Hi, NorthernMage here! This is one of Pokelolmc's ideas, which we initially wrote together as a script, then I turned it into a fanfic with her help. In other words, another collaboration between us. This takes place before the Soul Eater plot.

Kid: NorthernMage and Pokelolmc don't own Soul Eater.

'Why are we here Black Star?' Maka asked her friend. Maka, Soul, and Tsubaki had all been dragged to Gallows Mansion by the supposedly godly ninja. They had only met about three weeks ago, near the end of their first term at the DWMA. It was halfway through their holidays.

'I dare you to take on the ultimate test of fear!' Black Star laughed. 'I'll win of course, but it'll be much more fun to kick your asses than do it alone!'

'What's so scary about this old place anyway?' Soul asked, looking up at the mansion.

'You could call it Death City's resident haunted mansion.' Maka explained. '200 years ago, this used to be Lord Death's house. Someone associated with Lord Death was murdered here, in a witch attack. Lord Death then moved out. People say the person's regrets of their death trapped their soul in the living world. It's said that the murder victim's ghost haunts the mansion to this day. It's widely known as the Ghost of the Gallows.' When everyone stared at her, she shrugged. 'It's just a legend.'

'Are you sure this is a good idea Black Star?' Tsubaki asked nervously. 'I mean, we've only been here for a few months, and you're already dragging us around haunted places!'

'Why not?' Black Star cackled. 'It's not as if the ghost can compete with my godliness! I always protect my subjects, no matter how much of a wimp they are! However, I, the great Black Star, wishes to know who is the bravest out of you scared underlings! Take this test of fear!' Soul snorted.

'I can survive this easy. Cool guys don't get scared of ghosts.' he said, making air quotes with his fingers at the word "ghosts". Maka sighed.

'Black Star, it's not right to force people to do things they don't want to. We do live in a free country.'

'NOT ON MY WATCH YOU DON'T!' the egotistic ninja yelled. 'GET YOUR ASSES IN THAT MANSION!'

Now inside the mansion to shut up Black Star, the group stood around awkwardly. Suddenly the door shut behind them. 'What was that?!' Tsubaki yelped.

'Nothing a cool guy can't handle.' Soul grinned.

'I'm really starting to hate this idea, Black Star.' Maka said quietly.

There was a white and black hallway. The floor was black, and the walls and ceiling were white, and on either side were black pots with white skulls around the tops. Suddenly, the pots started lifting themselves into the air as if pulled by invisible hands, rearranging themselves into a certain pattern that appeared...mirrored, maybe symmetrical. The teens gasped in shock and stared in fear at the obviously paranormal event. 'D-did you guys see that?!' Tsubaki asked desperately.

'Ha ha ha! Looks like the phantom is out to play. SHOW YOURSELF!' Black Star declared.

When nothing happened, a soft 'Huh.' came from Black Star. Then, someone came into view far down the hallway. It was a black-haired boy, and he was running away from them. 'Looks like another wimp going for the test!' Black Star told everyone. 'He could be another subject too! LET'S GET HIM! YAHOO!' With this new objective in mind, they ran after him.

By the time they had run up a set of stairs, past two rooms, and down a hallway following him, they had not only become completely exhausted; he had outrun them. 'We lost him!' Maka cried out in frustration.

'Dammit, he must be faster than we thought.' Soul panted.

'Look!' Tsubaki pointed down the hallway. 'The hallway leads into a room.'

'He came this way, we should go and investigate.' Maka said, bent on the idea of finding out more about the legend. 'Maybe he knows more about it.'

The room was a small study. Bookcases lined the walls, filled with books. Some were about demon weapons, meisters and kishin, and others were novels Maka had wanted to read for years. The boy was nowhere to be seen. 'He's not here.' Tsubaki moaned.

'But how is that possible?' Maka said to herself. 'The hallway only leads to this room!' As they looked around, Black Star saw a window.

'Ha ha ha! He must have climbed out a window!' He opened it and leaned out. 'YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME YOU LITTLE WIMP? I'M THE GREAT BLACK STAR, I CAN JUMP FROM ANY HEIGHT!'

Tsubaki turned white. 'Black Star, we're on the second level!' she cried as she tugged him back into the house.

'I'm fine.' Black Star told her. Even as he did, a quill in a bottle of ink started frantically writing on paper. Everyone slowly turned to the table, and stared at the quill as it wrote.

'What's happening?' Tsubaki begged in a terrified voice.

'Th-the legend is tr-true?' Maka stammered, forcing herself to try to be calm. Her partner, however, gave up on calm a while ago.

'Oh GOD what is that?! Cool guys don't get scared! I'm not scared!' Soul muttered to himself, walking around in a circle talking to himself. 'I'm not scared. I'm not scared. I'm not scared!' Then Tsubaki said the most sensible thing out of the entire group.

