Before you begin this story, the author would like to remind you that she doesn't own 07 Ghost or any of the characters. This is a fanfiction, therefore please be warned for any unusual settings.
The end.
Once upon a time, a princess was lost, and God's Perfect Creation was determined to find her.
Grey. The entire world looked grey.
He stood, silent. No matter where he looked, everything still looked grey. There were different tones and shades of grey, but still...it was grey. He wondered whether other people could see more than beyond grey.
"You are my perfect creation." Perfect. There were no flaws. Like a smooth, unblemished stone. Blessed with deep wisdom, he realized how his presence would not be welcome among the others. He chose to remain by himself, doing his duty.
"You will do my bidding, to become a guide to their souls. They will be lost, but you will show them the path." And so he did. At first he...he didn't want to do it, per se. He was initially troubled by the cornucopia of emotions from the souls. He couldn't understand why some of the souls were upset, while others were delighted. He was particularly unsettled about the souls were grieving about their past lives. Were they not going to a better place where they could rest in peace? It was not his duty to grant them life again...what could he do? It disturbed him most when some souls spoke longingly about another person they had left behind.
In all of his wisdom, he wasn't able to understand their anger and sadness.
Nonetheless, he slowly learned to control himself. Subsequently, he changed his appearance to something more frightening, and masked his emotions. He refrained from speaking casually, and simply did his duty. The souls became terrified with his new appearance and manner, and most of their talk subsided.
He was just doing his duty.
Am I lost?
He looked down. He saw two hands clench his scythe; they were all bone. He was in his skeletal form.
Today, once more...he had taken yet another soul that wasn't hers.
It was then when a thought struck him.
If...on this day...I die here, fighting for her...could I say I spent my entire life for her?
Death and doom...somehow it didn't matter. He wanted her. Only she showed him the true meaning of his existence.
He still remembered their first meeting...she was lost in the forest with her steed. He appeared before her, warning her to leave, but was struck by her retorts.
It was the first time of...everything. He showed his appearance. He told her his name. He offered to escort her out of the forest. While taking her out of the forest, she kept chattering on and on. He appeared nonchalant, but secretly he hung onto every word. He also noticed how her hair bounced along her shoulders, but curled gracefully at the ends; how tiny and delicate her fingers were; and her eyes, shining like emeralds. When she waved, his fingers twitched, but he refrained himself. He liked it how she seemed so "free" around him, not seeming to care about any of the troubles in the world.
After escorting her out of the forest, he found himself wishing that she would come back.
And she did.
Slowly, he started to talk back, from a word or two to a sentence. He liked it when her eyes would light up, and she would smile. He cherished every memory of her, and always looked forward to her meetings.
One time, when escorting a soul, the soul had asked him whether he too had someone he would miss if he left. He had stopped suddenly, and the soul fell silent, afraid that they had something wrong.
He stopped because he suddenly understood.
He realized what the soul-and the others-were talking about. It...it made sense, their sadness, anger, tears, threats—d it made sense! He refused to name that emotion. He was just lonely. She was just a friend.
He has to do his duty.
Not a friend. Something more.
The bodies lay lifeless among his feet, yet he still didn't find her soul. He looked down at the strewn forms. Some had their eyes open with a glazed look. He could still read the fear on their face.
Did he do that?
He could no longer remember when it began. Suddenly, it happened, and he soon found himself facing the man he believed in. Within moments, he became known as a traitor and was accused of stealing her. He was shocked as nobody would look at him, not even that person.
He...He?
He was just doing his duty.
Determined, he was going to find her. She was lost, and it was his duty to find her. He will find her and bring her back, no matter what. He only endures each second, minute, hour, day, waiting for an end that will never come.
How many more must fall before I find her?
"Verloren! This ends now and here!"
He slowly turned. Several figures (seven) stood before him, all wielding the similar weapon in his hand.
"You have tampered with fate! Not only did you take many innocent souls, but you also murdered the precious daughter of the Chief of Heaven!"
Precious...so precious to me.
A weary smirk twisted his pale features. There was a brief moment of silence.
"You will kill me?" he softly asked, his words quietly echoing in the silent clearing.
"The princess's soul! Where is it?"
Snap. That was it. Something snapped inside of him. His grip became tight, and he took a step forward.
"Do not speak to me of fate knights!" he snarled, twisting his scythe. Why...why?! He silently cursed himself for his folly; for his weakness. He shouldn't have. He had to do his duty, but he had failed, because of that emotion. He deserved this pain, he deserved to be alone, he deserved all this, he did not deserve her but he still wanted to see her once again because he wanted to tell her something—
The grey seemed to spin around him as he fought. Harsh sounds erupted as metal clashed with metal. Gritting his teeth, he continued, but there were too many of them. Within moments, they had him pinned as they circled around him, like hungry predators.
"Your powers will be sealed forever!"
They raised their scythes simultaneously, ready to strike once more. His eyelids fluttered. Suddenly, he saw her.
She was standing there. Yes, her! She was there! The eyes, the hair, yes—
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Too late.
He slumped forward into the damp ground.
The last thing he saw was grey.
The "thing" which he speaks of in this chapter is the emotion, love.
Thank you for reading.