Six weeks later...

Willow stared down at the little plastic stick that showed a positive pregnancy test. Her mind was spinning, she couldn't believe it. Holy shit...

A light knock on the bathroom door made her raise her head. "What does it say?" Reaching out her hand, she unlocked the door from where she was sitting on top of the toilet seat. Kazuo peeked his dark head in cautiously, brown eyes apprehensive. Seeing his face undid her.

Sobbing, she lifted one of her hands to her face as tears began pouring from her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Dad. I screwed up..."

Stepping forward all the way into the small bathroom, Kazuo wrapped his arms around Willow. His eyes read the results on the test stick she was still clutching tightly. He swallowed, feeling like his stomach had just fell out to the floor. He closed his eyes briefly, calling upon all the strength of will he had. Leaning down, he kissed the top of Willow's head, his lips brushing along her hair. "W-well...I won't lie and say I'm really okay with this...But we'll make it. First though...we have to figure out what we're going to do with the baby."

Willow gulped, freezing in Kazuo's arms. "S-should I have a abortion? O-or is it better to put the baby up for adoption?"

Closing his eyes, Kazuo forced his voice to remain steady. "There's a third option. You could always keep the baby."

Willow blinked, pulling back. "What? Keep the baby? B-but..." she glanced down at her flat stomach. "But how? We don't...we aren't normal, Dad. Do you even know the first thing about taking care of a baby?"

Kazuo winced. "Um, well, no...Now, Willow, I know I haven't been the best dad. Obviously, I've failed horribly since you're sixteen and pregnant," he sighed heavily. "But I've tried my best."

Willow let out a brittle laugh. "You're the best dad in the world," she said fiercely, smiling up at him through her tears. "You win that award every year, Dad. No matter what," she nodded her head firmly.

Kazuo's cheeks filled with color. A happy, embarrassed warmth filled his heart. He pulled Willow into his arms once more. "I love you so much, baby girl." He kissed her forehead, smoothing back some of her hair.

Normally, Willow would move out of his arms and roll her eyes, teasing him for being so soppy. But this time she hugged him back tightly. "I love you too, Dad," she choked. She closed her eyes, mind spinning. "U-um...would you be mad if I said I want to keep the baby, for now? I may give it up for adoption...I may even have an abortion," she admitted in a small voice. "I'm not sure right now..."

Kazuo rubbed his hands down her back. "Willow, I'll support whatever choice you make completely. I'm leaving this up to you. But if you choose to keep the baby, I'm going to be the best damn grandpa there ever was," he promised. "I don't know how, but I'll make it happen!"

Willow chuckled, shaking her head. "You're such a nut, Dad."

The light in his eyes began to dim as he cleared his throat, speaking seriously. "Do you know who the father is? Do I need to go drag his ass here or anything?"

Willow thought back, squeezing her eyes tightly. She was about seven days late, though she hadn't even thought to take a test until this morning. She'd been cooking breakfast and the smell coming off the food had sent her running for the bathroom to be sick. His face dark and worried, Kazuo had rushed out to a convenience store located a few blocks away from their small first floor apartment. He'd come back ten minutes later with a plastic bag, carrying a small box of pregnancy tests. He hadn't said a word the entire time, face blank as he handed the bag to her and waited outside of the first floor bathroom door.

Shaking her head slightly, she forced herself to focus on more important things right now. Going off a guess, she was around five to seven weeks along. Her last period had been about seven or eight weeks ago, so...Based off that, she tried to recall who she'd had sex with at that time. She pulled forth two candidates. Opening her eyes, she let out a low sigh. "I-I know of two possible guys..."

"Two?!" Kazuo cursed.

"One's dead-I killed him, and the other was a one night stand I got too drunk to really remember at all."

