WHOO HOO! Whew! I am so sorry for the wait! I almost forgot all about this story, so all my original ideas are pretty much gone, but don't worry, my brain and I are trying to solve our differences :D I worked on this puppy all weekend, so, enjoy it! And thank you for all the nice reviews, I love you all 8D And bribes inspire me… *winkwinknudgenudgeirism*

Anyyyyways, in this chappy we meet, dun dun da dun dun DA! Spirit and Stein! Yes, I know this means Maka is significantly younger than Kid, but Spirit was a father at an early age, right? Right? …curse you time paradoxes! DX Yeah, I probably should have put someone else, but I didn't want to have any more OCs. I don't like OCs in my fanfics, especially when it's all about them. So yeah.

Oh, and something else! This is important! I have a poll going on concerning the Painting Nightmares chappy titles, since I don't think I like them. I was going with this "childhood" theme, or something, but I don't think it's working…so please vote! Okay, I should shut up now…enjoy!

The sun shined again.

As Kid tried to squint to block the smiling sun, he could feel the dried tear trails on his face. He faintly remembered crying to himself almost all night. He could almost not remember why until he thought of the pointy man. He sniffed, his eyes starting to water. The pointy man still had not returned. What if he was gone forever? What if he left him all alone? The lonely child started to whimper. He tried to stop the tears that were starting to spill from his eyes, only to find that his hand and legs were bound. He tried to struggle against the bonds, but they were too tight. He started to wail and scream.

"Alright, alright!" Death growled, floating into the child's room with his clawed hands over his (nonexistent) ears. "What are you crying about?" He made his way to the crib and looked down into it, inspecting Kid's face intensely. It was then he noticed the tears trickling down the boy's face. "You have been crying...haven't you?" he muttered, wiping the tears away with a gnarled finger.

Kid, at the sight of the pointy man, immediately brightened. He stopped crying and gave Death a big, toothless grin. The shadow chuckled and unbound him, pulling the child into his arms. Kid wrapped his arms around the pointy man's neck, hugging him tightly. If Death had a mouth, he would smile as he hugged him back, setting him down on the ground.

"Now Kid, I have to go somewhere for a little bit, so I expect you will be—Kid, are you listening?" Death cut off from his explanation when he noticed Kid stumbling away. He decided to humor the child and followed him as he slowly made his way over to the other side of the room. He stopped at the dresser and gazed up into the mirror.

Death raised a nonexistent eyebrow as Kid snapped out of his daze and went over to the wastebasket next to the dresser and turned it upside down. He then climbed atop it and reached for the edge of the dresser. When he couldn't get to it, he started to hop a little, causing the flimsy metal trash can to shake. Kid gave a worried whimper at the sudden instability before regaining his balance and trying again, this time jumping higher. He managed to grip the edge of the dresser, but he had lifted himself off of the wastebasket in the process. His tiny legs flailed until they stopped against the side of the dresser. Determined, the child puffed out his chest and used all of his strength to pull himself up. He collapsed onto the top of the dresser.

Death watched all of this, a mixture of emotions fluttering around. He was amused by the child's antics, but also amazed at Kid's determination and intelligence at such an early age. Then there was puzzlement at what the child was trying to do.

His questions were soon answered as Kid picked himself up and ran up to the mirror, pressing his hands against the glass and staring right into his own golden eyes. Death bent down so his face was level with Kid's. He peered into the mirror, then glanced at Kid, puzzled. Kid was still staring wondrously at his own reflection. Death stared at him, then back to the mirror, then back to him, utterly bewildered. "Okay, well, I think it's time for breakfast," he announced, picking up the troubling child.

Kid, saddened to be apart from the amazing glass, quickly brightened at the sound of the pointy man's voice. He knew it had to be something good. Except for the "bath" that the pointy man gave him last night. It was fun to splash the pointy man, but not to get his eyes burned!

