The Lady and The Reaper
I've always thought that I would die protecting what I love, well, it turns out I was right. It all started one day when I was going shopping with my mistress, Lady Livinia Greydon, because earlier that day we received an invitation to a ball taking place that evening.
We had just departed the dress shop, when a man with a crazy look in his eyes pointed some kind of a handgun at Lady Livinia. As he was about to pull the trigger, I gently pushed her to the side and was in the path of the bullet. The projectile entered my body just under my ribcage, punctured my right lung before exiting and embedding itself in the column behind me. My eyes widened as I realized that I was hit, and I slumped to the ground.
On the ground I noticed a man with fiery-red hair watching me and grinning like he knew that I would die right then. "Liegh Atwater, was it?" He asked me as I laid there in disbelief. "It's your turn to hand over your soul to the reapers, now." He said with a sharp-toothed grin. "Please just a moment, I need to say goodbye to the woman I protected." I said weakly. "Hmmm? Just keep it quick." The red-haired man permitted.
"Liegh? Liegh!" Livinia shouted as she cradled my head near to her bosom. "I-I'm sorry, L-Livinia. I have to g-go. The re-reaper is here for me." I forced out as breathing became harder for me."Reaper? W-wait! Don't leave me! You promised not to leave me!" She cried as my strength was fading. "I'll come for you when it's your turn, I promise." I whispered, my eyes closing and forfeiting my soul to the redheaded reaper. However, when he went to retrieve my soul, my body vanished and in its place was a bouquet of colored roses. "Liegh, is this your promise to me?" Livinia breathed and gently picked up the bouquet.
"Where did he go?" He asked as he looked around for me. "Excuse me sir, but teach me how to be a reaper like you, please." I asked appearing on a nearby roof-top. "Hmmm~? Now, why would I do that?" The red reaper asked flashing a sharp-toothed grin. "It's either that, or my soul stays here." I proposed, sitting down on the roof to emphasise the latter choice. "Fine, but you can't learn here. Follow me." The redhead sighed before grabbing my arm and whisking me away.
First, he took me to a man named William. He seemed responsible and well-learned and, through a lot of pleading from the redhead, agreed to teach me. I learned quickly and committed it all to memory. I met some other people while I was being taught, but no matter what the circumstances, I seemed to only focus on my training.
There was the redhead, whose name I learned was Grell, who wasn't as nearly as proper as William. A man named Ronald, who kept getting mad at me for calling him Ron. As well as Alan and Eric, who were the first ones to actually talk to me.
It only took me a matter of months to learn what would take years. My scores on all the tests were phenomenal, and I passed the final test with no incidents. I was given my personal death scythe, a rake. I was a celebrity in the Reaper Dispatch Association because of my ability to rake in souls, but I was only waiting for the day when I would finish and complete my promise to Livinia.
I would often sneak away after work to see Lady Livinia, but this one time was one of the best. It was a snowy night, not too cold but cold enough for snowfall. As usual I just watched her from afar. however, this particular time she saw me. "Liegh? I-Is that you?!" She called for me on the verge of tears, but I only smiled at her and faded my form.
"Wait! Don't go! I-I have something for you! Please." Her voice shook, and I knew it was only a matter of minutes when she would start crying. I took her hand and her head quickly shot up. "Liegh?" She asked, looking at me but not seeing me. I gently kissed her cheek and tightened my grip on her hand. "Take this with you, I made it myself. It's a pendant like you always used to make. It's a little rough cut, but when it's my turn to submit my soul, give it to me so I know it's you." She held out her hand and I took the small wooden charm from her. She smiled when she saw it disappear and started to cry. I noticed a reaper was watching from one of the rooftops, so I knew that I had to go. "I promise you Livinia, I promise you." I breathed in her ear as I left. "I know you do, Liegh." She said with a smile. A boy with dark hair and an eyepatch brought her a shawl and helped her inside. The boy's butler looked right at me and said that they would look after her for me. I always knew that butler was not human.
A couple years passed, there were whispers of a woman that would die soon, and when Grell got the case, I begged him to ask the higher ups if I could go as support. I ended up going myself to request it. "This is the only case I have to do! Have I asked to be on a single case before this?!" I slammed my fist on the desk to stress my need to do the case. With a nod of his head he assigned me as support for this particular mission. Picking up my death scythe, I ran to find Grell and tell him of my plan.
"You want me to do what!?" Grell gasped in disbelief. "After I collect Livinia's soul, I'll let you finish your job from a few years ago." I reiterated thoroughly annoyed. "B-but!" "No 'buts', Grell! I was planning this all along. So just do it when the time comes."
Standing in the street in front of the house Livinia had been staying, I steeled myself for what was going to happen then entered the house. "Hello? Anyone here?" I said checking if any other people were here. "Ah, Mr. Atwater, she has been waiting for you." I turned my head to the direction of the voice. It was that kid's butler showing me to the stairs.
"Livinia, you there?" I called as I opened the door to her room. "Liegh? Is that you?" She asked standing and rushing to the door. A smile graced her face when I stepped into the room. "I better start the ceremony." I said fixing my coat and standing up straight. "Livinia Greydon, it is time to surrender your soul to the reaper. Do you have any requests before I collect your soul?" I asked professionally. "I happen to have two. To be presented with the necklace I gave to my love, and a kiss from the reaper who seeks to collect my soul." She said with a soft smile. I took the small wooden pendant, that was on a small strip of leather as well as one I made myself, from my neck and placed it around hers, then placed a soft kiss to her petal-soft lips. "Will that be all, Ms. Greydon?" I whispered into her ear. "Yes, just be gentle, Liegh." She said softly, laying down on the bed. Her hand clasped around the wooden trinket as I readied my death scythe. I slowly pushed it into her chest, and kissed her cheek. As I was rewinding her cinematic records, a loose end tangled itself around my arm, it was the time we first met. The other memories we both had tangled around me and started to become my own memory. I felt how happy she was when we were together, and how heartbroken she was when I died.
That's when Grell and that butler busted into the room and tried to free me from the memories. "Grell, remember the plan." I reminded him weakly. "But if I kill you, that would be a sin! Even if it was a mistake!" Grell cried. "Sebastian! Fulfil this man's last request! That' s an order!" The kid with the eyepatch must have followed them, but the eye under the eyepatch was different, almost glowing. I know as a butler, a master's order is top priority. "Yes, my lord." The butler I know remember as Sebastian, bowed and snatched my death scythe off the ground. Twirling the rake around with much flare, he gathered speed and threw it at me. However, it missed and the memories wrapped around it. "That's unfortunate. Excuse me, Grell." He seized Grell's death scythe, a red chainsaw, and made his way over to me. "Se-Sebastian..." I breathed as he made it to my side. I howled as he plunged the chainsaw into my side. Almost immediately I was released by the memories and both of our souls entered the chainsaw.
Undertaker put my body into the coffin he had made for me years ago. Livinia was buried next to me. Not many humans were present at our funeral, but almost the entire Reaper Dispatch Association was there. I knew that both me and Livinia were happy in eternity, together.