"Gods, Willow," Kazuo grumbled, raising a hand to his face. He ran it down, over his nose and mouth, gaze moving to her flat stomach. "I've told you so many times...You don't need to go out and kill people to make money. Hell, you only need to eat someone once every five years. You don't need to do this to yourself, honey...You know I never wanted this life for you. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, healthy, and find love."

Willow shook her head, back straightening, readying for the very old argument. "Dad, how am I suppose to find someone to love if I can't even kiss them without risking killing them? Besides, I don't need anyone else. You're the only person...well, except for maybe this baby, I'll ever love. I have to repay you, for what you've done. For all the things you've done for me. I have to even out the board a little...Earning some extra cash now and then isn't that bad."

"Damn it, Willow. You know it's not the money earning I'm concerned about! It's the fact that every time you get into your head that you need to make money to 'pay me back', you go out in the world and kill someone! You're fucking sixteen years old, sweetheart! No one should be doing what you are..."

Her lips thinned into a line as she glared up at him. "I only do it once every six months. It's not that bad..."

"You shouldn't be doing it at all!" Kazuo snarled, waving his hands to show his irritation. His brown eyes narrowed. "No. Fucking. More! Do you hear me, Willow?! No gods damn more killing! You're only going to be eating a soul once every five years, like you only need to, and I'll be the one providing it for you. All I have to do is snap my fingers to summon someone's soul." He raised a hand to his pounding temple. "You know that," he pressed. "So why do you continue to bring suffering upon yourself?"

She shrugged apathetically. "It's what I deserve. It's the best my life is worth," she sighed.

Kazuo's hand whipped out lightening quick, slapping across her left cheek. Willow blinked rapidly, her head jerking back with the force of the blow. She gasped, feeling her temper spike. "What the hell, Dad?!" she growled, straightening to glare at him, raising a hand to her stinging cheek. "Why would you hurt me? You're acting just like Shannon!"

But she froze, taking in his appearance. He'd fallen to his knees before her, tears pouring down his face, sobbing silently, even as his jaw was clenched tight in rage. "Gods damn it, Willow...Can't you see how much I love you? Sweetie, you deserve so much more than you give yourself credit for. Why can't you ever see that? Why can't you just let me love you and let my love be the end of it? Why do you have to insist on 'making us even'? Ever since you were little...you always had to find someway to make up for any 'trouble' you were to me...But damn it, Willow, I love you and real love doesn't ask for payback!"

She rubbed at the stinging wound on her cheek, swallowing, unable to find any words. She continued to gaze at Kazuo for several seconds. Finally, her voice soft and nervous, she nodded, giving in. "A-alright, Dad. I won't kill anymore. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It was stupid and thoughtless of me. My life is worth at least something good. After all, you gave it to me."

He slowly rose to his feet, taking her into his arms, squeezing her tight. "Oh, thank the gods! I'm so sorry, baby!" he sobbed, running his hands down her back. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you badly? Fuck, we need to put some ice on your cheek..."

She rubbed at her cheek, nodding. "Y-yeah. I'll be okay, but some ice would be nice."

He stepped back, wiping at the mess of tears all over his face. "Stay right there. I'll be right back." He turned, leaving the bathroom to go to the kitchen and gather up a ice pack.

Willow felt tears sting her eyes, raising her other hand to her face. "What am I going to do? P-pregnant...How am I going to have this baby? I-I..."

Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of her face in the mirror. Her left cheek, which had been angry and red, was quickly beginning to break out with...frost?!

She let out a terrified shriek. "Dad! Dad! DAD!" she screamed, moving both hands to her cheek.

Kazuo came running back, coming to a sudden stop when he caught sight of her face. "W-Willow, s-stay calm, honey. Just stay with me..." He reached out his hands, approaching slowly, as her black eyes stared up at him in terror.

"D-Dad...it's c-c-cold..." she whimpered in a very tiny voice.

