Guest: Sorry, but considering how I've seen the internet reacts to things… and I'm a self-proclaimed mild paranoiac. As for Takaya, I know it was pretty quick and underwhelming, but… well, his role is pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme. Plus, any fights involving guns are frustrating to write for (at least, for me).

Gerson: Hey Gerson, how are you? I haven't seen you since… fuck, since AT or maybe early DFW, I think. Speaking of AT, I really gotta get to rewriting that… maybe after DFW is done or if it undergoes another hiatus.

Lili: Holy shit, I think this is the longest review I've ever gotten. First, I'm kinda shocked you think I'm doing well with the atmosphere. Personally, I thought I was terrible but I guess I'm doing something right if you approve (or my self-deprecation blinds me). About the name thing, I did KNOW this, but take this into perspective: Minato is terrible with kids and is trying to make a girl who was just embarrassed feel better. He can make up what he wants. He does KNOW Japanese (he was seven when the world went to hell), but for obvious reasons, his knowledge of the language isn't perfect (this is my in-universe excuse for any translation fuck ups I make). And I might sound dumb for asking, but what's Promised Neverland? As for Akechi… I'll be honest, he's a tricky one. I mean, I know what I want to do with him for now, but later on? No clue.

Alright, one little scene to wrap up what happened with Minato, then we're back to the PT with maybe a few scenes of things for later on.

"Stupid," Minato cursed himself, adding a few more twigs to the small fire in front of him.

How many children are dead now because of him, because he couldn't see them for what they were?

He knew they had to have some deal going on, but at worst, he thought they were just being indoctrinated. Maybe he's a fool then, for thinking that even the most basic of morals still existed in this world?

Yeah, that sounds about right. Another life lost because of his carelessness. He's been on his own for years now, there's no excuse for this anymore.

"Ugh," he growled at himself. Was there no limit to his idiocy? He allowed himself to be blindsided again and people died for it, just like—

"Nrgh." Minato turned his head to the side where he saw his little 'guest' beginning to come to. What was he supposed to do with her?

The little girl began to shift and turn before one blue eye began poking out between a few loose strands of hair. Saki lifted her head off of the bag she had been resting on as an improvised pillow, stretching her arms and letting out a small yawn before rubbing her eyes and blinking.

"Konichiwa," Minato greeted her and Saki's eyes quickly widened when she realized where she was.

"Huh?!" Panic soon set on the girl's face as she took in her surroundings.

The girl was quick to jump to her feet, looking left and right, her breathing quickening along with the pounding in her chest.

Saki's lip trembled as she tried to ask, "W-Where am I?"

"At a campfire," Minato answered, barely glancing at her. "I don't need; I figured you'd freeze though."

Minato un-wrapped the scarf that had been hanging around his neck and outstretched his hand, "You should take this."

Saki stood there looking at the man's hand. She'd just been kidnapped by him, and he's acting like this was an everyday thing!

"Take it, or I'm putting the fire out. We'll see how long it takes until you freeze to death," Minato barked turning his head to glare at her.

Saki flinched and jumped back in shock and fear before quickly snatching the scarf from his hand. The threat was harsh, but he was going to need her to listen.

"Sit," He ordered.

A brief moment of silence between the two of them; there were no doubt a thousand thoughts racing through her mind, but how many of them was he going to be able to answer?

Eventually, however, the girl obeyed with a nod, taking a seat by the fire across from him.

"If you have questions, ask them." Of course, she had questions! She had just been betrayed and was now all alone. She deserved answers, not that he had that many.

"Who are you?" She asked her first question. It was only natural she'd want to know who her 'captor' was, he supposed.

"Exactly who I said I was before," Minato answered. "My name is Arisato—Minato if you want to get on friendly terms. I look for daemons and shadows, and I kill them."

He hummed to himself for a moment before asking, "What about you? You're name's Saki, right? What about your surname?"

