Author's Note: I am very, very sad that there isn't an actual Shinigami no Ballad category. (I also wasn't sure about whether or not I should've put this in the misc. books section instead...?)
Ah well, this is my second fanfiction ever, and, like the last one, there isn't much happening here. As only my second attempt at a fanfiction, I was quite hesitant about writing this... I kept well away from the characters in this one, noticeable by the fact that I didn't even mention the girl's name... ^^; I'm also wondering if I made Daniel a bit OOC...
Anyway, any critiques or suggestions of how I could improve would be very much appreciated. :)
The girl was walking purposefully, with her destination firmly in her mind. She passed by other pedestrians and cars without a glance, ignoring the cacophony that was all around her. She strode through most of the park without pause, all the while thinking, I should walk faster. I really hope I'm not late again. However, she never quickened her pace, keeping it at a fast walk all the while.
Suddenly, she stopped.
She had felt something. A strange stirring in the air.
In a split second, she changed direction and headed for a new destination, completely forgetting her previous engagement.
She walked straight into the small forest that bordered the park, stepping in a roundabout way in order to avoid the brambles and bushes that obscured her path. It was a tiring walk, but the girl barely felt it, intent on reaching her goal.
Finally, she reached the outskirts of a clearing.
Peering through the thick branches, she saw a girl, only about six or seven, gasping for breath. The child's life was fading fast, the light disappearing from her eyes. In normal circumstances, she would've attempted to help the young girl, but, today, she didn't move an inch.
She somehow knew that the young girl couldn't be saved, and she knew that someone, the one that she had sensed earlier, was coming, soon.
She waited.
Sure enough, a moment later, a figure seemed to appear out of nowhere.
It was a young girl, only about a bit older than the one that was dying. She was completely white, from her hair to her clothes, a simple one-piece dress, and that whiteness was only broken by the distinct red shoes on her feet. Accompanying her was a black cat, with red wings and a bell collar around its neck.
Something about the way the girl carried herself was mature, far beyond what is expected of her age. She was clearly much older than she appeared. How old? One can only guess. It wasn't important anyway, in this case.
Lastly, and clearly the most noticeable was that the girl was carrying a huge, glittering scythe.
With hardly a thought, the girl's origins were plainly apparent.
A shinigami. A god of death.
The shinigami seemed to whisper a few words to the victim, her eyes sad, kind, understanding. Then, after the child's eyes dulled, her breathing stopped, and her body stilled, she raised her scythe, in a way that could only be described as "gentle", and cut into her body, collecting her spirit.
The girl in hiding watched all this in silence.
The last of the child's soul disappeared.
She stepped out, almost on impulse.
The shinigami and the cat started at the noise.
"What are you?"
The cat looked bewildered for a moment, before bursting out, "Hey, Momo, this kid can see us!"
The girl was surprised that she didn't feel all that shocked at hearing a cat speak.
The shinigami girl seemed to consider the girl's question for a moment before turning to the cat. "Daniel..." She motioned for him.
The cat, Daniel, sighed. "Do we have to?" Nevertheless, he did as she signaled.
He stood on his hind legs and swished his tail to the front, then he bent forward and, with a practiced air, grabbed the white tip of his tail with his front paws. In short, he had made a "ring" with his body.
She reached into the ring, pulling out a card case, and, opening this case, she took out a card. Ignoring Daniel's exaggerated cries of pain, she handed it to the girl.
On it said, "Shinigami #A-100100"
"That's your name?"
The shinigami paused. "You can call me Momo, though. Daniel calls me that, and I like it much better."
The girl nodded. "Then the cat's name is Daniel...?"
Daniel, having curled himself back to his original shape, jumped right in the conversation. "That's right, I'm Daniel! I'm Momo's familiar!" He was obviously proud of that fact. "Momo's a great shinigami, you know!"
The girl didn't argue that fact, despite the noticeable bias. However, she did say, "Hm, I've never heard of a white shinigami before, though..."
"Hmph, they just don't realize how great Momo is yet. Someday, she's going to be known everywhere!" claimed Daniel.
After a few moments, he added, "But, you know, you are a strange one. Usually people don't see shinigami until the moment they die, much less talk to them normally like this."
"Oh, so am I going to die then?"
Momo shook her head in response. "You aren't on the list yet. It'll probably be a long time from now."
"Well, that's good," the girl said, sighing in relief. "I still have a lot of things I want to do, like today I need to go to..."
She suddenly stopped, then looked at her watch. After spending a few minutes deciphering the complex Roman numerals that were present, she blurted out, "Ah! I completely forgot! I can't believe that it's already this late!"
"Sorry, gotta run! It was nice meeting you, Momo, Daniel!" she said, in a hurry, already beginning to run. "Hope to see you two again soon!" she added, not really considering the true implications of what she just stated.
A moment later, she was gone, her feet carrying her across a mile of rough terrain at an almost inhumanly fast pace.
"Hm, she definitely was a strange one, wasn't she, Momo?" mused Daniel.
Momo nodded. "It's nice to know that there are still people like her around. I'm glad she wasn't on the list."
"Hmph, if she was, you probably would've helped her, wouldn't you, Momo?"
She didn't answer.
"Ah," Daniel sighed. "You're always like that, Momo."