He nodded his head, wide eyes taking in the sight of her shaking hands which weren't able to completely hide the frost forming around her cheek. "I-I can see that, sweetheart. D-don't be afraid..." His mind spun in crazy motions, searching for what might be causing this. He alighted on the most likely candidate. "I-it's just the baby, okay? See? The baby just wanted to help with your pain and try to make you feel better," he murmured soothingly, praying it would work.

Very slowly, with each shaky breath, Willow's dark eyes began to calm. "T-the baby?" she repeated in confused uncertainty.

He nodded quickly. "That's right. The baby's just trying to make you feel better. I guess they have ice powers, then..."

Willow gulped in visible fear. She raised still scared eyes up to her dad. "I k-know who's the dad," she confessed in a shaky whisper. "It was the half-blood yeti...the one I killed."

Kazuo closed his eyes briefly, nodding his head slowly. "Alright. So it's just the three of us for now then. But that's okay." He opened his eyes, staring into hers, close enough now to wrap her into a hug. "Are you better now?" he asked quietly.

She nodded jerkily, her hands moving to press him closer in comfort. "Y-yeah...it's not as...not as cold now." And she was right. The frost was beginning to recede, leaving behind a much less swollen cheek, though it was still a bit red and painful-looking. "T-thank you, baby," she whispered, pressing a hand to her belly.

At her words, a weird surge of magic swept through her. She blinked, feeling a little dizzy. For the millisecond her eyes were closed while blinking, she felt like she saw the image of something, but it was so fast she couldn't catch anything. Shaking her head, she held onto her dad, tightening her arms in the hug. After a second, the magic died down and she slumped against him, feeling weak. "That was crazy," she murmured tiredly.

Kazuo nodded his head in complete agreement. "It was." He shifted Willow in his arms, helping her by holding up most of her weight. "I think maybe you should lie down, honey. After you take a nap and rest up, we'll talk about this a little more, okay?"

She nodded wearily. "Alright, Dad. B-but...I think I'm going to abort the baby now," she whispered in a scared voice. "If it has ice powers..."

Kazuo fought to keep a calm face. "Let's not talk about it for now. Just take a nap." He lifted her up easily into his arms once they reached the foot of the stairs to the second floor. Ten steps later, he came to the second floor, going straight down the hall and turning to the first door on the left, which led into Willow's small room. It was mostly bare, since they usually only stayed in an apartment for six months to a year at a time before moving on. She did have a full-sized bed, though it took up the majority of her room.

"Thanks, Dad. I'm sorry you had to carry me up. I'm still a bit shaken right now," she explained. "I'm trying to wrap my mind around everything happening right now."

He shook his head, smiling as he gently lowered her onto the bed. She moved out of his arms, pushing back the blanket to get under it. "I don't mind, really. I'll be back later to check up on you," he nodded. "Have a good nap. I love you," he murmured as he turned and started out of the room.

"I love you too, Dad. And, Dad? I really am sorry for what I said earlier."

Kazuo waved in farewell as he closed the door, making sure to leave it cracked, just slightly. He sucked in a deep breath, closing his eyes as he gathered up his nerve. Nodding his head, he moved away, making his way further down the hall to his own room, the third door on the right. Stepping inside, he closed the door behind him, face filled with determination. Moving to his walk-in closet, he pulled down a box with a very special, thick, blue book inside it. Lifting it out of the box, he open the book with the title 'Blue Pages for the North Midwestern area of the United States'. Flipping through the hundreds of pages, he stopped once he reached the 'Medical Clinics' section. His search slowed as he began scanning through, looking for OBGYN clinics in the nearby area.

Five minutes later, he'd found a likely candidate. He dialed in the number on his phone, waiting impatiently as the line rang. Five rings later, the line connected and the sound of a woman's pleasant voice filled his ears. "Thank you for calling the West Illinois Woman's Clinic. My name is Becky. What can I help you with today?"

He cleared his throat. "U-um, yes. I'm calling about setting up a appointment, for...tomorrow, at ten in the morning?"