"Surname?" Saki repeated slowly, sounding out the unfamiliar word.

"Family name," Minato tried to put it in more familiar terms. "Even if you're an orphan, you should have one."

Saki shook her head. Either she lived in that town longer than he thought, or she never had a chance to learn it from her parents. It was probably best not to go too deep into that for now.

"I see." Minato sighed. An orphan without as much as a family name; she has it harder than he did. At least he knew his own identity. "Next question?"

"My friends, are… are they…?"

"They're gone." Minato's answer was immediate. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Saki repeated his words weakly, and Minato could hear her already beginning to choke back tears.

"I found you. I didn't find them in time." Minato clenched his fists, "your teacher—or whatever you want to call her—gave you to someone named Ikutsuki, a very, very bad man. He locked you in a maze, where those creatures were."

"What… what about—"

"There's nothing left there." Minato shook his head, closing his eyes and silently cursing himself. "Please, ask me anything else. You don't want the details."

Minato waited a moment, silently listening to the girl next to him fighting the twin rivers that were threatening to form. There's nothing he can say or do to make her feel better; he knew better than to try. After all, what could words do when your world falls apart around you?

"W-W…" Her voice fails her and the dam holding back the rivers both completely fall apart. Still, she curled her hands in the snow. She needed to know, "… why?

"Desperation and apathy," he answered. "They brought you to him and let you get sealed in a labyrinth. That was their intent from the start, which is why they were doing so well." Minato uncrossed his legs, instead choosing to wrap his arms around his knees. "They were sure to de-humanize you too. They called you 'unwanted.' I guess even a pseudo-apocalypse isn't enough to erase pointless social stigmas."

"T-They… They…" Minato's eyes were focused on the fire, but he already knew about the saline liquid mixing with the snow beneath her as it fell from the streams running down her cheeks. Just like that, she lost everything she knew, and now here she was, with a man she just met days ago.

She wants to deny it. He knows that she wants to say he's wrong; that he's lying. But she saw the shadows and knows what they did to her friends; her family. Maybe she'll start blaming him? He couldn't say she was wrong; she lost everything because of his mistake, and he was even willing to leave assuming that she and the others would be brainwashed into being faithful servants to a tyrannical god.

Then again, should he be complaining? If she hates him, it keeps her away. If she's away, the less likely she is to be endangered. The world was destroyed because of Nyarlathotep, and he's carrying something much worse. She needs to be kept at a safe distance until…

… Until what?

"Hey," Minato sighed, pulling on a strap his bag, bringing it towards him. He opened it up, reaching inside and shuffling through the various items until he pulled out a small gem with the dimmest of glows.

"Catch," he warned, tossing them gem in her direction.

The girl flinches when she notices the object, raising her hands and reflexively shielding herself until she feels something land into the palm of her hands. When she opened them back up, she found the gem radiating a faint orange color and emitting a strange, soothing warm sensation. Not enough to burn, but enough to be felt on the coldest nights of the endless winter.

"That's a defective Agi gem, but a lot of people call 'em heaters," Minato explained. "They're harmless, but they should help keep you warm. I'll find you something to eat later."

Saki looked up from the gem, clutching the item tightly. "What're you gonna do with me?"

"Heh," Minato chuckled. "Kiddo, I don't have a single clue."

"Cold, cold, cold, cold…" Akira repeated, roving through the streets shivering, hugging himself and rubbing his arms hoping that the friction would help at least somewhat. The shivering only intensified when another gust of wind began to pick up, going straight through the multiple layers of clothing and to his skin.

Teeth chattering, Akira scuttled into a nearby alley, pressing up against the wall to shield him from the slow, cold torment. It was a good thing that neither Mona or Ryuji was here, otherwise, he would be hearing wisecrack after wisecrack over his sensitivity to cold right about now.

The chill he felt only continued to escalate in terms of severity when he glanced at another camera that surrounded the city positioned right above him. Good to know that somewhere out there, someone is watching his bones become frosted and his blood turns into ice.

