Chapter 4: The walking dead

"You definitely took the whole 'looking like your sibling' idea a little too far."

I stated as I steadily gazed into the face of a seven year old me.

"You think so?"

Tamiel asked with a smile as she cocked her now brown haired head to the side.

"If you didn't get my sarcasm then I'll now politely tell you -Yes! Way too far!You look like my de-aged clone or something..."

I sighed as I ran a hand through my own golden brown locks.

"If you say so..."

Tamiel's smile never faded as her whole body suddenly started morphing.

I was sad to say that I couldn't look away, too morbidly curious about everything the Shinigami did. Long, Golden brown hair morphed into a short, dark brown bob.

Almondish- round brown eyes became roundish and hooded charcoal coloured ones.

An ovalish round face gave place to a heart shaped one. A button nose was replaced by a sharper, more defined one at the same time as pale skin suddenly gained a health tan.

"I'm keeping the mouth and the beauty mark though, I kind of like them."

Tamiel grinned as she pointed at said appendages that looked exactly like my own.

"That was kind of cool..."

I admitted with wide eyes, still staring at the Shinigami that had just taken on the look of a completely different person.

"Thanks. From today on I'll be Byakuya Eri, your little sister. Please rely on me as much as you want, Onee-chan."

"Why does that sound so creepy and wrong when a god of death like you says that?"

I asked with a shudder before finally taking my eyes from her and concentrating on the grey asphalt beneath the soles of my shoes.

"Where are we even going?"

I inquired when the only reply to my earlier comment was Tamiel's trademark close-eyed smile that annoyed me more that it probably should.

"The house where Shin- sama arranged for us to take up residence. I'll explain everything you need to know about this world once we get there ,Onee-chan."

I felt shivers go down my spine at the use of the suffix and chose to stay silent for a while as I just continued following after the Shinigami in the body of a little girl ,that was skipping down the pedestrian walkway in front of me with a happy smile on her face.

"Why do you seems so happy all the time?"

I suddenly questioned, no longer able to contain my curiosity.

"What point is there in being depressed? It only serves to make your life more miserable than it already is and time just feels like it's going slower."

Came her simple reply.

"Great. I'm stuck with an optimist." I groaned inside my head.

"It's also not very often that we Shinigami are allowed to actually walk the surface of the earth in physical form."

The little girl added as an afterthought.

"Because you meddle too much?"

I guessed with an unimpressed frown on my face that made Tamiel pout for the second time today.

"Mou, Some of us do I guess, but that is only because we are helpful creatures by nature!"

the Shinigami defended herself and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that.

"Sure, there's mostly prejudice that exists against us today because they often mistook us for evil entities and burnt us at the stake during the dark ages...I believe that humans have taken to calling us Shinigami that roam the earth 'Witches' because of that."

Tamiel elaborated.

"Doesn't exactly sound like your friendly neighbour next door."

I stated with a doubtful frown as I adjusted the position of the straps of my ,way too heavy, school bag over my shoulder once more in an attempt to get rid of the soreness it had caused during the last forty minutes of walking through the streets of Beika-city to god knows where as the sky above us turned dark and the previously scorching summer air turned chilly.

"You're a bit pessimistic Onee-chan..."

Tamiel pouted and I just gave her an are-you-for-real look ,which I had become an experienced pro at during my short life.

"I like to see myself as more of a realist. Living with or even talking to a Shinigami wasn't something I thought I'd ever be doing, so please forgive me for my skepticism."

I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Fine. I'll forgive you Onee-chan!" the girl stated with a bright smile, clearly not catching onto how un-apologetic I actually was which led to the most violent eye roll I had ever performed in my life.

I still regret it actually, it hurt like a bitch. That was when my eyes fell onto two very familiar houses in front of us.

"You're joking, right?!"

I cried out in panic as I started running to catch up to the little girl in front of me.

"Shin- sama thought that you might be pleased with this arrangement."

Tamiel stated with a smile that seemed more and more sadistic to me as she pointed at a big house that stood directly by the Kudō residence, just a block away from the Agasa household.