As Death went into the kitchen to fix him something, Kid sat patiently on his chair. It was then he noticed the large double doors opening. He suddenly grew frightened and jumped out of his chair. Upon landing, he staggered backwards a few steps before landing on his bottom. He jumped as he heard the doors creak shut. He stumbled to his feet and wobbled as fast as he could to the kitchen.

He opened the door to see Death standing over a counter, something in his hands. Kid squealed worriedly, running up to the pointy man and wrapping his arms around his…well, what would be his leg, if he had any.

Death looked down, seeing Kid attached to him. Confused, he bent down to pick him up, the cereal box entirely forgotten. "What is it, hmm?" the shadow asked, tilting his head. Kid shook in fear, his golden eyes darting from Death to the doorway. Death followed his gaze, then wandered towards the doorway, Kid in his arms. He opened the door to reveal a man in his entryway, looking puzzled.

"Death?"

"Eibon?" Death turned to the child in his arms and murmured softly, "It's just Eibon, see?" He put Kid on the floor. Kid calmed at the slightly familiar person. If the pointy man liked him, then he should too, since he wanted to be just like the pointy man. He turned and tottered over to his chair.

"Sorry, I suppose he didn't know-"

"You two are bonding!" Eibon suddenly stated happily.

"What?" Death was caught off guard. "…no, we're not," he argued, shaking his head.

"Yes, you are! I mean, look at how well you two get along already. He seems to like you."

"He likes everybody."

"No, he's very apprehensive and guarded. Did you see how he reacted when I came in?"

"He didn't know it was you…"

"Exactly."

"But…" Death sighed. "I guess. But I don't see why this matters. It's not like I'm going to be stuck with him forever."

Eibon held back a sigh. He had thought a child would be a good influence on the coldhearted god, especially one like Kid. He did not want to see Kid's shinigami powers taken away and throwing him to the world, or worse, have him killed. He had hoped that Death would take care of the child, and the child would teach him to love. All this was for naught, as it looked like the shadow was still not accepting. Eibon wondered if he ever would.

Death noticed Eibon's anxiety. "Eibon?" he called.

Eibon looked up. "Yes?"

"Just checking to make sure you were still on the same planet."

"Very funny, Death."

"That was a joke?"

"Oh, ha ha. Don't you have a meeting to go to?"

"…" Death suddenly started, alarmed. "The meeting! Oh, shit!"

Eibon could have smacked himself.

"You forgot!"

"I didn't forget! I had to make breakfast for-" Suddenly, he stopped. "Kid!" He hurried over to the small child, who had just successfully climbed the stack of books to get onto his chair. He picked up the small child in his arms, putting all of Kid's efforts to waste. Kid huffed, upset about being picked up from his chair, until Death began to speak.

"Now, Kid, I have a very important meeting to go to, so Eibon will watch you. I expect you to be on your best behavior. Be a good boy, okay?" Death told him carefully, making sure Kid's short attention was focused on him. Kid blinked.

"Okay, good. I'll see you later." He set Kid in his chair gently, then rushed over to Eibon. "Kid's a good kid, so he'll be okay, but watch he doesn't get in too much trouble, he can be a little odd…" Death trailed off, remembering the mirror incident. He then snapped back to reality, remembering the time. "But he should be fine. I'm late!" Death finished, darkness seeping from where his feet would be. Eventually, he was covered in darkness, and when it disappeared, he was gone.

Eibon shook his head. Who knew that death could be a handful? He was about to address the child when he heard whimpering. He turned to see Kid's golden eyes full of tears, his little hand outstretched to where Death was previously. Eibon looked back, then at Kid once more. He had a sinking feeling about this…

Suddenly, Kid burst into tears.

"Death. You're late."

Death cringed in his seat. He had hoped Light wouldn't notice his delayed entrance. What a foolish desire.

"…hmm. Well, we must start with the meeting. Everyone, start with your reports."

Death inwardly groaned. He hated these meetings; they were boring and tedious and people would talk on and on and on…he had sworn to keep his meetings short and simple long ago because of meetings of torture like this.