Luckily for him, in that alley was the door he had been looking for.

There wasn't anything remarkable about it, other than it was just out of the line of sight of any of the cameras. It was a minor oversight not worth correcting, especially as one could not enter the alley without being seen.

Akira raised his hand and knocked on the door.

No answer.

"Seriously?" Akira thought through his chattering teeth. It would be great if he could have a fire or something going right now, but no, he has to sit out here in the cold.

"Come on!" Akira growled, banging again on the door. There was no way in hell he was going to be left out here to freeze.

His whining seemed to bear fruit when he saw the knob begin to turn. The door began to slightly crack open, revealing a woman with a set of dark blue hair.

"My oh my," the woman's voice was teasing, something Akira might have gotten mad about was it not for his blood freezing. "I didn't expect delivery of ice—"

"Not now." Akira shuddered, "Takemi, please, let me in before I freeze to death."

The woman chuckled a moment at the poor boy's misery before stepping aside, letting him in.

Inside wasn't exactly what he would call well heated, but it was magnitudes better than being outside and having the cold air directly against his skin.

Like the ever so caring doctor she was, Takemi was quick to offer him a seat and even fetched him a blanket.

"Thanks." It wasn't much, but anything was better than being left to slowly thaw.

The place was not exactly what one would call luxurious, but Takemi's status as a doctor did bestow certain privileges onto her. One of them was being poured into the cup in her hand and filling the room with a strange aroma that filled the room.

What was it that Sojiro called it again? Cough-y? Kaffy?

With the cup filled with whatever that stuff was called, Takemi took a seat in a chair across from him and crossed her legs with an inquisitive look on her face.

"So, what brings you here, my little ice cube?" She asked, smirking when she noticed his frown.

"You know I hate it when you call me that," Akira growled under his breath, not that she seemed to notice. "I was just in the area and thought I'd pay a visit."

"Oh?" Takemi raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her beverage. "And how's your friend doing? Has his leg gotten any worse?"

Akira tittered at the mention, bobbing his head to the side with every word, "Well, he might've fallen down some stairs."

"Did he now?"

"Yup, but somehow got out of it fine." With Ryuji's luck, maybe he should start planning missions? "About how much longer until he can walk again?"

Takemi shrugged. "Maybe never."

"I see—wait, what? Never?!"

"Or tomorrow," she continued, "I can't be sure without taking another look at him, can I?"

"Oh… right…" Akira breathed a sigh of relief when he caught onto the joke. For a moment there, he thought he might've been responsible for crippling his friend.

"Anyway," stood up, shedding the blanket and rubbing his hands together, "I just wanted to drop by and say hi."

"Before you leave…"

Takemi stood up, going into one of the other rooms. Judging from all the clutter he heard, he was fairly certain that it was her kitchen.

Now he can't help but wonder what sort of culinary delicacies she must have. Certainly, she must have something better than what he gets, right? She is a doctor after all, and anyone with medical knowledge has to be invaluable in today's word.

And now he's starving.

When Takemi came back, Akira's mouth was already watering from the imaginary food in his head. Now if he tried to think about anything else, the pain in his stomach quickly brought his mind back to food. Why did he have to do this to himself?

"I thought your cat might like this." Lo and behold, in her hands was a can of tuna… as if his thoughts weren't enough.

"I am going to neuter that cat." Akira thought in his head when he thanked the doctor and put the can into his bag.

Tuna—of all things, it had to be tuna. Where did this stuff even come from? More importantly, just what and how much is this woman getting?

The thought continued to remain in his head when he was saying his goodbyes, narrowly escaping another offer to be her guinea pig, whatever that entailed. Actually, what even is a guinea pig?

Akira's stomach continued to growl as he continued walking down the cold streets. Maybe he should have just helped himself to everything he and the others brought with them on their last run.

