A/N: This story was inspired by Afterlife and So Far Away by Avenged Sevenfold. It takes place fourteen years after the events of Immortality's Curse. I warn you, that there will be a character death in this story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, only the plot

It was something he would never get used to, the sound of anguished wailing. He knew it was what he signed up for when he donned the Reaper's cloak; but it hit him hard everytime someone found out he had taken a loved one. Some were easier to take than others; people who had been sick for years and were finally ready for him to take them to the other side. But then there were the sudden ones: car accidents, overdoses, heart attacks; ones no one saw coming.

Though, through all the souls he had reaped, he had always maintained a level of professional distance. He never got emotionally involved. He was Death, after all. No matter who it was, if their time had come he guided them into the afterlife. Some were happy to see him, others not so much. Some tried to bargain for more time and sometimes he would grant it, but it never lasted.

Thanks to his new found powers, he always knew when someone got sick or was about to die. He rarely spent any time in the realm of the dead, as much as he wanted to see his brothers, but he had a job to do. People needed guiding and he had to help them.

So, why was it, even with his knowledge of who was going to die, did it come as such a surprise when he saw the death of his best friend?

"Lord Death?" someone asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Are you all right?"

Raphael turned to see Leonardo standing behind him. The wind swept over his body, curling its icy fingers around his exposed arms; chilling him. It still fascinated him that he felt everything ten times more than when he was mortal.

"I'm fine, Leo," Raphael replied, his voice stiff.

Leonardo walked across the rooftop to stand a few feet away, keeping his distance out of respect. "If I may speak freely?"

Raphael rolled his eyes. "I'm not a drill sergeant, Leo. You don't have to talk so formally to me," he said. "I'm still your brother."

"I'm just a spirit," Leonardo pointed out. "You're the master of death."

"So?" Raphael asked.

"It's disrespectful to call you by name," Leonardo said.

Raphael ran a hand over his face and sighed. Leonardo would still be Leonardo, dead or alive. "What do you want?" Raphael asked.

"We're worried," Leonardo replied. "The whole realm has noticed how distant you've become. What's troubling you so much?"

Raphael looked down at the scythe in his hand. The red and black blade gleamed in the moonlight, giving it a blood stained look.

"It's Casey," Raphael answered.

"What about Casey?" Leonardo asked.

Raphael tapped the tip of the scythe against the wall. He looked down at the traffic far below. Over the last fourteen years he had prided himself on the fact that he never got emotionally involved with a soul that needed reaping. But, this wasn't just any soul; this was Casey Jones, his best friend. How could he not get emotionally involved?

Raphael pulled at the clasp of the cloak as he debated whether to tell his brother or not. He heard Leonardo shift on his feet. He needed his brother's council, even though he knew what Leonardo would say.

"I have to reap his soul someday," Raphael said.

"Casey?" Leonardo asked in confusion. "You have to reap Casey?"

Raphael nodded. "I don't know what to do, Leo. I've had no trouble with others, but this..." He shook his head. "This is different."

"How is it different?" Leonardo asked. "Yes, it's Casey, but he still needs to be guided to the afterlife. Even our friends in this world have to pass on."

Raphael couldn't help the humorless smile that crept across his face. "I just never thought I'd be the one that helped him to the other side," he said. "To be the one who robs April and Shadow of a husband and father."

"Raph," Leonardo said firmly, sounding like his old self. "There's no way out of it. If Casey's going to be joining us then you know what you have to do. You're the Reaper now. It's a heavy burden to bear, but you took a vow when you put on that cloak."

"I know," Raphael replied. He sighed. "Still doesn't make it any easier."

Leonardo walked over and sat down on the ledge next to his brother. "I can only imagine the pressure you're feeling."

"It's no different than you bein' leader when we were alive," Raphael told him.

"Only you're the leader of an entire realm of souls," Leonardo put in. "I was just the leader of three."

Raphael shrugged, the cloak suddenly feeling extremely heavy. Leonardo looked down at the street far below, watching the cars drive by.

"Do you know what you'll reap Casey's soul from?" he asked.

Raphael swallowed thickly and shifted uncomfortably. Leonardo glanced up at him expectantly.

"What is it, Raph?"

"Cancer," Raphael answered.

Leonardo looked at his brother in horror. "Casey has cancer?" he whispered.

Raphael nodded in confirmation. "Now, you see my problem."

Leonardo looked away, not quite believing what he was hearing. How could such a healthy man have one of the deadliest diseases known to mankind?

"We're going to cross paths at some point," Raphael said. "He's going to bargain for more time. But, if I do give it to him, how much time do I give him? And maybe...if I give him enough time...he could beat this. People have beaten cancer, why can't Casey?"

"All depends on how he responds to the treatments, I guess," Leonardo told him.

Raphael sighed again. "This feels like a bad dream," he commented. "I can only imagine how April and Casey are going to take the news when they find out."

"You mean, they don't know, yet?" Leonardo asked.

Raphael shook his head. "They don't have a clue." He felt his eyes begin to burn. His breath hitched, catching in his throat and almost choking him. "This is not how I wanted to meet Casey again."

