A/N-Ok! Ok! I LIED! So I'm NOT doing the mission one this time! This is the set up, and the one on Kid's first mission WILL BE NEXT TIME! No avoiding it!

ZaKai-Thanks for the suggestion about the POV…I'm trying to make it mostly Kid's from now on.

Summary-Just a set up for Kid's mission…One of my fave chaps though.

"The basic difference between an ordinary person and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge while an ordinary person takes everything as a blessing or a curse."

Kid had been shooting things for a long time now. Sometimes they were made of paper, but his favorite targets were the wooden disks that Odin had made for him. The ones that Odin would throw in the air, and make him shoot. THIS would make Odin proud. Sometimes it got boring…shooting was too easy! But anything to make Odin look at him with a smile on his face…Anything.

Sometimes Odin went away on Missions…Missions, Kid had found out from Odin, were when people went out to shoot other people. How mean. Kid didn't think that the people would like being shot. HE wouldn't like walking around with a hole in him. Oh well. Odin said that it was like getting rid of rats and their nests. Gee…this was not nice at all. HE wouldn't like walking around with a hole in him and then stuck into a trashbag. He told Odin as much, and the man just laughed.

"You'll see what I mean. I think it's about time I take you on a mission…" Odin NEVER let him go on missions. They were too important, and Odin said that they could NOT fail, or it would mean death or exposure for them. It was better to die then to be exposed.

"Odin?" Odin told him to shut up while he was driving, but he had been silent for a full five minutes!

"What do you want, Kid?" His hands seemed to go whiter as they clenched the wheel tighter.

"What's death?"

"When you die."

"Well what happens when you die?" Odin growled.

"You go on a long journey and never come back…Now be quiet."

"You said that I would die though, but I don't plan on going on a long journey. I think that I will stay with you forever." Kid smiled. Odin would like that.

"Hell no you won't!"

"What's hell?"

"A place where bad people go."

"Am I going to hell?" Kid remembered Odin saying something about burning in hell…

"Most likely Kid…But don't worry. I'll be there too. We'll roast together." Kid didn't like the idea of Hell…Odin made it sound hot.

"Odin?" Wow…Odin had a nice red face.

"Shut up before I put a hole in your head." That wouldn't be nice. Kid didn't want to have a hole in his head…

"Odin…I'm bored though!" Odin sighed and his free hand twitched towards his gun.

"So we'll stop and I'll buy you a bottle of milk to shove in your mouth…Or whatever it is those normal people do to shut their children up." Normal people? Wasn't Odin normal? He didn't look NOT normal…Maybe it was just one of those confusing things that Odin said.

Kid kicked his legs against the seat. He was BORED. And then he saw it. It was one of the few things that Odin had brought with him on the trip, and surprise, surprise, it was right next to Kid, and within reach. The suitcase had one of those easy-to-pick locks, and Kid had it unclicked within less then ten minutes. With a smile, he opened the suitcase to find LOTS of toys! Ohh…he know what it was! It was a PUZZLE! A really COOL 3D Puzzle…It must go together to make a gun, cause it was black and the rough spots were like the ones on the gun that he was shooting. He set the gun in his lap and began to work.

At first the silence in the back of the car was WONDERFUL. Pure bliss. Odin had been putting up with the kid's endless chatter for three full hours, and finally the rascal had found something to entertain himself…but it had been to long of a silence…had hadn't brought anything the kid could amuse himself with…Worried, Odin glanced back…and almost crashed the car. He had to swerve to get on track again.

"KID! WHAT are you DOING with THOSE!" Kid was sitting with his lap full of gun pieces, while three open boxes lay with completed pieces in them…

"I'm putting the puzzles together! Look! I can even do it in less then twenty seconds!" Kid looked down, his tongue between his teeth; his face contracted in utter concentration.

"DONE! Heh… You like it Odin?"

Odin was speechless. He really didn't like the idea of ANYone touching his guns, let alone putting the together. That kid had talent. Not only had he unlocked the locks, and none of them were broken, but he had also successfully set together a complicated brand on handguns. Man. This kid surprised him at every turn. Maybe this kid was born just for fighting an weaponry. Heh. Maybe he wouldn't hand the kid over to J…Once J saw what kind of weapon he had, there would be no end to it. He would work the kid to death before he realized that the boy was only human. But then what was HE going to do? Keep Kid all to himself forever and ever? No…His days as an assassin were coming to a close, and it would only be time before he became careless or too slow and somebody shot him. Then what would kid do? He wasn't normal, and that granted, he would never fit in among other children at a school. Haha. Odin could just see it…

Ok class, we have a new student! What is your name?

