To Mystery-child-001- You mean someone's still reading this? Wow. Um… once I get over the shock that someone else still remembers this story, I'll get working on the next chapter.


"At least it was only a vase, Chaud." Beck said soothingly, patting the redhead on the back. "He burned my house down, remember?"

"Well, when you put it that way, a priceless Ming dynasty vase doesn't seem like that big a deal, I suppose." Chaud sighed, tossing the last few fragments into the wastebasket.

"That's the spirit!" Beck exclaimed cheerfully, grinning. "Now, let's all go somewhere that's not full of breakables. It's been ages since I saw Lien!"


Duo stayed glued to Trowa's arm the entire way to the sitting room. The house was very nearly as big as his school, and he wasn't afraid to admit it intimidated him.

Actually, it wasn't so much the house that intimidated him as it was the interior. Someone had gone to great lengths to make it look as if every room, hall, and staircase had been carved into a tree, up to and including natural wood walls and a curved ceiling. In furtherance of the natural theme, plants weren't potted; they were planted in large bins against the wall, or growing right out of the floor itself.

The decorator who designed this place belonged in a nuthouse.

"Say, Chaud, this is some place you've got here." Beck noted, although Duo got the impression that she liked the theme. "Original in the extreme. Do your beds look homegrown, too?"

"No," Chaud said calmly. "I didn't let her go quite that far when she redid the place."

"Her? Meaning your incredibly adorable girlfriend that I hear so much about?" Beck asked eagerly. "Me wanna meet!"

"I'm scared to let you." Chaud said, rolling his eyes. "She's a bit timid, and you might scare her off."

"Aw, I promise I'll be uber-extra-better-than-ever good!" Beki promised pleadingly. "I can behave! Ask Trowa!"

"Is she immune to sarcasm?" Chaud asked, turning to Trowa. "Or is she just oblivious?"

"A little from column A, a little from column B." Trowa said, shrugging. "I'm used to it."

"So she and Lien are two of a kind?"

"Not quite. Beck's a bit calmer, much more reliable, and she can bake a cake without burning the house down. She's also not nearly so accident-prone."

"That's a relief." Chaud sighed. "Hey, Beck, you passed it. She's in here." The redhead indicated then opened a nondescript wooden door. "Hey, Chi."

"Chi!" A high soprano exclaimed from somewhere in the room, and a pale blur threw itself around Chaud's neck. "Welcome back!"

"I only went downstairs, Chi." Chaud protested, smiling like a lovestruck fool. "You could have come with me. But, hey, we've got company."

"Company?" Chi repeated. "Chi will greet our guests!"

Chi, much to Beck's delight, was a small, pale thing with big amber eyes and ivory hair that brushed the floor every time she moved. She spoke sometimes in third person, sometimes in first person, and had such an eager, trusting personality that even Duo found himself liking her.

"Welcome, guests, to Chi's home. Chi has juice, if you like."

"I definitely like." Beck said happily. "Let's go get some. And Tasuki, stop glaring at the poor girl; you'll scare her off. C'mon, Lien!" The blond dragged Tasuki, Lien, and Chi off towards the refreshments, chattering like a magpie.

"She's certainly… assertive."

"Assertive is not the word I'd use." Trowa said, smiling. "This is Duo, by the way. He's kind of shy. Duo, this is Chaud, reputed to be the smartest human in the country."

"Hey, I'm not as cool as all that." Chaud protested, laughing. "I just read too much. Nice to meet you, Duo,"

"Same," Duo said with a smile of his own.

"He one, too?" Chaud asked Trowa cryptically, gesturing at Duo.

"Definitely," Trowa answered. "Shinigami,"

"Yikes," Chaud said, staring at Duo for a moment before composing himself. "Sorry, Duo; it's not every day I find myself entertaining demons straight out of legend. Please, if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."

Duo turned to look at Trowa, confused and a bit apprehensive. The way Trowa and Chaud were talking was cryptic enough to qualify as code, and Duo always felt uneasy when people talked around him.

"He doesn't know, does he?" Chaud asked suddenly, and sighed when Trowa nodded. "They were afraid of that. Listen, Duo, you and me and Trowa need to talk. There appear to be some pretty big gaps in what you know about yourself, and I need to fill them in. Is that okay with you?"


"Okay," Chaud began once Duo and Trowa were comfortably seated in his office, "I have no idea how much you know, so I'm just going to start at the beginning and take it from there." He walked around his desk, an impressive mahogany monster inlaid with abstract silver designs, and sat down himself. "I have to put myself in storyteller mode in order to make sure I don't leave anything out, so bear with me. It's something like a trance, and it's pretty hard to break from the inside. If I start turning blue, green, black, or any other unnatural color, get Chi; she knows what to do."

Duo nodded, as did Trowa, and their host smiled, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"It was long, long ago when the gods warred upon the Earth, longer than any calendar can record. Great were the battles, and many were the casualties. Each god commanded an army of followers, for Terra's children were many, and willingly gave their small lives to honor those they worshipped." Chaud's face took on a calm, almost serene look that sent shivers down Duo's spine, and his voice dropped to a harsh, steady tone barely above a loud whisper.

"Chiefest among the gods in battle was the God of Death, called the Black God, called Reaper, and vast were his lands, bordered North by the sheer face of the Cliff God, bordered East by the Goddesses of Spring, bordered West by the Gods of Pain and Fear, bordered South by the vast home of the Sea Gods. The God of Death sought to keep back the savage hordes of the Gods of Pain and Fear, for these Gods sought the lithe and generous Goddesses of Spring for their slave-wives, and the God of Death was fond of the Goddesses of Spring.

