A.N.- Didn't forget, but got married and moved so been settling in and things! Plus, I just caught up with the manga and needless to say, *shock*

*Possible spoilers if you haven't read all the manga that's been translated* *Rated T-M, not sure. KiMa*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Mourning Together*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Done. Everything was done… Crona had sacrificed everything to lock away the kishin. The battle was over for now. Fear was part of being human, so the kishin will never be truly gone, but for now it was under control and that was good enough. As the dust settled and the realization that it was over washed over the team other things started to come to the surface.

"Papa…" Maka whimpered. That was unexpected, even to her. Her eyes were glued to the spot Spirit last stood, remembering his soft smile and whispering her name before disappearing into the blackness. She didn't even get to say goodbye to him. All the mean things she said to him and times she hit him and yelled all came flooding back and suddenly the brave girl who defeated the kishin broke. Barely able to hold onto Soul Maka started to cry, slow tears at first but soon sobs escaped her. Kid rushed over on Beelzebub and caught her before she fell to the moon. Black*Star and Kid shared a look and both started making the long journey home, back to earth were everyone was waiting for them.

Silence filled the trip as Maka held onto Kid and cried. The two boys kept exchanging worried glances. They didn't even want to mention that Ms. Marie, Sid, and Nygus were also lost in the final moments of the kishin, though eventually they would be mentioned. Who knows how many others were lost in this epic battle…

Touching down, Soul transformed and was gently given Maka by Kid. All around them was busy, people running around trying to relay messages and doing damage control. For the most part, people left them alone, save for a few odd glances. Slowly, the team made their way to the Death Room, wanting to get away from the hustle and needing to check in with Shinigami-sama. Maka was walking on her own now, head hung low as silent tears still fell from her eyes. She knew she should be mourning more than just her father, as she watched the others fade into the darkness. Even Crona should be in her thoughts as one of her best friends, but the last image of her father dying refused to get out of her mind.

Entering the Death Room, the team groaned as Excalibur was standing there waiting for them. There was no one else there with him, just the large mirror that Shinigami-sama used to communicate with people.

"What is this freak doing here?" Black*Star shouted. "This is the last thing a god like me needs right now!"

"Black*Star…." Tsubaki started.

"No, he's right. After what we've just been through, this is just unfair and uncool…" Soul muttered.

The others started to join them in complaints, as this really was the last thing they wanted to deal with right now. They were tired, sore, some still bleeding, and been through some emotionally damaging times, and they just wanted to report and go rest. Maka sighed, looking up finally and her eyes widened. Something was missing, even in her distraught state, she knew something was missing. Excalibur was quiet, taking in all the insults and complaining, which was odd. She broke away from everyone else and walked up to the platform. Standing in front of the blank mirror, she just stared. Everyone suddenly went silent.

"Maka?" Soul questioned.

"Where's Shinigami-sama?" she whispered.

Kid froze, eyes widening. He rushed up to stand next to Maka and ran his finger along the mirror to summon his father. "Father? Father, please stop playing around. Father?!" Kid started banging on the mirror shouting for his father as Excalibur turned and slowly walked up to the young shinigami.

"Your father is not here anymore. He went first…." The legendary sword was quiet and solemn, head lowered in respect.

"Where! Where did my father go!" Kid cried out. Deep in his eyes were the recognition of what was coming, but his young heart wanted to refuse the truth.

"Shinigami-sama has left this world, young shinigami." The sword looked around to each and everyone one of the children, finally landing on Kid. "He believed in you all until the end…."

Kid chocked back sobs, eyes wide as he tried to process what was happening. Gone. His father was gone. "How?"

"When you decided to finish the Lines of Sanzu…"

"I…I killed him?" Kid whimpered.

"Not in the way you are thinking, young shinigami. Your father was proud of you and of all that you accomplished. When the Lines connected, he cheered you on, even as he disappeared from this existence."

"Why are you still here then?! Couldn't you have done something to help him!?"