Kid.

Ok…umm…Kid…What do you like doing?

Ummm…putting holes in people and fixing guns so we can bag the rats!

No…Kid would never work out as a normal student, and would probably be set in jail before he got a chance to kill someone for stealing his lunch money or something.

"Odin…Your staring…Did I do something wrong? Please look at the road…" Heh. Lucky they were going on a straight lane…Odin was sure they would have crashed.

"No, Kid, but where the hell did you learn how to do THAT! No, scratch that…How the hell did you get past my locks?"

Kid enjoyed the game that he was playing with Odin. Odin had stopped to buy him a complex lock, consisting of numbers AND letters. Although he said that it was just to keep him quiet for the trip, Kid thought that Odin was enjoying it as well as him. The man seemed to lighten up every time Kid laughed at the codes he had installed for the boy to break…(Some how they all seemed to resemble curse words) and Kid was getting faster and faster at it. Odin would enter a code, Kid would work it out and break it, and then hand it over to Odin, Eager to read the next inappropriate word.

Kid was sorry when they finally reached the hotel's lot, and the car pulled into an empty space. He expected Odin to get out, but the man made no such move, so the boy opened his door…only to have his arm grasped, and his body was hauled back inside.

"Hey, Kid…We need to get a couple things straight here." Odin's voice was serious, and he still hadn't let go of Kid's arm…it was starting to hurt!

"Your going to be my son for a while…got that? NEVER call me Odin while we're here…I'm dad, ok?" A real dad? Odin was going to be his dad? But daddy hit him, and it HURT! But Odin would never hit him…right? Odin was nice. Yes, he would be a nice daddy.

"Ok!" Kid agreed happily.

"So what's my name?"

"Odin." Squeeze! Ow! Right… "I mean, daddy."

"Good. And your name will be…Alex."

They walked into the hotel's main office, and Odin smiled charmingly at the girl sitting behind the desk.

"May I help you, Sir?"

"Yeah…I called in an hour ago for reservations here…Name's Jon Ericson."

The clerk typed something into her computer. "Right, sir. We have your room, is number 418, right behind the lot, on the third story. Please enjoy your stay, and feel free to call for any help."

Odin winked at the girl and departed the building, leaving Kid to haul the extra baggage.

The room was nice and well furnished, with two small beds and a single bathroom. On the desk, Odin set up a laptop that Kid had seen only on occasion, and was not allowed to touch. Odin hooked the wires up and sat down to start typing on it.

"Daddy?" Kid liked the sound of the word on his tongue. It made him feel like he belonged to someone…had a place…

"Don't call me that, Kid." That wasn't right! He told him to call him daddy, and his name wasn't Kid anymore!

"But you said…"

"I know damn well what I said, and you don't call me that while we are alone. Only in public."

"But I thought…" Kid felt close to crying…He thought that Da- That ODIN actually liked having him as a son. Didn't he want him?

"Don't think Kid." He snorted. "Don't tell me you actually WANTED me as a father?"

"No." Yes.

"Good. Then stop acting like a damn baby." Odin turned back to typing on his laptop, and suddenly kid felt alone. He had always been alone. Always would be alone. He was brought back from his thoughts when Odin spoke in the indifferent tone, still staring at the computer's screen.

"Don't you have somewhere to go, Kid? Something to do?" No. He had never had a place to go other then with Odin…and Odin didn't want him anymore. But he would stay. Had to stay. He had no one but Odin. He shook his head.

"Well, I need to be alone for a while, so why don't you go take a look around the place? I guess normal people don't do that, but why the hell would we want to be normal? I mean, you know the hotel number…why don't you go take a walk around the block?" It was not really a question. Odin wanted him to leave. Fine then. He would leave, but he would come right back. Odin could NOT leave him here alone. Kid got up from the bed that he didn't recall sitting down on, and walked to the door.

"Remember, Kid, Your name is Alex. Don't tell anyone our room number or our business. Not ANYone" Yeah…and you're my daddy. But not anymore, right? Kid shut the door. Odin would NOT see his tears.

He couldn't help it. Kid cried. Odin told him that crying was not accepted, but the boy couldn't help it. The tears just came and came, and when he saw them drop into his lap, they came some more. He didn't scream or throw a tantrum like other CHILDREN would. Odin would not like that. He was bad boy now as it was anyway. While sitting on a curb, watching cars passing him by, Kid wondered what he would and could ever do to make Odin proud. Then something touched him. Kid jumped and swung around, unconsciously jumping into the street. A hand grabbed his and pulled him back to safety, and he found himself staring into a man's caring brown eyes. The arm that had grabbed him released some tension, but did not let go.

