Reaching for the Stars

Chapter 2: It's Raining Cats and...Rabbits?

Caz gloomily walked down the sidewalk to her apartment. The sky above was filled with angry grey clouds and a soft shower of rain sprinkled on the cement, just barely getting the girl wet. She didn't bother to cover her head; she had on a long black coat with the collar up. It was Akio's coat. Her hands were jammed into the pockets.

It had been a month since the death of her best friend. Caz had spent two weeks after that day crying in her room, barely eating or drinking anything. She still hadn't recovered completely. It showed on her downcast face. She had an aching wound that would not go away. It was a feeling of sadness that she could not banish from her heart. Her friends and family wondered, would she ever be able to smile again?

The girl came up to her apartment building and fumbled in her pocket for the key. It wasn't in her right pocket. She sighed and searched the left. It wasn't in there, either. Caz cursed out loud. Where was her key? She always kept it in her right pocket. It wasn't anywhere to be found. Giving up, she sat down on the step and waited for one of her family members to come home from work.

She didn't mind that it was raining. In fact, she liked the rain. Caz enjoyed the sweet moist scent and refreshing feeling that came with it. She looked up from the step, into the sky. The clouds overhead moved slowly, their reflection hazy in the pools of water collecting on the sidewalk. As Caz looked down into a puddle near her feet, she saw two people walking on the other side of the street. They were wearing some sort of costumes.

The girl was a little older than Caz. She wore a short black skirt, a short black top that cut off above the waist, and a big black top hat with bunny ears; all trimmed with white frills and red ribbon. A white cotton ball bunny tail was attached to the back of the skirt and she also wore a thick large belt. Her beautiful, pale pink hair was extremely long and flowed down to her knees. Most likely dyed that shade. Both of the girl's large eyes were a stunning shade of magenta. Probably colored contacts, Caz guessed.

The boy was very tall and around Caz's age. His black hair was pulled back into a sliver of a ponytail at the back of his neck. He had long bangs that hung over his deep blue eyes and he wore a white and light blue hooded shirt over black long-sleeved top that cut off above the waist. He wore sky blue jeans. Oddest of all was the hat on his head. It was white with two large cat ears on topand two blue ribbons on either sidehanging down over his ears.

Caz wondered why the two of them would be wearing such silly costumes, especially on the streets. It wasn't Halloween, not anywhere near October. Perhaps it was a cosplay, she thought. Anime fans were known to dress up like their favorite character for conventions. But she didn't know of any series that had characters like that. And there wouldn't be a convention for months. Anyway, it wasn't any of her business. Caz ignored them as they walked past her. The girl with the big hat was trailing behind the boy with the cat-eared hat. Her fists were clenched and she looked angry.

"Takuto!" the girl in red hissed. She had a high-pitched voice. "Slow down! You're always going too fast."

The boy, his name was apparently Takuto, ignored her. He kept on walking in his fast pace. Caz noticed a pair of white wings on his back as well as a thin cat tail.

"Takuto!" the girl shouted after him. "I'm talking to you!"

Takuto continued to ignore her, an annoyed expression on his face. Then suddenly he stopped mid-stride. The girl behind him didn't notice his sudden hault and slammed into his back. Both toppled to the ground with a thud.

"Baka! Watch where you're going, Meroko!" Takuto growled, rubbing his head. The girl, Meroko, stood up and dusted off her skirt.

"It's not my fault you stopped so suddenly!" Meroko fumed. Takuto was about to snap back with a retort but his angry expression softened as he got up from the sidewalk.

"I think that apartment right there is the place." he pointed towards Caz with a white gloved hand.

"Oh." Meroko replied, her expression also changing to a more calm one. "Are you sure?"

He nodded hesitantly and they walked over to where Caz was sitting. She noticed that Meroko was also wearing a pair of white wings on her back.

"Um...are you looking for someone?" the blonde girl asked. A little politeness never hurt anyone. "I might be able to help you." To her surprise, both of them completely ignored her.

"Fine. Whatever." Caz muttered. "I guess even cosplayers don't want to talk to me." She watched them go up to the door and expected them to ring the doorbell. Instead they started to float in the air before her very eyes. Then it hit her. Their wings...they were...