He could hear the sound of keys clicking as Becky did something on the computer. "You appear to be in luck, sir. I miraculously have a opening with Dr. Clemith. I'll put you in right away. May I ask who's name to put the appointment under? I also need your phone number and address."

"Kazuo Chester. Kazuo spelled K-a-z-u-o," he answered automatically, also giving Becky his cell phone number and address. But he quickly paused. "Um...I'm not the one being seen," he stumbled out nervously. "I-it's my daughter," he corrected quickly.

He could hear a note of amusement in Becky's voice. "Of course, sir. May I have the ethnicity of the child?"

He bit his lip, stomach clenching in nerves. It's important...the doctors need to know what kind of background the baby has, to make sure they can grant it the proper care..."Half-blood yeti, half-blood wraith, so a quarter each, I suppose," he reported in a tight voice.

The clicking of the keys paused, a thick silence hanging in the air through the phone. Kazuo's voice grew protectively defensive. "I can always take my business elsewhere, if that's a problem," he rumbled.

Becky's voice came back on, a little less pleasant and much more shocked. "I-I...I do apologize, sir. That was very unprofessional of me." She cleared her throat. "Now, can I have a list of all, if any, magical powers the child has started to show?"

"Ice," he said in a cool voice. "It's on the father's side," he explained.

The woman's voice was just the slightest uncertain. "...And no powers from the mother's side has developed yet?"

"No," he growled.

"Y-yes, alright, alright. I'm sorry, sir. So, ice powers. Do you know how far along the mother is?"

"No," he sighed. "We just found out with a home pregnancy test about half an hour ago. But from the sounds of it, maybe a month or a little more? I'm just guessing here though," he quickly let her know.

"Well, at least you have some form of any idea, sir. I appreciate all the help you can give me. I know this is a weird process, but we need to gather as much information as possible before you arrive, in case we need to make special arrangements. Now, has the baby's powers been very powerful, so far?"

He shrugged. "Uh, not so far. It's just popped up a little bit ago. Just some small frost creation and temperature control," he explained.

"Okay, so very low level. But then, with two half-blood parents, that isn't very surprising at all, honestly. This shouldn't cause any trouble for our people here, which means I'm very happy to report that yes, we can take in your daughter for an appointment."

"Thank the gods," Kazuo breathed out in relief. "I was worried I'd have to go to the next closest clinic, which is about four hours away."

"Oh, goodness," Becky murmured in disbelief. "No, no, no. We'd love to have your daughter come in. Well, Mr. Chester, I'll be seeing you at ten o'clock sharp tomorrow morning, then?"

He nodded firmly. "Yes! Thank you very much. Have a great da-" he started to hang up.

But the woman's suddenly concerned voice made him pause. "Is the mother alright? Normally the woman's making the appointment. I don't mean to sound rude or impertinent, sir, but I'm honestly surprised you called me."

"I-is that a problem?" he grumbled uncertainly. "Why wouldn't my daughter be alright?"

Becky sounded incredibly nervous now. "Well, the baby has elemental powers, specifically of ice, correct? Is the father around, since the baby got those powers from him? Is anyone in his family with similar powers around? Perhaps a family friend with fire abilities, even?"

Kazuo blinked slowly. "Why, what's wrong with the baby having elemental powers?"

Now Becky sounded shocked that he hadn't thought of whatever was going on in her head. "I'm sure it won't be a problem in your daughter's case, since the baby has so much human in it's blood. But with most elemental magic-related pregnancies, the mother is usually in harms way. Unless she herself knows how to control the magic leaking off the baby, or is immune to it, it's quite easy for that magic to go out of control. And you said she's half-human? I recommend you get hold of the father and have him stick close by for her entire pregnancy."

