One Shot

The winter wind was biting, white snow dancing its way to the ground around them. Three people made their way through the snowstorm. The one in front was dressed in a black cloak, the white mask of Shinigami placed over his face. He was being followed by his two companions, both city girls using heavy winter coats to protect themselves, "Moh," The taller of the twins groaned, "why does it have to be so cold!?" She tightly hugged herself, inching closer to her grinning sister. Her long hair was put into a sturdy braid and placed in her fur-lined hood. She further sank into her white winter coat, "Patty," She whined once more, "aren't you cold?" She sniffled, her red nose wiggling slightly.

Patty slowed her march and grinned towards her sister, putting on a tough face as she puffed out her chest, "No way," She swiftly scooped up snow and flung it forward, "the snow is too fun to be cold!" She giggled when the sloppy snowball hit the person in the black cloak.

Said person sighed heavily into the wind, "I wonder if the portraits of father are straight." A wave a depressing air came over him, his head lowered to stare into the snow, "I can feel my worth slipping away." He recoiled when another snowball hit him, this time in the face, "Do you mind!?" He whirled around to glare at Liz and Patty, "I am having a moment here!" Yet another snowball hit him, this time it was followed by an all too familiar round of giggles. Kid wiped his face of snow and turned to continue forward, "Enough fooling around, we have to reach the town before it gets dark."

Patty stuck her tongue out and skipped after him, "Aw, come on Kid," She slurred through her outstretched tongue, "hash shum fun!" She jumped onto his back and hugged him from behind. Before he could protest, she licked the side of his face, exploding into another fit of laughter at his horrified expression.

"Hm," Liz tossed a snow ball up and down, "maybe Patty has a point." She grinned evilly and pocketed the snowball. Nobody ever said she was above a bit of fun for herself. Liz watched Patty tease Kid, a light smirk on her face. However, her thoughts dwelled on the mission they were sent on. She was sure Kid picked it up, but she could sense a bit apprehension in Shinigami's voice when he told them the specifics.

In the chilly Death City, in the depths of Shibusen, Death himself was thinking about what he'd just done. He scratched his head with one large hand, facing the empty mirror, "Heh," He comically sighed, "I wonder how Kid and the girls are doing."

"Are you sure you made the right decision?" Death Scythe questioned the deity of the afterlife, "This mission isn't exactly one to be taken lightly." Spirit felt himself shrink when Shinigami's usually silly face became a bit more grim.

Shinigami stroked his chin, still distant in thought, "It must be done. If anything were to happen to me, Kid would need to assume my role. He must face danger now, while I am here to make sure he does not get in over his head." Shinigami said this more to himself then to Spirit, but the crimson-haired weapon understood.

Spirit gently placed a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. He calmly took drag of the cig, blowing out the smoke soon afterwards, "I hope you're right, that guy is one scary customer." He looked to Shinigami when he didn't get a response, "Uh," He met Shinigami's blank stare, "Shinigami sir?"

"SHINIGAMI CHOP!"

BAM

Spirit found himself face down on the ground, a large bump on his head, "Why did you do that!?" He looked up towards the angered deity.

Shinigami held up Spirit's cig, "What are you trying to do, kill me!?" He pointed a large finger to a newly placed sign, "No smoking in my office!" He ignored Spirit's dumbfounded expression and removed a cigar from his robes, "Honestly," He lit the large cigar with a scowl on his mask, "some people just have no respect for others."

"YOU'RE THE ONE SMOKING A CIGAR!"

"Oooo," Patty leaned forward when the trio reached a quiet little town in the snow. The mild blizzard had died down, the snowflakes now falling gently around them, "This place is nice," She looked around at the quiet townsfolk, "boring, but nice." She giggled when Liz rolled her eyes at her.

The taller Thomson looked down at Kid, "So is this the place?"

Death the Kid nodded slightly, but his expression said he was thinking about something, "This is the place Father told us about." He glanced around suspiciously, "My only question is why this town doesn't look like it's being... terrorized by an Egg of Kishin." He motioned for the Thomson sisters to follow as he approached the owner of the nearest shop, "Excuse me," He stopped in front of said store owner, his posture perfect as always.

The shop owner smiled down at him. He was an older man dressed in humble attire, "What can I do for you and you young sir?" He adjusted his glasses, missing Kid's flinch at their being crooked, "I just got a shipment of candy in, I'm sure you'll like my selection."

"CANDY!" Patty was ready to pounce on the shop owner, but Liz held her back. Anyone who knew Patty would learn how to hold her back if given enough time.

Kid cleared his throat, "Ahem, we're not here to make a purchase." He motioned to his cloak, "I'm Death the Kid, a student at Shibusen." He paused, feeling the entire air of the town shift. In an instant, the calm atmosphere turned... heavy, strained.

The shop owner chuckled awkwardly, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead, "Hehe, is that so?" He placed the handkerchief in his pocket and avoided eye contact, "What can we do for you?"

