"W-who are you…?" the old man asked, his entire body shaking in fear. Only seconds ago the pains in his chest were unbearable. He was sure he would die, and now…?
The space was wide and open going on forever. On one side was black, the other white, with only a thin stripe of gray separating them.
Am I… really…? He asked himself I couldn't be dead…
"And just what makes you think that?" the girl questioned. He looked up to the girl again. Her flowing hair was white with various locks of black. Her dark eyes reflected no light, and her kimono was black with a sakura design. Looking no older than thirteen years old, her gaze showed more maturity than the man believed humans were capable of.
"… I'm dead…" he stated in disbelief. "How could I…" he held his head in agony, then was shocked to realize that most of his hair was gone. He had grown old and fat, living on as though death could never reach him. Now he was at heaven's door, finally aware of his mortality.
"Hmph. What a question. Men die. Wealth means nothing." The girl's gaze grew colder and colder. The man remembered his success in life. He did so well for himself, and now he was with nothing, waiting to move onto his eternal resting place.
He looked behind the child and saw two cats, one on either side. The one on her left was pure white with downy fur and small blue eyes. She held her head up high and looked on with disdain. The other was a deep black. He was scrawny, as if he had no flesh and his bones were clinging to his bones themselves. His large orange eyes gleamed with menace and stared at him wildly, his whole body tense and ready to pounce on command.
The man shook more and more as he looked into the eyes of his guide. "S-so… could you open the gates, and I'll be on my way then…" he nervously suggested, wishing with all his heart that he could leave this terrifying place.
"Hm? You don't seem to understand. A bit eager, considering where you're bound…" she pointed towards the black area. Dark clouds of black mist started to slowly pour out and consume the other two areas. The black cat stepped forward, all of his fur stood up with anticipation.
"Wait! What are you talking about! What have I done to deserve such a sentence! I have never in my life committed an act worthy of-!"
"Oh!" the girl interrupted, losing patience with the old man. "You think I don't know just what kind of person you are?" he stared at her confused as the girl ever so kindly informed him. "You have never helped a single creature. You only thought about turning the spotlight back onto you. What you humans call businessmen I call conceited pigs. What about when your friend's son died? What about that?"
He thought back and remembered his dear friend, who had passed away nearly twenty-two years ago. After his beloved son died in the war, he couldn't bear the sorrow and loneliness. One day he just put a gun in his mouth and ended his misery.
"He came to you with tears in his eyes. You showed sympathy at first, but soon you wondered when everyone would quit mulling over the past and look back to your achievements. Your best friends." She shook her head shamefully. "He had no regrets of his suicide, in case you were wondering."
"But, that can't possibly be enough to condemn me to-…"
"Yes it is. As if there was nothing more you had done? Trust me, you have done plenty!" she remarked with disgust. "Give me one reason why you deserve salvation."
The man looked down and said nothing. Having been answered, she looked towards her black cat, which changed into a scythe. The white cat stood back as the girl walked towards the man. Resigning himself to his fate, he stood still as the scythe was raised.
"You created your own fate. As have I, and everyone else you will meet in hell." She said as the blade swung down and the man faded away with the mist.
The girl turned around and walked away, slowly fading.
"Let's go, Yume. We have a lot of work today." She spoke to a boy standing in the corner. He nodded solemnly as he followed her back to the underworld.