"Shinigami!" Caz blurted out. Soon after she clamped her hand over her mouth. Both of the costumed people gasped and slowly turned to her. Their eyes and mouths were wide open in shock.

"Y-you didn't just talk to us, did you?" Takuto asked nervously. He floated over to her, his feet just a few inches above the ground.

"Um...yes?" Caz replied, looking up at him with a very confused expression.

"Kyaaaaaaa!" Meroko exclaimed. "How is that possible? Humans aren't supposed to be able to hear or see us!"

She propelled herself up a few feet. Out of thin air, a small pink book popped into her hands. She opened it quickly and flipped frantically through the pages with lightning speed.

"Humans..seeing us..." she mumbled. "..Ah! Here it is!"

Meroko poked the page with her index finger. Caz saw that she was wearing black gloves. The pink-haired girl cleared her throat in a dramatic way.

"It says here that 'Humans cannot, under any circumstance, see or hear a shinigami in their true form. However, it is possible in emergencies for a shinigami to use their power to transform into a human form and thus be seen by mortals.'"

"Nani?" Takuto said, blinking. "Then how can this girl see us?"

"I...I don't know." Meroko replied, her voice almost a whisper. She flipped through more pages. "It doesn't say anything about this in the book! What are we going to do, Takuto? What are we going to do?"

Takuto's blue eyes focused on Caz for a few seconds. The blonde girl stared back but looked away, feeling awkward. Finally the boy sighed and looked at the apartment.

"What are we going to do? Nothing. We're here to do our job and as long as she doesn't interfere, what does it matter if she can see us?"

"Demo...Takuto! Don't we have to report this to the boss?" Meroko squealed.

"And have him laugh at us and say that we made it up?" Takuto shook his head. "Let's just do the job and get out of here."

"Demo...demo.." Meroko chewed on one of her fingernails.

The boy frowned and turned away. Caz's eyes followed him as he flew to the door of the apartment. Instead of actually opening the door, he simply walked through the wall. A sort of swirling rainbow vortex allowed him to pass through it with no trouble. Caz gasped and stood up. She turned to Meroko.

"W-what are you? I mean...what are shinigami?"

The little pink book in Meroko's hands disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

"How do you know we're shinigami if you don't know what we are?" she asked curiously.

Caz's thoughts raced back to that horrible day when Akio was taken from her. She remembered the desolate, icy gaze of the boy with golden hair. She remembered the way he laughed at her when she asked if he was an angel.

"I...saw a shinigami a month ago."

Meroko suddenly looked very interested. She flew down and levitated near where Caz was standing.

"Oh? What did they look like?"

"Well...he had blonde hair and brown eyes, wore yellow and black clothes. Do you know anyone like that?"

The shinigami shifted nervously in the air, avoiding Caz's eyes.

"No!" she shook her head. "I've never met anyone like that."

"Oh." Caz frowned and sat back down on the step. "Well, I thought maybe he was an angel because of the wings and all but he told me he was a shinigami. So, can you answer my question? What are you..shinigami?"

Meroko floated to the ground and sat down by Caz. She thought for a moment.

"Well...how can I put this?.." she said, thinking. "...we collect the souls of the dead."

"I see." Caz replied thoughtfully. "That explains why that shinigami came to Akio. He was taking his...soul."

The pink-haired shinigami frowned sympathetically though she didn't know who Caz was talking about.

"Who are you here for? Not me, apparently. Otherwise you wouldn't have to go into the building. Is it that guy on the first floor that plays his music way too loud? Or that mean old lady down the hall? If you took their souls, it certainly wouldn't hurt my feelings."

Suddenly Takuto reappeared via the rainbow vortex, his body halfway through the wall. His eyebrows were arched in a vexed expression.

"Geez Meroko! What's taking you so long?"

"Gomen! I...was just talking to the girl."

"Well, come on. I can't find this woman anywhere in the apartment." He began to go back through the vortex.

"Wait, Takuto! Maybe she can help us!"

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Who?"

Merokopointed to Caz. "Her! The girl! She lives here so she might know."

Takuto didn't look very convinced. He closed his eyes. "Fine. Ask her."

Meroko smiled triumphantly.

Caz raised a finger. "Um..just so you know, my name is Caz. Not 'the girl'."

"I didn't know your name. So, Caz," she became serious. "Do you know where we can find someone named Sutakyo Aiyun?"