Liz's eyes narrowed slightly, "We're here to take care of your 'Poltergeist' that hides in the factory north of here." She noticed Kid looked back at her, slightly surprised at her precise speech, "Think one of your townspeople can help us out?" She folded her arms, already anticipating negative answer, 'I swear if these guys make me stay in the cold, I'll kill someone.' She looked around to the other people that were eavesdropping. When they noticed her looking, they all feigned innocence and returned to their daily activities.

"Uh, w-what abandoned factory are we talking about again?" He had taken out his handkerchief and wiped his forehead again.

Kid closed his eyes, silently sighing in his own way, "The one that you can easily see." He calmly pointed north, the distant outline of structures in the distance.

The shop owner laughed nervously yet again, "Oh-ho... that... factory... hehehe." He glanced around, now shaking slightly, "Listen young fella," He took a deep breath to calm himself, "if you know what's good for you, you'll take your sisters and forget you ever heard of this place."

"These two aren't my sisters." Kid sternly corrected, "I'm afraid I must insist on you cooperating, it will make this entire situation work out much more smoothly."

"If you're looking to head up to the factory," A deep, scraggly voice interrupted the conversation, "I'll take you up there." Kid and the girls looked to the owner of the voice. It was another old guy, but he was wearing a large black coat. His wrinkled face was partially hidden by a black skull cap and his thick silver beard and mustache. He gently removed the pipe from his mouth and looked towards Kid, "I'll warn yah now, this 'Poltergeist' ain't no ghost."

Kid flinched at the word 'ain't', but met the old man's gaze evenly, "What do you mean Mr...?" He left the end open for the old man's name.

"Name's Duke," He placed the pipe back in his mouth and started towards the distant structure, "I'll tell yah along the way." The trio silently followed Duke, bearing the looks they kept getting from the eerie townspeople, "I saw it myself, and it wasn't no ghost." He put his hands into his deep pockets and continued, "It was a shadow, not a ghost."

"You walk funny." Patty bluntly referred to Duke's slight limp.

Liz shot Patty a look, "Sorry about her," She yelped when she ran into Kid, "Hey, watch it." She wore a firm frown, but as she looked up to the factory around them, she froze. Her once calm breathing was now rapid and panicked, the color leaving her face, "Why do we always have to go into the scariest places?" She instinctively latched onto the closest person to her, which happened to be Death the Kid.

Duke watched the trio interact, an eyebrow raised in slight disbelief. With a deep breath, Duke started back towards town, "Good luck kiddos," He raised his pipe as he continued to exit the facility grounds, "hope to see you come back alive."

Kid chocked when Liz squeezed him tighter, "A-ALIVE!?" Liz shrieked, now shaking severely, "That does it, we are leaving." She took a step towards town, but Patty swiftly snatched her arm and dragged her deeper into the factory, "No, please don't make me go, I want to LIVE!" She would've dug her nails into the ground, but she'd sooner die than let her manicure get ruined.

The trio continued around the facility's grounds for anther ten minutes, but found nothing more than ice, rust, and the occasional animal. Between Patty trying to catch the cute animals, Liz screaming at the rodents that seemed to enjoy jumping out of corners, and Kid's complaints about the architecture's lack of symmetry, nothing got done.

"Let's take a rest already." Liz sat down against one of the outdoor generators, finding it to be warmer next to them. Lucky for them, the factory had not been completely abandoned, the warehouses were still used to hold some supplies for the town. because some people still used it, one of the generators was left running to provide some electricity to certain areas. Liz tiredly glanced over to Patty when she sat down next to her, "Are you still upset about not catching one of those rabbits?" She examined the pout on her sister's face with a slight smirk. Patty's antics always did have a way of cheering her up.

Patty continued to pout in disappointment, "I really wanted the really cute white one too." Her gaze fell when she felt something hit her foot gently, "Huh," She scooped up a small red ball and stared at it curiously, "a... ball?"

Kid stood up when he heard light footsteps approach. A young girl rounded the corner and stopped in front of them, out of breath from running. She looked around before her blue eyes rested on the ball in Patty's hand, "Oh thank you for stopping it." She looked at Liz and Kid before she curtsied politely, "My name is Sarah, Sarah Longshot." She straitened and smiled at them, "Who are all of you?"

"I'm Liz," She pointed to Patty, "this is my sister Patty." The Thomson sisters glanced at Kid and froze. They thought it was strange he hadn't introduced himself yet, and now they knew why. He was too busy staring at Sarah.

Patty gave him a funny look and handed Sarah the small red ball, "Here you go." She grinned at the young girl, giggling when Sarah grinned back.