"District 2, block 23 at Beika-shi Beika-chō. Directly next to where Kudō Yusakū,Yukiko and Shinich normally live and neighbouring to Agasa Hiroshi's and Miyano Shiho's aka. Haibara Ai's residence."

Tamiel announced with a grand gesture as she pulled a pair of keys out of thin air. I wailed in hopelessness as my palm met my forehead.

"Well I guess it's good that we bolted from the hospital before Dr. Clipboard managed to confirm my address."

I muttered as I decided to simply give up for now and begrudgingly followed after the now humming Shinigami.

"Ah. That was never a problem. We simply wiped his memory of you along with that of the nurse."

"You can just simply do that?!" I shrieked incredulously, my eyes wide.

"It was only necessary since Akai Shuichi went and asked about 'a western girl with a scar on her throat' at the information desk, so we had to wipe the staff's memory since we can't have him knowing your name yet."

"I see..."

I drawled ,not really understanding what the Shinigami meant to say with her statement.

"But I guess it's good that the FBI doesn't know about me...would be kind of annoying to be put under surveillance just because they think I'm a member of Kuro no Soshiki or something like that."

I thought and let out a relieved breath.

"Here. You open up, Onee-chan."

The little Shinigami stated with a grin and pressed the keys into my hand as we came to a halt in front of our future home.

The house seemed massive to me simply because I had lived in a rented three-room flat all my life and frankly didn't even know what I'd do with all the empty space in the red brick stone house that was clearly modeled after an European example.

I tried to swallow down the lump that had suddenly appeared in my throat as I pushed open the metal gate attached to two red- brick pillars ,the right one of which had a metal name plaque secured to it that proclaimed 'Byakuya' whilst the left one had a round artificial light added that had the number 23 written on it.

I hesitated a bit before walking through the gate.

Would living here mean that I have to accept my fate?

Would it endanger me if I ever got close to the main cast?

I don't want to die a second time, thank you very much…

"Let's go inside."

The Shinigami stated after a minute of silence, standing up and tugging at my uniform top with her small hand.

I nodded numbly and forced my tired legs to move forwards.

Towards the unfamiliar house that somehow felt so cold and lifeless to me.

The house with too many empty room and too little noise.

Tamiel patiently waited for me at the blackened oak door that led inside the building.

I stuck the key inside the keyhole and turned after hesitating for a second since it all just seemed so...final all of a sudden.

The door swung open and revealed a spacious hallway.

I did a double take when I spotted all of the jackets and shoes I'd possessed back home orderly lined up on the clothing hanger and shoe rack ,along with children jackets and shoes that looked like they'd fit Tamiel.

"Ah ,looks like they've already arrived!"the little girl cheered and clapped before bounding inside to inspect her new clothes.

I watched the pipsqueak god of death in morbid curiosity.

"Living for thousands of years would probably make everyone go a little insane."

A ragged breath left my throat at that thought whilst I slipped off my leather loafers and pulled out a pair of slippers from the rack that seemed to be intended for indoor shoes.

"Look! Look !Onee-chan! Shin- sama gave me a yellow raincoat!"

an excited voice suddenly squealed, making me look up at the little girl that was now holding up said clothing article in front of my eyes, bouncing up and down in joy.

Joy that I wasn't quite ready to share into yet.

"Do you like yellow or something like that?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at her.

"Only Shinigami working as guides are allowed to wear yellow."

Tamiel explained with her widest smile yet, that seemed to stretch from ear to ear.

"Almost like a Glasgow-smile" I thought with a shudder.

The Shinigami grinned ,seemingly not bothered by my lacking reply, before proudly pulling the jacket over her petite body. It felt a bit strange to see her wearing a raincoat indoors but I ,despite myself, didn't comment on it.

"How about explaining everything to me now?"

I requested of her as I finally put down my schoolbag.

"Hai! ~"

Tamiel chimed before grabbing my sleeve and marching me over to another room, which turned out to be a spacious kitchen with white tiled walls and a wooden floor.

I saw every kitchen utensil that I could possibly think of (which were a lot since I'd been cooking for my brother, mother and myself from a pretty young age because of mom's long working hours).