Then again, people might notice is he started gaining weight if he started pigging out on everything. Or maybe this was just his paranoia kicking in?

Besides, even his parents used to rail on him for his appetite. But pigging out? That was…

Was…

… More describing of someone else.

No, not now; he didn't need those thoughts creeping back in. Anything else was preferable.

Dammit, now he can't stop thinking about it. He tries to shift his focus, concentrating on the frozen hell that was assaulting his skin, but he couldn't.

Something else—he needed to focus on something else. He didn't need to think about it. He didn't need to remember what happened to—

"Hmm?" Akira's thoughts were finally halted when he stopped to look at two guards standing at the center of the road behind barricades and tape to prevent anyone from passing through.

Barricades—what for? What were they doing that they didn't want anyone else to see/get involved in?

Knowing full well there was no point in asking, Akira instead eyed the surrounding buildings. All the entrances would be cut-off, including any of the alleyways. That being said, their numbers were pretty spread pretty thin—most of them being in sent to the outer edges to prevent any attacking forces—so maybe they didn't have enough to cover all the rooftops.

Turning around and seemingly going back from whence he came, Akira began circling one of the nearby buildings, just out of the quarantined area was what he was looking for: another old remnant from the old world, a fire escape.

Cameras weren't too big of a concern. Technically, he was not violating the quarantine, so as long as he doesn't bother the guards from up there, he should be fine.

The whole thing squeaked when it was suddenly forced to endure his weight. How old were these things? More importantly, how well maintained were they?

The more and more he thought about it, perhaps climbing this wasn't the smartest of choices? But by the time he had decided that it was riskier than whatever it was worth, he was already more than always up; he might as well see it through.

When he reached the rooftop, he was promptly introduced to something he's never seen before: more snow! Akira could only guess that no one was out cleaning up the rooftops like they had the streets—then again, it was a miracle that they even could clear up the roads, so it's not like he could complain too much.

Luckily for him, the sky's frozen gift was not too plentiful as to restrict his movements majorly. Pushing through what there was, Akira was able to crouch down near the edge of the roof where he saw a squad of guards in the middle of the street with a line of people.

Reaching into his bag, Akira pulled out a camera that Futaba had salvaged parts for and used it to zoom in.

The nature of the camera made everything still appear blurry, but he was able general details of what was going on.

There were a few guards armed with weapons, and they appeared to be lining several people up in a line. The people were on their knees with their hands behind their head while on of the guards appeared to be looking at something, maybe reading off some crimes or looking at pictures so he can correctly identify the persons they are looking for.

It wasn't long before one of them got the genius idea of trying to book it, but he/she didn't get far before getting shot in what looked like the leg. Their cries of pain were so loud that they even reached someone as high up and far away as Akira before he/she was dragged off in a vehicle that hopefully had some sort of doctor or something to stop the bleeding.

"What did they do," Akira couldn't help but wonder. It was foolish to believe that none of the laws were broken by a handful of people any given day, but it was a rarity for it to be this many people at once. Most crimes were made in the heat of the moment and were also extremely petty, so what happened here?

The last big incident he can remember thinking of in recent memory was—

"Oh no."

"You put a target on their backs."

Of course, this happened! What was he thinking?!

Whenever they normally steal, they either enjoy it for themselves and/or discreetly spread it out in very small portions to some of the homeless so that everyone was none the wiser. But no, he let so many people take almost an entire truckload; of course, they were going to be found out. It wasn't like Oracle could knock out all the cameras in the city, to say nothing about suddenly having that much food when surrounded by dozens who are starving.

"The others are not going to like this." Knowing them, they might not say it, but everyone will know this is his fault. Best case scenario is that they're relocated to somewhere more… suitable. Worst case, they're sent to one of the farms.

"Dammit, dammit," Akira cursed, descending downwards until he felt his feet reach solid ground again. There was nothing he could do to help them, that is unless he had a death wish.