Death the Kid was absolutely frozen solid when Sarah grinned. She appeared to be no older than he was, and her pale skin complimented her light blue hair. However, it was how she appeared that shook him. Every move she made was... symmetrical... perfectly practiced... PERFECT! He looked at her neatly kept dress, practically drooling at what he saw. Every white frill was perfectly shaped, her various bows were symmetrically tied, and even the wind itself did not disrupt the overall tidiness of her dress. Her white stockings were spotless, as was her black shoes, each polished to shine. She was the very vision of... symmetry.

"Um," Sarah shyly looked towards Kid, "what's your name?" She folded her hand behind her back, feeling uncomfortable under Kid's dumbfounded stare.

Liz rolled her eyes and smacked him over the head, rougher than necessary mind you, "Hey, wake up. It's rude to stare." She frowned down at him when he started sputtering like an idiot. Liz rubbed the bridge of her nose when Patty exploded into a fit of giggles, "Why do you guys choose the worst times to be weird!?"

Kid calmed himself and tried to remain perfectly postured, "Ahem, I am Death the Kid." He felt himself losing control, even though he was fighting every fiber of his being to hold it together. He watched when Sarah curtsied again, a perfectly... symmetrical blush creeping onto her face. Kid couldn't hold it in anymore, it was all too overwhelming.

Sarah watched in utter shock as Kid broke down into boisterous tears, pounding the ground as he hid himself, "Um," She swallowed nervously, "is he..." She yelped when Kid raised his eyes to the sky.

"WHY, WHY DO YOU CURSE ME WITH SUCH UGLINESS!?" He dramatically latched onto Liz's legs, "Why am I not blessed with the same sense of PERFECTION!" He bawled into Liz's jeans, much to her displeasure, sniffling uncontrollably, "I am a worm, a worthless, unsymmetrical," He sniffled again, "WORM!" He bawled even more, soaking Liz's leg in his tears.

"Would you get OFF!" Liz kicked her leg, trying to throw Kid off, but his grip was too tight, "These are one of my favorite pairs of jeans, you'll ruin them!" She kicked harder, "HAVE YOU NO SHAME!?" She gripped his head and tried to push him off, "You're embarrassing yourself in front of Sarah, and more importantly," She resorted to trying to scrape him off, "YOU'RE EMBARASSING ME!"

Sarah didn't know how to react to all this. She watched Liz trying with all her might to relieve her leg of Kid and his endless crying, and Patty was rolling on the ground in tears from laughing so hard. Her hand shot to her mouth, a strained squeak escaping her pink lips. Sarah slightly bent forward before joining Patty in her laughter. It was a light laugh, very lady-like to most, but horribly beautiful to someone else.

"Even her laugh is perfect, WHY GOD, WHY!?"

Sarah wiped her eye of a hot tear, finally able to calm herself enough to breath, "Oh my, I've never seen anything so... unusual." She suddenly froze when a familiar sound reached her ears. She turned just in time to see a black Great Dane round the corner, sniffing the ground, "Belial," Sarah opened her arms as the dog came running to her, "Look what I have boy," She wiggled the red ball in front of him, "look boy, aw good boy." She cooed as Belial licked her face.

Patty shot upright when she heard the dog bark again, stars appearing in her eyes, "Doggy!" She was petting the black dog in seconds, the dark animal staring at her in shock.

Sarah scratched Belial behind the ears, smiling down at him as she stood up, "Belial, these are our new friends," She turned to Patty, "This is Patty, her sister Liz," She pointed to the still struggling teen, "and Kid." She giggled when she said Kid's name, still finding his breakdown humorous. Sarah yelped when Belial swiftly snuck behind her and gently pushed her towards where he came from, "Oh I see," She seemed to smile sadly, "it's time for us to go huh?"

Belial barked, pushing her gently again, "Aww," Patty pouted, "do you have to go?"

Sarah nodded slightly, "Yeah," She gently smiled at the trio, "maybe we'll see each other again. And next time we can all play with Belial." She waved at them as she left with Belial, "Bye, and be careful."

Patty happily waved back, "Bye Sarah," She grinned at Belial, "Bye, bye Belly-chan!" She giggled when the dog seemed to scowl at the horrible pet name. The hyper blonde looked to Kid and Liz, eyeing Kid with a sly grin, "Geez Kid, you really looked like a geek in front of her."

"For real," Liz finally managed to scrape Kid off her leg, "can you be anymore of a spaz?" Her scowl turned to shock when she saw Kid was out cold, "I don't believe this." Liz slapped her forehead and growled in exasperation, "This Kid is such a handful!" She began to hoist him onto her back, "Come on Patty, we should call it a day and head back to town."

Patty saluted and marched after Liz, "Neh sis, wanna play a trick on Kid?"

"If it's one of your pranks Patty, I'm in. Kid deserves it."

"Aww, he's drooling."

"EWW!"

A/N: I even laughed at what I wrote. The Thomson sisters and Death the Kid have to be the funniest trio I know of. One more chapter after this, it will be packed with action, and perhaps some LizxKidxPatty moments if you really want them to be there.