As Winter started her speech, Death's mind floated away from the meeting. He began to think about the incident that morning. Why had Death the Kid become so interested in the mirror? Was it became of his reflection, or something else he saw in the mirror? But what could it be? Mirrors aren't used for anything other than looking at yourself; the image of vanity. Yet, Kid wasn't vain. No, he was much smarter than that. He had to be seeing something else.

Or, perhaps Death was overanalyzing this.

Perhaps the child was just intrigued by his reflection.

Or maybe…

"…Death? Death!"

"Hmm?" Death straightened, looking around. The rest of the elements were staring at him. He grimaced; clearly he was in trouble…

"Your report, please," Light told him.

"Oh, that…"

"Kid! Kid, calm down!" Eibon cried, desperately rocking in the child in his arms. "Kid, he's going to be back! Please don't cry…" Eibon himself was on the verge of a breakdown. The child was so distressed by the god's sudden departure, he had been crying for the past hour. Eibon couldn't say he blamed him, but he wished the child could understand him. Oh, if only Death could come back!

"Hey, hey Kid, why don't we watch T.V., huh?" he cooed to the child, trying frantically to distract him. Kid reduced his screaming to a small whimper. "Here, let's watch T.V." He looked around, quiet for a little. "…does he….have a T.V.?"

After hours upon hours of searching the large mansion for a television, Eibon and Kid eventually found one in the attic. Eibon laughed triumphantly (and with a little bit of insanity) and set Kid down on the wooden floor. Eibon got behind the television and rubbed his hands together.

Now, Eibon was a scientist. He spent most days holed up, with piles among piles of books and papers. He rarely ever went out into the sunlight and helped Death kill people. So therefore, he did not get a whole lot of exercise. This became evident when he tried to pick up the television. Needless to say, he couldn't. He resorted to sliding it along the ground. He strained to get it across the room. His efforts were almost successful, until he got to the stairs.

Eibon paused, deep in thought. Kid watched curiously as Eibon snapped his fingers, getting an idea. One trip downstairs, one back up, and Eibon had a thick book in his hand. With one wave of his wide-sleeved arm, the television glowed a light blue and rose from the ground. Kid stared in awe. He had never seen this before!

Eibon made it float down the stairs and into the living room, where he set it on a table. He closed the book, proud of himself, and took Kid by the hand, leading him to the couch. The two crashed on the couch. Eibon was about to wonder why the television wasn't on when he remembered something crucial. He picked up his book and conjured up a remote, setting the book aside.

Death the Kid, being the curious child he was, stared at the cover of the large book. While Eibon was fiddling with the remote, Kid opened the book and gazed upon the page. So much black! Kid squinted, but he still couldn't understand anything on the page. Frustrated, he huffed and tried all the other pages. Some of them had pictures, which Kid tried to memorize.

When Eibon finally figured out the remote, he noticed Kid with his book. He chuckled. "A reader, are you? Well, this changes everything! I think you and I are going to get along just fine." Kid looked up at him and tilted his head, a confused expression on his face. Eibon stole a glance at the page he was on. "But this is a bit difficult for someone your age…and I don't think Death has any other books, much less one for your age. I know! That's something he can do with you! He'll love you in no time!" Eibon ruffled Kid's hair, very excited.

Just then, Kid's stomach grumbled.

"…oops, Death forgot your breakfast…"

"Well, now that we have the reports done…Death."

Death knew this was not going to be good. "Yes?"

"I'm sure we all want to know…how is the child faring?"

Death knew what he wanted. Light had stuck him with Kid to make his life a dismal mess. Light wanted to see him squirm and break down. Light wanted him to be as miserable as possible. So Death would give Light what he wanted.

"…he is doing fine."

Death answered hesitantly, looking away, pretending to seethe in anger. Light seemed satisfied with this answer and continued talking, but Death tuned him out. He was concerned about how much longer he could keep this up. If Light knew that he was actually getting along with the child, then Kid would be killed, like what was originally planned. If Light grew bored of his game, then Kid would be killed. The only option was to take away his shinigami powers and give him up to the humans. Death assumed Kid was too young to remember Eibon, or even him.

