8. Chapter 8 (1/2)

csilla: so despite the awful work week i've been enduring, i somehow finished fleshing out chapter ten (which means this one can be posted)

warning: feels (again? yes)

at least i can't die again…

i was awaken by grueling pain in my spine, my eyes flew open and were immediately attacked by the sunlight stabbing through the blinds. i limply dropped my forearm over to shield my eyes before turning my head away from the onslaught of light only to come face-to-face with a mob of raven-black hair that smelled remotely like strawberries.

"…yuu…?" my throat felt dry, making my voice crack slightly as a result.

a familiar mocking chuckle from behind me had me sitting up –and instantly regretting it, thanks to the pain that sparked because of the sudden movement- to glare at krul, who appeared mildly amused.

"what the hell are you thinking? why is ferid after yuu? he's not schedule to die-"

i was seething with rage, but she seemed unfazed and instead her ruby eyes grew cold: "oh, i know… yuuichiro hyakuya doesn't even have a clock to say when he's supposed to die,"

"what?"

"ooh~ don't tell me you haven't noticed?" i tore my gaze away from her and onto the sleeping form of my roommate, my eyes slightly glowed as i drew on my reaper powers. krul had been telling the truth: there was no clock to state how long yuu would stay alive.

"anyway, the reason i'm here…" she cleared her throat, my powers releasing as i glanced back, "i know there is still a week and a half left, but i'm ordering you take your target's soul tonight otherwise, i will hand the job off to another reaper and you," pointing a finger at me," will tossed into hell. along with him" her finger moving to point down at my sleeping roommate before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

now this felt like a punishment.

i glanced down at yuu to make sure he was still sleeping before i slipped off the bed, stretching my slightly sore muscles. aside from that, i felt fine – one of the perks of already being dead. i quickly changed out of the hospital gown and back into my own clothes, sneaking peeks over my shoulder to keep checking that yuu was still asleep.

"i'm sorry, yuu… see you at home," i whispered before i used just enough of my powers to

ing myself just outside the hospital's front door.

i slid my phone out of my pants pocket before tapping on the screen to

ing it to life –i couldn't help but feel something gnawing inside my chest. this was wrong. a soul for a soul. it wasn't right. no one should ever have to choose between doing their job and saving a friend's life- i scrolled through my contacts. every name was a person i had met while i was in the human world. they were people who liked mikaela shindo, a slightly awkward young adult with an unknown past. no one ever bothered him with questions, trying to pull answers out of him. i was getting to the end of my contact list when i saw the person i had been looking for.

it took three rings until he answered. three rings that made the world feel like it stopped moving. three rings was all the time i was given before i had to do what i was instructed to do.

i feigned a light-hearted greeting, apologizing afterwards about what happened today before asking if he could meet me somewhere. he made a joke about something, –my attention was solely focused on what i would soon be doing- which i laughed off before telling him where to meet me.

"fine, see you there…" i hung up the phone and the gnawing sensation in my chest grew, the café i decided on was four blocks from imperial apartments and halfway down the street. the hospital i had been admitted to was ten blocks away –not that that made much of a difference, it only meant that if yuu woke up soon: he would not be able to make it to the café-, which left me with one option: to use my powers again. making the leap from the hospital to the alley just outside the café did little to ease the discomfort i felt about my upcoming actions.

"now i can see why this is a punishment…" i groaned, running a hand through my hair as if that would help alleviate the gnawing sensation in my chest. i never really gave much thought when i actually did reap souls. before it was just a job. before i had no one around me that mattered in the slightest.

i stepped out of the alleyway and stood by the café entrance, letting my thoughts continue their current path – before all i knew was the hardships i had gone through from birth to twelve. before i found someone i wanted to be around. before i found people who i considered my friends. i smiled and laughed, like i hadn't done since i was a child. during the time where my life stood still. before i met yuu, shinoa, yoichi, mitsuba or kimizuki. i don't want to go back to that time- until i heard: "yo, didn't expect you to beat me here…"

i turned, "thanks for meeting me here on such late notice…" i cringed at the formality in my voice; it sounded so impersonal and i hated it.

i could see, behind his glasses, in his eyes that he also found the way i spoke strange. he scoffed, "well, what did you want to talk about? did you and that idiot finally decide to come out?"

leave it to kimizuki to say something like that, i mused before i made the suggestion of going inside. just as expected, the café wasn't very busy. a few customers, despite it being the middle of the day, sat scattered within the café. we took a seat, furthest from anyone who might glance over, and placed our usual order. two black coffees.

"so are you going to tell me? or do i have to guess?" he sounded annoyed, not that i could blame him – i did invite him out and made sure he didn't say 'no'.

folding my hands in my lap, i felt the need to stall even if it was only for a short moment. i wasn't ready: "lovely weather, isn't it?"

had i really just said that?! i watched as his eye twitched, irritation clearly written on his face, and i was sure i wasn't the only one who wanted to hit me, but then he sighed, "must be something pretty important if you're using that shit to stall while you collect your thoughts… just spit it out, mika"

the waitress dropped off our drinks and reminded us that if we needed anything to let her know, we nodded in understanding and i waited until she was away from us before i spoke: "i haven't been completely honest with all of you… about myself, i mean. do you remember all the stuff i was telling you guys about stuff that happened to me from when i was twelve until i moved in?" kimizuki said nothing as he nodded his head, "well… it wasn't the whole truth… in december, my parents tossed me out a moving car-"

"why are you telling me this?"

"because you're my friend…" a part of me didn't mind the interruption, but all of me wanted to tell him the truth. for what reason? i have no clue, but my statement felt like the truth. it felt like the answer and so i continued: "i was hit by a driver in the next lane over and i died that day,"

as expected his eyes widened before giving me a once-over as i pushed forward with my story, "i believe around six months later, i was chosen as a reaper… for the next six years, i didn't do much aside from reading… an occasional job, where i had to collect the soul of a recently departed. i hated it, which is why i always dumped the jobs on someone else if i could… for someone like me, who refuses to reap, i receive the punishment age normally. anyway, three years ago my boss gave me a job. according to the reports, my target would not be dying for another few years. a punishment for not doing my work, she claims"

"and your target…?"

a grim smile

oke out across my face, "please don't make me say it…" i mumbled, before i snapped my finger –i had to isolate us from the other customers- and time around us stopped before i continued: "born november 26th, shihou kimizuki, son of tomoyo and kaito kimizuki. older