Chapter 6: All for the Sake of Death

A/N: Hi! :3 SL here. Thanks to everyone for your continued support! :D In this chapter, we go back to Kid and the girls. It takes place starting directly from where we last saw them, no timelapse. Enjoy! Here, have a tissue for the ride..*hands you a tissue*.

"Ah… this is quite…an unpleasant feeling."

Death the Kid was having trouble standing upright. His thoughts were disorganized and he felt so off balance that he had a terrible stomachache.

"Hang in there, Kid! We'll get him." Liz coughed. She wasn't faring much better herself.

Kid dove to the ground once again to avoid another attack, but his reflexes were slowing and he got hit on his upper right arm, only adding to the asymmetrical feeling of the entire situation.

"Damn." Kid said again. He tried to regain a grip on the battle by blasting more shots at the Kishin's Shadow. Unfortunately, the powerful blasts still barely affected the creature. Kid ran behind the side of a nearby building, so he was temporarily out of the Shadow's range.

He stopped to contemplate the battle. Even after resonating with his weapons, their attacks seemed to have little to no affect on the creature. In addition, after he got hit anywhere he grew increasingly lethargic for no apparent reason. It grew harder and harder for Kid to even move. It was almost as if…as if it was draining the life right out of him.

"How are you girls holding up?" Kid glanced at his guns in concern.

"Okay." Patty said.

"Could be bette-KID, LOOK OUT!" Liz screamed, noticing the incoming blasts of the black blood substance coming at him in a rapid succession.

Kid jerked his head up; the Kishin's Shadow had found him. No rest for the weary. He twisted and dodged to the best of his abilities, then sprinted away from the Shadow so he would be in a better position to fight. He panted, feeling overwhelmingly winded. Why was he so incredibly tired? He took a good look at the guns in his hands, then at himself.

Liz was had the worst of it, a gash was visible on the weapon. Patty was a little cut up, but nothing critical. Kid then put a hand to his side, and it came away wet and sticky, a dark red substance coating his hands. He could feel the same substance slowly dripping down his face as well. Using the back of his hand he swiped it away.

Kid fired some more at the creature, even though it was pretty much pointless by now. Was there even a chance that they could still win this battle?

The Kishin's Shadow resembled a man in appearance but slithered around like a snake. Kid didn't know if it was getting faster or if he was just slowing down. He began panicking though, he had let his mind wander for only a moment and he lost sight of it.

"Where did it go?" He said aloud, his mind racing. It could be over there, it could be behind the building he had been near, it could be-

"BEHIND YOU!" Kid's thoughts were interrupted by a cry from both of his weapons at once. Kid spun around, the creature was no more than 2 feet away from him, about to send its final blow.

Kid knew with dread that this was it. This was the end. He barely had enough strength left to lift his arms, let alone run or block the inevitably oncoming attack. There was only one thing left for him to do. The creature began to move forward, and Kid tossed his weapons as far away from him as he could, considering the circumstances. If he was to die, there was no way in hell that he would let Liz and Patty come with him. He only wished he had enough strength left to toss them farther away so they wouldn't have to see what would happen to him.

Death. It was so strange to think that he was Death, an embodiment of Death, a Shinigami that was supposed to be immortal. But somehow he knew deep down that this attack had the power to finish him off. Death for Death. How strange. He almost mustered a laugh at the thought. But he was ready. He was prepared. He could almost see Shinigami-sama standing there, waiting for him.

"Father!" Kid cried out, he knew his mind must be playing tricks on him, but he went towards his father anyway. But Kid was surprised when he saw his dad shaking his head.

"No." Shinigami-sama said. "One day, Kid. One day, but it won't be today."

"What?" The thought shocked him back to reality, where he could see what was really happening for the few seconds that his mind had been allowed to wander.

There was the quick pounding of running feet, a flash of blond hair, arms spread wide that were meant to shield Kid as the Kishin's Shadow shot its arm forward fiercely in an attempt to finish him off.

"DAMMIT LIZ, NO!" He had never made a more desperate cry in his life. But it was already too late. He closed his eyes. There was a cry of pain, the splattering of a sticky substance on him, the heavy thud of a body falling to the ground.

Kid didn't want to open his eyes for fear of what he would see. It was better to be encased in darkness, to be blind to the world for a short time. In his mind there was no Kishin's Shadow. In his mind, Shinigami-sama, Liz, and Patty were alive and well. But we can't live our lives trapped within our minds. So he opened his eyes.

The Kishin's Shadow, thinking it had successfully landed a final blow, was nowhere to be seen. Liz was on the ground, a horrific amount of blood was everywhere. It appeared as if the shot of black blood had gone straight through her. The sight made Kid sick. He knelt down next to the girl, his eyes beginning to tear up. There was still a slight amount of life left in her.

"Liz, why…I was ready…I…I could've died…then…you and Patty would've been…safe." He could barely choke out what he wanted to say. He could hardly breathe, his chest was too tight.

"It's alright Kid." With the last of her strength, she reached out and stroked his cheek with her hand, wiping away any tears that had fallen. "Without you, I would've been dead anyway." He gently touched her hand, but it fell to the ground, and her bright blue eyes dimmed to a dull gray, the last speck of life leaving them.

As his tears continued to fall, he reminded himself that she wasn't completely gone. Not until her soul had been…her soul…His thoughts trailed off and he came to a startling realization.

No. I refuse. I refuse. I won't do it! He thought defiantly. But all the world knew was that he was a Shinigami, so he had to collect souls. Even if it was the soul of someone he loved dearly. Time around him flowed to a stop and he could see a small blue orb floating in front of him, just as his father described. It was the soul he was supposed to collect. Liz's soul.

Really? Why must I do this? Why? He asked no one in particular.

He stared at it. So this is a soul. He had seen them countless times before but this one just seemed so beautiful, sitting there with a soft aqua light surrounding it.

I can't do this. He thought. I can't be the one that takes her away. But he then realized that maybe he didn't have to.

I can refuse! He thought excitedly. Even though his father advised against it, it was still an option. Maybe he could refuse to collect her soul and she would be alive again? But this might throw off the balance of life and death, as his father had warned him.

He had a choice. He could collect her soul and let her go, or refuse to collect it and hope she would return to life, at the risk of throwing off the balance of life and death. He stood there, contemplating, weighing both the positives and negatives of both choices.

He nodded slightly, his face perfectly expressionless. He had made his decision.

A/N: That was depressing for me to write. Please don't hate me. (I have a horrible feeling I'm gonna lose all my readers after this chapter.) :'( Hope you guys enjoyed. What will Kid's decision be? Review me what you think. Or just review my story, that's cool too. Favoriting and following are also much appreciated. Thank you all for reading. I hope you stick with me until the end.