Nothing he can do now, except try not to make the same mistake again.

There was always something weird about passing the checkpoints and stepping into the upper-class area. Everything had so much more… life.

There were dozens upon dozens of people walking out in the street at once, talking out in the open comfortably and barely even giving the cameras everywhere a glance. The guards were far less numerous to the point that—according to Haru—you could go days without seeing one, even if you were to seek one out.

What always left him confounded were all the signs. Of course, signs existed everywhere for obvious reasons, but here was completely different. There were so many signs leading to so many different places—many of which being unlike anything he had ever seen before, such as something called a "bowling alley"—and they came in so many colors, a few of which even emitted some sort of strange-looking lights.

And the restaurants; how do those even work!? Haru brought him to one before, but he didn't see how any of the exchanges worked. The only thing he got out of the entire experience was that the food was to-die-for.

It's no wonder that this is the place everyone dreams of living in.

But there was no time for him to be set back by his surrounding; the last thing he needed was to stick out like a sore thumb and drawing attention to himself.

Akira already knew the path he was headed like the back of his hand by now. A few turns and some long stretches of walking straight, and then he was greeted by one of the taller buildings in the area.

Inside was what he guessed you could call a receptionist or something along those lines. The lady had already seen him enough times to remember his face, so everything went by pretty quickly until he went up a few stories and then was ringing a doorbell.

"Akira?" Haru opened the door, greeting him.

"Hey," Akira returned with a slight wave of his hand. "Can I come in, or…?"

"Oh, yes!" Haru chirped as she stepped aside, allowing him in.

Another this he could never get used to—all the space these places have. There was enough space that he could probably fit his home here four or maybe five times over and still have some room leftover.

Not only that, but the furnishings were in near pristine condition, some of it looking somewhat freshly made. Screw freshly made, they were extremely well made to the point that Akira almost felt like passing out on the spot when he sat down on the sofa.

To say that Akira was envious of his friend would be a massive understatement.

"Is there something I can get you?" Haru offered.

"Nope," Akira declined. After what he saw not too long ago, he wasn't in the mood for anything.

At least, that's what his head thought. The grumbling stomach, however, had a different plan.

"… You have any of those—uh, what do you call them—cook-something?"

"Cookies?" Akira nodded and the girl briefly left, returning with a small box that housed the biscuits within. "I hope you like chocolate chip."

"You know I do," Akira reminded her before shoving some of the sweets into his mouth. After the last stunt they pulled, the sweets were the first thing to go. Luckily, Haru was still here to satisfy his sweet tooth.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Haru asked, sitting across from him.

"Not really," Akira answered after swallowing. "I just wanted to visit is all."

Then again, he should tell her what he saw earlier, shouldn't he? But what is he supposed to say?

"Hey, Haru—" Hell no, that is far too casual. He's trying telling her how people's lives were ruined, not comparing test scores!

How is he supposed to break it to her though? She was the one who gave the information; even if what happened was due to his actions, she might fault herself too.

Maybe it would be best to keep it silent, at least for now? He already saw it; he learned his lesson. There was no need to risk hurting those around him too.

"Ugh," Akira mentally groaned. "Being good sucks!"

"Akira?"

The raven-haired boy bit his lip and sucked in the air through his teeth before speaking, "There's something I should—"

His words were silenced by the abrupt sound of a doorbell being rung.

"Were you expecting any visitors?" Akira asked to which the girl shook her head in response. It wasn't like her father would ring the bell to his home.

Rising from their respective seats, they walked over to the door which its owner answered by opening the door and revealing a brown-haired boy.

"Oh, Ms. Okumura, how nice to meet you again," Akechi greeted, eyeing Akira, "forgive me, I was unaware you had a guest."

"Akira," he introduced himself, "and if I had to guess, you would be Akechi?"

"Indeed, I am." Akechi nodded in his direction, "a pleasure to meet you."

