Thoughts in italics.

"Welcome to Shibusen!"

"Pleasure to meet you at last, Death the Kid!"

"What an honor to meet the son of Shinigami-sama!"

A handful of professors and staff cheerfully greeted the young boy as he made his way through the hallowed halls of his father's school. Kid nodded mutely at them, keeping his solemn golden eyes straight ahead towards the heavy steel doors that concealed the Death Room. Around him, older children scurried back and forth through the hall, rushing to their morning classes. Some gave him a passing glance, but most were absorbed in conversation amongst themselves, not giving a thought to the young Shinigami. After all, they've seen stranger sights in this school than a single child with three white lines across his hair. Kid secretly envied them for their easy-going friendships and camaraderie. Not being a meister or weapon himself, he had little reason to interact with the students of his father's school.

The faculty however, knew better than to ignore the boy. They knew who this person was and what he meant for the future. Many of them stopped at the sight of him, nudging whomever was next to them and pointing. The slight-framed boy pushed open the doors, leaving the hallway whispering in interest at the young Shinigami who had finally made an appearance at the school established by his father.

"Kid, what a surprise!" Shinigami-sama squawked excitedly. "What are you doing here?" His looming figure hovered over the boy, his voice expressing bewilderment whereas his mask could not.

"I was bored at the manor, so I decided to pay your school a visit. I wanted to see firsthand what your academy was like, Father. It's all you can talk about at home."

Shinigami-sama considered this for a moment. "I'm sorry Kid-kun, for leaving you out for so long. Would you like to meet some of our professors? Sit in on a lesson, perhaps?"

"I've already met a few professors outside, and lessons are not what I'm interested in," Kid paused. "Father?"

Shinigami-sama tilted his head questioningly. "Yes?"

"Do you think I could have weapons someday?"

His father chuckled lightly. "Of course. Once you take my place, my weapons shall all be yours to wield. Pretty cool, huh~?"

"That's not what I mean. I want weapons of my own."

"By 'weapons' you mean you want more than one?" Shinigami-sama questioned.

"Unquestionably! Just one would throw off my balance. I want a perfect pair whom I can work with by myself!" Kid answered defiantly.

Shinigami-sama smiled down at his child. Of course, that's my Kid. "I'm afraid it's difficult to find perfectly matching weapons, my son. But one day you'll surely have your own weapons. You'll find them!"

Kid contemplated this for awhile, before looking back up at his father's smooth mask again. His eyes narrowed in determination. "You're right. I will find them. Thank you, Father. I know what I must do now." With that, the boy spun on his heel and exited the room, deep in thought. Again, he ignored the odd looks from all corners of the building, and made his way back to the manor.

Storming into his empty home, Death the Kid set out on his new self-appointed mission. He was determined to find the perfect weapon partners, and he was going to pour every ounce of his concentration into searching for them. Climbing up the slim ladder in his father's personal library, Kid grabbed every book he could find on weapons, including any directories and registries he came across. Heaving his stack of books to the table, he spread everything out in even stacks and got to work.

It was late at night by the time the wick on Kid's candle had gone out. His head was already lolling onto the desk before him, exhaustion claiming him from his hours of research. Despite his efforts, he hadn't found any real leads yet. Sibling weapons were very common of course, but he couldn't find a single pair whose weapon form matched. Hearing the clock strike 1AM, he got up from his desk, placing the books he'd already skimmed through back onto the shelves. He'd continue in the morning.

It had been two months since Kid began his hunt, and he had nearly finished reading every book in his father's personal library inside the manor, searching for clues on where to find matching weapons. Even the registries had failed him. Not one birth of symmetrical weapons were listed. He had even taken the liberty of collecting newspaper clippings on various weapons around the world, and not a single thing jumped out at him. Dejected, Kid finally placed the last remaining book onto the shelf. He now had enough knowledge to run Shibusen himself from all the reading he had done, but that wasn't what he really wanted.

His father had been carefully watching him these past few months in silent concern. Kid had an obsessive personality, that much was obvious, but the poor boy was going to run himself to the ground at this rate. Shinigami-sama decided to speak up, hoping to give him a bit of encouragement with his recent news.

"Kid, why don't you take a break? In some cases, the perfect weapons will find you instead!" Shinigami-sama said brightly, trying to cheer on his disheartened son.

"I can't rest. This is my duty as a future meister, isn't it?"

"Well ah… that's not really-"

"It's alright Father, no need to worry about me. By the way, may I take a look in Shibusen's library next?"

Shinigami-sama sighed. This was getting out of hand. Luckily, he had a little tip to give to his son.

"I want you to take a break from books for now and go on a little mission for me, won't you?" Shinigami-sama started.

"A mission? What is it?"

"There's a pair of sibling weapons in the city of Brooklyn causing some trouble. I'm worried for the outcome of their souls, but I'm sure they can still be saved before they turn. We can't have any new Kishin arising. That's the purpose of Shibusen, after all! I'd like you to stop them in any way you can. I'm sure you'll figure out what to do with them~" he hinted slyly.

Kid's eyes brightened at the mention of a "pair", but he quickly stifled any excitement he had, not wanting to get his hopes up too soon. The directories hadn't made any mention of them.

"Very well. I would like to see New York City for myself anyway. I hear the architecture there is simply superb! There's bound to be perfect symmetry around every corner!" Kid exclaimed, eyes lighting up again despite himself.

Shinigami-sama grinned. "Whenever you're ready!"

"I'll take off this evening. Thank you for entrusting this mission to me, Father. I won't let you down." Kid enthusiastically hurried out of the room to prepare himself for his trip.

Shinigami-sama watched his son go, secretly amused. Kid will be pleased to find matching weapons, if those rumors are true. Maybe I should have told him, but it would have ruined the fun! I only hope he can save their souls first. Good luck, Kid~

A/N: And off he goes to find Liz and Patty~

As an irrelevant side note, I went to college in Brooklyn!

I still haven't decided what to do about the whole honorific thing, so for now I'll continue the way I have been… Thank you so much Guest and SilverSapphire34523 for your feedback though! Gave me something to think about for my new Soul Eater story that I've been working on. I made a lot of progress on it, so I'm hoping to finish it within the next couple of months. Yaaaay~