't think it would make things worse, the older Reaper would have just reached out and held his frightened son. But it would make things worse he was sure. He could barely handle a gentle touch on his shoulder, who knew how he might react to that. So instead he said, "I heard that you weren't sleeping you know. You need your rest if you want to heal faster."

"I-I-I...I'm sorry..." The boy mumbled, curling away from Shinigami as he spoke. There were tears forming in the corners of his eyes and the man could only watch as Asura continued, "I didn't... I was scared...th-that I would wake up back...back there...that he would be waiting and...and he'd hurt me! N-no more...please d-don't hurt me..no,no,no,no,no..." He wrapped his arms around his legs, trying to shrink into a small, shaking ball.

Shinigami still sat there dumbfounded as he tried to think about what was going on. It wasn't until Asura was gasping for breath like a fish out of water that it sunk in: Asura was having a panic attack. He didn't know what to do, he'd never actually dealt with his panic attacks before even though he knew the boy had them. "Oh...oh my...um, Asura?" He tried calling out softly, raising his voice when that didn't work. "Asura. Hang on okay? I'll, uh... I'll go get Stein! Yes, he'll know what to do!"

Leaping off the bed, the Reaper barely took two steps before Asura shouted, "NO!" He quickly hid his face again. His father couldn't leave! He would be all alone and he couldn't breathe, he was trying but it didn't seem to work. No matter how deep a breath he took he just couldn't get any air past the tightness in his chest. At this rate, he feared he might suffocate. "Stay...h-help..."

The bed dipped and he barely registered his father's bright amber eyes looking at him. "I don't know how to help you. That's why I was going to get Stein." Although that might be out of the question for the moment. Stein was right when he said the Madness of Fear acted up more when Asura panicked. He could already feel it surrounding them, hang around his son like a cloud and trying to frighten the unseen assailant away with illusions.

When the boy shook his head at that, Shinigami relented. "Okay... I'll stay. But you need to try to calm down. You're safe now remember? You don't need to be scared. Just relax." His only response was a high pitched whine as his breathing sped up more. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know if he was making it worse or not. What could he possibly do to calm him now? Carefully, the man reached out to lay a reassuring hand on his son'sown thin hands, but a tap on his shoulder had him freezing inches away.

"Back off old man, you're making it worse." The voice was female, and one he recognized almost instantly. He did as he was told anyhow, and shuffled back to make room. The woman who was quick to take his place looked exactly like he remembered. Her frosty blue, chin length hair framed a thin, pure white face. Her body was covered in red markings, some of which resembled Asura's symbol and the rest as white as snow. Two white hot balls of fire hovered above here head and her only clothing was a large, puffy coat lined with fur.

"Kaguya, it's been awhile." The man said, admittedly a bit relieved. Kaguya should know what to do since she was one of Asura's more active clowns. Surely she's dealt with this before. He really hoped so.

"Don't talk to me." She said, turning around to face the younger Reaper. "It's okay Lord Asura! You're safe here remember? Shinigami is here and so am I, we'll keep you safe if that nasty pervert ever comes back around!" Looking over her shoulder at the man behind her, she added, "I'll distract him with my body and you go for the throat."

"What..."

"K-kaguya... d-don't be...i-inappropriate..." Asura stuttered out, trying to reprimand the clown even in his panic. She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest defensively, deflating slightly when the boy keep gasping for air.

"Moh...fine. But you need to breathe."

"I...I c-c-can't."

Offering a gentle smile, the clown said, "Sure you can! Just take a deep breath and count to four, then let it out and do it again." She didn't like to wait for Asura to calm down, but she had learned to be patient. If he felt rushed, he would panic more, so she couldn't risk rushing him. Instead she waited for his breathing to even out some before saying, "Lord Asura, you know what must be nice about being here now? I bet there's tons of new books for you to read! Like all of those!" She gestured to the shelf across the room.