His direction returned to a still slightly wide-eyed Haru. "Would your father be home, by any chance?"

"N-No!" Haru answered immediately, leaving a lingering silence that told everyone that she didn't even know what question she was just asked. Luckily, she realized it soon enough that she was able to follow with, "no, Father is away for reasons he had not disclosed to me. Sorry, I had thought you were going to ask something else."

"Something… else?" And now she put herself back in a hole. Wait a minute, exactly what did she think he would ask?

"Eh, just leave her alone," Akira replied on her behalf. "I mean, some presumably influential person she just met shows up at her front door, I think she has a right to be at least a little nervous."

"Oh, I see. That is a fair point," Akechi relented, silently apologizing for his abrasiveness. "May I ask that you notify of my being here? He and I have some affairs that require discussion."

"I will as soon as he returns," Haru agreed with a nod. "It was nice seeing you again."

"Likewise." Akechi returned the gesture before turning around, walking down the hall and leaving without another word.

Haru the motion to close the door, but was immediately halted by Akira placing his hand on the panel.

"I think I should go too."

"Huh?" Haru let go of the door and tilted her head slightly to the side. "But you just arrived."

"Yeah," Akira admitted with a shrug, "but I just wanted to pay a quick visit. To tell you the truth, I just wanted to eat some of your cookies."

"Heh," Haru giggled for a moment as he stepped out of the room. "Please, be sure to come again."

"I will, I will," Akira waved goodbye, following the other boy's footsteps.

When he was outside, however, he quickly began to repeatedly hit himself on the head as his mind drifted to the item in his bag.

"I am pathetic!" Akira cursed himself. Why couldn't he have just shown her one picture?! That's all it was; one picture from the damn camera and then leave.

What did he even hope to gain by not showing her, the delaying of the inevitable? It wasn't like she wasn't going to hear about this eventually.

Akira Kurusu, the Phantom Thief who valiantly faces off against shadows all by his lonesome, yet, is completely unable to tell his friend that his screw up, something she had little bearing on, caused exactly what the others warned him about.

"Hmm?" Out of the corner of his eye, he sees something—something familiar.

For a few moments, Akira stood their stunned until he remembered what he had seen and from when. It's a butterfly, one he hadn't seen since before becoming a Phantom Thief.

As quickly as he noticed it, however, it seemed to vanish into nothing, just like it had done before so long ago.

But where did that thing go?

"Here stand stragglers/ sent to guard by their false-lord/guided by despair," A lone figure speaks, standing by and watching four of Yaldabaoth's grunts scour the snowy lands.

"Yet, they remain blind/they walk besides death itself/but are unaware." The four looked lost, perhaps separated from the others of their pack. For what reason were they sent here into the heart of this dilapidated land, untamed by either the false-god or by Chaos itself?

The figure eyes the feral shadows approaching. "Death comes to collect/but the rabble fight/they deny their place."

Impressively, the four manage to beat the small horde back. Ballistic weaponry had not yet deteriorated to the extent of complete impotence. At least, with minor insects, they can still do some harm without the aid of a persona or the likes.

"They cheer unaware/the leman zealot is there/she awaits my word."

Sitting atop one of the branches of one of the remaining trees was a woman. She dressed similarly to him and the 'hound' who was currently away. Her robe-like garb and hood kept her almost completely covered, with a black mask concealing her face.

One of the men feels their feet kick something beneath the snow, briefly causing him to leap into the air in pain and shock.

"And now, they've found it/" the figure hissed, watching the men dig beneath the snow to reveal a giant mass of chains, all wrapped together into what amounted to a big ball with a single padlock keeping it all together, "they have found an avatar/yet are ignorant."

They finally see him, the lone figure standing there with his hood down, casting a shadow over his face. But even that shadow did little to conceal the bright amber eyes watching them, almost completely distracting from the katana he held in his right hand, sheathed in its scabbard.