'Run!' They all ran as fast as they could up the stairs in the corner of the room. Up at the top of the stairs, there was a small room with a lantern in the corner. By this point, Maka and Tsubaki were barely sane, with Soul not far behind. Black Star, on the other hand, was just laughing, and saying they were wimps. 'That was terrifying!' Tsubaki sobbed.

Soul took deep breaths calming himself, with chants of 'I wasn't scared...I wasn't scared! This is so not cool.'

Now that Maka had also calmed down, it became clear this ghost wasn't done with them yet. Her undeveloped and undiscovered soul perception activated, and she was greeted to her new ability with the bitter present of seeing the ghost, flickering in front of her. This caused the obvious reaction: Maka screamed. 'OHMYGOD I JUST SAW THE GHOST!' This caused Tsubaki and Soul to transform into weapon forms.

'Where is it?' Black Star asked, serious for once.

'There!' Maka yelled, and they all started attacking randomly, all of them too scared to think clearly. Suddenly, Maka slammed Soul into the ground. 'Stop!' Black Star froze. Slightly embarrassed, Maka said 'Hey, did you ever think that to be a ghost, you have to be dead?'

'Um...no...' Tsubaki said.

'I'm being really uncool today, aren't I?' Soul sighed.

'We should just get this over with.' Maka muttered. They walked down the hallway until they reached a door. On the door was a dusty skull emblem. 'Maybe this was Lord Death's room.' Maka said. She opened the door and they all entered the room.

The floor was black, and eight small white lines were placed equally up the walls. The ceiling was also black. On either side of the bed, was a bedside table, with equally burned out candles on them. The bed itself was only a single bed, in the centre of the room. There was a locking sound, and nobody needed to turn around and check to know the door had locked. The bed started making itself, which, given what they had just been through, only shocked the group. A shape appeared and started to glow, and after a few moments, it had turned into a teenage boy. He was deathly pale, had yellow-gold eyes and his hair was short and black with three white stripes going halfway across it. He wore a plain black suit, and white gloves. Around his neck was a ruffle of white fabric, and the cuffs of his sleeves had a gold line going around them in a straight line. This would be mostly fine, if he wasn't translucent.

'I HATE YOU BLACK STAR THIS STUPID TEST OF COURAGE IS GOING TO GET US EATEN BY THE GHOST!' Tsubaki screamed in a high-pitched voice.

'This is so cool.' Soul breathed, earning him a glare from his partner.

'Soul!' Maka snapped. 'We're seeing a ghost and you think that's cool?!' Maka was shaking with fear.

Soul grinned, showing his pointed teeth. 'Of course it is, tiny-tits.'

It was at this point the boy spoke. 'Listen, calm down. I'm not going to bring any of you to harm-'

'Hey Soul?' Black Star whispered to his best friend.

'Yeah?' Soul whispered back.

'What's up with this guy? He's talking like dinosaurs are still alive.' The boy glared at him.

'Excuse me, but I do not. I lived in 1813, not when dinosaurs were living.'

'Whatever. You still talk in a weird-ass way.' Black Star said defiantly.

'Mind your language.' the boy snarled. 'There are ladies in the room.' This sent Maka and Tsubaki into combined blushes.

'So,' Maka began. 'You're the Ghost of the Gallows?'

'Well, yes, if that is what I'm called now.' He looked a little surprised by his name.

Tsubaki nodded. 'It is.' The ghost stared back.

'A speaking chain-scythe...you're a demon weapon. So the others are meisters.' With their identities revealed, Soul and Tsubaki transformed back into their human forms. 'I apologise for scaring you earlier. You could not see me for quite a while. It was difficult to communicate with you.'

'It's...uh...okay.' Maka said. 'What happened to you?'

The ghost cringed. 'How about we sit down. It will be easier to explain then.' The group sat on the bed while the ghost stood in front of them. Taking a deep breath, he began.

'My name is Death the Kid, son of Lord Death.'

'LORD DEATH HAD SEX?' Black Star yelled obnoxiously. Kid glared at him.

'Young man, I asked you to mind your tongue!' The ghost boy snapped. Tsubaki smiled awkwardly.

'I'm sorry, that's impossible for him.' she told him. Kid shrugged.

'No matter. I lived here in Gallows Mansion with my father, Lord Death. 200 years ago, however, I was murdered. On the thirteenth of May 1813, a group of witches infiltrated this house. My father was in the basement, and I was sleeping. Even back then, the witches had soul protect, therefore he couldn't sense them. They came up to my room, and although I woke up, they noticed and fatally injured me. My honourable father identified the witches souls when they released soul protect to attack me and came up here and killed them, but I couldn't be saved. I died that night.'

'Why are you still here?' asked Tsubaki in a hushed tone.

'The regrets of my death bound me to the living world, and to the house as well. I have not left it since I died.'

