Ordered Chaos
By Cybra

Story Summary: As the rest of Death City sleeps, Kid—now known primarily as "Lord Death"—reaches with his soul wavelength to his sealed brother to speak with Asura and tell him the good news: He and Eibon have found a way for all of the Great Old Ones to go home. Written for the prompt "Legacy".

Disclaimer: Soul Eater belongs to Atsushi Ohkubo.

Visiting Hours

Old friends grew up and started their own families who in turn grew up and started their own families. Time ravaged the faces and bodies of the people he loved best, yet he remained young and unchanged, a constant in their lives even as he changed the Order of the world.

But as the first centennial of his reign neared, he felt weary. Black*Star had finally passed on, the man proclaimed a Warrior God finally succumbing to humanity's weakness of mortality. With him went the name "Death the Kid" as no mortal (human or Witch) felt comfortable calling him "Kid" save the reaper himself, so it became a private name. Even Kim, the last mortal member of Spartoi, had stopped calling him by his birth name decades ago.

Perhaps in another century or two he would finally start referring to himself in his own head as simply "Death".

Despite not having needed to sleep since Asura's fall, the death god—still so young compared to his father's millennia of age—felt tired. As Death City and the rest of the western hemisphere slept, he went to the roof of the DWMA, a small mirror in his pocket in case of emergencies, just as he'd done every night since his last failed attempt at getting some sleep himself. Nights in Death City were dull when you were the only one awake, but at least that meant the world had finally started reaching a point where he wasn't inundated twenty-four-seven with issues.

As he stared up at the swallowed moon, he reached out with his soul wavelength, easily pushing through two layers of Madness for the soul wavelength with hints of that of their father. He could feel Crona, but the other either couldn't resonate with him or refused to. Likely the latter given how Kid had been able to periodically resonate with the Witch up until he'd delivered the bad news about Maka forty years ago. Maybe in a few more decades Crona would respond to him again or maybe they wouldn't ever "speak" to him again up until the moment they died. The Witch's Madness wavelength was on a kishin-like level, but Crona—as a Witch—was still ultimately mortal unlike their prisoner.

/What do you want, brother?/ Asura sulked in response to Kid's probing.

/It's a quiet night. I thought you might want some company./

/You were bored and looking for someone to talk to. You really are just a human at heart, aren't you?/

Despite the contempt in the comment, Kid took it as a compliment. It had been, after all, their father's intention for him to understand mortals on a level none of the other Great Old Ones could. For all the older reaper's faults and all the pain of grief that this decision had brought his younger son, it had been the foundation needed for a new era of Witches and humans living together, the cornerstone of the world Kid was working to build.

It had taken thirty years and watching Spirit and Maka finally reconcile after years of animosity on the daughter's part for Kid to start reaching out to the only "biological" family he had left. Via their conversations (nothing but arguments those first ten years) and the journals their father had left behind, Kid had learned that that need to be a perfect god hadn't come from the ether or even his own Madness: It had been passed down from the previous Death who'd thought he could perfect himself for the humans he watched over by ridding himself of his fear. A foolish endeavor but one Kid could understand and forgive even if Asura still couldn't, but at least the kishin was responding with less open hostility towards the current Death specifically nowadays.

Perhaps when Crona finally died and released Asura, the kishin would be willing to reign in his Madness wavelength just as the other four Great Old Ones did whether it be through conscious effort like Kid or isolation like Eibon.

Through their resonance, Asura snorted, obviously feeling Kid's pleasure at his intended insult. /Was there an actual reason for this meeting or are you just trying to annoy me? Some days I wish you'd just shoved me back into a bag of my own skin. At least it was quiet when Father did it./

/There was,/ Kid said, ignoring the bitterness in the other's tone. /I've been talking with Eibon, and we've worked out a way for all of us to go back./

A pause in the connection, and surprise arced across it. /"All of us"?/

/I wasn't going to leave you here. Not only is it unsafe for this realm, but I thought you might feel safer back where we truly belong./

/You're going to reward me after everything I've done?/ Asura sneered.

Kid said nothing, allowing his silence and raw emotion to say everything he needed to. There were no lies in a Soul Resonance, and Asura would feel the longing for companionship that wasn't snuffed out in a few centuries at best. He would also feel Kid's understanding that while Asura's actions had earned him his imprisonment, he hadn't been entirely forsaken. Not anymore.

/…You're too soft-hearted, brother. This plan of yours will never work. Your precious mortals will never reach the point where you can leave them unattended./

/You're just afraid of going back./

/We weren't born of that realm. That will be more than obvious to our "cousins"./

Kid's lips twitched with amusement. /In which case, ridiculing my "human heart" will be more than enough to keep them busy, don't you think?/

That earned a "laugh", his imprisoned brother's own amusement rippling through the connection. /If you're willing to set yourself up as a target, I won't stop you./

The young death god's smile softened at a sudden breeze of desert air. Despite how cold Death Valley became at night, this wisp of air felt warm and comforting. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking, but it was as if the previous Death had reached out from beyond the grave to express his approval for what Kid was doing. At least, he hoped his father would've approved.

/I still can't believe you're going through with such an insane plan./

/The time of Great Old Ones is over,/ Kid said, echoing the words Excalibur had once told him, /but mortalkind isn't ready for it yet. I have more than enough time to lay the foundation for a world where they won't need a reaper's constant presence. It's the least I can do to thank them for everything they've done for Father and me./

/They're going to tear up that foundation the moment you leave. This realm will be left as nothing more than the lifeless husk they'd made it the last time mortals were solely in charge./

Kid grimaced. /Father had faith in them, and so do I./

/Your faith is misguided, but you'll learn that yourself in time. Assuming the mortals don't simply break you first./

The young reaper sighed at the other's pessimism. Secretly he wondered if Asura was right all while hoping the kishin was wrong. /I have to go. The sun will be rising soon./

There was no farewell from Asura, the resonance simply ending.

With a weary sigh, Kid took one last look at the darkened moon as the first rays of sunlight gleamed in the distance. Then he turned to walk back into the DWMA, heading for the Death Room that he had yet to change.

Another day and hopefully another step forward in training his heir, mortalkind itself.