…

Somehow, the thought of Kid forgetting all about him twisted his cold heart. Maybe Light's plan was working. Did he really want Kid to stay? No, it was impossible. At any rate, he couldn't take care of Kid.

Death the Kid. Why on earth did he name him that? It was something, something that just took over…he was just so happy, and so excited to name him. It was another side of him. A less scary side. Maybe, maybe if he could…

"Death!"

The shout of his name jerked the shadow back to reality. Everyone was staring at him, again. Light tapped his foot impatiently. "Death. Please. Pay attention."

Death nodded. "Yes, sir," he grumbled sarcastically.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Kid was on the couch, thinking. Eibon had put something on while he looked for a book, but Kid wasn't really paying attention. His focus was more on the pointy man.

The pointy man had left! It still hurt him to think about it. He thought the pointy man was different. He thought the pointy man would never, ever leave him. The pointy man was his best friend. And the pointy man just leaves.

Kid liked the robed man. The robed man was nice to him. The pointy man liked the robed man, too. Although sometimes, the robed man would yell at the pointy man. Kid got really mad when he did that, but soon forgot all about it. But, why did the pointy man leave him with the robed man? He wanted the pointy man!

The striped-haired boy began to sniffle. He had already cried so much, but it hurt. He just wanted the pointy man to come back. He wished he could go and get the pointy man, but he didn't know how! He sniffed again, then looked to the entryway and hatched an idea.

That door was where he came in, so it must be where he can get out!

Kid, excited with his new discovery, jumped off the couch. Being careful to avoid Eibon's frantic search, Death the Kid made his way to the double doors. With much effort, he managed to push the doors open just enough for him to squeeze through. Straining, he popped through the door and out into the open.

Huffing, Kid got up and clumsily brushed the dust and dirt out of his black shirt. When he looked around, he was amazed. So many sights! And it was so bright, too. He shielded his eyes from the harsh sun and looked around in wonder. It was so different from the inside. There was gray and green, and big things that his old picture book called "trees". Excited, he ran across the walkway and stopped at the stairs. The ground felt rough and hard beneath his feet, so he figured it might be bad to fall here.

He carefully made his way down the concrete steps and then ran to the iron gate that surrounded Gallows Mansion. He stuck his head through the cracks in the gate and pulled himself through quite easily. Once on the other side, he squealed and ran across the street to the green.

The green stuff felt soft beneath his feet, so Kid sat down there for a little bit. Then he remembered his mission and stood up, determined. He started walking through the trees and grass, looking everywhere for the pointy man.

Eibon came back with some books in his hands. "These are still a little too advanced, but they are the easiest books I could- …Kid?" He stopped when he noticed the empty couch. He looked around. "Kid? Kid!" He grimaced, the books falling to the floor. "Uh-oh…"

Kid had wandered for about ten minutes before he got tired. He plopped down on the grass with a whimper. The pointy man wasn't anywhere, and he was getting tired. He didn't even know how to get back home. He was stuck, and lost. He wished for the pointy man to come and save him more than ever.

"Hey, what's that?"

Kid straightened when he heard someone. He got up, frightened, and took a couple steps backwards before falling down again. He was so tired, he couldn't do anything but watch as a redheaded boy and a gray-haired boy made their way over to him. The redhead picked Kid up, inspecting him.

"Hey, it's a kid."

"It's a little kid, Spirit!" the gray-haired boy said, pointing to Kid. His eyes turned dark and a grin grew on his face. "Let's dissect him."

Kid only whimpered. He didn't understand what they said. He did not know whether to like these boys or not.

The one called Spirit held Kid close to him, protecting him from the gray-haired boy. "Stein! You don't dissect humans! Especially little kids!" The boy called Stein looked depressed. "Aww…"

"Well, who d'ya think he belongs to?" Spirit asked.