"Don't tell him that it's you," Leonardo advised.

"He's gonna know," Raphael said, looking over at his brother. "He's not the clueless bonehead we used to know when we were teenagers. He's grown up...a lot."

Leonardo took a breath and slowly let it out. "I'm sorry, Raph. Truly, I am. To have someone's life in the palm of your hand..." He trailed off.

"It's not a good feeling," Raphael said.

The brothers fell silent, neither one wanting to say anything. The weight of the discussion hung heavily in the air. Raphael pulled at the cloak's clasp. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to rip the cloak off and give the responsiblity of reaping souls to someone else. But, this is what Raphael had promised the former Reaper, that he would take the dying Reaper's place as the new Death.

"I don't want to do it," Raphael spoke softly. "I don't want to reap Casey's soul."

"Maybe you won't have to," Leonardo said hopefully. "Maybe he'll beat it."

"Yeah," Raphael replied quietly. "Here's hoping."

As the days went by, Raphael kept an eye on Casey. As the days passed, Casey began to grow more and more sickly, until finally April took him to the hospital. Raphael watched through the walls as Casey under went several tests. If his heart was still beating, he was sure that it would be pounding out of his chest when his friends sat down across from the doctor to find out the test results.

Raphael knew what was coming, but it didn't make things any easier when April broke down after hearing the bad news. Casey pulled her into his arms and she cried into his chest. Raphael turned and disappeared through a portal and reappeared in the lair. Everything was just as he had left it all those years ago. April and Casey must have been keeping it in half decent shape over the years.

He walked through the underground dwelling, re-exploring the rooms with new eyes. It was strange seeing his old home after so long. It felt like only yesterday that Splinter was showing it to him and his brothers for the first time. Raphael walked downstairs and headed for the TV area when he heard the elevator doors open. He froze behind the couch, seeing a familiar reflection in the TV screens. Raphael swallowed nervously as Casey stepped into the lair.

Casey froze in mid-step when he saw the hooded figure in front of him. "Who are you?" he demanded. "What are you doing here?"

Raphael kept his back turned to his friend. He opened his mouth to answer, but fear silenced him.

"Who are you?" Casey asked again, this time a bit more fearful as if he already knew the answer.

Raphael forced himself to speak. "You know who I am," he answered.

"Raph?" Casey asked, his voice shaking a bit. "Dude, is that you?"

Raphael turned around to face his friend. He pushed back the hood of the cloak, letting it fall against his back. Casey stared at him in shock.

"Dude...what happened to you?" he whispered. "You're alive?"

Raphael looked down at the floor. "I guess after disappearing for fourteen years you could only assume that I was dead," he said. "And in a way I am...kinda."

Casey frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Raphael glanced up. "You know what I mean," he said.

Casey began shaking his head. "No. No, it's not possible," he said in denial.

"You knew I would be here. How else would you know to come here?" Raphael asked. "I've been gone for fourteen years, Casey. The others are dead. There was no reason for you come down here."

Casey shook his head. "You're not the Grim Reaper, Raph," he said strongly. "I don't believe it."

"Believe it or not, it doesn't make it any less true," Raphael told him. "What other reason would I have for disappearing?"

"I don't know," Casey replied. "Mourning?"

Raphael's eyes became sad and he sighed. "Why are you here, Case?" he asked.

Casey swallowed thickly. He was staring down the barrel of his own mortality. Raphael saw in his friend's eyes that Casey knew the truth. But, how do you accept that your best friend now held your life in their hand?

"I guess this is where I start to bargain," Casey finally answered.

Raphael slowly nodded. "I guess it is," he said quietly. "But, Case, I don't think that-"

"You gotta give me more time," Casey cut in, taking a step forward.

"Casey," Raphael tried again.

"Two years," Casey said, stepping closer to his friend. "That's all I'm askin' for. Two years so that I can see Shadow's sixteenth birthday."

Raphael grimaced and looked away. "Two years is a long time, Casey," he said as images began flashing across his vision. "Do you know what'll happen to you in that time?"

"I know the risks," Casey told him. He gripped Raphael's shoulders. "But, please. I'm beggin' you, here. Just long enough to see Shadow reach sixteen."

"Do you really want your daughter to see you deteriorate?" Raphael asked, meeting Casey's gaze. "You're my best friend, Casey. You're like a brother to me. I can't watch you suffer...not like that."

"Sometimes you have to suffer in order to get better," Casey replied.

Raphael smiled sadly. "You're not the bonehead I used to know anymore," he said. He nodded. "Alright...if this is what you want."

Casey let out a strained breath. "Thank you, Raph," he said.

"Two years from today I'll come back," Raphael stated. "When I do, I will either congratulate you for beating this...or I'll be coming to guide you to the other side."

Casey nodded in agreement. "Fair enough," he said.

Raphael held out his hand. Casey stepped back and took his friend's hand. With one shake, the deal was made. Raphael released Casey's hand and opened up a portal.

"See you in two years, Casey Jones," Raphael said before stepping through the portal.

Reviews are welcome, flames are not