Chapter 1-Reaper

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the plants were blooming, and the sky was a deep, beautiful shade of blue. Tokyo was busy as usual; businessmen hustling onto the subway, wives shopping at the nearby market, school children walking home. In a more secluded area of housing on the edge of the city, a pink haired teen sighed. Instead of enjoying the sunshine like a normal high school girl, here she was, working.

A man with sparse white hair moaned and wailed, clinging to a telephone pole for dear life. "Don't take me!" he cried. Sakura scowled at the high pitch, shoving her hands into the folds of her black robe. "I don't want to go to hell!"

"For the last time, gramps, I'm not taking ya to hell."

The man's lower lip stuck out in a childish pout, tears welling up in his eyes, as he flapped a hand in her direction. "You're wearing all black! It's obvious I'm not going to heaven!"

"Listen old man," she began, feeling a distinct twitching begin in her left eyebrow, "Like I've already said, I'm just a Reaper. All I do is ferry spirits to the Judgment Room; it's not up to me where they take you after that. And as for the robe, it's the required uniform. Not like I like wearing this itchy blanket."

Another loud wail pierced through the air as the man began his complaints all over again. Sighing, Sakura hopped into the air, crossed her legs beneath her, and casually floated in the sky. Close enough to still keep an eye on the old man (in the odd chance that he'd miraculously cooperate), but far enough away to drown out his whines. "God, this bites." Turning emerald eyes towards the city beneath her, she watched as a group of teenage girls walked home. They giggled and laughed, stopping now and then to look at the merchandise in store windows. She would never admit it aloud, but she envied them. They got to wear whatever clothes they wanted outside of school; pinks and blues, yellows and reds. Those girls' had friends; they had fun. Humans had it so good.

"Mr. Kensuke, I see you're causing trouble again."

The feminine voice pulled her from her musings. Flipping around abruptly, looking quite odd hanging upside down in the sky, Sakura gaped at the grinning girl that had suddenly appeared below her. In her late teens, the girl wore a navy blue sailor uniform and plaid skirt, a brown case plastered with stickers held in her right hand. Her bleach blonde hair was pulled back into a stylish ponytail, her bangs framing the brightest blue eyes Sakura had ever seen. Most surprising of all, she was looking right at the pinkette, a giggle escaping her lips when the floating girl continued to open and close her mouth in an attempt to speak.

"Y-y-you can see me?" Sakura spluttered, pointing at herself for good measure. She had once mistakenly thought that a mental patient could see her, when in reality the woman had merely been talking to herself—she didn't want the embarrassment of making such a silly mistake again.

"You, and Mr. Kensuke," the girl nodded. Scooting towards the old spirit, the blonde adopted a stern expression. "Now, Mr. Kensuke, what are you up to now? Not trying to haunt someone again, I hope."

Sakura felt her eyebrows lifting as the old man immediately stopped his childish behavior, letting go of his iron grip on the pole. "Ah, Ino, my dear, it's been so long since you've visited!" His voice, which had been nasally and annoying earlier, was now perfectly polite. Happy, even.

"I told you, I had end of term exams."

"Life as a ghost can get so lonely, though, my dear," Kensuke sighed, placing a hand over his heart dramatically.

Sakura couldn't help but snort. The blonde and Kensuke (who glared rather pathetically at the interruption) turned to look at her, and she felt a blush spread like red hot heat across her face. She'd never liked being the center of attention. "Ah, um, w-who are you?" she demanded, wincing when her voice came out squeakier than she intended.

The blonde grinned and flourished a ridiculous bow. "Ino Yamanaka, at your service," she purred. Tilting her head, she tapped the tip of her finger against her chin. "You're a cute one, despite the menacing robe." If possible, the floating girl's blush intensified. "Now, what exactly are you? I've seen plenty of ghosts before, but I'm not getting that kind of vibe from you."

"…I'm a Reaper," the pinkette murmured. She floated closer to the group, crossing her arms over her chest. Glaring into the blondes eyes, she added, "I ferry the dead to the Judgment room, where they're given their assignments for the afterlife. Normally, humans can't see us. What's so special 'bout you?"

Ino, who seemed to never stop smiling, shrugged and perched her hand on her hip. "It runs in my family. We've always been able to see things others can't, like the dead. Most of them are just wandering until they're ready to move on—which is where you come in, I'm sure—and aren't that scary. They're human, after all, just dead."

"Hmph. You humans are strange."

"Now, what were you doing when I just showed up? Mr. Kensuke can be rather stubborn when he puts his mind to it," the blonde chuckled.

