Death the Kid: Growing Up Symmetrical

Chapter 23: Birthdays (Part 2)

A/N: I do not own Soul Eater or any characters mentioned in this story, except Kid's sister whom I made up. 

~A few days earlier~

Kid POV

In the morning I woke up and looked straight at Luna's bed. Luna's empty bed. This was pretty much just a force of habit now. I would wake up every morning hoping to see Luna in bed sleeping. Or sitting by my pillow staring at me. But no such luck. I sighed and got out of bed.

When I walked downstairs, I looked for Papa. I found him in the kitchen looking out the window. I stood in the doorway watching him. When he finally noticed me he smiled and walked over to me.

"Happy birthday Kiddo!" He said as he picked me up. I gave him a half-smile and he kissed my forehead. Then he carried me to my room and set me down on my bed. Then he walked to his room and came back holding a small flat box. It was wrapped in shiny black paper with a note written in the corner which read, "Happy Birthday Kiddo-kun~Papa".

I carefully removed the paper and opened the box. Inside was a cloak just like Papa's, but much, much smaller. I smiled as I put it on. It fit perfectly. The hood hung down to the middle of my back, the bottom fell just above my feet. And sitting under the cloak, was a smaller version of Papa's mask. My smile grew as I held the mask in my hands. I ran my thumb along the side of it. When I put it on, I felt important. I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror. It was like I had called Papa through the mirror!

I turned around and lifted the mask onto the top of my head. Then I ran into Papa's arms and hugged him tight.

"Thank you so much Papa! I love it!" I said to him.

"You're welcome Kiddo! I'm glad you like them." He said with a laugh. Then I stared at the top of my dresser. The small black box from Luna still sat near the edge. Papa stood up and handed it to me. I held the small box and looked up at him. He nodded and put his hand on mine. I carefully opened the tiny box and gasped at what was inside.

A shiny, snow white skull brooch laid on a sheet of black tissue paper. I held the brooch in the palm of my hand. Then Papa took it and fastened it to my cloak. I looked in the mirror again. I felt my face grow hot, so I pulled my mask down slowly and felt a tear roll down my cheek. I looked so much like Papa. And Luna wasn't here to see it.

All of a sudden I felt a small pressure on my shoulder. I looked behind me to see Papa kneeling down beside me. He lifted the mask onto my forehead and wiped my tear away with his thumb. He gave me a small smile then pulled me into a hug. I held his cloak and he rubbed my back slowly. Then he pulled away and kissed my cheek.

"Let's go have breakfast, ok Kiddo?" he said softly. I nodded and held onto him as he picked me up and carried me to the kitchen. After we finished breakfast we took a walk outside. I had my cloak on and my mask on my forehead. We walked to the academy and went to the Death Room. Then Spirit walked in and needed Papa. It looked like they needed to talk to each other in private.

"I'm sorry Kiddo, I'll try to make this as brief as I can." he said kneeling down in front of me. "Why don't you go up to the balcony for a little bit. I'll come get you when I've finished, ok?"
"Ok Papa." I replied softly. He quickly hugged me and kissed my forehead, then I started walking towards the balcony.

I passed by the infirmary. The door was shut and locked. I sighed and carried on. When I got to the balcony I stared at the city below. From this height you could see the entire city, and everything beyond. I looked at the gate. I tried to find Stein's home, but the gate was too tall. I rested my head on my arms and grew tired. I stared at the gate until I eventually fell asleep.