"I dunno. I've never seen him before."

"Neither have I. He's weird, though. Look at those stripes in his hair."

"Yeah, and his eyes. They're yellow."

Spirit peered into Kid's eyes, then started, dazed. "Whoa, sick!"

"Are you sure we can't dissect him?"

"Yes! Jeez, Stein. He belongs to someone."

"But, c'mon!"

"No." Spirit turned to Kid this time. "Hey, little guy. Who're your mommy and daddy?"

Kid only squirmed in Spirit's grasp.

"Uh, I think he wants down," Stein assessed.

"Why thank you, Captain Obvious." Spirit rolled his eyes and set Kid down on the ground, leaning over him. "Now will you tell me?" he asked nicely.

Kid only stared at him, blinking.

"I don't think he can talk," Stein suggested.

Spirit huffed, but ignored the comment. Still talking to Kid, he asked, "Can you show us your house, at least?"

Kid knew what the word 'house' was- it was in his picture book. However, he didn't know which way to go, so he just looked left and right, confused.

"He's lost?"

"No kidding, Stein! But maybe if we show him the houses, he can pick out which one he lives at."

"All the houses in Death City?"

"No, not all the houses in Death City! Just the ones around here. He couldn't have wandered too far, right?"

"I don't think this is gonna work…"

"Sure it is!" Spirit picked Kid up, holding him in his arms. "Hunh!" he groaned. "This kid's heavy!"

"Suck it up."

Spirit glared at him, but walked out of the park with Kid in his arms. When they reached the streets, Kid looked all around, shifting in Spirit's hold. Spirit groaned, trying to get a good grip on the child. "Hold still, kid! Look!" Spirit showed Kid a row of houses.

Kid shook his head 'no', spreading his arms wide and whining.

"It's bigger than that? Hey, you're a rich kid, then! That means you're in the rich neighborhood! Ha ha, see, Stein? Easy!"

Stein rolled his eyes, still depressed about his stolen opportunity. This child really peaked his interests…

Before he knew it, they were in the rich neighborhood. Kid stared at the big houses as they walked by, but none of them was as big as his house. His house was black, like the pointy man, and had the white head things, like the pointy man's face. But he didn't know how to tell them that.

It was then, when Spirit turned, that he saw it. He squealed and pointed at the large mansion, babbling happily.

"You found it?" Spirit asked happily, then paled when he saw what the kid was pointing at.

Stein followed Kid's finger and paled even whiter.

"…LORD DEATH'S HOUSE!"

Spirit took Kid off of his shoulder and brought him to his own face, shaking him a little. "You're Lord Death's SON!"he asked, shocked.

"Lord Death has a son!" Stein shouted, equally as astounded.

"No wonder he looks so weird!"

"He looks nothing like Lord Death, what are you talking about!"

"Kid, you sure your house is that one!"

"What do you think his name is?"

"More importantly, who's his mom?"

"You think Lord Death knocked some human up?"

"He must've! Otherwise, this kid should have a skull for a face!"

"God, is he really his son?"

"I dunno, but we better get him back before Lord Death kills us!"

"Oh, yeah! Hold on tight, kid!"

Spirit put Kid on his shoulders carefully, and when Kid was clutching his hair tightly, he broke into a sprint. Stein quickly ran up to catch him.

Kid squealed loudly as the wind rushed through the hair. He liked this feeling. It felt like he was a bird, flying away like in one of his storybooks. He felt so happy and free.

"Hey, I think he likes it," Stein said.

"Hey buddy!" Spirit called to Kid. Kid cried out happily in reply, making Spirit laugh. "You like this, don't you?" Kid only squealed loudly, clutching Spirit's red hair tighter. When Spirit stopped at the iron gate, the odd boy started to whine.

Spirit took him off his shoulders. "Hey, hey! You're home, look!"

Kid looked up, and saw the familiar mansion. He squealed and pointed.

"Yeah, you're home! See, home?" Spirit pointed to the mansion.