A cold sweat began to break out along Kazuo's neck. "Thank you. Have a wonderful day. I have to go now." He hung up, tossing the phone on his bed as he rushed out of the room. "Sweetie?" he called out in worry, jogging down the hall toward her room. "I'm sorry to wake you up, Wil-" His paused as he pushed open her bedroom door and found her bed empty. His eyes grew wide. "Willow?" he called out in a louder voice. "Baby, where did you go?" he gulped, stepping back out into the hallway, gaze flying around in a panic.

From behind him, further down the hallway, he caught the sound of a muffled thumping. Turning on his heel, he tried to open the second door down the hall, to his left, next to Willow's room. He found it locked. He forced himself to calm down a little and knocked on the door. "W-Willow? Are you okay in there?"

The thumping was a little louder now. It increased in tempo. His heart sped up at the sound. "Willow, stand back from the door. I'm going to teleport in." Closing his eyes, he focused on letting his body melt away into the black and silver mist he became in his insubstantial form. He moved through the cracks in the door frame, rushing his body to solidify once he was completely through. His gaze took in the sight of no one sitting on the toilet or standing next to him by the sink. The shower curtain was pulled back, revealing what appeared to be an empty tub at first. He took a halting step forward, the muffled thumps echoing in his ears as the pounding of his heart seemed to grow louder in reflection...

The tub was large, about four feet deep, three feet wide, with a raised step to get inside. It was usually really nice, since it allowed them to soak up all the way to their necks when they wanted to bask in a hot bath. But, in this instance, it was a death trap, literally. Kazuo took two more shaky steps forward, tears running down his face. "Gods, no...please..."

A four inch thick miniature lake of ice was all that the bath was now. Underneath the frozen, packed ice at the top, he could make out the dark, hazy form of Willow. His tears were blurring his vision, but he knew it was her. He could hear the sound of her fists pounding against the ice. He let out a choked sob, falling to his knees in front of the tub. "Gods, why couldn't it have been fire? Why not wind or earth? Damn it all, why did it have to be ice?!" he demanded of the universe.

Willow's thumping was quickly growing weaker and weaker, less often. Sobbing harder, Kazuo shot to his feet and began pounding his fists against the top of the ice. "Give my daughter back, you bastard!" he shouted at the ice. "Give me my little girl back, you piece of shit!" he snarled. His fingers clawed at the ice, desperately fighting to break through it. He clawed and pounded his fists against it, sobbing the entire time, cursing, screaming, shouting.

After a minute, Willow's struggles stopped. Another minute and she was completely still, from what he could tell through the distortion of the ice's surface. He sobbed harder, feeling the pain of his hands, but he wouldn't be stopped. His nails were bleeding, as were his knuckles, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get to his baby. He just wanted to get to his little girl and hold her to him. "Willow!" he cried out in a gasping, pained sob. "Willow! Willow! Willow! Damn it, baby, don't die on me! I can't handle it...I can't not live without you!"

Three minutes later, he came to himself, realizing the ice was breaking up. He blinked, staring down at his bloody, bruises, almost broken hands. He winced but pushed past the pain. It didn't matter. He'd heal well enough with a night's rest. All that matter was getting to Willow. He forced his hands to break apart even more of the ice. As the ice began to melt, the water started to slosh over the side of the tub, but he paid it no mind. It took another minute of fighting through the last two inches of the ice to reach where her body was curled up on itself, pale and half-blue. She didn't move a millimeter, and even through the water, Kazuo knew she was dead.

He howled in pain, reaching down and lifting her naked body into his arms. "Willow!" he sobbed, rocking her cold body against him. Cold as death was an understatement. Her body was so cold, he nearly hissed in pain and dropped her. It took all his willpower to preserve and keep a firm hold on her. He stumbled back, away from the tub. "D-don't you worry, baby. I'll get you warmed up soon. Don't worry, sweetie. D-Daddy promises. I promise...s-so don't leave me," he choked out.