Sakura glared over at the older man, who was once again hiding behind the telephone pole. "I was trying to do my job. Gramps here refuses to come with me."

"I won't go to hell!" Kensuke cried, wrapping his arms tightly around the wood once again. "You can't make me!"

"For the last time, you stubborn old goat, I'm not taking you to hell," Sakura spat, eyes flashing. "It's not my job to determine where you'll go!" To her surprise, the blonde girl placed a soothing hand on the old man's shoulder. Humans weren't supposed to be able to see, let alone touch, spirits. This girl was just full of surprises.

"Now, Mr. Kensuke, you're not being fair," Ino cooed. "This poor girl is just trying to do her job, and you're making it awfully difficult."

"She's the spawn of Satan!" the old man screeched. He puckered his thin lips and sent the furious Reaper his best glare, which was about as frightening as a box full of kittens to the agent of the afterlife. "Don't you see, Ino, she's trying to trick you!"

The blonde frowned, retracting her hand to cross her arms over her chest, resembling nothing more than a stern mother scolding her child. "Mr. Kensuke, that's quite enough." Her voice, which had been so soothing moments before, was now firm and unyielding. "You're acting like a child."

"But I don't want to go to hell…!"

"And what have you done to be sent to hell?" Ino demanded. Kensuke's wailing abruptly stopped, leaving them with only the sound of the city around them. "You're not going to be sent to hell if you didn't do anything wrong. Tell me, Mr. Kensuke, have you killed a man?"

"I would never…!"

"Did you beat your wife? Your kids?"

"Never!"

Sakura watched with mounting curiosity as the teenage girl began to pace in front of the aged ghost, ticking off a list of predictable 'evil' deeds, which the old man vehemently denied partaking in. "You haven't done any of these, and yet you're worried that you'll be taken to hell?" Ino said.

The old man fell silent, pursing his lips in thought. Finally, his face turned away from both observers, he whispered, "I'm afraid."

"Of what?" Ino was back at his side, hand on his shoulder, voice soothing yet again.

"This girl ought to be an actor," Sakura murmured, far enough away to be unheard. She was sure the blonde wouldn't appreciate the jibe at the moment.

Kensuke turned to the taller girl, eyes clouded. "Of what comes after," he said. "Right here, right now, I still exist. I can see, I can hear, I can speak. When they take me…what will happen? Will that all go away?"

"Listen to me very carefully, Mr. Kensuke." The blonde crouched down in front of him, taking his aged hands in her own. "We're all scared to die. Even me. But you have to go. If you stay here, in a world that you no longer belong to, you'll rot. I've seen it. Good people, turned into monsters, because this world ate at their heart until nothing was left. They become demons, Mr. Kensuke. Think of your wife, your children, even your grandchildren. Would they want your years of hard work, of taking care of them, and being the best man you can, be tainted because you were too afraid to move on?"

Sakura was silent, watching the events unfold with a frown on her face. This girl could see the dead and the carriers of the dead. She could communicate and even touch them. The blonde even understood, at least in part, the process of transforming into a demon. Hell, she was currently in the process of trying to coax a ghost into the afterlife, like some sort of medium. What else was hidden behind that teenage smirk?

"I-I suppose I wouldn't want them to worry about me," the old man finally stammered. He looked at the Reaper with a suspicious glare before clearing his throat. "Well, Death, it's time for me to go."

"I'm a Reaper, not Death," the pinkette grumbled. "Death is much less patient, I'll have you know." Thrusting a hand in his general direction, she impatiently waited for him to finish his goodbyes to the teen. "C'mon, grab ahold, ya old goat."

"You'll take care of him?" Ino questioned, peering curiously into the Reapers face.

Looking at her, Sakura knew she didn't have to answer; didn't have to care about the blonde teenage human, who she'd probably never see again anyway. A second later, however, she found herself nodding. "For as long as the old man's in my care."

Kensuke gingerly clasped her hand, and they slowly began to ascend into the air. "Take care, Mr. Kensuke!" the blonde grinned, waving her arms wildly. To any observers, the lone girl shouting goodbye into the sky looked quite strange, and they quickly shuffled away to a safer distance. Just before they disappeared, Sakura heard, "I hope we meet again, Miss. Reaper!"

"Fat chance of that," she muttered. She didn't realize just how wrong she was.

So, I know I really shouldn't be posting this because I have other fics I need to finish but gosh darn it, this one keeps plaguing me! XD Anywho, leave any constructive criticism, reviews, etc. Even just stopping by to say hello really boosts my day! Thanks for reading, stop by again once chapter 2 is out! (Although, please keep in mind chapters will be like, five pages long only at this point.) Peace out! -Master of all Perv's.