"And so, that was the beginning of Kid's misfortune." Liz spoke quietly, staring as Kid played basketball with the others. Maka kept her eyes on Liz before asking slowly, "Beginning?"

"Yep." Liz began to say, looking over at Maka and saying sadly, "He's a Grim Reaper and the son of Lord Death himself, Maka. A lot of people want him dead." Tipping her hat down so that it was covering her eyes, she looked up at the sky and whispered, "I don't know how on earth that little boy could have continued to smile after the story he told us about his mother."

"Was that when you first met?"

"Yeah. Patty made the mistake of asking where his mother was..." Liz trailed off as she felt her eyes watering and her lower lip trembling. "I'm glad that we decided to be his Weapons, Maka. If we hadn't...I don't know what would've happened to his mentality, his life, or even his very soul. There was just so much that he had been put through and to this day, I don't understand how he can still be living."

Maka looked down at the ground sadly and murmured, "I see. His mother's death must have been awful. I don't know what I'd do if Mama died." She tapped her fingers together before hearing a low voice say calmly, "It happened when Kid was five."

Looking behind her, Maka scowled angrily and grumbled, "What do you want, Papa?"

Spirit stood behind the bench, staring at the basketball court with his black jacket held over his right shoulder. He seemed to look more stern, more serious and mature as he stood tall and straight like he was.

"Do you want to know what happened to his mother, Maka?" He asked softly, glancing down at his daughter. Maka looked over at Liz, then at Kid, stating calmly, "No. Not if Kid doesn't want me to know about it."

Spirit stayed quiet after that, focusing on the game in front of him as Liz stated softly, "I don't think he'd mind if he knew it was you, Maka. Trust me..."

Maka looked over at Liz and smiled calmly, asking, "Why do you say that?"

Liz shrugged as she felt tears trickle down her cheeks and she whispered, "He trusts you and everyone else...you're all like his family."

Nodding, she looked back down at the ground and listened to Spirit say, "Lord Death married a woman named Rem, who in time, gave birth to Death the Kid. However, there were a lot of people who wanted both Rem and Kid dead, no matter what it took. It was these people that created a group of thieves, murderers, serial killers, all kinds of criminals. And it was these very people that consistently attacked Lord Death's family with hopes of bringing him down."

Looking up at the sky, he whispered softly, "They deserved a worse punishment than they received for doing what they had to that poor child..."

The Death of Rem!

Death the Kid's Final Good-bye?

"Mother, how much longer until we can go outside?"

Death the Kid, the age of a five-year-old, stood in front of his mother's desk with a look of annoyance. She smiled brightly as she looked up from the papers scattered about her desk, her black hair tied into a long, flowing ponytail. The white stripes that encircled her entire head made Kid envious, but he never told her that. The long, dark dress that she was wearing almost made her seem as though she were a female version of Lord Death himself, wearing a dark jacket and gloves to conceal her arms and hands.

"Kid, I promise you that the minute I'm done with this last paper we can go outside. Alright?"

Kid nodded softly, sighing as he left the room quietly. He looked up and down the hallway before hearing his mother cry out, "Oh, I can't help myself!" Blinking, he turned to look back at the room and was able to catch a glimpse of her hair before the woman tackled him, encasing her in her deadly grip. She squeezed Kid tightly and exclaimed, "You're just so damn cute, Kid!"

Setting her child down, Rem laughed loudly and said happily, "Let's go outside and make a snowman! Won't that be fun?" Kid grimaced as he began walking away, stating, "No way. You're a creep." Shattering into pieces, Rem curled up in a ball on the floor, saying with sorrow, "He hates me. I knew he always hated me."

Looking back at his mother, the young boy sighed and stuck out his tongue, saying with a wide grin, "You'll have to catch me if you want to play outisde!" Laughing quickly, he took off running as Rem stood up and chased after him. She rushed down a hallway, looking up and down it, before beginning to peek into bedrooms, calling out, "Kid! Where did you go? Come on now, stop hiding!"

Sighing heavily, she rubbed the back of her neck and grumbled, "Where did that kid go?" Walking down a long hallway, she saw Kid step out of a room and begin to creep down a hallway, obviously suspecting that Rem was down the hallway. She giggled to herself before running for him and grabbing him, holding him against her while saying loudly, "GOT YA!" Laughing loudly, Kid looked at his mother and said happily, "You found me, Mommy! Good job!"

Rem smiled warmly, staring into her child's golden eyes and wondering about what he would be as an adult. Pressing her forehead against his, she whispered softly, "I love you, Kid." Kid nodded as he replied with a slight blush, "I love you too, Mommy." He wasn't used to her being this close to him, but decided to take advantage of it. He wrapped his arms around her neck and placed his head onto her shoulder, hugging her tightly. "You won't ever leave, right, Mother?"