'That's horrible!' Maka exclaimed. 'Spending 200 years locked inside a house as a ghost...'

'As for that obnoxious boy's implications that my father had sexual relations with someone, I was a piece of his soul. I was not born like normal humans are.'

'So, when you were little and asked how you were created...' Maka broke off.

'I found out I was a fragment of his soul. Yes.'

'Is there any way to release your bond to the house?' Tsubaki asked him.

'Only if my body is put to rest. It needs to be buried.'

'We'll help.' Soul said suddenly.

Kid's eyes widened. 'Truly?'

'Yeah, why not.' Soul shrugged. 'It'd be uncool to let someone be trapped inside their own house for 200 years.'

'Thank you.' Kid said. 'I beg your pardon, but I believe you have not introduced yourselves.'

'Oh right! I am Maka Albarn!' Maka said happily.

'The name's Soul Eater.' Soul grinned, showing off his teeth.

'I AM THE ALMIGHTY BLACK STAR! THE MAN WHO WILL SURPASS GOD! YAHOO!' Black Star yelled.

'My name is Tsubaki Nakatsukasa.' Tsubaki said, bowing.

'If you're going to help me, follow me then; Miss Albarn, Mister Eater, Mister Black Star, Miss Nakatsukasa.' Kid walked out of the room, and Maka, Soul, Black Star and Tsubaki followed him.

'Here it is.' Kid said, opening the door to the basement. As they walked inside, they gasped. Kid's body was lying face up on the basement floor, a singular wound near his heart. It was generally bruised and scraped. The body looked exactly the same as Kid; the dark raven bangs fell lightly over a skin of deathly white eyes were gently closed and the body was wearing the same clothes as Kid; with its pale hands gently resting over it's heart. The corpse was bruised and wounded with dried blood stains, but it somehow seemed a little peaceful and empty. It sent shivers up the teens' spines; also seeming that Kid did not want to see his body in sight as he also hated seeing it's creepily mixed state.

'Goodnight, Kid. I'll be down in the basement if you need me.' Lord Death told his son. Kid nodded.

'I will be fine. Goodnight, father.' Kid bowed and started walking up the stairs to his room. On the way, he felt something strange at the edge of his soul perception, and paused for a moment. Soon though, it passed. Kid mentally sighed. Probably just drunk souls, he thought to himself.

A few minutes later, he was in his room and in bed. Still those souls from before bothered him. My father is right downstairs, I will be fine, he told himself, and soon fell asleep.

Slowly, Kid's eyes opened. Interrupted sleep again. Why does this keep happening? he silently moaned. Then, he heard footsteps, lots of them, and they definitely weren't his father's. Before he could try and fake sleep, the door opened, and the intruders saw him. Kid's eyes widened with shock. Witches. They grabbed him, and when a woman with lizard tattoos grabbed him, he felt himself go stiff. I can't move, so I can't fight back! While Kid worried over his current situation, not to mention there were six witches, who were holding him asymmetrically, they started viciously attacking him. After a few minutes, they stopped.

'Hello, son of Death.' the lizard witch said. 'Did you know that your father's Academy students kill witches? They suffer so much more than what you just did before they die. We're obviously not very happy with this, so we've decided to leave a message for him.' She took a step back and began to chant. 'Lizard lizard, dragon dragon!' A ball of white-hot fire appeared, and turned itself into a spear, shaped as a lizard's tongue. She threw it at his chest, and Kid screamed as it hit him near the heart. There were thundering footsteps up the stairs, and the door burst open, revealing Lord Death.

'HOW DARE YOU COME HERE!' he roared. 'YOU THINK YOU CAN COME HERE AND HURT MY SON?' As Lord Death slew the witches, Kid fell back onto the bed as the spells broke. I'm dying, he thought helplessly. There's nothing that can save me. Lord Death hurried over to Kid.

What happened?' he gasped as he saw Kid's wound. 'Kid.' he moaned. One tear slipped down Kid's cheek as the life went out of him.

'Father.' Kid whispered. With one last breath, Kid died.

'Why hasn't your body decayed?' Maka asked quietly.

'The witches decided to curse it so it would not. They wanted my father to see it always and be haunted by thoughts about me, but my father doesn't know about my condition now.' Kid replied, spirit crushed by the memory of his death.

'You died down here, in the basement?' Tsubaki asked in shock.' Kid shook his head.

'No, I did not. I moved it down here after my death.' he told them.

'Then, where...' Kid simply looked at them, and instantly they knew they didn't want to know.

'Let's get this done.' Soul said, turning his arm into a scythe to dig.

'Wait.' Maka said. 'We shouldn't bury Kid down here. What about in the backyard?' Everyone nodded, and as everyone walked off, Maka was left to pick up Kid's body. Maka looked at his body up close, and barely held back tears. 'Did you have a weapon partner when you died?' she asked Kid.

