Izumi, a Shinigami from the pediatrics ward, and quite possibly the best Shinigami from the pediatrics ward, set out on yet another boring mission. His squad, Milmake, was to take four souls, and all of them today. Him and his partner, Meroko, the other half of Milmake, decided to divide the work between them and take two souls each. After all, they were both highly seasoned pros, so it was more than unnecessary for both of them to actually work together for such simple tasks as had been assigned them today.
Izumi quickly checked over his information sheet regarding his first capture. The boy's name was Fujimoto, and he was currently most likely at his home at this hour, as it was late at night. At night, Izumi thought, is the ideal time to hunt souls.
Izumi reached the Fujimoto residence, and put a simple spell on the wall, passing through it after the spell had taken effect. The boy was sitting at his desk reading some ridiculous book about various dating tips for going out with girls. Izumi decided to torment him a little bit. Since the boy was about to die, he would be able to gaze upon the face of Death, so Izumi took out the scythe he used to reap souls, and brought it down directly in front of the boy's face.
"Aahh!!!" Fujimoto screamed, spinning quickly around and, seeing Izumi standing there, screamed even more loudly. "Wh-Who are you!?" he yelled in surprise and fear. Izumi did not hesitate, but thrust his palm onto the boy's mouth, silencing his voice.
"Be quiet," Izumi said in a dangerous voice with his eyes narrowing in intimidation. He brought his scythe around from behind the boy's back and held it up against the back of his own arm. Fujimoto stared at it in clearly expressed fear, his pupils dilating from the shock of the experience he was having.
"As you may have guessed by now," Izumi began, "I am here to claim your soul. Today, is your day to die." Tears began to flow from Fujimoto's eyes, and Izumi could clearly sense regret in those desperate eyes.
This should be quite amusing, Izumi thought to himself. "I shall let you tell me your regret," he said aloud, "but if you dare to scream for help I shall slay you instantly, and your words shall never be heard." It's always such a hassle when the family comes flying up the stairs screaming their heads off. Such a bother… He removed his hand from the young boy's mouth.
"I… I.. H-have yet to have my first kiss…" Fujimoto stammered, "a-and if you l-let me l-live for tomorrow, I can a-acquire it from a girl who l-loves me. I also want to b-bargain that k-kiss for my first time before I d…. die."
Izumi smiled to himself. He had caught a real fool, here. "You are nothing but an animal, with that reasoning," Izumi told the young fool, and Fujimoto's face cringed in fear once again. "However," Izumi continued, "I shall grant you part of your wish. 'A physical shock removes the soul.' There are alternatives to cutting with a scythe." As Fujimoto's face brightened ever so slightly in some kind of hope, Izumi allowed his scythe to disappear. He then suddenly clamped his left hand around the young fool's throat, who immediately began gasping for air. He then moved his body closer to Fujimoto's, and lifted the boy's chin with his right hand. He planted his lips firmly on Fujimoto's, whose eyes widened in shock as he desperately struggled for air. When Izumi removed his lips, Fujimoto's soul was removed from his body as well. Izumi struck the soul with his right hand, which the soul then started floating lazily around. He finally released Fujimoto's throat, letting the lifeless body slump unceremoniously to the floor. He then simply left the room, in the interest of finishing up his work for the night.
Izumi checked the information for his other capture of the night. This time it was a young girl, named Hasegawa. Ironically enough, her residence was but a block away. Izumi flew lazily to the Hasegawa residence, putting the same spell on the wall and passing through into the girl's bedroom. His other victim for the night lay alone on her bed, lazily reading the latest issue of Ribon magazine. Since she was a young girl, he decided to be just a bit kinder.
"Excuse me," he said in a soft voice.
"Hmm?" she turned around and leveled her gaze on him; her eyes widened, and then softened in what appeared to be recognition. "So I was right," she sighed, to Izumi's surprise. "Today is my day to die, and you have come to take my soul." She looked to Izumi for confirmation, and he nodded. "Then," she continued, "I wish that I could have at least obtained my first kiss before my death. But I suppose I shall have to give up on that now…" She sighed to herself again.
"If you wish," Izumi told her kindly, "I could grant you your wish."
"The offer is kind, Shinigami, but I wanted my first kiss from a certain special someone. I shall miss him after I die… Oh, Fujimoto…" she sighed and closed her eyes in resignation.
Izumi could not believe his luck. He hadn't planned on it, but such an opportunity to torture two souls as this opportunity allowed was simply too good to pass on.
"You do not wish for a kiss from that fool," Izumi told her sinisterly, "for in truth, he was but using you."
Hasegawa opened her eyes again in surprise. "How would you know!?" she hissed at Izumi in anger.
"I know," Izumi said happily, "because I spoke with him but a few minutes ago. In fact, I have his soul right here." He raised his right hand for her to see, with Fujimoto's soul still spinning around it.
Hasegawa gasped, and covered her mouth with her hands. "Then, he is… dead?" Izumi nodded silently to her words, with a satisfied glint in his eyes. A single tear fell down Hasegawa's face. "Then, even if what you say is true, I still wanted to claim his lips before he died. Although, if he was to betray me, I also feel I would wish to never see him again…"
"If you desire," Izumi said, smiling, "I could grant both those wishes for you. In truth, Fujimoto's first kiss still lingers on my lips."
Hasegawa looked to Izumi with slight hope in her eyes. She walked over, until her body was close to Izumi's. "Then," she said shyly, closing her eyes and turning her lips upwards toward Izumi, "please, go ahead." Izumi lifted her chin with the fingertips of his right hand, allowing Fujimoto to see clearly just how totally she had betrayed him, just as he had betrayed her. Izumi planted his lips firmly on her soft mouth.
"Mmmm… Hasegawa lost herself in the kiss, and as their mouths parted, she lost her soul as well. Once again, Izumi struck her soul with his right hand, forcing both souls to float around the same hand, together. He then exited the Hasegawa residence by floating through the ceiling. Once he was out in the dark, black sky, a sky only faintly illuminated by a few stars and but a sliver of the moon, he released the souls, sending them spiraling upwards towards Heaven. However, both souls, being fully disgusted with the other, quickly parted ways, floating up on different paths to find their own separate places in the afterlife.
Izumi, once again, sent two newly tortured souls floating to heaven, refusing to let them rest in peace. He smiled satisfactorily as the suffering of all the souls he had ever taken dragged him deeper into the pit of hell, a pit which he was quite satisfied to live in, and never planned to escape. Of all the souls he had ever taken or tortured, none could hope to equal to his suffering. And that was exactly how he wished it, sharing with each soul he took but a small portion of his tortured existence, but never possibly hoping to meet another soul who could equal or understand his suffering. He smiled, sinisterly and satisfactorily to himself, a single tear rolling down his cheek, betraying his true feelings of trapped loneliness.
He refused to acknowledge that tear.