shinigami-mistress:

This is a ficlet based on this post I made some time back for a possible fanfiction idea.

The room was silent aside from the woman’s labored breathing. No one was there to see her; to hold her hand in those final hours as her life slowly slipped from her grasp. The realization brought tears to her dull, blue eyes as she brought her arthritic hands together to pray, but she she didn’t pray for a miracle. As the tears traveled through the deep wrinkles of her face, she only prayed her death would come soon to release her of the pain that was both physical and emotional. She was tired, and she was ready for it all to end. Perhaps, she could even see one of her loved ones on the other side.

She must have dozed without realizing it because she suddenly realized that there were two figures now standing in the room although she hadn’t seen her door open. They were too far away at first to make out any features, but soon one of the them stepped forward. She smiled brightly when she recognized his familiar face and reached towards him. While there was something different about him, especially about the eyes, she would have known her young nephew anywhere.

“Ronnie,” she whispered in a voice that sounded like little more than a tired creak, “My dear boy, you’ve come to see me.”

Ronald said nothing as he looked down at her coolly. He turned and said something to his companion, but she couldn’t understand his words. As she pondered about this, a sudden realization bloomed in her mind like a red rose in a barren desert.

“I remember now,” she added, “You died. They said it was by your own hand, but I knew that it couldn’t be true. I knew it had to be an accident, and now I know that I was right. It had to be an accident because you’re an angel now. You’ve come to take me to Heaven.” Again, she reached for him; her hands shaking but eager.

Without a word towards her, she watched as Ronald raised something above his head which twinkled in the available light, but there was no time for her to feel fear before he plunged it into her chest. She felt the sharp pangs of death as her final breath escaped her mouth. At last, it was her time to die.

…………..

Ronald watched the records as they spilled out of the old woman to twist and turn about the room. “There are a lot of records,” he said as he sighed loudly.

From the far side of the room, William stepped forward and adjusted his glasses. “The longer a human lives, the more records there are to review. It is simply a fact, but we cannot shirk our duties simply because there are more records.”

“I know,” Ronald said.

William continued to watch, but his two toned eyes were focused on Ronald instead of the records. This was the young reaper’s first official assignment after graduating, and he was doing an acceptable job so far. He had gone about the collection with the proper level of attachment, although William couldn’t help but wonder one thing.

Had Ronald guessed that the old woman had known him in life?

Ronald might have as the woman had addressed him by name, but so far he hadn’t asked about it, and that was good. Once they were reborn as reapers, they had cast aside all of who they had been as humans besides their names and their faces. Everything else of who they had been was gone and forever beyond their grasp. Sometimes the dying would seem to recognize them, but the recognition could never be returned. Even now, as Ronald reviewed the records, he had no idea that the blonde boy in the woman’s memories was him, and that was good.

Finally, the records came to an end, and Ronald produced his notebook. “Nothing of note,” he said, as he stamped completed, “Can we return to the office now? I want to file my paperwork so I don’t have to do overtime.”

“You can’t always avoid overtime,” William said, “but it is best to return right away. Nothing can be gained by lingering.”

Ronald barely seemed to be listening as he looked as his scythe, which was the model he had been given upon graduation. “I really need to customize this thing,” he said, “This style is just too outdated and old for me.” He continued to talk to himself as he walked away.

“Honestly,” William said to himself, but he paused to glance back at the old woman’s body. Even if Ronald couldn’t remember, it had seemed to give the woman a bit of peace at the end. Perhaps their punishment could do a bit of good for someone else. Perhaps they could provide just a bit of comfort.

Perhaps.