There was a giant fridge in one corner of the room ,directly by a large window that had a view over the garden, that could easily accommodate for a family of four.

A white cabinet with glass doors stood opposite the monstrous fridge and in it were great amounts of cutlery, plates, mugs, bowls, cups, pots and pans. Beside it stood another big, white cabinet that I could only presume to be filled with sugar, flour ,salt and the likes.

Tamiel walked over to the big mahogany dining table that stood in the middle of the room and pulled out one of the six chairs before climbing onto it and motioning for me to follow her example.

I pulled out the chair opposite of her and plopped down onto it, intently watching the Shinigami all the while.

"I wonder where I should begin ~"

"The start is usually a good option in such a scenario."

I commented, earning a pout from Tamiel.

"You're Byakuya Rio, seventeen years o-"

" Wait, seventeen?"

I asked furrowing my eyebrows at the girl.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything but I'm only sixteen, right?"

I inquired.

"Seeing as this world's timeline is one year ahead of yours you filled 17 just a few months ago, on the 2nd of may."

"Well at least my birthday stayed the same..."

I thought with a grimace as I motioned for Tamiel to continue.

"You and I were born to Wellington Claudia and Wellington Jared that died in a car crash in Haneda a year after I was born. You were around ten at the time and we'd lived in Brighton before that, which explains your fluency in english and ethnicity.

We were adopted by a wealthy couple in Beika by the names of Byakuya Tachibana and Byakuya Aoi that were close friends of our parents.

You were kidnapped six years ago on your eleventh birthday and the culprit demanded money. The police got involved and your kidnapper, Mamoru Hinato, tried to get rid of you by cutting your throat when the deal went bust, which is where your scar hails from."

I instinctively let the tips of my fingers ghost against the scarred tissue of my throat as I took in the information, storing it away in my mediocre photographic memory.

"I have a phobia of losing you again like I almost did that day which is why I am around you that much.

You don't really remember our real parents due to the trauma of the crash and the Byakuya's are currently starting up a real estate business in Hong-Kong, leaving me and the house in your care as they send you a monthly payments so that we can survive.

They also moved us into this house ,that we just moved into today, instead of their out-of-town one in Ekoda ,where you had been attending Ekoda high, since they thought that it would be more convenient for us."

Tamiel explained and I grimaced.

"Sounds pretty lonely."

I commented dryly and Tamiel simply nodded.

"You're to attend Teitan high class 1-2 whilst I'll enroll in class 1-B at Teitan elementary."

I groaned in realisation.

"So that you'll be attending a class with Edogawa Conan, Haibara Ai and the Shonen tantei whilst I'll be in the same class as Mōri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko, even Sera Masumi when she joins later on... am I right?" I concluded, watching Tamiel's smile grow with every word I spoke.

"You hit the nail on the head, as you humans always say!" the Shinigami nodded.

"That just seems unnecessarily risky..."I stated with a raised eyebrow.

"I was actually planning on becoming one of those characters like Vermouth ,that show up here and there to give some hints as to what is going on, but you actually know nothing about them ."

I explained to Tamiel.

"That would've been a possibility that you mucked up by speaking to Akai Shuichi. He has already made Edogawa Conan, James Black and Jodie Starling aware of your existence by telling them about your meeting on the rooftop."

The little girl scolded me with a pout, making my left eye twitch in annoyance.

"Why don't I just go and tell them that I'm a medium for the dead or some bull like that and say that Miyano Akemi possessed me to talk to Akai." I stated sarcastically, rolling my eyes at the short haired girl in front of me.

"That actually sounds great."

Tamiel stated with a decided nod, giving me a thumbs up.

"How about picking me up from school the day after tomorrow and telling Edogawa exactly that? Sounds like a plan to me!"

the Shinigami cheered, not even awaiting my reply which would probably have ended up being a snarky comment coupled with the action of letting my cranium crash into the dining table repeatedly that I was performing right now.

Sometimes I should just keep my mouth shut.

Especially around optimistic people.

Even more so around optimistic people that don't understand sarcasm.