"I did all I could… I promised to watch out for you and your friends, young shinigami. You have awakened as a full shinigami, and as such are in need of guidance. You have come into your full power, but you will need my guidance and support from your friends in order to take over for your father."

Finally everything snapped into place and Kid fell to his knees and let loose such a primal scream that everyone stepped back. The room darkened and shuddered. Excalibur whirled around and started ushering the team out of the Death Room quickly, fearing for them as the young shinigami started to mourn the death of his father. The team paused, then the room shuddered again and they broke and took off running. Maka fell behind and turned back when everyone else had left. Excalibur sealed the door without a count and turned to the others.

"We still stay here while he mourns. The Death Room will recognize him as the next Shinigami-sama so we will wait…" He started humming and doing a little dance, trying to get some type of normalcy together for the kids.

"Where's Maka?" Patti asked.

Everyone turned to the Death Room door in panic.

"Open it! Open it now!" Soul shouted as he started banging on the seal.

"Can't. Sealed until the Death Room settles." Excalibur said, leaning on his cane.

"What's going to happen to Maka?" Liz asked.

Excalibur sighed. "I don't know…"

Maka hid behind one of the pillars as Kid started screaming. Maka shuddered at the sound of it, so primal and pain filled that tears started falling again from her eyes. The room started to shake violently, and the lights flickered. Make was scared. It felt like there was an earthquake in the Death Room. Rushing up to the platform, Maka was thrown into the mirror as the ground shook again.

"Kid…" she whimpered.

Kid's head snapped up and his teary eyes looked at Maka in fear. "Maka? What are you doing in here? It's not safe!"

"I…I couldn't leave you…" she sobbed.

"Maka, please, run! Get out of here!"

"Can't… Excalibur sealed the room shut…" The room shuddered again and she fell to the ground.

Kid crawled over to her and held her to him. She wrapped her arms around him, her whole body shaking. "Kid, what's going on?"

"The Death Room is recognizing me as the new Shinigami-sama. It's trying to form into my specifications." Kid leaned against the mirror with Maka in his lap as the Death Room collapsed and reformed. He held her tightly, needing something to hold onto. "I can't believe he's gone…. Father…. I'm…I'm not ready to do this…"

Maka looked up to Kid, looking into his golden eyes. She gently reached up and touched his cheek. His face turned to her, curious. "You can do this…I believe in you Kid."

"Not without him..no I can't. I wasn't ready for this. There is still so much that I needed to know…"

"I know you can…. He believed in you too, Kid."

"I don't want him to be gone…"

"As much as I didn't like him most of the time…my papa's gone too…."

Kid's eyes widened in shock. He had totally forgotten that Spirit had been swallowed by the darkness. Feeling guilty and a little heartless, Kid held Maka to him. "I'm sorry….so sorry…."

Still crying Maka just held him as they both mourned their fathers' passings. The Death Room shuddered and twitched around them, and soon it started to settle and form. The room looked almost the same as before save for a small library area next to the platform and all the crosses were organized into neat and perfect rows.

The young shinigami and meister, so wrapped up in their pain, loss, and fear, didn't notice when the rest of them has entered the Death Room again. Soul started to rush to his meister but was stopped by Excalibur.

"Look."

Soul stepped back and looked to where the two sat. Their soul wavelengths were in complete sync. Kid's wavelength has gently wrapped around Maka's and the purple and green swirled together around the two forming a small cocoon.

"What does that mean?" Tsubaki asked.

"It seems as though the Death Room has acknowledged Maka as a shinigami as well, since she was in contact with the new Shinigami-sama as the room reformed. It also seems as if the young shinigami has left his imprint on the girl."

"And what does that mean?" Soul snapped.

"No idea. But it does bode for an interesting future…." Excalibur said, humming to himself.

~*~*~*~END*~*~*~

Like I said, totally shocked with the manga, but thought that something like this needed to be done because Spirit and Lord Death were such great characters.