"In their foolish confidence, the Gods of Pain and Fear declared war upon the God of Death, calling to their aid the Sea Gods of the South and the stooped Gods of Betrayal and Darkness from the far West. The God of Death besought aid from the Cliff God, who also harbored great love for the Goddesses of Spring. The Gods of Vengeance and Anger offered also their people, but their tribes were small, and the God of Death feared to allow any to be lost. In his sad and infinite wisdom, the God of Death sent the tribes of the Gods of Vengeance and Anger to guard most closely the peaceful Goddesses of Spring.

"Thus were the Heavens and Earth divided, as tribes and gods chose one side or the next, and none remained neutral in this. The Gods of Pain and Fear and the God of Death did battle long upon the field, calling upon their allies and followers to stay the support of the other. The Cliff God moved his cave-dwelling peoples against the wily followers of the Sea Gods, and Water fought Earth. The Gods of Betrayal and Darkness engaged the worshippers of the Sun Gods, and Light battled Dark.

"Days and weeks and months passed in endless battle, and the gentle Goddesses of Spring wept to see the sorrow their refusal had caused. Escorted by the Gods of Vengeance and Anger, they journeyed to the battlefield in the hopes of ending the bloodshed.

"When arrived they at the place of war, the Goddesses of Spring wept anew, for their protector and beloved friend, the God of Death, lay wounded under the sword of the God of Pain, and the God of Fear raised his terrible spear to commit the unspeakable- to slay a fellow god.

"The Goddesses of Spring, their peril and sorrowful mission forgotten, rushed to aid the God of Death. The God of Fear struck one a mighty blow, and the other fell upon her knees beside her sister. The Gods of Vengeance and Anger saw this, and, believing their charges slain, engaged the Gods of Pain and Fear in unthinking fury.

"The God of Death, his mighty strength diminished but not gone, rose to end the fight, so no god, whatever his crimes, should be slain. The Goddesses of Spring joined him in attempted peace-making, and succeeded in staying the vengeance of all gods present.

"Quietly, while the gods did negotiate peace, the God of Betrayal stole behind the God of Death and raised his terrible dagger. Swift and sure in his act, the God of Betrayal slew the God of Death in a single stoke."

Duo couldn't help but gasp, although the soft sound didn't disturb Chaud in the least.

"Great were the consequences of this act, for as the God of Death fell, he vowed to return in time and exact revenge for his slaying. In great fear, the God of Betrayal sought to escape, but even the Gods of Pain and Fear gave him no quarter, and he was stripped of his godhood and locked away in eternal prison for his crimes. He, too, vowed vengeance, and was sealed.

"Unbeknownst to the gods, the God of Betrayal had given his followers his True Name, that at some time distant, he might be released to fulfill his promise of revenge, and his True Name was Gar.

"The God of Death had also given his priests his True Name, but those who knew it had been slain in battle. In their grief, the Goddesses of Spring climbed atop the Cliff God's home and proclaimed to the stars and sky that the God of Death was Shinigami."

Duo started violently, and Trowa put a comforting arm around his shoulders, motioning for him to wait until Chaud finished.

"The Gods of the Stars and the Goddess of Night vowed to hold and keep the God of Death's True Name, and impart it to him when once again his great and ancient soul was born on Earth, and the Goddesses of Spring did retire to mourn the slaying of a God."

Chaud came back to himself with a snap, and Duo turned to glare accusingly at Trowa.

"You knew, didn't you?" Duo demanded almost angrily.

"I guessed," Trowa corrected softly. "I couldn't be sure until I brought you here. A lot of demon mothers name their children Shinigami, but a false Shinigami wouldn't have fooled Chaud for a second."

"Although I don't have Trowa's insanely optimistic faith in my abilities, I have to agree." Chaud spoke up. "No one can lie to me for very long, and wearing Shinigami's name without possessing his soul is something of a lie. That was only the relevant passage; the story goes on for a bit, telling about how the gods picked up the pieces and rebuilt Earth, then retired to Heaven, and about the writing of the prophecy, but it's long and tedious, and you don't need to hear it just yet."

"There's more, too," Trowa added a bit hesitantly. "Since you are, indeed, the reincarnation of the God of Death, then you're also the Shining One of the prophecy." He paused and looked down at Duo, his green eyes sympathetic and slightly apologetic. "I hate to have to dump this all on you at once, but I don't know how much time we have left, and I can't risk waiting until it's too late. Forgive me?"

"I…" Duo shrugged helplessly and rested his head on Trowa's shoulder. "Of course I forgive you, but… I hate to sound whiny, but why me?"

"Because the gods fucked up, I bet." Chaud snorted. "When Shinigami came back, it was supposed to be with all his memories and powers, and the event was supposed to be noted and acted on by the gods. But a few of them wanted safeguards in place, so they tagged Shinigami's soul and bound it, so it would take a trigger to unlock his memories and such when he was ready. I'm guessing they gave that trigger to your parents, but for some reason, they never set it off on you. Can you figure why?"

"B-because my… my mother's d-dead." Duo said, his stutter resurfacing. "Sh-she d-died when I was young. Around three. A-and my f-father left b-before I was born."

"Shit," Chaud muttered. "Me and my big fucking mouth. I'm sorry, Shinigami; didn't mean to call up bad memories."

"I-it's okay," Duo managed. "But please, d-don't call me Shinig-gami. I p-prefer Duo."

"All right, Duo. I'm still sorry."

"I say we go rejoin the others before Beck comes looking for us." Trowa spoke up before the situation could become even more awkward. "She can get into a lot of mischief if left on her own."

"You're probably right, and I don't think I want to replace any more furniture." Chaud sighed, standing up and stretching. "Let's go, before those two imps burn my house down around me, and the forest with it."


I'm so sorry, mysterychild-001, and anyone else that's still reading this! I promise I'll try really, really hard to get the next chapter out sooner!

Please review and say you forgive me!