As Kaguya continued to chatter, with a few reminders to breathe, the younger Reaper slowly relaxed until he was finally calm. Occasionally he still shivered but it was nothing like before. That was when Shinigami dared to speak up. "Asura. I understand you like having Kaguya around for protection and company, but could you send her away for now?"

"Wh-why?" Came the quiet answer, as wide red eyes met orange.

"Because Kaguya radiates Madness, and I don't want her presence driving the students mad. Okay?' Slowly the boy nodded and Kaguya pouted as she dissolved into a cloud of black particles. A few moments of silence passed before Shinigami said. "You look tired Asura. You should probably rest. I was hoping to introduce you to your brother tomorrow, if that's alright with you."

"Um...y-yes? About that...why do I have a brother?" Asura asked cautiously, watching the man's reaction. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't the gentle smile he got.

"Because I thought you had died. It took almost eight hundred years to get over your death enough to make Kid. If I had known, or even had the slightest idea you were still alive somewhere... I would have sent people to get you. I can't leave this place after all, but I would have had Eibon or someone else find you and bring you home." The man admitted, trying to sound upbeat so Asura wouldn't be scared.

"...okay...And the others...where are they? I-I found Excalibur in a cave and I... I can't sense the other warriors..." Shinigami shifted slightly. Of course he would ask, he remembered them all being there. The longer he waited though, the more restless Asura was getting so he had to say something.

Taking a deep breath, the man said, "They're gone..."

"Gone?"

"Yes. Um, let's see...the rest of the human warriors were killed by Vajra while they were looking for the two of you. And don't even think it was your fault, you didn't kill them." He added that quickly, already seeing Asura's face drop. "Eibon betrayed us to join the witches so he could build one of his demon tools and Excalibur and the Black Mass left a while after I'd sealed Vajra." He explained, careful to keep his voice even despite how mad he felt to think about both traitors. "But it's alright, everything worked out."

"Okay..." Asura agreed, despite the unsure tone to his voice. Everyone he knew was gone now. Honestly he was expecting as much from the humans because they were mortal, but he had hoped the were able to live longer. And the others had left too, Eibon even becoming a traitor... He did not want to think about it. To help distract himself, he asked, "And I can meet my brother tomorrow? um, also...why is his name Kid?"

The older Reaper sighed at the second question. Of course Asura would ask that, it must have sounded ridiculous to him. "Technically his name is Death the Kid. And for your information, I named him that partly to spite Eibon because he talked me out of naming you 'Kid'. Partly because it's easier and I get to call him Kiddo."

"I bet 'Kiddo' would love to know you named him that out of spite." Was the response he got, and he couldn't help smiling at it even though the younger Reaper tried to hide behind his bangs. It still didn't hide the embarrassed blush on his face.

"He's not going to know because you aren't going to tell him." Asura looked up at him, confusion clear on his face. Shinigami was quick to elaborate before he accidentally gave the boy another panic attack. "Kid doesn't know a lot about the past and I'd rather not tell him everything at once. So don't tell him about Eibon being one of the warriors, don't mention the Madness wavelengths, and please don't go telling him anything else about either. Oh, or the fragment thing either. There's really no need to tell him."

For a moment Asura didn't respond, averting his gaze to his hands as a guilty look crossed his face. After thinking it over he said, "...Okay, I won't. But how will I explain Kaguya or my own Madness...I-I know it gets out of control sometimes..."He scratched at his arm nervously.

"I thought about that already. You can probably pass it off as something caused by your fears. I already told some of my subordinates that noticed that it's because you've had more fear in your soul than a normal person since you were born. You can pass Kaguya off as a side effect of the Madness if she ever appears." Shinigami explained, glad to see his son looking relieved. He figured Asura would have appreciated the easy out if people started asking questions. "See, no worries! Everything will be fine."

"...R-right..." Asura nodded in agreement even if every part of him wanted to say differently. It was nice to believe anyway.