"Of course not. Why would you ask me that?" Rem asked, a hint of hurt and surprise in her voice.

"Well...I don't know. I just wanted to make sure, Mommy." Nodding, Kid looked back up at her eyes and asked happily, "So, can we go outside?"

"Of course we can!" Rem exclaimed loudly, putting Kid down and watching him rush off. "Make sure to put on your mittens and hat!"

"I will!" Called Kid. Standing in the middle of the hallway, Rem silently wondered why her son had asked her such a strange question. She sighed calmly and murmured, "He's just a boy and probably had a nightmare." Giggling gently, she look around the large house and whispered, "It certainly feels great to be home!"

"Mother! Mother, look!" Kid exclaimed as he pointed at the large snowball he had created, a wide smile lighting up his face. He watched his mother clap for him and bring over the medium sized snowball that she had created. Setting it on top of the large snowball, she stated happily, "There! Now he's almost complete, right, Kid?"

Kid nodded as he created the last snowball, added rocks for eyes, a stick for a nose and arms, and more rocks for a mouth. Staring at his creation, he giggled softly and rubbed his nose, saying brightly, "It looks great, Mommy!" When his mother didn't reply, Kid felt a sudden wave of worry strike his body. Looking up at his mother, he watched as she stared behind him, her face suddenly growing cold and bitter.

"Mother...?" He whispered softly, turning around as well and seeing a strange man standing by the gate that wrapped around their house. Rushing behind his mother, he grabbed onto her dress and stared at the man from behind her.

"Is there something that you wanted?" Rem asked, clenching her hands into tight, angry fists. The man merely laughed, staring at the snowman, and then up at the two, muttering, "Nice snowman."

Rem took a step forward, making Kid flinch slightly as she hissed, "What is your business here? If you have no business being here then I suggest you leave immediately!"

"Now, now, calm down." The man grumbled, hissing back, "My business being here is the capture of you both." Holding up a knife, he growled, "I suggest you come peacefully unless you want that brat of yours cut into pieces." Rem looked back to see Kid being held by two men, one with a rag over his mouth and the other gripping his arms tightly. Kid stared at his mother, his eyelids falling over his eyes as he listened to her reply, "Take us wherever you want. Just don't hurt him." He finally let his eyelids fall and felt himself collapse into the cold snow.

"Mother," Kid spoke softly, trying to speak more clearly. His throat and lips were so try that it hurt to speak, but he needed to find his mother, needed to know that she was okay. Opening his heavy eyelids, he peered around the dark room and recognized the strange place as a cave that he suspected to be somewhere in the middle of the desert. Feeling fear rush through him, he suddenly realized why he was out in the desert; his father couldn't come save him this way. Tears began to form in his eyes as he cried out, "Mother! Mother, where are you?" Kid stood up on shaky legs, smelling something rotten and horrid. Placing a hand over his nose, he coughed and tried to keep from gagging.

"MOTHER!" Kid screamed, wandering towards the back of the cave. It was here that he found his mother rushing towards him, gripping him tightly in her arms. She looked at Kid's face and asked through tears, "Kid, Kid, are you alright? Did they hurt you? Did they touch you? Please tell mommy if you're okay!"

"I-I'm fine." Kid stated as calmly as he could, but began to shake because of his mother's sudden worried tone. He looked down at her to make sure she was alright and didn't see anything strange about her, no signs of injuries.

"Mother, where are we?" He asked, watching his mother stand as she replied, "Somewhere in the desert, Kid. Don't worry. We'll be alright. I'm sure your father has already sent Stein, Sid, and the others to come after us. Alright?"

Kid nodded as they began to walk towards the entrance of the cave. He smiled brightly when he saw the sun and exclaimed, "Mother, look! We can leave, we can leave!" He rushed for the entrance, ignoring his mother's sudden screams. He stopped at the entrance and turned around slowly, watching as his mother rushed towards him.

He heard Rem scream loudly before he turned around and saw a strange man standing before him, a spear held tightly in his hands. He lifted the spear and in a matter of seconds, blood had splattered onto Kid's face.

Alarmed by the sudden warm substance, Kid let out an ear-splitting scream and dropped to his rear, backing up slightly. He stared at the spear protruding from his mother's back and began to tremble harshly, not truly believing what was going on before his eyes. She didn't move, didn't speak, and didn't assure Kid that she was alright. He began to sob as his vision began to fade, fading in and out, blurring. He watched his mother look back at him and speak calmly, "I love you..." Before everything disappeared from his view and his body fell to the cold floor.

Awaking the next morning, Kid felt like his entire body was made out of lead. His heavy eyelids opened slowly as he stared around the cave. Some strange aroma filled his nose as he quickly covered it, mumbling, "What happened...?" Standing up and coughing slightly, he continued to look around.

