Every person has a different regret. One might feel bad for not taking an opportunity and others desperately want to turn back time to undo an action. Both doing something and not doing anything would sometimes lead to regrets. But what should a person do if he/she has a deep regret but was dying?
###
I was visiting my friend in the hospital. He was a guy who liked skateboarding and unfortunately, got into an accident when he tried doing a dangerous trick.
"Here. My notes in class. When are you getting released?" I asked him.
"Maybe tomorrow since the surgery was a success and I don't need medications anymore", he answered.
"And? You're still not going to quit skateboarding?"
"Of course not! A little injury like this wouldn't stop me!""
I sighed. A "little injury" wasn't something that needed surgery and days of painkillers. Well, it was his life.
"I'm going on ahead. Also, there's a test on Tuesday so you gotta study up", I stepped to the right and walked to the door.
"Was there an insect over there?" he asked.
"Yeah..." I lied.
The truth was it wasn't just an insect. It was a weird small white creature that didn't look like any insect or animal. Oh yeah, only I could see it too.
Ever since I was young, I could see the white creatures everywhere. I didn't know what they were but I knew that no one could see them. When I told my parents about it, they thought it was the ramblings of a child with a hyperactive imagination. And when I opened it up with a close friend of mine, he thought I was joking.
But I knew they were real.
"Oh dear... The pen rolled off", the nurse standing behind the counter said.
However, I knew that the pen didn't just "roll off." A few moments before it happened, a small white creature bumped it causing it to roll. Those things could interact with the real world and I could even pick them up. They were quite light and I could barely feel them in my hands but if I focused hard enough, I could feel a weird sensation on the spot that was touching them.
"Ibaraki-san lived through the night", a nurse said.
"She's amazing. Even the doctors are baffled by her perseverance. Why does she try to live hard even when it's hopeless already?" another asked.
Ibaraki-san? Don't tell me...
"Excuse me, are you talking about Ibaraki Reiya?" I asked them.
"Why yes. Do you know her?"
"Actually, she's an old friend of mine. Is she hospitalized here?"
"Yes. She has chronic leukemia. She's in Room 204."
I walked towards that room and knocked on the door.
"Come in..." an old lady's voice weakly said and I opened the door.
My first instinct was to run away.
There was an old lady lying on a bed with some machines beeping beside her. She was very pale and had white hair. Her body was covered by a blanket but I saw her arm which was thin and almost bone-like.
But that was not the thing that scared me... Standing beside her was a grotesque black creature. It had many hands which were touching her body and its fangs were showing. Glowing red eyes were on its face.
Was it one of the unseen creatures? Judging from how Reiya-baa was lying in the bed without a hint of fear, she couldn't see it. That meant it was one of those creatures.
"Reiya-baa, it's me. Makoto-kun. Keigan Makoto, your neighbor 10 years ago", I said and gathered up my courage as I walked towards her.
The black creature didn't move so it was probably harmless.
"Makoto? Ah... The young boy from next door", she said.
"It's been a while, Reiya-baa", I told her.
"How are you, Makoto-kun?"
I told her everything that happened with me ever since I moved away. She would occasionally respond with "I see" and would smile faintly.
"I'm happy that you still remember me... If only he would also come..." she said.
"Who?"
She didn't answer and after a few seconds of silence, I heard her snoozing. Asami-baa was probably asleep.
I was about to leave when a red portal appeared in front of me. A pink-haired girl wearing black clothes emerged from it. She was carrying a scary-looking scythe.
"She doesn't have much time left... This is bad", she muttered.
"Who are you?!" I asked.
She touched Reiya-baa's thin arms.
"Only a day... Maybe two if I'm lucky. What in the world could her regret be?" she touched her chin as she thought deeply.
She was about to walk away but I blocked her path.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" I said.
She looked at me and her eyes widened.
"You can see me?" she asked.
"As clear as day", I answered.
"That's weird. I made sure to make myself invisible... Wait. I'm actually having a conversation with you?!"
Why was she surprised?
###
"I see... So you're Death's apprentice..." I said.
To sum things up: her name was Mori Calliope, the apprentice of Death. She was on a mission in the area and somehow met me, a person who could see her despite being supposedly invisible.
"So? Why were you at Reiya-baa's room?" I asked.
"This is something that you humans don't know but there are creatures known as Neutrals. They appear everywhere and are generally harmless. It's kinda hard to describe them", she started explaining.
"Do they look like small white creatures that are neither animals nor insects?"
"Yep... Wait, you can see them too?"
"Yeah. There's one over there and there. There's even one sitting on that tree", I pointed out the places where I saw the white creatures.
"Then... Can you see the Negatives?"
"If you're talking about the black creature in Reiya-baa's room, then yes. What are they?"
Mori-san thought for a while.
"Have you ever had a strong regret?" she asked.
"I have many regrets in life... Why?"
"You see... Negatives are creatures that cling to people who have deep regret and are dying."
"And? What's the problem with that?"