The child looked at him, then froze as he remembered something. He climbed on Spirit's shoulder and outstretched his hand, reaching for something. Spirit took him off his shoulder. "Huh? What do you want?"

Kid whined and whimpered, struggling in Spirit's hold. Stein looked around, then noticed someone coming. "Hey Spirit, we got company."

"Huh?" Spirit looked around, then noticed the man making his way over to them. Spirit walked up to him, Kid in his arms. "Hey man, is this kid yours?"

"Kid!" Eibon cried. He took Kid from Spirit's arms and held him close. "That was close one, I thought I'd really lost you!"

His name is Kid..? Spirit thought, but Stein interrupted. "Is he your son?"

"No," Eibon replied.

"Is he…Lord Death's son?" Spirit asked.

"…yes…no…well…" Eibon paused, having some difficulty in answering. "Well, to everyone but Lord Death."

"Huh? What's that mean?"

"Never mind. Thanks for rescuing Kid…and me."

"So, is his name really Kid?"

"Actually, it's Death the Kid. Kid's just a nickname."

"Death the Kid…?"

"I know, not very original. But, it's his name. Isn't that right, Kid?" Eibon asked. Kid just pouted. "No?" Eibon asked, confused.

"I think he wants something…we found him in the park. He was totally lost, but then once we took him home, he acted like he wanted something else other than to go home…" Stein analyzed.

"Hmm…I think I know what it is," Eibon sighed. "I think he misses Lord Death."

"Where is he?" Spirit asked.

"In a meeting. He should be back soon, but Kid's been crying all day for him…I left him alone for two minutes and he escapes…again, thank you. What are your names?"

"Spirit Albarn, the cool one," Spirit introduced. "And that's Stein, the weird one."

"That's Franken Stein," Stein argued. "If we're going by full names."

"Spirit, Stein, thank you," Eibon told them. Then, he thought of something. "Hey, whenever Death- I mean, Lord Death- and I go on a mission, we'll need someone to watch Kid…would you be willing to do it?"

"Will we be paid?" Spirit asked.

"Spirit!" Stein scolded.

"What? Lord Death's loaded!"

Eibon chuckled. "Of course, you'll be paid. But, as you can see, Kid's quite a handful…"

"We can take him!" Spirit shouted.

"Wait, 'we'!" Stein demanded.

"We'll split the money, sixty-forty."

"Hey!"

Eibon laughed. "Good! I'll call you."

"Later!" Spirit waved, then took off. Stein shook his head, sighing, and followed.

Kid immediately fell asleep after this event, so Eibon put him in his crib and left, happy with himself. Just as he was about to leave, he was stopped by a massive black shadow.

"Oh sh- Death! Don't scare me like that!" Eibon whispered fiercely.

"Why are you whispering?" Death asked, whispering as well.

"Kid's asleep!" Eibon hissed. He pushed Death out of the way and proceeded down the stairs. Death, after stealing a glance at the sleeping child, followed him. Eibon stood in the doorway.

"So…? How did it go?" Death asked hesitantly.

"Well, five minutes after you left, he started to cry. He cried for a good hour. Then, I tried to distract him with T.V., but he seemed more interested in my book- by the way, that's a good thing for you two to do together."

"He can't read," Death told him, puzzled.

"That's why you read it to him. That's how he learns."

"…Okay, go on."

"Oh, yes. Then I tried to find some books for him, but when I came back, he was gone."

"Gone?" Death repeated. "Where did he-?"

"I'm getting to that! So I was looking everywhere for him, and I was looking outside when two boys come up, holding him."

"Two boys…?" Death asked. "Who are they? Why did they have Kid?"

"Their names and Spirit Albarn and Franken Stein, but don't worry, they seemed like very nice boys. Anyway, they said they found him in the park and brought him back.

"…I think he was looking for you."

Death was silent.

"…okay? So, I'll go then?" Eibon started on his way to the door when Death stopped him.

"Wait, Eibon."

"Yes?"

"…what do you know about mirror magic?"