Suddenly, his eyes locked on to the corpse of his mother, lying beside him. She was so still and covered in blood, that it sent tears to Kid's eyes all over again. They ran down his cheeks, dripping off his chin as he whispered, "M-Mother...?" In a moment, bits of memories flashed through his head as he grabbed his head and backed up, screaming, "No! No, no! NO!"

He backed up some more, tripping over a rock, and fell onto his rear. "MOTHER!" He screamed loudly, almost hoping that she would awake. Her eyes stared at the ceiling, emotionless and lifeless. It frightened Kid to see his mother in such a state and he couldn't help but start to sob again. He covered his eyes as he screamed at the top of his lungs, trying to escape the Hell that he had fallen into.

"This isn't happening," he murmured, feeling his stomach twist itself into knots. "th-this isn't happening!" Screaming once again, he fell onto his right side and stared at the cave wall, begging, "Father, Father please! Please help me! Please help Mother!" Sobbing harshly once again, he curled up into a tight ball and screamed loudly, "GET ME OUT OF THIS HELLHOLE! DAMMIT!"

Staying in his fit of hysteria, he barely heard the screams that were coming from outside of the cave. He ignored everything and tried to keep his focus on what was in front of him; the wall. He covered his nose and mouth with his shaking hands, realizing that the foul smell was his mother. He made the mistake of looking over at his mother and threw up violently. His sanity was running away from him and he could feel himself beginning to lose all control of his soul and mind. Screaming loudly for no apparent reason, Kid felt arms around his body.

Voices surrounded him as he began to flail, fearing that it was the men from before. He thrashed finally and screamed as loud as his lungs would allow. He felt someone squeeze him tightly, recognizing the grip, but continued to thrash around wildly. "NO!" He screamed loudly, pounding his fists against the flat-chest of a man. "LET ME GO! LET ME GO! YOU WON'T KILL ME TOO! I WON'T LET YOU!" When the man wouldn't release his grip, he screamed, "STOP TOUCHING ME!" In a matter of seconds, his fist made impact with skin as quickly as his mind registered the face he had hit: Spirit.

Freezing and watching blood drip from Spirit's nose, Kid felt tears rise to his eyes. Spirit seemed to be in pain, but smiled it off and stated calmly, "Damn. For a kid, you sure have a lot of strength." Kid frowned sadly as he whispered, "They...th-they killed..." He felt tears run down his face like a waterfall as he quickly covered his eyes with his hands, embarrassed to cry in front of Spirit. "They killd Mother! It was all my fault!" Sobbing harshly once again, the memory of the blood splattering onto his face filled his head. "Mother was trying to stop me! But I didn't listen! I didn't listen and I got her killed! DAMMIT! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

Spirit hugged Kid against his chest tightly, holding on to his trembling body like there was no tomorrow. "It wasn't your fault, Kid," he began, looking away from Rem and a very distraught Death. "I assure you that this was not your fault. I swear it." Kid continued to sob, not believing what Spirit was trying to tell him, but decided that it was better if he didn't say anything at all.

Several days later, Kid sat quietly in his bedroom, his curtains closed, back pressed against the headboard of his bed, and his knees hugged to his chest. His right cheek lay across his knees as he stared at the black walls of his bedroom. Closing his eyes slowly, Kid tried to wake up from the nightmare he was living in. Sitting silently in the dark, he felt tears rush from his eyes, causing him to cover his eyes with his arms. Sobbing softly, he whispered, "Why? Why did I do such a thing? Dammit! I should've listened to what she had to say!" Burying his face into his knees, Kid thought about his mother, her beautiful, smiling face. More tears burst from his eyes and he murmured through tears, "I'm so sorry, Mother. So sorry. I didn't mean to kill you. I'm...I-I'm so sorry."

Back in the present time, Liz continued to stare at the clouds floating across the sky. She looked over at Spirit, then at Maka, who seemed extremely furious and sad all at once. Looking back up at the sky, she said calmly, "You're wrong, Spirit." Grinning like mad, she felt a small chuckle escape her lips, earning strange looks from Spirit and Maka. "Admitted, some of the people apart of that group deserved a much worse punishment. But the man that killed his mother," she looked back at them both and continued, "was exterminated by Kid himself."

Spirit jumped slightly as he shouted with alarm, "What? Well why the hell wasn't that added in the report?"

"Because unlike some people, Lord Death is a good father." Maka hissed, tossing her father a dirty look. Looking back at Liz, she asked, "But wait a second, Liz, I'm confused. Did this happen before or after the kidnapping he went through?"