It was around then that he noticed the black butterfly approaching him. As the flock of fools screamed with terror laced with their voices when they realized just who the man in front of them was, the divine creature landed on the hooded man's shoulder.

"Oh, Muramasa/" The figured reached for his mask with his left hand. The mask was black and white with the colors split vertically and possessing small openings for the eyes to see through while its lenses hid the golden eyes beneath that continued to stalk them, "I feel your endless hunger/the blood calling us."

By now, as he walked towards them, they were unloading everything they had, but none of their primitive weaponry could land the mark. No matter how close he came to them, none of their bullets could hit them, no matter how steady their aim was.

"Ware wa kage/" Nyarlathotep's champion taunted them, "Watashi no mono desu/nie to nare!"

The sounds of gunfire finally cease, all four of them having run out of ammunition in their magazine. Unfortunately for them, they would never have the chance to reload, but not because of who they would have thought.

Screams pierce the air. The men turn to look behind him, only to see small knives had been forced into their comrade's cranium. Two of the remaining three didn't even have time to look up before they shared their friend's fate.

The woman jumped down harmlessly from the branches, barely giving the last one a passing glance as his weakened and trembling arms dropped his weapon.

In the blink of an eye, he just saw his entire team killed. How was he supposed to fight that? What were these things?!

He motioned to turn around, but only managed to move fast enough to catch a glimpse of the blade that would end his life, taking his head clean off his shoulders.

"Pitiful," the man muttered, striking the air once before sheathing his sword. He had expected almost nothing in terms of resistance, yet the vermin continue to find ways to disappoint him.

The woman picked up the chains that had fallen back to the ground. It was rather amazing how something so dangerous could appear so ordinary.

"Rin," he called her name.

The woman complied with his silent demand, wordlessly giving him the object that he grabbed by its lock.

Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out the key he had been granted before coming here. Sliding it in and turning, the lock came undone and the chains fell to the ground.

Almost immediately, darkness began to swirl around the chains. The rattling they caused only increased in intensity as the darkness continued to grow, gradually molding itself until it solidified into the form of a large, powerful creature.

"Welcome back, Reaper," the Champion greeted the shadow. Its years of dormancy were over, now it was time for it to play its part yet again.

The man extended his arm slightly, allowing the black butterfly to crawl to his hand.

"I presume my hound has been doing as he was told?" He asked, ignoring the envious green eyes from the woman beside him. Their lord's favoritism infuriated her to no end, but she would never question it—something both of them knew.

With the Reaper awakened from the long slumber Death's incarcerator had forced it into years ago, their plans could finally come to fruition.

The long wait was nearly over.

You know, I got Grammarly for Word during the summer. According to it, I am very prone to making "advanced" issues but I'm not paying to learn what those specific issues are. Hell, considering a good chunk of my family is more or less illiterate and my old school went through 5 English teachers (not including subs) for my class alone one year—it's a miracle I'm as good at reading/writing as I am.

Goddamn, this took forever to get out. In my defence, I had a lot of shit to do. I'm transferring schools, I had some motivational problems, I have a lot of fics that require my attention (one of which involves getting some of its old chapters rewritten), I wanted to enjoy summer while I could—look, a whole heap of things happened, okay?

And I won't be doing this every time Japanese comes up, but in this case, I'll translate for you.

Ware wa kage – I am the shadow

Watashi no mono desu – (You) are mine

Nie no nari – become my sacrifice!

In case it's not obvious, the guy likes haikus.

Yeah, if you decide to ditch after that last segment, I won't hold it against you. No, seriously, I won't hold anything against you. I'm just curious where you guys think I'll actually be going with his, as predictable as it may/may not seem to some of you.

Side note: I feel I've degraded the Reaper into something of a butt monkey in my stories but no more! This shadow is getting the respect he deserves! No longer shall he fall victim to completely bullshit one-shot attacks! No, he is the goddamn reaper and he's going to be treated as such.