'No, I had not started at the DWMA yet. We also need to pick up a box.'

'A box?' Maka was confused for a moment.

'To bury my body in.' Maka nodded.

'Of course. Black Star, we need you to carry something!' she called to him. Black Star quickly arrived.

'Yahoo! What do you need Maka?'

'Is this box good enough Kid?' Maka asked Kid, pointing to a long crate about Kid's length with the skull emblem on it. Kid nodded, and Black Star picked it up and carried it.

'Of course I can carry a stupid old box.' he said.

They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the back door of Gallows Mansion, everyone walked through into the backyard, but Kid stopped.

'What's wrong Kid?' Maka asked. He sighed and pressed his hand to the air in line with the door. His hand had hit a blue shield-net, which was stopping him from leaving.

'My soul is bound to the mansion. I can't go into the backyard.'

As Soul and Tsubaki dug a grave, Black Star snorted and walked forward, dropping the box in front of Maka. He slammed his soul wavelength into the ground, and the ground exploded. 'Slow,' he told them, 'is not the way to do things.'

'Wow Black Star!' Soul said. 'That was awesome!' They then gave each other a high five.

'I know! It's a true godly power!' he laughed. Maka walked forward and carefully placed Kid's body in the now open crate. They closed the box and with all four helping, they carefully lowered it into the ground. After a few moments, the group had completely buried it. Kid started glowing, but stopped after a few moments.

'What was that?!' Maka asked him, a little scared. Kid looked at her with a flicker of amazement.

'My bond to the house was just released.' Everyone looked to each other with expressions of joy and general happiness.

'Hey Kid, have you seem your father since you died?' Kid's face dropped.

'No, he moved out of the house and never came back.'

'Well, come with us. Everyone, let's head to the DWMA.' Maka, Soul nodded, and Black Star just started walking, Kid following them.

After dodging anyone they had seen, they ended up at the door to the Death Room. It was at this point Kid realised their plan. 'It has been 200 years.' he murmured, a little worried.

'It'll be fine!' Maka told him as they entered.

'Hi everyone!' Lord Death said, not noticing his son hiding behind the main group.

'Hello.' Maka said, attempting to elbow Kid. Kid awkwardly floated forward.

'Father?' he said.

'KID!' Lord Death gasped. Kid rushed toward Lord Death, and the two collapsed into a huge hug. 'Two centuries...even by my standards that's a long time.' Lord Death said softly to his son.

'Y-yeah.' Kid sniffled, his formal attitude breaking. He started crying into Lord Death's cloak.

'My goodness, it's been so long!' Lord Death said, rubbing Kid's back. 'Hey, shh, it's okay. I'm so glad to see you!' They hugged for a little more, then Lord Death broke away, keeping his hand on Kid's shoulder. 'How were you brought here? Your soul obviously was kept in this world by unfinished business and regret. Man, if only I had known your soul was still here I would've tried to save you.' He sounded regretful at the last part.

'Black Star made us enter the mansion in what he called a so-called test of fear,' Maka said, with finger quotes around "test of fear", 'and we bumped into Kid's ghost. He freaked us out at first, but we managed to calm down and get to terms.'

'My soul was tied to the mansion and I couldn't leave.' Kid told his father. 'I tried to communicate to them by writing down in a book since they couldn't see or hear me at first, but they got scared and didn't look at what I was writing. I eventually became visible and audible to them. They helped bury my body and break my ties to the mansion.' Lord Death looked at Kid for a long moment, then reached out and touched Kid in the chest. Kid's eyes widened with shock, then complete joy. 'Father...' Kid's voice was a mixture of shock and absolute gratitude. 'Thank you.'

'No problem!' Lord Death replied cheerfully. 'I've given you a second chance. Your body is buried so you're still a ghost, but you can now lead an existence like you're still living. You can eat, drink, sleep, be in contact with the living including be visible and audible, etcetera. You're just still dead, that's all. You're the only other reaper in this world and someone naturally needs to take over the previous one. As long as you're still here, even as a ghost, you still have the duty to lead the next generation. You could even call yourself a "living ghost", but you must pass to the other side if you die a second time.' Kid hugged his father again and pressed his head into the side of his father's.

'You have my deepest gratitude, honourable father.' he whispered.

To Maka, Soul, Black Star and Tsubaki, Lord Death said 'How about you go around this part of the City and you can take a look at what is different now, Kid. Is that fine with you?'

'Sure!' Maka said happily. Reluctantly, Kid broke away from the hug, obviously trying to make up for lost childhood.

As they led Kid out, Lord Death laughed to himself. 'You have a lot of things from 200 years to catch up on, Kid.'

Yeah, ghost Kid. This will be a threeshot, so see you next time, in chapter 2 of Ghost of the Gallows!