"Before." Liz stated calmly. "Apparently Kid had locked himself away in his room for four days and ended up going for a walk. But, we ended up trying to mug him and I guess he saw something in us. I don't know what it was, but Lord Death says that we were the ones to help him live on with his mother. We were supposedly the ones that allowed Kid to smile again. It's really weird, but hey, I'm not complaining." Looking back at Kid and watching a basketball just barely miss his head, she stated with slight anger, "As for the man that murdered his mother, though, Kid found out who it was. And the second he found out who he was, he left to kill him and succeeded."

"And to think that I was frightened by someone like you."

Death the Kid stared at a man standing before him, a large grin spread across the man's face. The man was wielding the same spear that he had killed his mother with, his brown eyes looking at Kid's guns and his blonde hair pulled tightly into a small ponytail. He laughed slightly as he asked, "Now, who the hell might you be?"

Kid felt his own smile rise as he stated, "The last face you'll ever see. Remember it well." He aimed his two pistols at the man's head and growled, "But I need a name before I can exterminate you."

"A name?" The man asked, laughing loudly. "My name is Hiromu Taniguchi; the last name you'll ever hear again." They stood in silence for a few moments, both staring at each other with wielded weapons in the large warehouse that Hiromu called home.

"Patty, Liz, let's take this bastard down." Kid whispered, watching as Hiromu ran towards him.

"Right!" Patty shouted.

"Let's do it!" Liz added.

Leaping out of the way, Kid was able to get behind Hiromu and slam his right foot into his back, knocking him into a stack of boxes. Staring at Hiromu, who quickly stood up, he stated angrily, "You're the bastard that murdered my mother right in front of me." Watching realization suddenly posess Hiromu, he hissed, "And now, I plan on killing you for it."

Pulling the triggers of his pistols simultaneously, Kid kept his eyes glued to Hiromu, who was running around and dodging Kid's attacks. Finding an opening, he rushed towrads Hiromu and listened to the man yell, swinging his spear towrds Kid. Kid lifted up Liz, his right pistol, and blocked the spear, before slamming Patty, his left pistol, into Hiromu's stomach. He pulled the trigger quickly, listening to the man shout out in pain and leap away from them. He stood up slowly and aimed his two pistols at him once again, growling, "Get up. I'm not done with you yet."

Hiromu stood up almost immediately and shouted out, "Rotten brat!" He rushed for Kid again and slammed the end of his spear into his stomach. Kid winced, coughing harshly as he stood still, gripping his pistols tightly. He looked up at Hiromu who instantly slammed his right fist onto Kid's head. Kid met the ground face-first and felt pain quake throughout his face. He stood up slowly and watched the spear slice into his right shoulder.

Kid slammed his right foot into Hiromu's stomach and then the butt of his right pistol into the man's head. He watched blood trickle down his head as he ignored the pain coursing through his nose and shoulder, snapping, "It's amazing to see you keep fighting." Shrugging, he stated calmly, "I suppose he doesn't understand how much of a loss he's truly at."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hiromu snapped, adding, "Stop acting like you're all high-and-mighty just because you're Lord Death's kid!"

A snicker was heard from his right pistol as Liz's voice spoke, "Man, you really are an idiot. Do you know what rank our Meister is at?"

Hiromu stayed quiet, merely staring at Kid and his weapons as though they were idiots. However, he slowly began to realize what the answer was as Patty's voice chimed in, "A Grim Reaper."

Kid felt a smile form on his lips as he backed away from the man slightly. "A Grim Reaper," he began saying, holding his pistols by his sides. "is looking for revenge of the death of his mother. If any other Meister were to kill you, this would be counted against them. However, as a Grim Reaper and because of the crime you commited, I have full permission to exterminate you. Right here, right now."

Hiromu instantly stood up and shouted loudly, "W-Wait a minute! I..d-don't kill me!"

In a matter of seconds, Kid shotued out, "Let's go, Patty, Liz!"

"Right!" The two girls added in before they all shouted in unison, "SOUL RESONANCE!"

Hiromu stared at what was going on in front of him with awe, watching Kid's pistols beginning to form into larger, more deadly weapons. He took a few steps back as he stuttered in fear, "A-A Grim Reaper! So th-this is...this is what their Soul Resonance looks like!"

The light blue light disappeared as Kid aimed his two large weapons at Hiromu. He listened to Liz and Patty shout out the status of the weapons, before whispering, "Death Cannon." He smiled and looked at Hiromu, saying, "Good-bye, Hiromu Taniguchi."

"NO WAIT!" Hiromu screamed just as Kid overlapped that scream with his own, "DEATH CANNON!"

A flash erupted from the weapons, sliding Kid across the floor slightly due to its strength. It collided into Hiromu, a scream escaping his lips as Kid, Liz, and Patty all watched from where they sat. Standing up slowly and watching the dust and smoke fill the room, Kid stated calmly, "Extermination complete." Looking at the remains of Hiromu, he added, "We've rid this world of his foul soul."