"Whoa, there little man! You ok?" Little man. Not little Kid, not Hey you, not even just Kid. Little man. Like he was a grown up. Kid wiped his eyes. If the kind man saw his tears, he might not like him! Odin said no one liked crybabies!

"I'm fine, thank you…Who are you?" Kid liked the man…wanted him to stay. He was suddenly aware of the men in black suits standing behind the man, and they scared him!

"My name is Mr. Lawrenson…Call me Tuck though!" The man tried to smile reassuringly, and reached up to Kid's face to brushed some of his hair away. His fingers were soft as they traced the twin cuts on Kid's face, and he frowned as fresh blood stained his fingers. Squatting down, he looked Kid in the eyes.

"Hey, Little man…Who did this to you? I can tell a knife cut when I see one…" Oh. They must have re opened when he ran through the trees. Kid's eyes were hard as he looked at the man.

"Was it daddy? Did daddy do this to you? You know you can tell me. I'll make things better. You don't have to put up with this." Daddy. He didn't have a daddy. Odin told him not to call him daddy. Kid stuck his chin out.

"I don't have a daddy." The man looked sad. Sad for him. But it was instantly covered with another one of those charming smiles.

"So you're a street kid, then? Did the bigger boys do this to you? Hmm. That will have to be put a stop to. Maybe I should take you home. Do you want a real mommy and daddy?" Yes! He wanted one! But he promised not to leave Odin…

"Sir…If I may…" A man in a black suit.

"Yes, Dakeem?" The man-Tuck's-voice had gone cold…was it really the same person?

"We can't afford to take home all the street rats that we see along the road. Come on now. You will be late for your appointment." Tuck smiled sadly at the boy.

"Hey, little man…I'll try to find you again…I'll talk to the council about you…Maybe someday we can get you a real home…A real mommy and daddy. I'll see what I can do." The man straightened, and with a last sorrowful look at Kid, he turned his heel and left, the men in black flanking either side and behind him.

"Hey, Odin." Kid tried to smile at the man.

"Hey kid…Where did you go? You were gone for a long time." Kid smiled. He loved telling Odin about his day…and everything else that came to his mind…but that wasn't the point.

"Met a nice man today!" The results were not what Kid had expected. Odin swung around and grabbed both of his arms, slamming him against the wall. Kid squirmed in the uncomfortable grasp.

"Kid! What did I tell you about talking to strangers! You little idiot! What the HELL did you say to him! Leave NOTHING out!"

"Hey!" Kid felt bad. He only wanted to make Odin proud! "It wasn't MY fault! He talked to me first!" Kid protested. The hands grasping his arms tightened.

"WHAT. DID. YOU. TELL. HIM?"

"Well, nothing really…I mean…he tapped me, and saved me when I jumped into the street! I mean…I wasn't REALLY scared…you know…Wasn't scared…No…" SQUEEZE! "Ow! Ok! He asked me if I was ok, and I told him yes. He told me his name is Tuck…umm…umm Law…Law…something! I don't remember!" He expected a squeeze, but when he didn't get one, he opened his eyes, which he had closed tightly when Odin got mad. Odin was pale. Like when he pointed the gun at him.

"What else? What else did he say?"

"Well…He saw the cut on my face and asked me if daddy did it…And You told me not to call you daddy, so I told him I didn't HAVE a daddy…and he looked sad. There were LOTS of men with him! They were all in black and they were SCARY! Not like I was afraid though…" Kid was shaking. When Odin said and did nothing, he continued. "He called me a street kid, and asked if the big boys did it to me…I didn't see any big boys though…and then the man in black said they had to go! That was all! I swear!" Kid thought for a moment. "Oh, and he said that he would look for me and try to get me off the streets. He looked sad."

"Kid…" Kid flinched.

"Kid…That was our target." Target? Like the ones on the trees, and the ones Odin threw in the air? Wow…Odin must be strong to pin that man to a tree and throw him in the air. He must have looked confused because Odin continued.

"Tuck Lawrenson…Our mission was to kill him." Kill? What was that? But Odin didn't seem in the mood to talk about killing right now. "So don't get attached, Kid. You and me will blow his brains out tomorrow." Gee…that didn't sound nice! Then how would he think? "Get some rest now, Kid…We're getting up early tomorrow to prepare." Prepare for what? But Kid didn't ask. Maybe if he did everything that Odin wanted, Odin would like him more. Kid hopped into his bed, and was lost in dreams of REAL mommies and daddies.

Hey! Sorry about this, but I'm going to put Review responses and poll updates in the next chapter cause I'm soo tired! Sorry!

EA signing out.