"When humans die, their souls go to the underworld for judgement. And after that, they would be reborn in their next life. But if they have deep regret before dying, they would attract Negatives. Negatives would immediately eat the soul of the human it would cling to and then the poor soul would never be reborn again."
"That means... Reiya-baa's soul is going to be gone forever?"
"If nothing is done about her regret, then yes. It's my job as the Grim Reaper's apprentice to prevent that."
"Then do something about it already!"
Mori-san's smile faded.
"The truth is... I don't know how", she said.
"What?" I asked.s
"It's my first assignment... I don't know how to solve her regret. I don't even know her regret in the first place."
Oh great... Reiya-baa's soul was doomed.
"Which brings me to you... Can you help me out?" she asked.
"What? Why me?"
"I just need to find out what her regret is. I'll help you out. I can access the Fate's records and find any information you need, I'll tell you."
"Fine... I'll help you out for Reiya-baa's sake."
###
I questioned the hospital staff and the doctors. Apparently, Reiyas-baa was really persistent. The only reason she was alive was because of her tenacity. When the doctor asked her why she was like that, she said she was hoping that the one she was waiting for would come back.
Mori-san gave me a small pendant. I could talk to her using my mind if I opened it.
Mori-san, can you hear me?
Loud and clear. Did you find anything?
I forgot to ask you, what can you find in the Fate's records?
Pretty much anything. Like a person's past and their personalities. Why?
Can you see if there was a runaway from her family? Possibly more than 10 years ago?
Okay then.
"Have you heard? He came by again", a nurse said.
"Really? What do you think he is up to?" another asked.
"He's been walking to the hospital's entrance for almost a month already but he still hasn't entered the hospital."
What were they talking about?
I returned home and crashed on my bed. Reiya-baa's regret was simple if I was right but I didn't know how to solve it...
"Quite a clean room you have here," Mori-san said.
"Gaah! Why are you here?!" I shouted at her.
"I'm here to share my findings with you."
"You could have knocked first!"
"Sorry."
"Well, whatever... What did you find?"
She took out a folder and started reading it.
"30 years ago, Ibaraki Reiya lived with her husband and her son. Unfortunately, her son, Ibaraki Kai, ran away when they had an argument. She lived on with her husband until he died 5 years ago because of cancer. Now she has leukemia and has been undergoing treatment in the hospital. But because her condition worsened, she was in the hospital for a month already", Mori-san said.
A month? Could it be?
"Hey, Mori-san. Can you check something out for me?" I asked.
"What is it?"
"If my hunch is right, we could solve Reiya-baa's regret."
###
A man walked towards the hospital's door. However, he hesitated for a moment until he turned back again.
"Wait... If you go back, you will regret it forever", I said.
He looked at me.
"Reiya-baa doesn't have much longer until she dies. It's best to patch things up already, Ibaraki Kai-san", I told him.
That's right. The person who was trying to visit the hospital for the past month was no one other than Ibaraki Kai, Reiya-baa's son.
"Can I really see her? I've been selfish for almost 30 years and didn't even contact her. I still remember the hurtful words I told her before running away. Maybe she doesn't want to see me", he said.
"Reiya-baa's been waiting for you. All this time, she regretted making you run away. That's why she survived this long. She wants to see your face again. Please, see her one last time. Do it for the mother you love."
I accompanied him to Reiya-baa's room.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"Reiya-baa... It's someone you've been waiting for", I told her and she opened her eyes.
"Hey, mom... Long time no see", Kai-san said.
Reiya-baa's eyes widened and she sat straight on her bed in surprise.
"Kai?! Is that really you?!" she asked.
She then coughed and returned to lying down.
"Yeah... I'm really sorry for running away... I even told you that I hated you and I wanted you to die... I'm really really sorry... I was so ashamed of myself that I could never see you straight in the eyes again", Kai-san was crying.
"No... I was at fault too... I was so strict in raising you to be a perfect child that I didn't take notice of your feelings. I'm sorry, Kai... I thought I only wanted the best for you but instead, I pushed my ideals to you and suffocated you. When you ran away, I thought you would just come back since I thought you wouldn't be able to survive without me. As the years went by, I noticed my mistake and I realized it was already late.."
"Mom..."
"Kai... Do you have it in your heart to forgive this stupid mother?"
"Yes... I'm the one who's supposed to apologize, mom."
The black creature standing beside Asami-baa disappeared. I saw Mori-san who was standing outside the room gave me a thumbs-up.
###
Reiya-baa died a day after that. The doctors said she died with a peaceful smile on her face. I was even invited to her funeral.
Everything was well and good but...
"So... Why are you still here?" I asked Mori-san who was reading a manga on my bed.
"You see, there's been a catch. Death-sensei was impressed by our teamwork so he said I should work with you on the next case as well", she answered.
"Wait... Where's my say in this?"
"Come on. You'll be doing a great service for the entire world! You'll be saving souls from destruction!"
"But that's too much work."
"So you'd rather have the Negatives eat innocent people's souls?"
"Urk..."
Her phone buzzed and she took it out.
"Our next target is here. Let's go, Keigan-kun!" she ran off.
Something tells me my life would become a bit rowdier.