He found a towel and quickly dried her off, his efforts clumsy and shaky. Once she was mostly dry, he lifted her back up, rushing, terrified of what would happen if he waited too long. He moved throughout the house, bringing her back to her room. He gently lowered her onto the bed, wrapping her up in her blankets. He didn't even blink in embarrassment at the sight of her body. If anything, he didn't even notice. As far as Kazuo was concerned, Willow was his baby girl and she'd always be, no matter how mature her body got.

Once he felt she was as comfortable as he could make her, he sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. Reaching out, he took hold of her left hand, brushing his fingers over her forehead with his free hand. Closing his eyes, he focused. "Please work, damn it. Please, please work!" He reached out with his magic, calling forth his power.

As a Shinigami, I proclaim that this soul, Willow Chester, must live once more! As One who Brings Death, I proclaim that this soul may continue to Live. I shall overlook their End. I shall overlook their Death. In exchange, I accept that I must give up part of My own Life. I give up My Soul for Willow Chester's own. As a Shinigami, I proclaim, so shall it be!

He felt a tiny part of his soul, his very essence-and therefore-his magic as well, break away. It flowed out of him, down his arms until it reached Willow's cold, lifeless hand. The magic swirled around her in a silver-black haze, crawling along her body until it reached her mouth, nose, and ears. In a flash, it seeped into her body this way.

Kazuo sat back, feeling weary, but making sure to still keep a tight hold on Willow's hand. "Wake up, sweetheart. Wake up and let me see your beautiful eyes again, honey. Please..." he begged softly.

Silence filled the room for nearly three whole minutes. The entire time, Kazuo struggled to keep his emotions in check, barely stopping himself from going ballistic.

If Willow wasn't alive in the world...If she didn't exist, then he had no reason to care for the rest of the world. He'd release the full brunt of what powers he had left and take out as many lives as he could. Perhaps it was brash and horrible of him, but he was a fucking Shinigami! He was a God of Death! The fact that he could bring the dead back to life once more was pointless. As a Shinigami, his purpose was to bring Death to all beings.

He wasn't as powerful as he used to be, since he'd had to use up a portion of his power to bring Willow back to life. But he was still powerful enough to take out all of the continents of North and South America with him.

"Damn it, Willow, if you don't wake up I'm going to take out the world with me. You don't want that, do you, sweetheart? I know you don't...I shouldn't...But I can't help but kill everyone else. What's the rest of the world in comparison to you?"

At his question, Willow inhaled a deep, gasping breath. Her eyes flew open and she coughed loudly, violently. She began to shake and shiver under the blankets, her eyes wide in confusion and terror. "I was stuck in the freezer again, Dad," she cried, staring at him with only half-recognition in her eyes. "S-Shannon put me in the freezer again...I didn't do anything bad either, Dad..."

Kazuo shook his head, leaning down and wrapping her in a tight hug. "Don't worry, honey. Shannon's not here anymore. He can't ever hurt you. I killed him, remember?" he rubbed his hands over her arms briskly, trying to use the friction to warm her up again. "You're safe. He can't do any of those things to you," he murmured as he lifted her up and pressed her face to his chest, hugging her.

"I never liked the freezer," Willow confessed, still stuck in the terror of her childhood memories. "All I did was try to read the book. I just wanted to read it. I just wanted to understand what the pictures were saying..." she sobbed. "It's so cold. I don't want to be cold, Dad," she clung to him tightly.

Kazuo sucked in a painful breath. "I'm sorry, honey...I shouldn't have left you alone like that."

The two were quiet for two long, painful minutes. Slowly, Willow came back to her senses, pulling back a little. She blinked rapidly, staring up at Kazuo's dark brown eyes. "Dad...I saw something...when I started to take my bath...But I didn't really catch what it was at first. I-it wasn't until the water solidified once I dunked my head under that I remembered..."

"What did you see?" he asked in a quiet, apprehensive voice.

Her eyes were wide, almost blank, as she stared up at him. "I saw my own death."